Perfect Your Skin With A Customized Holistic Facial Experience From Reishi
Did you even know that holistic facials existed? Ok, good, so I'm not the only one. Let me tell you—they are life-changing and unlike any other facial you've had, it's a Brit guarantee. I recently had the pleasure of this amazing skin experience at Reishi wellness spa in Wicker Park, Chicago. Now let's talk all about what you can expect when you get yours.
About Reishi
At the core of Reishi, is the concept of wabi-sabi: the acceptance of transience and imperfection. HOW MUCH do we love that? Reishi is a wellness spa that incorporates effective nature-based skin care, internal herbal remedies, holistic massage and acupuncture.
Root Facial Experience
Before your appointment, you will fill out a lengthy questionnaire with everything from diet, to skincare, to lifestyle questions. I had never been required to do this for any facial before, but that is because most facials are the same no matter who you are. Exfoliate, steam, mask, moisturize — you know the drill. At Reishi, your facial is a completely CUSTOMIZED experience and they address your skin concerns from the inside out.
“The root facials are the core of what we do here at reishi. We look at all aspects of your lifestyle to address the areas of concern showing up in your skin. Each treatment blends the benefits of nature’s best ingredients, massage therapy and science to enliven and heal the epidermis. ”
Getting Started
You start your facial by sitting down with a cup of calming tea and discussing some of the things your filled out on your paperwork. When has this ever happened in the history of facials?
I just LOVED the aesthetics of Reishi - totally rustic and earthy, with lots of natural light. Perfect vibe for the experience.
I had my facial with Evelina —who I've basically dubbed the skin witch doctor, and not just because she has red hair. She agreed. She is a wealth of knowledge, obsessed with all things holistic, and has the most lovely Polish accent.
For someone who loves learning and all things holistic, I was crazy over all the tips I got from her. She explained every single thing she was doing and why. I took videos of our whole session, which you can find on my Instagram page under the highlight called "reishi." You will be so intrigued!
One of my favorite tips was not to use SPF higher than 30, because the chemicals they use to increase it are much more harmful to your skin. Therefore, use a lower SPF and reapply often. Also make sure it's zinc oxide and not titanium!
I also loved the idea of a probiotic mist for the FACE! It make so much sense that we have a microbiome in our guts and also on our skin... we need to feed it good bacteria, especially if it's disrupted as with acne.
The first thing she did was assess my skin under the light. She mentioned I have a compromised skin barrier around my nose — likely from years of tanning and harsh acne products. Then explained all about the importance of the skin barrier and how that relates to the immune system, inflammation, and aging. She advised I should NOT be using harsh exfoliants like glycolics or retinol until that can be healed.
She also mentioned that Retin A is way too harsh for the skin and that you need to gradually work up to that over the course of a few years, with lower Vitamin A products.
Have you ever had anyone discuss your skin barrier layer? Me neither.
I was most impressed with the products used. I hadn't heard of any of them except Marie Veronique —Evelina told me that she believes very few skincare products can be described as truly holistic. They use the French company, Yonka as well as Environ. They also mix some of their own things — like the herbal mist she sprayed on my face, using French herbs. She said they are more potent because they harvest them according to the moon cycles.
She did SO MANY things to my skin! This was an activated oxygen mask.
Excuse the poor quality photo- this is a screenshot from a video
After Your Facial
You end your facial with activated charcoal water, because you know, to flush out the toxins. I swear, it's like I designed this place. Evelina gave me some recommendations for skincare, and then wrote me a HUGE email further explaining all the stuff we talked about and the products she suggested.
I especially love the Marie Veronique Treatment Oil — it has EPA and a bunch of lovely ingredients to DECONGEST and restore the skin barrier. This line was created with acne in mind, and it has definitely cleared up my skin in the most non-harsh way ever.
Have you ever had anyone email you after your facial with recommendations and advice? Didn't think so.
Overall, I give Reishi 5 million stars. My skin felt AMAZING and looked so bright and plump afterwards. I loved everything about my experience. I have since started using Evelina's recommended products and my skin is looking better every day. For a very thorough assessment of your skin and a plan for how to combat inflammation, aging, acne, or any other concern — definitely set yourself up with facial!
Location
Reishi is tucked away in the back of Trim in Wicker Park at 1629 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60647. Services are by appointment only. You can check out all their pricing on the Reishi website.
Wondering who's the mysterious wordy genius behind these posts? Follow this little rabbit trail to read more About Me! The use of the term genius is open to interpretation.