Liza Wong Elite Skin Care Day Spa

Have you ever had a facial go horribly awry? I have and so have many of my girlfriends. You start off looking forward to a restorative spa hour or afternoon, looking forward to exiting with cleaned pores and baby soft skin even if it means a little discomfort during extractions. All in all, we expect good things out of a facial.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always turn out that way. As strongly as I focus my life and my writings on positive things, I have to say that there are definitely quite a few women out there who should not be in the facial-giving business. I have encountered so-called facialists who seem intent on nuking your face as if it’s their life mission to ruin good skin. They use lancets to extract blackheads when they have no training to do so; they squeeze at bright red pimples that are obviously not ready to be popped, exacerbating the irritation; some claim to provide a full cleansing and detoxifying facial and don’t even attempt a single extraction. Others yet use massaging strokes so light that it feels like annoying feathers are poking around your face.

There are all kinds out there, ladies, and for better or worse, we have to go through the gamut before finding a truly great facialist.

I was recently introduce to Liza Wong and her Elite Day Spa in San Mateo, California. For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, if you don’t already go to Liza, you’ll want to book your next facial with her asap.

It’s an excellent start when you walk into a day spa and see that not only is there an instantly calming ambiance but that everything is super clean and smells lovely- the way we’d expect a spa to be. Not sterile clean like a hospital, but hygienic, warm and soothing. Liza herself greeted me and her calm friendliness gave me assurance that this seemed to be a woman who was in command of her business. While this might seem like something that should be a given, believe me, I’ve walked into many a day spa where the owner/facialists seemed like they had no clue they even had a next appointment.

Liza was prepared for me and gave me a brief tour of the lovely spa- carefully appointed treatment rooms, a small but Ritz Carlton-reminiscent changing room where a plush white robe and white sandals awaited in an individual cabinet that I held the key to (you leave your personal belongings and clothes in the cabinet). I met Liza in the treatment room which was a decent sized room with a bevy of modern equipment and a comfortable looking spa bed in the center.

I settled in to the bed which was cozily warm as Liza adjusted the angles. Straight above me was a lovely mural of a pretty blue sky and twinkling stars. If the facial was as detailed as the interior design of the spa, I was in for a treat.

For the next hour and a half, Liza gently cleansed, exfoliated, extracted, massaged and inspected my skin, in addition to several types of masks chosen especially for my skin type. She also asked me what products I was currently using and offered suggestions on how I could combat the issues I am most concerned about- keeping sun spots and discolorations at bay. Her touch was gentle and firm simultaneously- for me, absolute perfection. A too-light touch will leave me feeling as if I had never had a facial at all. A too-hard touch will feel unpleasant and possibly have negative consequences on the skin. Liza’s touch immediately showed her 20+ years of expertise, stemming from her schooling days in Canada and her Chinese roots.

There’s nothing like a facialist who understands skincare from a deep-roots standpoint as is the case with traditional Asian skincare, but who also incorporates the benefits of modern, technologically advanced knowledge from studying in a country like Canada and uses only the very best in skincare products.

I wanted the cleansing and exfoliating to last all day. But alas, one and a half hours flew by. At the end of the facial, my skin was baby soft once again, radiant and dare I say, sparkling.

Liza handles every single client herself, offering everything from Acne Special Facials to Microdermabrasion, Hydradermie Lifts to the latest in Double Ionization machines. Whether your concern is cleaning out those clogged pores or combating signs of aging, this facial wonder named Liza Wong has a treatment just for you.

A huge bonus is that parking is super easy both in a lot and street parking. Give yourself the gift of great skin or gift a facial to someone you love. You’ll be thrilled you did.

Elite Skin Care