buffing and steaming are both good for you- in moderation, and in gentle hands. then again, both are things you can do at home, as well. ditto mud packs and facials.... the first thing they should do is go over your skin regimen, requirements, and goals... is your skin dry or oily, flakey patches or irritations? outbreaks? wrinkles? sensitive skin? your tech needs to know all of this- especially if it's your first time (it's good if she' taking notes. it's better if she's taking notes on a proper client sheet. but I know several good ones who don't need to- and will remember you without them) cleansing comes first- can be any thing from a quick wipe with a toner to a creamy emulsion that she will let sit for several minutes. this ought to be followed by a quick toner. she'll then discuss what she's going to do next- and this can vary wildly. in my case, it's steam my nose and chin, extract the ick that's built up there, then eyepads, a facial massage as she applies a creamy masque that sits for 7 minutes, removal, she always tweezes me - I've got a patch under my chin that's hard for me to see, some girls do eyebrows at this point. now- I'm cheating, my best friend's a certified aesthetician, and I've had everything from a papaya back treatment (with real mashed papaya) to aromatherapy oil facials to apple cider, seaweed and clay masks over the years...

I would tend to side with your logic, counteract your natural hue.

You can get the same benefits by massaging with your hands, although some people prefer to let the machine do the work. Personally, I'm all for saving money. Michelle is right about the benefits of a scrub, but their benefit is mostly to the skin's surface. Massage increases blood circulation giving skin a glow, but it also stimulates collagen production, tones the face muscles, and drains lymph that causes puffiness, and helps keep the face lifted as you age. There is one on youtube. com that gets great reviews on skincare forums called the Tanaka massage and it only takes about five minutes to perform. Just put Tanaka massage in youtube's search box and you'll see there are four parts to the massage The creator gives the massage to a model and afterwards, the model does the same massage on herself, so it is really not as long as it appears.

I use arbonne products for my face and Jason body wash for the rest of the body. In colder months, I use a lavender oil salt scrub from Trader Joes. Body moisturizer I use a coconut cream from Trader Joes too. Most of my beauty products are organic (except for hair conditioner). I have pretty much tried everything out there, and can't believe what I like the most I buy at TJs. But over the last few years I've had a few very young friends diagnosed with strange cancers. I had a bone tumor, my sister had a thyroid tumor, my next door neighbor had a huge lung tumor (all of which were benign- thank goodness) but it made me wonder about all the chemicals we expose ourselves too daily. So I've decided to go organic, in food, beauty products, and limit my family's exposure to all of the toxic chemicals available in main stream supermarkets. I know, not what you asked for in your original post, but something to think about.