Back Facial in East Lansing

The back is one of the oiliest areas of the body. It has a high density of large sebaceous glands, the same as the T-zone on your face, and far more of them than your arms or legs. Add sweat, friction from clothing and backpack straps, conditioner and styling product rinsing down from your hair, and skin that almost nobody can exfoliate properly unaided, and congestion is the predictable result.

A back facial addresses:

Clogged pores and blackheads, particularly across the shoulders and upper back.

Mild surface breakouts and the rough, bumpy texture that comes with them.

Dryness and flaking, which is common in Michigan winters and under heavy layers.

Dull or uneven tone from accumulated dead surface cells.

Rough patches and ingrown hairs along the shoulder line.

Product residue build-up from conditioner, dry shampoo and body lotion.

A back facial is a cosmetic treatment. It clears surface congestion and improves texture and tone. It is not a treatment for cystic or inflammatory acne. If you have deep, painful lumps under the skin, or breakouts that scar, see a dermatologist — we will tell you that at your consultation rather than treat it.

Sixty minutes, face down on a heated table, draped so only your back is exposed. The sequence mirrors a facial for the face.

Consultation. Your esthetician looks at the skin, asks what you've noticed and what products reach your back, and matches the exfoliant and mask to what she finds.

Cleansing. A thorough double cleanse to clear surface oil, sweat and product residue.

Steam or warm compresses. Ten minutes to soften the skin and loosen the contents of congested pores. This is the step that makes extractions possible without force.

Exfoliation. An enzyme or gentle acid exfoliant, sometimes with a physical polish, to shift dead surface cells. Back skin is thicker than facial skin and tolerates more than your face would.

Extractions, as needed. Clogged pores and blackheads cleared manually. How long this takes depends entirely on how congested the skin is.

Treatment mask. Matched to the skin — clarifying for congestion, hydrating for dryness, calming if the skin is reactive.

Massage. While the mask works, across the shoulders and along the spine.

Hydration and finish. A light moisturiser, and sunscreen if your back is going to see daylight.

The steps are the same. The skin isn't.

Back skin is thicker, with more and larger oil glands, so exfoliation can be a little stronger and extractions usually take longer. A facial for the face spends more time on massage and includes work around the eyes and lips that has no equivalent on the back.

Which you book depends on where the problem is. If your face is clear and your back isn't, a back facial is the treatment you actually need, and most people have never considered it exists. Plenty of clients book both — one for the face, one for the back — and our spa packages combine a full facial with a massage or a body treatment.

No gym, sauna, steam room or hot tub for 24 hours. Sweat and chlorine on freshly extracted pores is the one thing that reliably undoes the treatment.

Loose cotton for the first day. Synthetic workout fabric traps heat against skin that has just been exfoliated.

Shower lukewarm, not hot, that evening if you shower at all.

No sunbathing, and sunscreen if your back will be uncovered. Freshly exfoliated skin burns faster.

Don't pick, scrub or use a body brush for about a week. Let the exfoliation you paid for do its work.

Change your sheets and your towel. Both hold the oil and product you just had removed, and putting your back straight back onto them is a wasted hour.

Between appointments, a body wash with salicylic acid and a light, non-comedogenic moisturiser will hold the result. Rinse your conditioner out with your back turned away from the water so it isn't running down the area you're trying to keep clear.