For 25 years men and women from the South Bay have been traveling to San Francisco to visit a hidden hideaway to relax, refresh and rejuvenate their mind, body and soul. The secluded retreat, Faces Plus Skin Spa, prides itself on personalized attention that far outweighs the desire to move clients quickly through the spa, and as of January 23, traveling to San Francisco to visit this amazing retreat is no longer a necessity. Faces Plus Skin Spa is now in Santa Clara.
As the brainchild of founder Mei Eng, Faces Plus has always been where “beauty meets comfort and expertise meets personalized attention,” but now her daughter, Kristen Eng, has taken the reins and will be part of the family business.
Eng, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and a licensed cosmetologist, owns the Santa Clara location. “We picked Santa Clara based on our clientele,” said Eng. “About 60 percent of our clientele live in the South Bay.”
As clients walk into the spa they see walls of various products including Bay Area cosmetic company Jan Marini and Leaping Bunny certified Eminence Organics. Almost instantly they begin to relax. The walls are painted in a rich chocolate brown and dim amber lights illuminate the lobby area. Eng’s own painting of a young Asian girl applying makeup adorns the wall behind the reception desk. “My mother is very traditional, and I am more modern so we combined the two when designing the interior of the spa,” said Eng.
After checking in, clients are guided to the changing room which is next to the lounge area — a large, semi-circular couch with pillows, where they are offered seasonal teas and snacks and can relax their feet in a flower bath bowl while surfing the spa’s free WiFi on their laptop. At the time of treatment, they are escorted to one of nine tables where they will receive their skin or spa service.
Faces Plus Skin Spa offers some of the latest advancements in skin treatments and is the only spa in the area to offer the Iyasu Hair Spa, which is designed to repair hair thinning and loss, chemical damage and age-related dehydration by using specialized products, Iyasu massage techniques and light-emitting diode, or LED, hair therapy. This treatment is also designed to relieve tension, headaches and stress and leaves the client feeling refreshed. It is usually combined with the Hydra Eye Spa Treatment — a water massage to reduce eye muscle tension and puffiness, dark circles, fine lines and dull and tired eyes.
Outside of the Iyasu Hair Spa and Hydra Eye Spa Treatment, Faces Plus Skin Spa offers permanent and bridal makeup and has various facials and advanced treatments aimed to help with fine lines, hyper-pigmentation, and dry and sensitive skin, among other skin-related concerns. “We use custom blends of alpha hydroxy acids to get the perfect combination for your type of skin,” said Eng.
In addition to the services and product lines offered at Faces Plus Skin Spa, Eng and her mother will be selling their own cosmetic line. Currently, KME Cosmetics has two eye shadow palettes of 15 different colors and a set of eight professional makeup brushes. In the upcoming months they will be releasing a line of 20 false eyelash sets. “The designs will focus on mostly on daily wear,” said Eng, but adds that some of the styles will be better suited to wear at night or on special occasions.
One interesting note about Faces Plus Skin Spa is that the logo, a red box with Chinese symbols and a lowercase “F” and “P” is a combination of the spa’s Chinese and English names and was created to as a way for Faces Plus to continue meshing traditional Asian elements with modern American culture.
Faces Plus Skin Spa is at 351 Saratoga Avenue across from Pruneridge Golf Course in Santa Clara. They are open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For appointments please call (408) 985-8889 and for additional information on all of the services provided visit www.fpskinspa.com