Learn about our Facials

Brooklyn Herborium’s Facials are most likely unlike any facial you have ever experienced. This is because our holistic philosophy starts with an underlying belief that the skin, like every other system in the body, is innately intelligent. We believe our job as holistic practitioners and estheticians is to work with the body rather than against it. We teach you to give it what it needs when it needs it and then get out of the way to allow it the agency to function as nature intends, allowing your true beauty to shine. (Skip this first section for a TLDR)

The Functional Facial Has Three Parts. 

Part One

First, your facialist will cleanse and analyze the skin as you have a brief consultation about your current skincare regimen. The purpose of doing this is to ensure that your current regimen is working WITH the natural processes of your skin. We promise that we will never take away your favorite products (unless they are doing some serious damage) and will usually find ways to make them work even better for you. 

At this point, unless you have already asked for something particular, you will be asked which level of facial you would like at that time. Level One at $224 for 75 min, Level Two at $319 for 90 min, or Level Three at $424 for 105 min. If it is your first facial, please keep in mind that, depending on your starting out needs, we often need up to 20 minutes more for the consultation and plan your timing accordingly. 

A Functional Facial Level One focuses mainly on how well your skin is currently functioning and takes the steps to improve how it functions in the future. While the specifics may change due to your individual needs on that particular day, steaming, exfoliation, and extraction are usually part of this. Maintaining good skin function is important for everyone. However, it is especially necessary when experiencing issues such as stress bumps, irritated hot spots in recurrent places, and hormonal hyperpigmentation. 

Part Two

If you were to choose a Functional Facial Level Two or Level Three, you would also get an Integrative Therapy that focuses specifically on skin issues that you want to address. Integrative therapies use specialized herbal preparations, LED phototherapy (Red, Blue, Amber, Green), high-frequency (neon and argon), BT Micro (ultrasonic and microcurrent), diamond dermabrasion, massage techniques such as gua sha, and Herbal Compressions to directly address your most pressing concerns.

These specialized offerings include: 

• The Integrative Therapy for Congestion and Dehydration is recommended when you have large amounts of blackheads or milia that need to be extracted. This service not only gives you the preparation and time needed in order to have it done well but will also teach you how to prevent this type of build-up in the future so that you won’t have to go through all that poking and squeezing again and again.
• The Integrative Therapy for Barrier Repair is helpful for those who experience symptoms related to the skin’s natural barrier and its oil and water balance. Barrier repair is highly recommended if you get any type of dermatitis or have a mottled texture just below the surface of the skin and should be considered in cases of oily patches, enlarged pores, chapped skin, and dry (flakey) patches.
• The Integrative Therapy for Biome Rehabilitation is recommended for anyone who is experiencing symptoms related to biome integrity. This could include pimples with pus, uneven textured areas, and large, inflamed, painful welts that tend towards infections. Got acne? Support the biome.
• The Integrative Therapy for Reducing Redness and Reactivity can be helpful to anyone with over-reactivity that results in symptoms of inflammation and a tendency towards hives, eczema, and rosacea. It is often necessary to help get over-anxious skin out of a dysfunctional feedback loop so that healing is possible.
• The Integrative Therapy for Damaged Skin is for people who want to improve the appearance of skin that has been afflicted with past conditions that may have resulted in hyper-pigmentation, red spots, distended capillaries, uneven skin texture, and scars. This therapy is only suitable for when the skin is functioning optimally—we do not perform this treatment if the skin is currently experiencing an immune response.
• The Integrative Therapy for Maintaining Radiance at Every Age is for people of all ages who want to maintain their radiance while improving the appearance of past conditions that may have resulted in loss of elasticity, dark spots, hyper-pigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles. This therapy is suitable for anyone, though most beneficial when the skin is functioning optimally.

Not sure what you need? Don’t worry–just book a facial, and your practitioner will be able to tell you at the time of your service. It is possible to get an Integrative Therapy without the Functional Facial. These 60-75 minute services cost $224 and do not include steaming, extractions, or a treatment mask.

So, as your skilled practitioner gives your skin the unique care it needs (steaming, exfoliation, extraction, honey tapping for stagnation, or one of the aforementioned treatments), she will inquire about your personal selfcare. Hopefully, you will have answered the questions on your consultation intake form in good time before your appointment because the wisdom you will glean from this selfcare consultation is where your future skin is born. This time is for you. The purpose of all of the questioning is to ensure that your selfcare–your daily habits, your weekly routines, and your seasonal shifts–are working with your body rather than against it. 

Part Three

Then, just when you are already thinking that this has been the most unusual (and hopefully productive) facial you have ever had, a bespoke mask is applied, and the facial moves into the Body-Mind Alignment segment of the service. Crystal placement, combined with an Elemental Sound Bath guides your mind toward a place of deep relaxation, then facial reflexology brings you even deeper. As you are in this blissful state, our unique wands are used to gently stimulate each Harmony Zone—encouraging all systems in your body to work in unity for your optimal well-being. The facial finishes with lymphatic drainage and a more concentrated moment of focus with the energy work that is present throughout the entire service.

All of our Functional Facials include some Body-Mind Alignment. But, if you have chosen a Level Three Facial (or a Level Two facial and request more Body-Mind Alignment instead of an Integrative Therapy), your experience will be heightened with the placement of a full-body crystal grid, an advanced sound and energy experience, and more time in the reflexology alignment state.

