From head to toe

WHEN I rang to book an appointment, Christine Skilton asked: "Are you ticklish?" The York mother of two has set up in business as the city's first facialist - a beauty therapist dedicated to the art of the facial. So why, I wondered, was she asking me if I could bear to have my feet massaged?

"If your feet are relaxed, then your body is," she said. Relaxation is a vital aim of Christine's therapy, with massage the key tool.

Facialists are all the fashion in London. They specialise in bespoke treatments where everything is tailored to the needs of the client.

Finding out whether you can bear to have your feet massaged is crucial because this is the part of the body where Christine likes to begin any treatment.

She works from a private apartment in an executive block at the Knavesmire end of Bishopthorpe Road. The flat is fashionably minimalist and is used purely for Christine's business. It's like visiting a mini spa: everything is clean and uncluttered. Ambient music fills the air and you feel miles from the bustle of life.

To begin, Christine - who uses and sells Dermalogica products - asked me to fill out a form, giving details of general health, skin care routine and any trouble areas.

"I'm passionate about analysing the skin and getting to know it better," she said. "It's important to make sure you use the appropriate products."

In the softly-lit treatment room, I undressed to my undies and put on a cotton robe with slippers. Then I slipped under a duvet on the treatment couch and relaxed into the warm snake-shaped pillow under my spine.

Christine began by wiping my feet with a warm towel and massaging them. I am ticklish and don't like anyone touching my feet but I took a leap of faith and relaxed.

Next, Christine gently cleansed my face and inspected it under a magnifying glass. "There's some pigmentation which shows sun damage and some broken capillaries on your cheeks," she said. It all sounded ominous, but she reassured me that my skin was "fantastic" for my age - 35 - and advised on remedial treatment.

"Use a sun protection factor of 15 in your moisturiser or foundation all year round," she said.

My broken capillaries were caused by over exposure to the sun or not using a rich enough moisturiser in winter, she said, and advised on some products to try - most available and affordable on the high street.

Christine analyses every client's skin in this way to judge the appropriate treatments and products. Her motto is "softly, softly" and she errs on the side of caution.

As she worked through my facial treatments, which included a gentle exfoliation - using a rotating brush which whirred like a dentist's tooth polisher - face mask and moisturising serum, she had a humidifier gently blowing steam over my face. This kept my skin hydrated and prevented it feeling dry and tight.

Christine then returned to my feet and gave each one a five-minute massage, based on the Chinese system of pressure points. I winced as she found deep knots in my feet. "You are exhausted," she told me, firmly massaging the trouble spot.

Her next treatment confirmed her diagnosis: a scalp massage, where she firmly walked her fingers around my head. "Your scalp is stuck to your head. It's rigid," she said.

Moving on to my neck and shoulders, she applied liberal lashings of almond oil and began to sweep her hands back and forth. "There's a lot of tension in here. Try to drift off," she said.

I closed my eyes and found myself focusing on the source of my exhaustion: the beaming face of my 17-month old daughter. But as I let her image flood my internal field of vision, I felt a surge of warmth and happiness; my shoulders dropped, my mind freed up and the next thing I remember was coming to as Christine was gently kneading my facial muscles with her finger tips.

She had warned me people drop off during treatments: "People snore - I even do that when I'm having a facial," she said.

My treatment lasted for about 90 minutes, but I lost all sense of time. Christine reckoned I'd dropped off for ten minutes. At the end, I was so relaxed it felt too much effort to even open my eyes.

My skin looked baby fresh, but my hair had seen better days, with the oil from the massage turning the fringe and back greasy.

Then I realised the other benefit of visiting a salon away from the city centre: you're not going to bump into anyone you know on the way home. After a few glasses of water and a cup of tea, I was ready to get back in the car and rejoin the world.

Christine is a qualified nurse and trained aromatherapist and also works part time in the York Cancer Care Centre. She believes massage is an integral part of a facial because it helps reduce levels of cortisol, a steroid produced by the kidneys when we are stressed which can weaken the immune system and lead to break-outs.

She acknowledges that not everyone likes massage and stresses that treatments are tailored on an individual basis. She also does the massage-free galvanic facial which involves using a probe with an electrical current to penetrate serums deep into the skin.

Besides making you feel good, Christine asserts that regular facials can keep you looking your best for longer. She says as women get older it becomes more important to look after their skin.

She said: "Most of us have friends who look after their skin and some who don't. You can tell the difference. Take a woman at 40, you can tell which one puts on moisturiser before they take the dog out for a walk.

"The face is like having a car - you need to polish it to keep it looking nice. The skin is so exposed, it needs special care."

Christine Skilton, facialist, is available on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and weekends by appointment only. For more information or to make a booking telephone 01904 670632. Prices are from £35-50.

Updated: 09:01 Tuesday, November 25, 2003