DAYSPA Experiences Dermalogica’s IonActive Power Treatment

Powerfully good times await at Dermalogica on Montana in Santa Monica.

The last time the good folks at Dermalogica invited me to receive a treatment, it was so I could experience the company’s BioActive Peel at its gorgeous, sun-washed facility in Carson, California. I left that day with a smoother-than-smooth face and a supremely serene disposition. This time, the experience was to take place at Dermalogica on Montana, the flagship spa in the heart of the trendiest neighborhood in Santa Monica. And the facial was the company’s brand-new IonActive Power Treatment. The new, cutting-edge treatment, available to all Dermalogica accounts, is “designed to offer clients more visible results through a combination of highly-potent ingredients, advanced electrical technology and the power of human touch,” according to Beth Bialko, global education developer and master instructor for The International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica. I was more than happy to put it to the test.

After ensuring I was cozily tucked in on the treatment table, my therapist, Sheba, performed her company’s trademark Face Mapping skin analysis to make sure I was a suitable candidate for the service and to identify any red flags (she did, literally: my skin is notoriously prone to redness, but was also quite dry). Thus analyzed, I was invited to take several deep breaths of relaxing aromatherapy oil, and the facial began. My skin was double cleansed and then re-analyzed to determine which of the IonActive and Gelloid products would be most appropriate for me. We agreed that “hydration” was the key word of the day.

Sheba applied the cool and soothing IonActive to my face, neck and chest, and facilitated deep penetration of the product with a galvanic iontophoresis device (she explained that other clients might receive microcurrent at this stage instead, or ultrasound). More product was applied, and massaged into my skin.

Next came the Gelloid (for me, the ExoThermal formula for dry, dehydrated or aging skin, but there’s also EndoThermal for sensitized and acneic skin types) and exposure to red LED. As the product and technology worked their magic, Sheba worked hers, with a neck and shoulder massage that rendered me semi-conscious.

Following removal of the product, I received the finishing touches: toner, eye cream, moisturizer and SPF.

That night, I went to the bathroom to perform my usual nighttime skincare ritual and realized that I had absolutely nothing to do. My skin was still dewy-moist, even-toned and cleaner-than-clean. Just chalk it up to another powerfully good treatment from Dermalogica. —Linda Kossoff