Because the Body-Mind Alignment is so relaxing, we do expect that you will forget everything that was discussed during the consultation portion of the facial. And that is OK. Your practitioner will provide you with handouts, notes, and worksheets with any information that they believe is important for you to remember and understand. So, go ahead and enjoy letting yourself sink into it.

Please Note:

• As your skin becomes healthier, the consultation/treatment portion of each service will become less intense, leaving more time for Body-Mind Alignment. However, we do require our staff to re-assess each client’s skincare and selfcare practices every time they visit in order to determine where they are in their journey from controlling to supportive care, as well as to prevent obstacles by ensuring that they are staying on track.
• If you are currently on Accutane or have been on it within the past 4 months, we can only offer consultations or the Body-Mind Alignment.
• We do not perform extractions on skin that has recently had a deep peel or if you have used retinol within the past three days. We recommend against extractions on reactive and irritated skin. 

TLDR

Functional Facials are designed to meet your skin where it is at and help it to function optimally. This is what most people think of when they think of a traditional spa facial: Cleanse, steam, extraction if needed, and masks, but with facial reflexology and a holistic attitude.

Integrative Therapies focus on moving the skin from a place of dysfunction to a place of function. Our offerings include services that are indicated for conditions that involve topical congestion, dehydration, irritation, redness, reactivity, vascular stagnation, glandular stagnation, the microbiome, structural integrity, damaged skin, scars, wrinkles, dry patches, dark spots, hyperpigmentation, melasma, fine lines, elasticity, etc. Your esthetician can help you decide which is right for you.

Body-Mind Alignment addresses the nervous system with facial massage, sound therapy, and energy work. We include some Body-Mind Alignment in all of our services, and adding it onto a service or as its own service simply adds more time in this amazing state of being. As a stand-alone service, it is incredibly relaxing and allows for integration in all other areas. 

Level One = Functional Facial -or- Integrative Therapy -or- Body-Mind Alignment = $224 / 75 min

Level Two = Functional Facial + Integrative Therapy -or- Body-Mind Alignment = $319 / 90 min

Level Three = Functional Facial + Integrative Therapy + Body-Mind Alignment = $424 / 105 min

FAQ: How often should I schedule a facial service?

A: Depending on what you are looking for, your rhythm for scheduling your facials could vary:

• Brooklyn Herborium clients with happy, healthy, well-functioning skin usually come once a season (4 times a year) for a tune-up and to revisit their selfcare.
• If you are actively working to shift the health of your skin, we usually recommend coming between 5 and 8 weeks apart for the first 3 to 5 sessions. This could be for a Functional Facial or an Integrative Therapy. Often, clients will decide to switch between Level 2 Facials and Integrative Therapies if there is a lot they are working on, but budget is a concern.
• Body-mind Alignment can be helpful for creating an energetic shift by coming once a week for 6-8 weeks. Many of our regulars choose to add a Body-Mind Alignment session to their Functional Facial or Integrative Therapy whenever they come in.
• If your skin is functioning well and we are using Integrative Therapies to help reduce the appearance of tertiary conditions (scars, residual redness, sun damage, dark spots, wrinkles, etc), we usually do 2-4 sessions at two weeks apart and then 2-4 sessions about a month apart for a total of 6 sessions before returning to your usual rhythm.
• During stressful times, some clients choose to come monthly for ongoing support. It is not necessary for the health of your skin, but sometimes just what you need for overall wellness.

For Booking Appointments

Brooklyn Herborium values all of our clients, and we want you to get the most out of each appointment. In order for us to create these unique experiences for you, we are putting in extra time and energy around the space of the appointment. Be aware that we only have one facial room at each location. Because of this, the times that are open for booking appointments are more limited than in a typical spa. However, we book your service provider with enough time per slot for up to a Level Three Facial. So, if you book a Level One and then get here and decide to upgrade, no problem! 

First-visit appointments require a deposit to reserve the timeslot. We have a 24-hour cancellation policy. If you cancel within 24 hours of your appointment, you will be required to put down another deposit before making your next appointment. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have reserved an appointment but will not be able to make it so that we have ample time to offer that appointment to others who are waiting to get in and the practitioner is not left with an open space on her calendar because you only gave us 24 hours to re-fill it!

Respect your own time, as well as your practitioner’s, by giving yourself ample time to arrive and get settled. Take the time to fill out our intake form and review the “Where to Begin” articles on our website before your appointment. If it is your first visit or you are returning after a long time away, expect to spend a little more time here (up to 20 minutes) to ensure a proper consultation. If there is something in particular you are working on, it is helpful if you bring your binder of worksheets with you on your return visits so that we can keep track of your progress and add to it to keep you pointed in the right direction.

• A pre-purchased series of 6 is available for all our facial services and gets you a discounted rate.
• Gift certificates for services are available for purchase. Many people choose to include tax and tip in the gift certificate when they are giving it as a gift. 
• Envelopes are provided at the register if you wish to tip your service provider in cash. You can also have the person checking you out add it to your total purchase before running your card. Gratuities are always appreciated.

We are closed on Mondays, so if you submit a request later in the day on Sunday or on a Monday, you will hear back from us after we open on Tuesday. Thanks for your patience!