Previously, I recommended my kid’s favorite skincare products to beat the Beijing dryness and my own personal skincare picks to help combat my skin issues.

In the final installment of my skincare articles, I’ll share with you the professional beauty treatments that Beijingers readily invest in for their face.

A little background first, ever since adolescence, I seemed targeted by the skin witch doctor and always suffered from sensitive, oily, pimply skin. The moment I could afford it, which was around my early twenties, I poured plenty of my part-time earnings into getting regular facials. After almost two decades of experimenting – where I tried almost everything from getting sprayed in the face with salt water or oxygen fumes, to having microscopic needles prick my eye bags (although I’ve drawn the line at actual injections like Botox) – I tend to steer clear of the “latest and greatest” inventive treatments and opt for classic facials instead.

In my nearly three years of living in Beijing, I’ve frequented four different commercial spa facilities to test their facial treatments and visited dermatologists in two different medical institutes to tackle my host of skin problems. The results? I may have finally discovered the cost of maintaining youthful, beautiful skin in the capital city.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of some facial treatments that everyone who cares enough gets done on a regular basis.

小气泡 (Xiǎo qìpào) literally “small bubbles” – This is the most basic cleansing facial where the therapist will use either hot or cold mist to coax open your pores and extract the dirt, blackheads, and whiteheads. A staple for all people, but especially for those with oily skin.

Here in Beijing, depending on what level of spa you are in, they may perform the extraction the traditional way using A blackhead extractor, also known as a comedone extractor, which bloody hurts in my opinion. You usually have the option to top-up for the small suction vacuum which hurts way less.

In more recent years, there has even been an option to use a small but powerful water jet to remove these impurities. It can be a shocking sensation, but it apparently cleans better without the pain.

水光 (Shuǐ guāng) literally “water light” – This hydrating facial is a big fave in Beijing for obvious reasons. The words “补水” (Bǔshuǐ) or “hydration” are the most common in skincare here, and I’ve been offered this facial more times than I can count.

The most common method I’ve experienced is a light spray of pure oxygenated water on your face after the usual cleansing process, but sometimes the therapist may simply apply a deeply hydrating serum and use a pulsing machine to improve absorption into your skin. An average price for this treatment runs between RMB350 – RMB800.

V Lift Shaping Facial – This might be the newest addition to the list as this trend started around 2020. According to a South China Morning Post (SCMP) article, “The Koreans have popularised the V-shape and made it part of their standards of beauty. Consequently, many aesthetic treatments work towards achieving that ideal of facial symmetry and perpetual youth,” observes Dr. Kevin Chua, co-founder of Dr. Kevin Chua Medical & Aesthetics Clinic in Singapore.”

A quick internet search reveals plenty of DIY devices almost resembling those head-enveloping braces of the 80s that promise to help lift and contour your face shape to that definitive V.

In the spa, the use of radio frequencies (RF) is most commonly used to achieve this effect. I have tried it before, and while you may enjoy rather dramatic results after just one treatment, the truth is that it goes almost as quickly as it comes and within three weeks you’re back to your V-less face shape. If you think RMB1,000+ / session is worth it, then go ahead and splurge!

Acid / chemical peel 刷酸 (Shuā suān)– I’ve saved the best for last, as this is the one treatment that I have now committed to doing in Beijing at a medical dermatologist.

The worst part of my acne has always been the scars that remain, even up to a year, after the horrid skin bumps have popped their death. Finally sick of having to cover up those damning reminders, I first tried a chemical peel two months ago. I started with a low grade of salicylic acid, just 20%, and moved up to 35% the last time. This number can go as high as 70% at a medical facility, whereas spas tend to keep below 50%. The results have been quite visible – with my scars lightening, smaller pores, and smoother skin overall. However, the price tag for this treatment is not cheap, at RMB1,300 / session at the doctor. At spas, you would pay maybe RMB300 – RMB500 less.

KEEP READING: Best Facial Fixes for Beijing’s Dry Winters

Images: Unsplash, Pexels, Amazon, Clarins

I’ve been in Beijing for almost two years now and it never ceases to amaze me how many beautifully groomed women live in the capital. Growing up as somewhat of a tomboy (do we still say that anymore?) in sunny, sweaty Singapore and being blessed/cursed with little body hair, I never really bothered with plucking my eyebrows or waxing my legs (even though my husband tells me I have hairy knees). What’s more, I’d never had a manicure before my husband brought me to a nail salon on one of our first dates. 

It wasn’t until my 20 or 21st birthday that I was finally inducted into the ever-changing world of female beauty standards when my best friend bought me a Groupon for laser hair removal. I continued with the sessions for a couple of years until I had no more hair in unwanted places (I still never did my legs). I started facials the same way: with a special trial price, then got sucked into the beauty black hole to “cure” all my imperfections, from pimples to freckles. Then, after childbirth, it was my postpartum tummy and jelly thighs… it just never ends.

