Pacific Faceworks

Last year, I made an appointment during Unilocal beautiful week over the phone. Liana the owner was nice and granted me the online discount (while other places wouldn’t). To get there enter through the Jean Leon hair salon and go downstairs. The spa is small and pink. The main room has a couch, one pedicure chair, one manicure table and a table where you pay. There is a separate smaller room where waxing and spray tanning takes place. In the back there are two facial rooms.
My first time there I got waxing, pedicure and full body spray tan. I wanted the ‘California Express Facial’ as well, but they were booked. The owner offered to give me the same discount on a different day. When my boyfriend and I arrived Liana greeted us and was very friendly. She also offered me a glass of purified water.
I dragged my boyfriend along and he got a pedicure with a foot peel. They used a foot scraper and heavy duty scrub. He said his feet felt the smoothest they have ever felt after a pedicure. At one point another esthetician yelled at him for whistling while she was giving a facial. She should have asked him politely to stop instead of being super rude (minus one star).
Moving on to my pedicure, I got the basic instead of the spa. It was your average no frills pedicure (quick scrub, polish and a short foot rub). The Essie polish she applied was long lasting. They have a small selection of polish so bring your own if you have a specific color in mind. The esthetician suggested a beautiful color for me that I wouldn’t have thought to try. They don’t have a regular nail dryer, but they do have polish dryer in a spray can.
The same esthetician that did my pedicure (not the grumpy lady) did the waxing. She brought the wax and the PAIN. She handled my screaming well and tried to put me at ease. I do wish she plucked strays at the end (eyebrows and Brazilian) even if it might have resulted in me passing out. Tweezers did not come out once and I was left feeling cheated.
The spray tan was a lot less traumatic. The brand they use is Bronze Biologic which is less toxic than a lot of solutions out there. It utilizes beet and cane sugar extracts to create a bronze color. Liana sprayed the solution by hand and took her time. She also gave me a disposable bra and panties so I wouldn’t get solution all over my own. The solution has a weird artificial smell but it is tolerable. It feels a bit sticky to the touch but most of it sinks in after awhile. After it is applied it is partially dried with cool air by hand. You have to keep it on for 24 hours before showering.
My tan came out uneven especially on my hands. I did use a body scrub before I arrived (perhaps I didn’t scrub enough). At least the ‘tan’ was a natural looking color and not Jersey Shore orange. The tan lasted for about a week before it started flaking off (really inconvenient).
I came back a few weeks later to get that facial that was promised. I was going to get the ‘California Express Facial’, but my boyfriend surprised me with the ‘California Express Plus Facial’ (longer and more expensive) for my birthday. He paid in advance during my first visit. Liana remembered it was my birthday and greeted me with a happy birthday and smile. She even included a free arm and hand massage to my facial!
The facial took place in a small cozy room. The lights were dim and there was a comfy lazy boy in the center. Relaxing music played in the background. Liana personally administered my facial. She chatted with me the whole time. Those that like a quiet facial be warned. I wasn’t bothered because she is super nice and gave me advice on my skin regiment.
The facial started with a no rinse cleansing which was followed by two peels. The second peel stung, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. She proceeded to do some extractions. She mainly focused on my nose, but there was one small blemish on my forehead that she tried to tackle. It was no way near ready to be worked on. She ended up aggravating it making it more noticeable and sore. She ended everything with a soothing no rinse moisturizing mask and asked one of the estheticians to give me an arm and hand massage. It was short, but relaxing.
The facial lasted for about an hour if not longer. After my facial she wrote down a personalized daily face regiment, but didn’t try to sell me any products. She gave me a free small vile of serum (unlabeled) to apply to that aggravated blemish and my nose (to minimize pores). It works well on blemishes, but I wouldn’t use it to shrink pores. It’s much too drying for that. She also showed me some mineral makeup from California that she thought I might be interested in (she doesn’t sell the line). My face was still moisturized from the mask when I left, but was a little dry and flaky the next day. My pores did look a bit smaller. Nothing dramatic, but I’ll take it. I think my skin was also softer than usual.

Yes, professional. Friendly. Super nice. But the full on European facial I got was just eh. No steaming, just chemical peels used and the aesthetician said she only did minimal extractions. WTF?

I have tried many different places in the city for a wax, and am super skeptical since back home we use a different method. I really feel like I hit the jackpot with this place. The people are super professional and really friendly. They make you feel very comfortable with the whole experience, and make it a lot less painful then other places. I will never go anywhere else but here for a wax!