I've had quite a few facials from many different places in the Bay Area, from high end San Francisco med spas to medically trained dermatologists and the little mom n pop spots where they answer phone calls while slathering your face with one free hand. Katie at Santa Rosa Skin Studio gave me the best facial I have ever had -hands down.
This studio is all the things you would hope for: clean, fresh, lovely smelling, cheery and elegant. Katie is warm, professional and makes you feel right at home immediately. After a thorough conversation about my skin history and goals, she invited me into a serene room with gentle music and dim lighting. Katie rarely spoke, but when she did, she whispered so gently that it kept the atmosphere calm and silent. She took steps that I have never had anybody take before that made the experience more soothing than any I've ever had. The first thing she does is hold aromatherapy oils over your face while gentle steam begins to pour over you and asks you to take some deep breaths. I was completely relaxed and found myself only thinking about and focusing on how good everything felt. I was able to just turn my brain off.
One of the things that sets Katie apart from any other esthetician that I've been to, is that she never ceases to be doing something to you for the entire lapse of time of your facial; if you have a mask on that needs to sit, she massages your arms, legs, neck or your scalp. She has everything ready on her counter so she never needs to stop and mix something or get more of a product. She was very thorough with extractions, but none of them hurt at all and afterwards I don't have any redness. My skin feels like butter and is totally supple and glowing.
After the facial was just about done, I was laying there thinking how my lips were feeling kind of dry from the weather and it was like she could read my mind because she glossed a treatment on them at that very moment. Next time, I'm going to see if I can buy that treatment because 2 hours later my lips are like brand new.
I got the 90 min Oxygen Facial and I highly recommend it. The plumping and hydrating effects are immediately noticeable. Before I left, I booked another one for next month and I plan to treat myself to one per month from now on.
There's plenty of parking, she can accept cash, check or credit card and has a website that makes booking appointments and selecting services easy as can be. I will be making regular trips from San Francisco just for this facial - it's THAT good. It's difficult to rip me out of my San Francisco bubble, just ask my mom, but I'll happily make the drive up to Santa Rosa to visit this incredible little gem ASAP. read more