Best Facial in Arcadia, CA: Four Facials Compared

Regular rates run from $136 to $276 and member rates from $68 to $138, for 60 to 90 minutes. The booking page lists both rates for every session, and on all four facials the member rate is half the regular one; ask the front desk how membership works.

The two 90 minute facials are $40 apart at the regular rate and $20 apart at the member rate. The Luxury Facial is the one with LED light and the aqua peel. Myofascial Facial Lifting is the one that spends its time on the chest, neck, shoulders, ears and scalp.

Each step up roughly buys time for one thing. The gua sha facial spends its extra 15 minutes on stone work and sculpting. The Luxury Facial spends its extra 30 on the aqua peel, the LED panel and the scalp, neck and shoulder massage. Myofascial Facial Lifting spends its 90 minutes on lymphatic and lifting work in place of the skin solution and serum steps.

Pick the skin solution first, then the facial. The Customized, Jade Gua Sha and Luxury facials each include one of three: Hydrating, Brightening or Anti-Aging. The booking page names the three without listing the products behind them, so if you have allergies or use prescription creams, ask what goes on your skin before the session starts.

Choose Hydrating when your face feels tight after washing or flakes around the nose and brows. The Customized Facial is usually enough here, since its list already includes a serum infusion and skin barrier repair step.

Choose Brightening when your skin looks flat or tired rather than dry. The Luxury Facial pairs it with an aqua peel, generally a water-based exfoliation done with a handpiece, which suits dullness more than dryness. Reactive skin may do better with the Customized Facial and a single exfoliation step.

Choose Anti-Aging when fine lines or a softer jawline are what bother you, and consider pairing it with the stone work in the Jade Gua Sha Facial. Myofascial Facial Lifting goes after the same concern through massage of the face, neck and chest. No single appointment changes how skin ages over the years; daily sunscreen protects against the sun damage behind much of it.

Start with the Customized Facial and tell your therapist what has made your skin react before, whether that was a product, heat or a past facial. The aqua peel in the Luxury Facial and the repeated stone strokes in the Jade Gua Sha Facial both add friction, so they are better saved for a calm week once you know how your skin handles the basic facial.

LED light therapy shines visible light, usually red or blue, onto the face from a panel while you lie still in goggles, as in the photo at the top of this page. It uses no ultraviolet light, so it does not tan or burn. In the Luxury Facial it is one step in a 90 minute session that also includes an aqua peel and a scalp, neck and shoulder massage, for $236 regular or $118 at the member rate.

During the step you lie still while the panel arches over your face, and the light is bright enough that the goggles matter. Some people notice mild warmth, so tell your therapist if it feels hot or your eyes are uncomfortable.

Its best-supported use is acne. The American Academy of Dermatology says blue, red and blue-plus-red light can treat pimples but not blackheads, whiteheads, cysts or nodules, that redness and swelling after treatment are common and usually mild, and that home devices are less powerful than a dermatologist's. Red light is also sold for fine lines and firmness, where the evidence is thinner and mostly short-term.

So book the LED step as part of a relaxing facial and leave acne treatment to a dermatologist. One session inside a 90 minute appointment is a small dose next to the repeated treatments used in the studies, and breakouts that keep returning need a medical plan.

You lie on a padded facial bed under towels, with your hair wrapped back, for 60 to 90 minutes while your therapist works through the steps listed for your facial. The 90 minute facials also work on the neck and shoulders, and Myofascial Facial Lifting on the chest, so ask at the front desk what to change out of.

Make a note of what you put on your face, especially retinoid creams, retinol or benzoyl peroxide. The American Academy of Dermatology warns that these can make skin more sensitive, and that exfoliating on top of them may worsen dryness or set off breakouts. Every facial here includes exfoliation, so mention them, along with sunburn, recent injections or a peel. Ask your dermatologist before pausing anything prescribed.

The cleanse, exfoliation and steam come early, then the steps that make each facial different, then the mask. Say if anything stings or feels too firm, since pressure, steam and products can usually be adjusted as you go.

Daytime appointments finish with SPF. If you are heading back out, the AAD recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, reapplied while you are outdoors. Skip scrubs and acids that evening, because the facial has already exfoliated.

No schedule suits every skin. If you liked the result, book the next facial when your skin starts to feel the way it did before the last one, and keep the home routine simple in between: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer and sunscreen.

Yes, in two ways. Package B, the 90 minute Premium Scalp Treatment and Shoulder/Neck Massage, lets you choose one add-on, and a mini facial is one of the three options alongside a hand treatment or a neck treatment. It is $196 regular or $98 at the member rate.

The booking page does not say what the mini facial includes, so ask at the front desk if you want to know first. For a full facial and a full head spa, book two sessions back to back: the Customized Facial with Package D comes to 120 minutes and $292 regular or $146 at the member rate. Call (626) 857-6608 to check both can run on the same afternoon. Package B suits a visit where the scalp is the main reason and the face is a bonus; book a full facial when it is the other way round.

If you mainly want your scalp worked during a facial, the Luxury Facial's scalp, neck and shoulder massage may be enough. The waterfall rinse, deep scalp cleansing and scalp analysis come only with the head spa packages.

O2 Head & Beauty Spa is at 1432 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007, on Baldwin between W Duarte Rd and W Camino Real Ave, near W Naomi Ave. The Arcadia Hub shopping center and its Vons are about 0.2 miles north at Baldwin and Duarte, and Westfield Santa Anita is a few minutes further up Baldwin.

Allow about 10 minutes from Sierra Madre or San Marino and 10 to 15 minutes from Monrovia or El Monte, longer at rush hour. From the Metro A Line Arcadia Station it is about 2.4 miles by road, roughly 5 to 10 minutes by car. The studio is open every day from 10 AM to 8 PM, and the booking page shows the last start time for each facial. Book online or call (626) 857-6608.