SK-II Boutique by Senze Salus

Times have changed. What was once considered a luxury only women cared about is now rapidly being embraced by men. We’re talking about facials and spa treatments — the closest one can get to the fountain of youth bar invasive procedures or plain old magic.

The newly-opened SK-II Boutique Spa by Senze Salus at Raffles City has launched their “We Love Your Skin” campaign, a recent overhaul of their spa routine that sees a focus on the most basic components of cleansing is often overlooked: water. While the focus on most facial treatments lie with the a whole array of new technologies, and various rare oils and unguents, Senze Salus’ latest campaign adds on to that by putting all their water through a four-step filtration that removes microorganisms, sediment, and chlorine.

Premium sencha at the SK-II Boutique Spa by Senze Salus
Premium sencha at the SK-II Boutique Spa by Senze Salus

Part of said water also gets put through an ioniser to turn its PH alkali, which is said to have beneficial properties including being an antioxidant and more hydrating. This is used to brew handpicked Japanese sencha — itself boasting multiple health benefits — that has been curated by a Japanese tea sommelier.

The big question is whether there are treatments tailored for men—especially since men generally have thicker skin, larger pores, and higher collagen density. With their personalised service, the experience doesn’t have to be gendered since they’re targeted at each person’s specific skin condition — possible treatments range from pressure massages to facial steaming with distilled water, and oxygen treatments to rejuvenate your skin. 

In fact, between 5-10 percent of Senze Salus’ regulars are men, most of which are in their early 30s to mid 40s looking to better their skin, or even just to decompress from the stresses of life. 

The experience

We tried the “SK-II Senzational Facial”, a 90-minute treatment that’s meant to promote hydration, radiance, and have anti-aging effects.

A treatment room in at SK-II Boutique Spa by Senze Salus.
A treatment room in at SK-II Boutique Spa by Senze Salus.

Skin Score

Almost all treatments start off with the SK-II “Magic Ring”, a contraption that essentially photographs your face, maps your skin, and calculates the condition of your skin. You’re also given a pot of your choice of green tea brewed with alkali water, which you can sip while your skin is being evaluated.  

What happens

There are lengthy face massages, cleansing rituals, and an endless progression of different SK-II products applied: from organic essential oils like geranium, which helps reduce inflammation and relieve stress; to various SK-II serums like the SK-II RNA Power, which contains active ingredients like Pitera and vitamin B3 complex to help nourish and fortify the skin.

Time to relax

In a pinch, it’s their job is to make you feel as relaxed as possible while they work on your face. Goose down comforters, five-star hotel quality beds with high thread-count sheets, and soothing music piped in all work toward that. So relaxed that you might just fall asleep — which we’re told is a good thing as the skin better the absorbs whatever products that have been applied.

The outcome

It might be the 90 minutes of stress-melting face massages when we didn’t have to look at our phone, or the multitude of products applied on this writer’s face; but we came out of it feeling, and very possibly looking (it’s hard to gauge yourself) positively radiant. Our face also had this soft, dewy quality that persisted for the better part of the day.

After the treatment, the pampering continues with homemade snacks and teas served post-spa in their more-than-comfortable lounge—which we were tempted to linger in f0r too long, if we didn’t have that meeting to rush off to.

 

252 North Bridge Road #02-26B Raffles City Shopping Centre. Tel: 6336 4880

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