I tested the Face Care in Chiang Mai: addresses of institutes, advice, opinions, best face care Chiang Mai
I seem to be travelling around the world to test the best massage addresses, beauty salons and cosmetics. My pretext would be to give you the best addresses and beauty secrets from all over the world. Hehe 😀
To see my favorite addresses in Seville, please click here
My favorite addresses in Hanoi, it’s this way
My favorite addresses in Budapest, it’s this way
Medical tourism is developing more and more in Asia, especially in Thailand where the prices are rather soft and the know-how recognized. Many Americans come here to get botox injections, lip filler, laser stain removal or to beautify their eyebrows. Girls from other Asian countries come to enlarge their eyes (to change from mono lid to double lid), or to change sex
I’m not in a good position to test all these services for you, but you should know that Thailand and South Korea are very well known for this
Today, I’m going to test some facials for you instead. It’s not as boring as it sounds. Because the facial you receive in France and pay on average 80€, it’s bullshit compared to Asian treatments
There are 3 types of facial care
- The one given in massage parlours. This one is the least good because a beautician cannot be good at massage and facial care at the same time. Opt for this treatment only if you want to have a facial massage, or if your skin is already super beautiful at the base.
- The one lavished in small beauty salons in the neighborhood. The advantage is that it’s local, and it’s a minimum equipped. The disadvantage is that there are few staff, so the service isn’t very good. I recommend it if you want to test the atmosphere of a local institute.
- The one provided by dermatological clinics that promote their botox, laser, etc. services. It’s a little scary because it looks like they will take out the laser for the slightest imperfection detected on your face. But this isn’t the case, and they are superbly equipped and know how to pamper your face without cutting you in half. I recommend you if you’re looking for the top of the line.
Unfortunately, as I don’t speak Thai (sniff), it was very hard for me to find the right addresses. I may have missed some good addresses. If this is the case, please leave me a little comment so that we can complete the list together
In recent years, Asia has been suffering from the uncontrolled sale of corticoid-based creams, which makes the skin look beautiful in a week, but destroys the skin slowly. Skin destroyed by corticoid will take years to recover. So you should always be wary, especially of institutes that sell their own products, that force you to use them, or that distribute so-called miracle creams, or that put on their Facebook page selfies of super beautiful girls next to their jar of cream. These creams are usually rather compact in shape, and are powder pink or light yellow in color. Just because an institute is frequented by locals doesn’t mean that it is necessarily good (because not everyone knows that they are using corticoid-based creams). Thus, avoid buying cosmetics at the night market, or in the street.
Dee Dee Beauty
It is an institute belonging to the 2nd category, i.e. a local institute. I discovered it thanks to a comment on Tripadvisor. The appointment is made the same day on Facebook
I opted for set E.
The cleansing is done too quickly for my taste, as I am used to a double cleansing in the institute. Then follows a steam bath, and the extraction of the sebaceous filaments, by machine and by hand. Here, the lady is doing well, I’m not in pain. On the other hand, she ignored my microcysts (whereas if I come to the institute, it’s to have them removed, I can’t do it myself)
Then she massages my face (the massage is divine, I have nothing to reproach her for), then she puts a kind of sticky gel on me. She slaps my face to remove this gel for long minutes, which confuses me a bit 😀 A very fresh mask, a little moisturizing cream, and voilà!
Normally, good institutes will massage your arms and head while the mask is being put on, but as the lady has another client waiting, I was abandoned once the mask was put on my face
To conclude, my skin is really luminous after the treatment, but it lacks high-tech machines, especially to tighten the pores
Dee dee beauty – ร้านนวดหน้ารีเฟซ
Google Maps link, Facebook link
Address: 9/3 Charoensuk Rd, Thesaban Nakhon Chiang Mai, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50300Rates: between 300 and 650 baht
Duration: 1 hour
Payment in cash only
Reservation: not necessary, but recommended, to be made on Facebook directly
The esthetician also offers other services such as eyelash extensions, eyebrow tinting, Microfeathering, I have not tested but these services cost in the 1500bahts.
Nicha Clinic
On the Facebook page of this institute, you can only see pictures praising the benefits of big treatments (laser, botox…). So I had to send a shy message on Facebook to ask them if they were doing basic facials. Answer: yes, with high-tech machines to deeply moisturize the skin
This is what I was waiting for! The institute is only 10 minutes by scooter from our apartment, I make an appointment directly. I am offered two rates (reduced rates until January 18, 2018)
- Set A : face care, eye care + ozone : 599 bahts
- Set B: face care, eye care, face mask, eye contour mask, steam and light blackhead extraction + ozone: 999 bahts
I choose set B (Super Premium White Set).
