Ingrid Raphael is a beauty therapist like no other. Your bespoke facial treatment is always crafted and devised on the day of your appointment. It is not possible to book a treatment from a generic list of options at this therapy room, oh no… you are instead invited to book ‘time’ for Ingrid to work her wondrous and expert magic on your skin.
I was greeted with a lovely warm welcome as I arrived at Ingrid’s therapy room in Hackney, East London. Prior to my visit, we had followed each other on Instagram for ages and I’d always been inspired by Ingrid’s holistic approach to beauty and skincare so I was VERY excited to finally be here. Don’t be fooled guys, she looks young (sign of an excellent skincare regime right?!) but this therapist knows her stuff. With over ten years of experience in the beauty industry, Ingrid now runs her own business with a 4 – 6 week waiting list for an appointment. Why? She’s bloomin’ good at what she does.
Before you get comfy on the massage table, Ingrid invites you to take a seat. What follows is a lengthy and fascinating skin consultation where she asks you specific questions about your skincare needs and habits both past and present ( I’m telling you, the things you’ll learn along the way if you’re a skincare geek like me.. SO interesting!). Okay skin consultation done, now it’s time to get comfy on the warm and cosy heated bed in the therapy room. Ingrid takes a closer look at my skin under the light before my bespoke facial commences… I already feel so relaxed and comfortable in Ingrid’s hands.
the facial…
I have rosacea and my skin is typically very reactive and prone to redness. During my consultaion, Ingrid talked lots about the skin’s barrier function and how it can be compromised by certain skincare or lifestyle factors. My specific facial treatment had a big focus on soothing redness and repairing my skin’s barrier function by nourishing my skin with various amazing Dermaviduals products (pictured above).
Matcha & Chamomile Ice cubes…
A particular highlight of my facial (there were many) was the incorporation of home made matcha and chamomile ice cubes. Whilst I lay there relaxing to meditative music and wearing a bespoke face mask, Ingrid gently rolled the ice cubes over the mask. It felt so incredibly refreshing and the ice cubes themselves were packed full of amazing skin defending and soothing benefits. The Rose Quartz facial tool and Jade Roller brought my skin back to life and beautiful clay masks cleansed and rejuvenated my complexion. I even had a little extraction work done around my chin….slightly gruesome but oh so good to get rid of all the London grime! Facial of Dreams. When I left my skin felt plumper than it had felt in years and it looked incredibly radiant too. I actually couldn’t believe the transformation. Ingrid takes photos before and after and you really see a difference.
I can’t recommend Ingrid Raphael enough. Book yourself in and experience the magic for yourself. As someone with a skin condition and who is quite apprehensive about flaring up, I felt totally at ease in Ingrid’s hands and had complete faith in her beauty knowledge and expertise. She ensured I was comfortable for the entirety of my visit and no question or concern of mine was ever too much for her. Thank you Ingrid, I will be back in the new year!
You can find Ingrid on Instagram and www.ingridraphael.com
How exciting is this… if you quote ‘herbsandherbs’ when booking your first treatment with Ingrid you will get 25% off.
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