Holistic facials are a unique way to rejuvenate your skin, and relax your whole body in the process.
Header image: A post-facial soak in Fivelements Retreat’s sakti bath, set in a peaceful stone bathtub overlooking the sacred Ayung River in Bali. Photo courtesy of Fivelements Retreat, Bali.
If you’ve ever experienced a facial that left you feeling cleansed and, dare we say, purified, you know what we mean about the power of a holistic facial. During these bespoke treatments, you’ll be pampered for over an hour with such add-ons as breathwork, an aromatherapy massage using essential oils, acupressure, and botanical skin-stimulating products that remove toxins and return a healthy glow to your face.
In the process, you’ll begin to feel a sense of total relaxation overtake you. This feeling isn’t limited to your neck up, either. With the addition of meditation, energy work, and an alignment of your chakras, these facials can’t be described as a typical deep scrub and exfoliation. Here, two treatments— one in Bali and the other in Mexico—that we think go way beyond an ordinary facial.
Blending relaxation and a soak in nature
At Fivelements Retreat in Bali, the luxurious Fivelements Superfood Facial is a two-hour experience, that derives its ingredients from nature, and goes beyond the spa itself, ending with a restorative bath in a flower-laden outdoor tub.
The aim: To offer spagoers a deeply renewing journey for the skin and the senses, says assistant spa manager Sang Ayu Nyoman Sumiati (Yuman). “What makes our facial truly unique is our commitment to using only 100% natural, plant-based ingredients, all carefully prepared by hand in our wellness preparation lab,” she says.
Suitable for all skin types and especially helpful for dull, tired, or mature skin, this immersive treatment draws upon the pure vitality of nature. Best of all, every ingredient used in the treatment is thoughtfully chosen for its healing energy, including freshly pressed coconut cream to gently cleanse, a fragrant infusion of ylang-ylang and frangipani as a natural toner, finely milled neem powder to softly exfoliate, and a warm botanical steam of ylang-ylang, frangipani, sandalwood, and hibiscus leaf to open the pores and awaken the skin.
“A fresh pineapple and spirulina mask then floods the skin with antioxidants and vitamins, while soothing aloe vera brings cooling hydration,” she says. “The treatment also features a double facial massage, first to stimulate lymphatic flow and release tension, and then uses chilled quartz crystals to rebalance energy, leaving the complexion luminous and the spirit uplifted.”
With the ultimate aim of enveloping guests in the soothing rhythm of nature and the gentle energy of the sacred Ayung River that flows alongside the resort’s Healing & Wellness Village, this treatment unfolds as a serene and unhurried ritual, Yuman says.
“Soft tropical aromas drift through the air while the melodic murmur of the river creates a natural soundscape that quiets the mind,” she says. “Every touch from the therapist is slow and intentional, inviting the body to release tension and the spirit to soften. The sensation is as if time itself has slowed, allowing the skin to absorb the healing nutrients of the botanicals while the mind is lulled into stillness.”
“Every touch from the therapist is slow and intentional, inviting the body to release tension and the spirit to soften.”
—Sang Ayu Nyoman Sumiati (Yuman), assistant spa manager, Fivelements Retreat, Bali
The finale is as soothing as the start of the treatment, with either a soak in the resort’s sakti bath, set in a peaceful stone bathtub overlooking the river, or a deeply grounding foot reflexology session.
In the end, Yuman hopes each guest leaves this otherworldly resort feeling deeply transformed, nourished in body, calmed in mind, and uplifted in spirit.
“Our wellness philosophy is designed as a complete journey, where guests move gently between realms of healing,” she says. “From deeply pampering therapies that soothe the body, to sacred mindfulness rituals that quiet the mind, and on to profound sessions with our traditional Balian healers who work on an energetic and spiritual level.”
Sourcing ingredients as old as the land itself
The first thing you think of when you enter the Tierra Mar spa, meaning “land by the sea,” at the Four Seasons Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol, Mexico, is that total and complete relaxation is mere moments away.
And, once you experience the 90-minute Flores Del Desierto or Desert Flowers facial, you’ll feel equally nourishing. In an interesting twist, this treatment begins in the spa’s tranquil communal relaxation room, which is quite unlike most other spa bookings.
“We put a cold mask made of quartz on the client’s face because this stone works well as an anti-inflammatory,” says Alejandra Bustamante, the resort’s spa director. “When you travel you have a lot of water retention, and this is a perfect first step to prepare the skin for the treatment itself.”
“The goal is to prepare you to be mindful in the moment and to remain in contact with your body.”
—Alejandra Bustamante, spa director, Four Seasons Cabo San Lucas at Cabo Del Sol, Mexico
Once you’re settled (and relaxed) in your treatment room, the facial begins with aromatherapy applied to your body’s chakras, or energy centers, including those on the abdomen, throat, and heart.
“The goal is to prepare you to be mindful in the moment and to remain in contact with your body,” Bustamante says, adding that every treatment at the spa features a warm pillow placed on your stomach to help you relax.
Next, local ingredients sourced from the lands surrounding the resort, such as cempasuchil flower, tepezcohuitle root, are used in a formulation that cleanses and tones the skin before a cocoa mud mask is placed on the skin to rejuvenate it. Then, after a custom serum is applied, ancient (and cold) obsidian stones are applied on the face to help prompt lymphatic drainage.
The finale of this incredibly restorative treatment: A luxurious—and lengthy—massage that starts on the scalp.
“We also work the full neck and shoulders,” Bustamante says. “With this facial, our hope is that our clients feel as relaxed as possible, from the top of their head to their toes.”
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