REVIEW: 24K GOLD FACIAL AT THE DOOR W4
We Experience the Alchemy of this Opulent Gold Leaf Treatment
I head to a luxury, Chiswick oasis to be turned into a living Klimt painting, by having my face covered in 24K gold.
Everybody from Naomi Campbell to Bella Hadid have embraced this opulent new beauty trend, but it’s not a recent discovery - the history books are shimmering with gold.
It was used in Chinese, Indian and Arabic medicine as far back as 2500 BC and fancy, Egyptian skin-pamperer, Cleopatra was a fan of sleeping with a gold-coated mush.
It has undergone advanced, cosmetic research since then. But does it work? And how?
The Door W4 sets the gold standard for this treatment - among a gaggle of health, aesthetic and wellness services - so this is where I take my weary, child-ravaged face for some alchemy, to find out.
It’s nestled in the leafy grounds of the grand, Hogarth Health Club. The Door’s name immediately makes sense on arrival, when a striking wooden door with wrought iron fig leaves and vines opens to reveal a calm and lavish sanctum of marble and gold, drenched with sunshine from the vast windows and glass doors to their immaculate gardens.
Despite the luxury, it doesn’t feel stuffy. Practice manager Kellie Lloyd welcomes me with a hug, like an old friend, and introduces me to the smiling fountain of skincare wisdom that is Manisha Khatri, who will be performing my facial.
Manisha kindly overlooks my Sainsbury’s bag full of bananas - which is very much not in keeping with the vibe - and leads me to her tranquil treatment room. It’s a pristine space with giant skylights above the bed, to watch the rustling leaves and blue skies during your session.
It begins with a fascinating consultation about my skin, skincare regime and goals. She recommends the addition of a Vitamin C serum to my routine, something she says everybody would benefit from.
Then it’s onto the nitty gritty about what to expect from the procedure and how it works. I remove my top, am cocooned into fluffy white towels on the bed like a posh burrito, and the 60 minute treatment begins.
We start with a double cleanse using DIBI Milano Extreme Youth cleanser, which contains retinol for renewal and a mixture of active antioxidant and moisturising ingredients.
And it turns out I’ll be getting gold and diamonds on my skin, as she brings over her nifty Dermoregen machine for my Diamond Dust Microdermabrasion. For this, she uses a hand held tool with a diamond dust edge to exfoliate and resurface the skin, allowing for better penetration of the active ingredients which follow.
A pad is placed beneath my back with conductor gel, to make sure I am part of the current for the microcurrent machine, which pushes the active peptide serum into the dermis through Electropores - openings into cell membranes, created using elecrical pulses, to ensure deep penetration of the serum.
It’s painless, relaxing and I try not to drift off to sleep - Manisha reassuringly tells me that 90% of her clients fall asleep during facials.
Between these treatments, Manisha relaxes me further with head, shoulder and feet massages, while answering my increasingly sleepy questions about the treatment - she was an educator for the DIBI Milano brand she’ll be using for the 24K gold facial, and anything she doesn’t know about it isn’t worth knowing.
A Dermophoretic System is applied to help my skin absorb The Gold Concentrated Youth Treatment, to optimise the gold’s effect
Next, the Gold Concentrated Youth Cream Mask is applied. This mask is packed with bioconjugated Gold and Peptide no.34, which stimulates the skin’s collagen production and proteoglycans, which restore cells, smooth and hydrate skin.
Finally, the 24K Gold Leaf sheets are carefully applied to my face - I look and feel like an Egyptian Queen.
Manisha gently massages this into my skin, and I am amazed to see that all of the gold has been absorbed - the tiny nanoparticles of gold in my skin will give me a glorious, shimmery glow for around two weeks, as they reflect in the light, which immediately makes my skin look brighter.
The pure gold will also boost my skin’s metabolism, deeply nourishing, tightening and strengthening it. Gold is also thought to have powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
The combination of powerful active ingredients in this facial reduces wrinkles, helps drain lymph nodes, remove toxins, stimulates blood circulation, and helps skin cells replenish at a faster pace than they would naturally grow.
Manisha tells me this treatment is popular with brides-to-be, for an instant hit of radiance. She proudly passes me a mirror to admire her mush-magic, and I can see why. The difference after one session is amazing - they recommend a series of three, to achieve the best results.
We excitedly compare the before and after pictures from my session, and the dull, tired skin from the first has been replaced by visibly tighter, bright, fresh and glowing skin, which feels like satin - although she quickly reminds me not to touch my face after a facial.
It’s a perfect alternative to invasive, anti-ageing treatments and is quite literally, alchemy.
The Door W4, The Hogarth Group, Airedale Ave, London W4 2NW. 24-Karat Gold Leaf Facial by DIBI Milano - £140 for 60 minutes. £350 for a course of three
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