As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by the person who answered me in English on Facebook. I reserved the treatment for 999 bahts, and he offers me several types of care: purifying care, anti-aging care or … (I’ve already forgotten about the other options); I also have to choose the eye contour care: lightening CDY, or anti-wrinkle etc. and the type of mask. Well, if you don’t know what to choose, he will look at your skin and choose for you. I also add an option of 200 bahts of microcysts extraction
This treatment lasts a total of 1h30
The beautician cleans my face twice (good point because double cleansing is the best way to cleanse the skin). Then, I have a steam bath followed by an extraction of sebaceous filaments + micro cysts. The person at the reception desk comes to check if everything is ok and seeing that I don’t have so many microcysts, he tells me that the price isn’t 200 bahts but 100 bahts (lol that’s nice)
Then, the beautician applies a kind of gel on my face and then a machine to massage the face. The metal tool with which she massages me is a bit hot, to open the pores and let the active ingredients in. Then she puts some product on the eye contour and massages me with a smaller tool. This is the “ozone” technology
Finally, it spreads a very fresh mask on my face, while a fresh wind blows on my face, it is also the “ozone” technology. All this to calm my skin and close the pores
Basically, this institute puts more emphasis on care and treatment than on relaxation. Because there is no manual massage (this is an option to be paid extra). There is also no ultraviolet machine to disinfect the open pores, but in my opinion, since I don’t have too many imperfections, this step was not necessary??!
The staff is really nice and attentive. Nobody pushes me to drink. They even advised me on the destinations to visit in the area, with pictures 😀 The boss of the institute is a dermatologist, trained in Bangkok (she was absent when I went there), the employees told me that she also takes care of more advanced treatments such as laser (to remove spots, moles), botox, peeling etc.
After the treatment, my skin is super luminous, soft, super moisturized and the redness in my cheeks has clearly faded. The pores are well tightened. For the eye area, I can’t tell you if it worked because I don’t have any dark circles or wrinkles. But as prevention, it’s always good to take care of your CDY. In short, apart from the lack of massage, I have nothing else to blame this clinic for
Nicha Clinic เทอมาจ เลเซอร์ โบท๊อกซ์ ฟิลเลอร์ ร้อยไหม กำจัดขน
Google Maps link, Facebooklink
Address: 314/6 หมู่ที่5 สันทรายน้อย สันทราย Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50210Rates: Super Premium White Set: I paid 1000 bahts (25€) during the promotional period (+ 100 bahts for the microcysts extraction). But it usually costs 1500 bahts. If you stay a long time in Chiang Mai, there are so-called “buffet” offers for 1 or 3 months. For 1 month, you can come every 5 days and do the same treatment as me, for 5000 bahts in total (130€ for 5-6 treatments, about 26€/care)
Duration : 1h30
Possible payment by card
Reservation: recommended, to be made directly on Facebook
rajdhevee Clinic
It is a well known institute in Thailand, very expensive too. There are always people in this clinic which is located in the shopping center near my home. So I made an appointment
I am received by the girl at the reception who asks me if I want to see the doctor too. I say no, for fear of being stuck with roaccutane or antibiotics. But I don’t know if the consultation is included in the treatment fees
At first, the girl at the reception desk insists that I take two acne treatments at 1500 baht in all, which I refuse after seeing “5 masks to remove excess sebum”. I calmly explain to her that what she sees are spots from my old acne but I don’t have acne anymore and that it’s better to moisturize my skin than to dry it out
We agree on another treatment, Homeo S White which lasts 45 minutes, at 1000 baht
The beautician gently cleanses my face, then applies a chemical scrub to my skin for 10 minutes. Then, she puts on 2 masks (a mud mask) + a moisturizing mask for 15 minutes. During all this time, she disappears, letting me play Candy Crush on my phone
A gel is then applied all over the face and she uses a machine with two very very cold metal tips to give more firmness to the skin. She removes this gel, then puts on moisturizer + sunscreen, and that’s it
1000 baht
My skin looks exactly like my skin before all these treatments. Disappointment!
Fah Lanna Massage
It is a very good massage address and very popular (you have to book a few hours in advance for a massage), but facials aren’t their strong point. In any case, I knew it, the beautician can’t control everything either
The care is composed of 4 steps: (1) cleaning (2) scrubbing (3) massage (4) mask. While the massage is supposed to be their strong point, here it is really too soft, it feels like the esthetician is tapping on my face instead of pressing on the acupuncture points (there are a lot of them on the face). While the mask is being applied, the beautician disappears, leaving me alone in a cold room
In short, I lost 500 baht for nothing
Other tips
- Type “ทรีทเม้นท์ผิวหน้า chiang mai” or “clinic chiang mai” on Facebook or “ทรีทเม้นท์ผิวหน้า” or “clinic” on Google Maps to search for institutes near you/your hotel. Read the reviews on Google, Facebook or Tripadvisor before making an appointment.
- The treatments that cost in the 3000 bahts should alert you because it is part of the more advanced dermatological treatments such as algae peeling, or PRP (taking your own blood and then injecting it into your face), or IPL (laser for pigmentation spots), or micro needling. All these treatments result in a peeling of the skin and you should avoid the sun like a plague for at least 10 days. These are invasive methods that require medical follow-up, not to be taken lightly, so if you do not stay in Chiang Mai for a long time, do not opt for these methods. The Thermage (lifting by radiofrequency), mesotherapy… are also serious care, it is necessary to consult a dermatologist beforehand.
- I told you about corticoid creams, be careful what they put on your face. Do not hesitate to ask the institute to show you the products beforehand.
