For breakout-prone skin that hasn't responded to skincare alone. A six-step, multi-modality protocol that combines what actually works on acne: extractions, enzyme exfoliation, high frequency therapy, and red light.
Book the Acne Facial What's InsideAcne isn't one thing. It's a system: oil production, bacteria, dead skin cell turnover, inflammation, hormones, and stress all interact. A single-modality treatment — just extractions, or just a peel, or just light therapy — addresses one piece while the others continue driving the cycle. That's why so many people spend years on rotating products that work for two weeks and then stop.
Our Acne Facial protocol combines six steps that address different points in the cycle — in a single 90-minute session, performed by a trained esthetician. It's not magic. It's the layered approach that dermatology offices use, executed in a calming spa environment with organic products and proper aftercare guidance.
Here's what actually happens in your session:
An oil-based first cleanse removes makeup, SPF, and sebum. A water-based second cleanse removes water-soluble debris. This sets the skin up for everything that follows — you cannot effectively treat what you cannot see.
Your esthetician examines your skin under proper lighting, identifying the type and distribution of breakouts (hormonal, congestion, comedonal, inflammatory), areas of irritation, and any signs of barrier compromise. The treatment plan adapts based on what she finds.
The skin is softened with steam to facilitate gentle extraction. Your esthetician removes blackheads, whiteheads, and any ready-to-go congestion using proper technique — pressure calibrated, never forced. We don't extract anything that isn't ready. Forcing closed comedones is how marks form.
Plant-derived enzymes from papaya and pumpkin dissolve dead skin cells around hair follicles — the very area where congestion forms. This is a gentler approach than acid exfoliation and it pairs beautifully with the manual extractions that came before.
A glass electrode delivers low-level alternating current across your skin, producing ozone at the surface. The mechanism: ozone kills the bacteria implicated in acne (Cutibacterium acnes), and the gentle electrical stimulation reduces inflammation. This is the step that targets the bacterial side of the equation.
The session finishes with LED red light to reduce inflammation, support skin healing, and calm any redness from the extractions. Red light also has documented effects on sebum production over a series of treatments.
Around 90 minutes. You leave with calmer, cleaner skin and a realistic action plan for what to do at home. This isn't a quick fix — it's a real reset. Most clients see meaningful improvement after their second or third session.
Many spas avoid extractions or do them perfunctorily because they take time and require training. Improper extractions create more problems than they solve. We take extractions seriously — trained estheticians, proper preparation, and the discipline to leave alone what isn't ready.
High frequency and red light therapy aren't add-ons here — they're core to the protocol. Each does something a topical product can't.
We're an Éminence-partnered spa. Every product touching your skin during the protocol is biodynamic and organic. This matters especially for inflamed, compromised acne-prone skin that reacts to harsher conventional ingredients.
You leave with realistic at-home recommendations — not a sales pitch. We'll tell you what to use, when to use it, and what to stop using. If something doesn't need to change, we'll say so.
Spa acne facials are excellent for inflammatory, comedonal, and hormonal acne in the mild-to-moderate range, and for maintenance and prevention. They are complementary, not substitutive, for these situations:
We'll tell you honestly if your situation calls for dermatologic care first. The Acne Facial protocol is excellent at what it does, and we won't pretend it's the right tool for situations where medicine is needed.
Your skin will look calmer and cleaner. You may have mild redness for an hour or two, particularly where extractions were done. No makeup for at least 12 hours; SPF religiously.
For most people, skin looks meaningfully better. For some, a brief "purge" surfaces — congestion that was already developing comes up faster than it would have. This is normal and short-lived.
The full effect of the high frequency and light therapy work continues through the cellular response. Inflammation reduces, healing accelerates, and the bacterial load stays lower for longer.
For active acne: every 2–3 weeks until the cycle calms down (typically 3–6 sessions). For maintenance once your skin stabilizes: monthly. We'll talk through a realistic timeline at your first visit.
Six distinct steps: double cleansing, detailed skin analysis, manual extractions, Éminence enzyme exfoliation, soothing mask, high frequency therapy to kill acne-causing bacteria, and finishing red light therapy to reduce inflammation. The full protocol takes about 90 minutes.
Sometimes, yes — a temporary "purge" after deep extractions and enzyme exfoliation is normal. Congestion that was already developing surfaces faster than it would have on its own. This usually clears within 5–7 days, and the skin underneath emerges meaningfully better.
For active breakouts: every 2–3 weeks until the cycle calms down (typically 3–6 sessions). For maintenance once your skin stabilizes: monthly. We'll talk through a realistic timeline at your first visit.
Done correctly, no. Our estheticians use proper technique — softening the skin with steam and enzyme first, applying calibrated pressure, never forcing closed comedones. Minor redness for an hour or two is normal; persistent marks indicate either improper technique elsewhere or unusually reactive skin (which we'll account for next time).
Better not to for at least 12 hours. Your skin is at its most receptive to whatever you put on it. SPF is the one exception — sun protection is essential the next several days.
The base protocol is safe with adaptations. We may skip certain steps (high frequency in particular requires individual evaluation) and choose pregnancy-safe products throughout. Tell us when you book so we can plan accordingly.
Your esthetician will give you specific recommendations based on what she sees. In general: a gentle cleanser, an Éminence-line treatment serum, a non-comedogenic moisturizer, and SPF every morning. We'll tell you what to stop using too, which is often more impactful than what to add.