Heated beds and superlative treatment from start to finish, for a fabulous facial, you can’t beat Kirsty McLeod, says Jessica Gearhart
There are places you go to get good service and then there are places you’ll fly halfway across the world for. Kirsty Mcleod is one of the latter. No doubt this woman has a loyal following that spans the globe. I know that I’m willing to and as a writer (read: not too rich) that’s saying a lot.
Kirsty’s unassuming studio on the quiet and calm Moreton Street in Pimlico is a far cry from the thumping, busy, sensory overload that you sometimes get in high-end salons. It’s functional yet calming. Just a few treatment rooms, a loo and a small kitchen and waiting area where you can sip lemon water and flip through a magazine.
The music in the rooms is actually relaxing. It’s not of the muzak variety in the least. And the beds are the best I’ve ever NB: the front room has a window so is lighter than the back one). The entire experience is superlative from beginning to end. Kirsty has an apprentice (not an assistant. This relationship is more traditional than that) who is learning everything and is really good – great hands that turn your face into a glowing, poreless wonder during a heavenly two hours. Frankly, I would have happily sat there all day.
The signature facial has many steps and all are done with a thoroughness not commonly seen in British beauty establishments. The cleanser is massaged into the skin and each step is so confidently executed you can actually feel the change in your pollution-riddled, hormonally imbalanced, angry skin.
Cleansed, scrubbed, steamed, masked, EXTRACTED (they are very good at this), rubbed, oiled, moisturized… all of it done in a way that left me GLOWING for days. I am now a devotee and go back every month. It was that good, or as Tina would say, simply the best! Only Kirsty and her apprentice Monique do facials so book in advance. Also, Kirsty has developed a killer new line of products, including a clay exfoliator I now swear by. You can buy them and a handful of other cult products whilst at the intimate, Moreton Street studio.
Kirsty Mcleod, www.kirstymcleod.com, call 020 7834 0101 or email info@kirstymcleod.com
