While you might have heard about the benefits of incorporating CBD into your skincare, you might not have heard about the celebrity facialist pioneering the luxury CBD facial.
Skin care is health care
Budapest-born Ildi Pekar has been practicing face and body care for the past two decades, pioneering the use of modern technology in combination with natural, organic ingredients instead of harsh chemicals. Since taking the “skin care is health care” ethos of her native Hungary (the “spa capital” of the world) to the streets of New York City, Ildi has made a name for herself as one of the most sought-after aestheticians in the city. With a client list that includes Miranda Kerr, Ildi now runs the Ildi Pekar Wellness Studio in Manhattan, which boasts a diverse range of treatments from electric stimulation therapy, to Chinese medicine and acupuncture.
One of the most buzzed-about treatments in Ildi’s spa is the full-body CBD vibe facial. With this treatment, Ildi and her team of aestheticians use the height of technological advancements, organic products and the magic of CBD to primp your skin into the dewiest, most glorious condition imaginable.
What does a CBD facial involve?
While it’s technically a “facial”, the CBD treatment at Ildi’s spa operates more like a full body relaxation experience.
The treatment starts off with a shoulder massage with CBD-infused massage oil, followed by an optional tincture of CBD oil for customers to consume orally, mixed up by Ildi herself and sweetened with stevia to offset the typically bitter taste of CBD oil.
The skin is then cleansed of all makeup and impurities, followed by a mild chemical peel to exfoliate any dead upper skin cells away and expose the fresh skin underneath to get the full benefits of the treatment.
Now, this is when the real luxury begins. Facialist technicians in Ildi’s spa use an electro-statis polarisation machine to massage the body from the inside out. This machine uses electricity to send mild vibrations throughout the skin and muscles to soothe tension and improve circulation, as well as giving your lymphatic system a good kick.
As well as brushing a CBD-infused mask all over the face, Ildi’s spa uses an oxygenating machine (a big plastic bubble that makes you look like an astronaut) which uses negative ion therapy to balance your skin’s pH and really take the spa experience to the next level.
After lying in the oxygenating machine for half an hour or so, you are then treated to some extra-nourishing and moisturizing treatments from Ildi’s personal skincare line to protect your skin post-facial.
How much does it cost?
Ildi’s CBD facial treatment will set you back a pretty $400 (one of the most expensive treatments on the menu in her spa), as the unfortunate reality of CBD skincare is that cannabidiol itself is not cheap. From cultivating to extracting, CBD is quite a labour-intensive product to produce. The fact that it is still not regulated properly in many parts of the world means that importing CBD from countries where it is legal to produce is quite costly.
