The festive season – read: booze, late nights, and all the mince pies – is well and truly upon us. But when all that wintry indulgence begins to take its toll on our skin, it’s time to call in the professionals. Whether you’re in need of a laid-back girly Saturday or a serious skin-renewing session, we’ve got your next face-saving appointment covered. Without further adieu, here’s our guide to the best facials in London:

1. The No-Messing One: Lisa Franklin

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What: Lisa Franklin Signature Facial – 60min (£100)

Why: Seasoned skincare expert Lisa Franklin is the ultimate for a truly personalised experience with serious results. She uses high-performance cosmeceutical products, which are loaded with medicinal, biological actives , and focuses on each client’s individual skin situation, rather than a blanket ‘skin type’. This is one of the best facials in London for a personalised, bespoke treatment.

A session with Lisa begins with a casual natter about your skin concerns over a cup of camomile – there’s nothing she doesn’t know, so come with questions. After pin-pointing your problems and desired results, you’ll slip into her heated treatment bed for a no-nonsense hour of exfoliating, steaming and manual extraction, ending with an anti-bacterial blast from a high-frequency machine. You’ll leave with the cleanest, freshest complexion, and the results will show for weeks to come.

Where: The Hans Clinic, 43 Hans Place, Knightsbridge, London. SW1X 0JZ

2. The Stay-All-Day One: Cowshed

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What: Cowshed Skin-Perfecting Facial – 75 mins (£90)

Why: Cowshed’s bright and friendly Clarendon Cross spa is the perfect place to spend a Saturday morning. One of the best facials in London if you want a day of total relaxation. Here, the Skin Perfecting facial combines a serious deep-cleanse (think lots of steam) with soothing massage techniques – the ideal way to unwind after a hectic week. Go with the girls and have a post-treatment catch-up over a cuppa and a homemade brownie in the farmhouse-style kitchen, and don’t forget to grab your personally-recommended face cream before you leave.

Where: Cowshed Clarendon Cross, 119 Portland Rd, London W11 4LN

3. The Speedy One: House of Elemis

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What: The House of Elemis Speed Spa – 30 min (£40)

Why: Impromptu dinner date? Last-minute night out? The House of Elemis has you covered. This is one of the best facials in London when you need a treatment quickly! The beloved skincare brand’s super-central spa destination offers an extensive list of quick treatments in its dedicated Speed Spa, which are perfect for lunch-hour beauty fixes. Each one begins with a skin analysis in the spa’s face scanner, which defines dehydration levels, sun damage, and areas of congestion to ensure an effective, targeted treatment.  Choose the Nutritious Auspicious facial, which feeds every layer of the skin with superfood and mineral-packed products, and emerge with a filmstar-worthy glow in precisely 30 mins.

Where: 2 Lancashire Ct, Mayfair W1S 1EX

4. The Beauty Editor’s Secret One: Katherine Jackson

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What: Katherine Jackson Bespoke Facial (£180)

Why: Until now, Katherine Jackson has remained the secret weapon behind many a beauty editor’s complexion, but now that she’s joined the fabled Bodyism team in Westbourne Grove, we expect her appointments to become akin to gold-dust. Boasting over 40 years in the industry – including a stint treating India’s most glamorous Bollywood starlets – there’s literally no problem that she can’t fix. Offering entirely bespoke treatments instead of a universal menu, Katherine blends the basis of ancient Chinese medicine with high-tech delivery systems to cleanse skin from within and infuse nutrients down to the dermis. Expect a thorough skin inspection, custom-mixed face masks and lymphatic drainage, but no extraction – instead, she uses a high-frequency ultrasound machine to break-up congestion, no squeezing required. One of the best facials in London for tried and tested techniques, we say.

Katherine blends all her products herself, eschewing nasty fillers and aggravating essential oils in favour of purist, time-honoured ingredients. She’ll even send you away with your very own custom-blended creams – think of her as your skin-perfecting fairy godmother.

Where: Katherine will join the Bodyism team in Westbourne grove from mid-December.  Bookings through katherinejackson.co.uk.

5. The Dreamy One: Ushvani

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What: Ushvani Signature Facial, 90 mins (£130)

Why: Tucked away behind Sloane Square, you’d be forgiven for never noticing Ushvani – this authentic Malaysian hideout is loved by the Chelsea set, and it’s easy to see why they like to keep it a secret. Behind the grand teak doors lies an exotic paradise, decked out in authentic Malaysian artifacts and boasting just a handful of private treatment rooms.

Here, the signature facial is a total treat. Performed in a warm, dimly-lit room – no surgical lights or intense pore inspections here –traditional massage techniques are used to stimulate muscle tone and drain lymphatic areas. The products (all produced specially for Ushvani) blend the antioxidant Hibiscus flower with nourishing coconut and kemiri oils, which leave skin incredibly hydrated. As if that isn’t enough, expect an incredible head massage, a touch of reflexology, and a nourishing scalp treatment on top – a full 90 minutes of all-encompassing bliss.

Come early – about 45 minutes – for a dip in the hydroptherapy pool and a session in the steam room, and be sure to pick up a Hibiscus and Kimiri face mask on your way out.

Where: 1 Cadogan Gardens, London SW3 2RJ

One for luck…

6. For a Shop and Go One: Face Matters

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What: 1 hour facial

Why: One of the best facials in London for a really lovely, bespoke treatment. Founded by Sally Curson, Face Matters Skincare is a new British, award-winning, luxury skincare brand with proven results, aiding in the anti-age process. After facing adversity in her life, Sally turned to her first love and passion – beauty therapy – an industry she has worked in for 25 years.

After setting up a beauty range, Sally has her own treatment room in Fenwicks, Bond Street. Behind the hordes of shoppers, beauty counters and music thumping through the stores surround sound is Sally’s sanctuary. Located on the ground floor, the treatment room is a calm oasis where easily forget that you’re in a department store. The facial lasts for an hour and uses all of the face matters products. Here, the facial is all about looking and feeling youthful, with the key ingredient in each product – organic silicon, which helps stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. 

The facial finishes with a relaxing shoulder massage, that leaves you feeling revitalised and ready to face the bright light of Bond Street once more.

Where: Fenwicks, Bond Street, London