The lowdown: Though its effectiveness in the management of chronic pain (including migraine headaches) has added to its sales, botulinum toxin continues to see skyrocketing revenue, thanks in large part to the neurotoxin’s renown as a certain noninvasive cosmetic procedure. According to Fortune Business Insights, sales of the runaway train commonly known by patients as Botox are projected to grow from $3.4 billion in 2021 to nearly $6 billion by 2028.
But what’s available for those people who’d rather not see the pointy end of a Botox injection when it comes to putting their best face forward?
Leave it to Acqualina Spa to answer that question with a rejuvenating experience that also raises the luxury bar. After years of putting products from ESPA front and center, the two-story, 20,000-square-foot sanctuary recently added Swissline to its formidable skin-care arsenal. And with good reason.
For the better part of 30 years, Swissline has been an innovator when it comes to biotechnology and natural ingredients that combat cellular aging. In addition to using the brand’s Cell Shock line of creams and serums for its updated menu of facials, Acqualina Spa is featuring Swissline’s collection of premium offerings for a treatment befitting its international reputation as a five-star spa.
Spotlight treatment: Unveiled in January, Acqualina Spa’s Ultimate Performance Facial combines the benefits of Swissline’s exclusive co-branded line of antiwrinkle products with the power of a state-of-the-art device that purposely runs both hot and cold.
The treatment—which begins with cleansing, exfoliation and mild extractions—features a cashmere-like cream from the Clinic Lémanic collection, a collaboration between Swissline and the famed private aesthetic medical center in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Swissline difference starts in the laboratory: The antiwrinkle face and eye creams in the Clinic Lémanic line incorporate plant stem cells; all Swissline formulas use skin-identical ingredients. The combination is ideal for lifting and firming. (FYI: Acqualina is the only South Florida spa to carry Swissline.)
From there, one of Acqualina’s experienced spa technicians (lead therapist DeKendra, part of the opening team at the spa, has been there 15 years) flips the switch on the Cryo T-Shock machine. The smooth contouring device reaches 37 degrees Celsius on the high side, and minus-6 degrees Celsius on the cooler setting. The alternating hot/cold therapy brings blood to the front of the face, stimulates collagen production, helps to reduce fine lines and contributes to lymphatic drainage. A smaller coupler at the end of the treatment, set on cold, diminishes puffiness and dark circles under the eyes.
In the longer version of the Ultimate Performance, guests also enjoy Swissline’s 92% pure collagen sheet mask as part of the facial.
Other spa highlights: One of the other new lifting/firming treatments, the Collagen Sculpting Facial, incorporates the aforementioned collagen sheet mask as part of a session that includes arm and hand massages, and the use of Swissline’s Cell Shock products. … The Orange Blossom experience combines an ESPA salt/oil scrub with a medium-pressure massage (with body oil) and a warm herbal poultice massage, followed by a scalp massage. … Acqualina offers a pair of “spa journeys,” among them a Detox experience that features a detoxifying ESPA salt/oil scrub, an aromatherapy massage (featuring warm Himalayan salt stones on the back), a scalp massage, and a facial with rose quartz crystals. … Back in the facial world, Acqualina boasts a series of treatments using HydraFacial technology. The Infinite Beauty HydraFacial involves lymphatic drainage, deep cleansing, intense hydration, extractions and LED light therapy.
Prices: Ultimate Performance Facial, $445 for 75 minutes or $520 for 90 minutes; Collagen Sculpting Facial ($425 for 75 minutes); Orange Blossom, $375 for 110 minutes; Detox Spa Journey, $430 for 120 minutes; Infinite Beauty HydraFacial, $395 for 75 minutes
Contact: Acqualina Resort & Residences on the Beach, 17875 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach; 305.918.6844; acqualinaresort.com
