There’s a new gym in town. But don’t expect to come out of it with burning thighs and rock hard abs – instead emerge looking younger, brighter and tighter… in your face.

Introducing Face Gym, a new concept that’s just landed at Selfridges in London, and promises you younger, fresher looking skin with its unique 4 step facial workout. As simple as it sounds, Face Gym is grounded in the principal that we don’t think twice about toning our muscles at the gym so why think differently about the face?

The concept was created by spa junkie and serial facialist, Inge Theron, who over the past four years has been globetrotting, unearthing beauty secrets from every corner of the world, as undercover columnist for the Financial Times How To Spend It. Her experiences both bad (Meso therapy on her thighs which left her with what looked like two D cup fake boob implants on her legs!) and good (Inge swears that an authentic Temascal and healing weekend with Dr Bobby Klein truly transformed her life…), led her to create a unique, new beauty treatment that combines ancient acupuncture and good old-fashioned face massage for the ultimate non-invasive, finger face-lift.

Speaking to Hip & Healthy, Inge explained, “Facial muscles are crucial to the way we look and with regular stimulation can lift, tone and tighten the skin, boost blood circulation and collagen production giving a fresh youthful appearance to the skin.

“There are over 650 muscles in the human body with roughly 50 concentrated in the face, it takes approximately 43 to frown, 17 to smile, but without proper stimulation, face muscles are prone to sagging. Face Gym goes beyond the skin – our face trainers work deep into the muscles around key problem areas such as jowls, eyes and foreheads.”

After unwinding at 57 spas, sweating it out through 32 different types of fitness classes, testing 25 anti-aging treatments and undergoing 15 detoxes, Inge is somewhat of a connoisseur in skincare – she knows what works and what doesn’t! From Joelle Ciocco’s famed Epidermologue method in Paris, to training with world renowned yoga gurus in India and fitness trainers in LA, Inge realised that what was really effective, was going back to basics and strengthening the muscles in the face, by massage techniques. By no means a new train of thought (face massage has been practiced in ancient cultures for centuries, and more recently adopted to include more complex ‘facial gymnastics’ and deep strength work, such as the Buccal technique) what you’ll find at Inge’s Face Gym, is a blend of old and new techniques, programmed in a formula that mirrors the process of going to the gym. The result is a truly unique, modern interpretation of an ancient practice.

What can you expect from a session?

Face Gym is for everyone and anyone looking to tone, tighten or even just rejuvenate their lacklustre skin. Starting at just £35, it is an affordable beauty alternative for a younger demographic, as well as an effective anti-ageing alternative to botox and fillers, for both men and women.

The signature £35/30 minute treatment consists of 4 key stages – warm up, cardio, strength and cool down. For the warm up, Face Gym trainers deep cleanse with vigorous knuckling movements followed by skin brushing to remove dead skin cells, boost the lymphatic system and kick start the detox. The next stage is cardio; a combination of high energy, quick, whipping strokes to stimulate blood circulation, collagen production and cell renewal, bringing a rosy glow to the face. Moving on to the strength stage, Face Gym trainers use sculpting and micro-contouring to target the network of connective tissue and muscles to lift, tone and tighten the face. The deep muscle work is spliced with high-intensity rhythmic percussion fingers that excite the muscles and boost energy flow, while derma “weights” are used to iron out fine lines and wrinkles. For the Cool Down a cooling jade roller with healing properties is glided across the skin to even skin tone and support lymphatic drainage, followed by a splash of hydrating toner to awaken the face.

Results can be seen immediately and skin feels instantly lifted, tightened and toned with a fresh, dewy natural glow that can’t help but give you a boost of confidence. However as with gym workouts – you get what you put in, and results are maintained with regular sessions.

To book an appointment call Selfridges on 0800 123 400 or email facegym@spajunkie.com

words by Mea Perkins