But the Beijing belle takes things to a whole new level. I spoke to a few well-kept Beijing ladies about how they maintain their picture-perfect selves and worked out their grooming schedule and costs at the salon/spa: 

Facials: Weekly, RMB 380
Eyelash extensions: Every three weeks, RMB 300
Eyebrows: Every four weeks, RMB 200
Hair removal (Underarm or leg being the most common): Every four weeks, Starting from RMB 150
Hair Cut: Every four weeks, RMB 350
Hair Color: Whenever the mood strikes/every six weeks for maintenance, RMB 800
Hair Care: Every four weeks, RMB 350
Manicure and Pedicures: Every four weeks, RMB 600 for both

Phew. And that’s before we delve into more invasive procedures such as Botox, which is surprisingly common here. But that’s a whole other Pandora’s box all its own. No wonder women are always pictured at the salon or in the midst of some kind of beauty regimen (think Julia Roberts with the cold cream and cucumber eye masks in My Best Friend’s Wedding). If we are to look anything like how we are imagined to look, we would have to dedicate an incredible amount of time to the pursuit of pretty. 

I’d like to point out that I’m typing this as I sit in a hair salon getting my hair colored and cut, so I’m a complete victim of the endless pursuit. 

But what if you could do it all from home and for a significantly lower cost?

That’s where the 河狸家 Hé lí jiā app steps in. This decade-old app is the secret that a Beijing belle and good friend of mine shared with me. Its mainstay is dedicated to providing at-home beauty services, though there is also an option to book appointments at over 5,000 beauty salons and spas through the app.

When you first download the app, it will ask you to choose the categories that you are most interested in – from nails to make-up to body treatments.

Booking an appointment on the same day is easy, just click the button circled below to view available time slots! I was able to book an appointment for eyelash extensions within three hours.

They also claim to provide 24 hour service, though I have yet to test that myself…

The lowest price I saw for eyelash extensions was RMB 99, and the most expensive was RMB 488, so how much you spend is really up to you.

Pro Tip: My Beijing belle friend used the app until she discovered a particular service provider that she really clicked with, and has since personally set up appointments with her, in order to enjoy more exclusive service.

So there you have it, a beauty app that will hopefully save you some time and money!

KEEP READING: In Favor of Guasha Over the Knife

Images: 河狸家

I have been on a bit of a mission to try out different spas and salons to get my pretty back this summer. Staying calm and looking fresh is my new mission, as I bike through Beijing. The city has plenty of great spots to get pampered. We all need some help looking and feeling our best, and I have tried out some treatments and will be sharing my experiences. Watch this space for more mommy beauty news from the frontlines.

I am a bit of a nail connoisseur, I love to have pedicures and manicures all around the world. I got hooked on pedicures in Texas during college. In the Netherlands its not very common to take care of your feet as they are in rain boots most of the time.

I found my salon on the second day we arrived in Beijing. We were in Sanlitun on the now demolished dirty bar street. My daughter got her nails painted by one of the ladies at the salon and since then I have been going to XIAOXIAO Nail Eyelash Spa. Its so good they named it twice. They have been taking care of my nails for ten months now, though sometimes I cheat and try another salon. I feel cheated myself then as XIAOXIAO knows just how to take care of my feet. They are simply that good. I feel like I shouldn’t share this secret, but here it goes anyway.

Since dirty bar street was destroyed the salon is not there anymore, but no worries as they have another location at 3.3 on the fourth floor. I met with the owner Tu Xiaoping, a mother of two boys. She tells me how she worked her way up ten years ago when she had a small salon in Sanlitun and would ask people on the street if they wanted manicures. Now she owns seven stores in Beijing and Wuhan, over 100 employees, and about 30 franchises across China. A true mom-peneur as we call it these days. Xiaoping will open a new salon in Solana in a few days. She explains that she is expanding the salon on the fourth floor of 3.3 with a skin care center to meet demand. The new skin care center is called Bella Luna, a name she always wanted to give her daughter, but she got two sons instead.

I get my nails done and then try out the new skin care center. Bella Luna looks new, fresh and modern. The spa therapists look like nurses and I cant help but think this is just what the doctor ordered! The lights are dimmed in the room the music is soothing and I get covered in a warm blanket. The girls take great care of me giving me a foot massage while giving me a facial. The hour was over in a whim and I felt relaxed and fell asleep. Make sure to head over to Sanlitun’s 3.3 Mall for the pampering of a lifetime with affordable prices to match. Manicures and pedicures will set you back between RMB 60 and RMB 350, and facials at Bella Luna run from RMB 160 to RMB 700.

Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of last year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

Pictures by Pauline van Hasselt and Pixabay.com