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We all know the benefits of working out for your body, but a workout for your face? You could say I was curious to see if this was just another beauty fad or if there was any substance behind the trend. Being a beauty and fashion editor for over a decade, I’ve seen and tested out too many trends to count, so when I heard this was a non-invasive way to get a sculpted and toned look, I was interested in learning more. After all, I had seen great results from using a NuFace device or even a simple Ghu Sha session at home.
“FaceGym is exactly what the name suggests – a fitness class for your face,” explains founder and creative director, Inge Theron. “It works on the premise that you should flex and tone the 40+ muscles in your face just as you do those in the rest of your body to achieve tighter, more lifted contoured features.”
If you’re wondering what one session at the fan-favorite workout facials entails, keep scrolling. I put their “Signature Sculpt Facial” to the test, and I’m breaking down my entire experience and the results ahead.
We like
- Instant Results
- Non invasive
- No aftercare needed
- Not painful
We don't like
- Can tug on the skin
- Upkeep required to see consistent results
- Pricey
What Is FaceGym?
“FaceGym is a non-invasive face workout that uses high-energy kneading movements, award-winning skincare, and cutting-edge technology to tone, sculpt, lift, and tighten the 40+ muscles in the face,” explains Theron.
“Before FaceGym, I traveled the world trialing beauty treatments for the Financial Times’ How To Spend It. A botched surgical procedure left me with visible blue threads running through each of my cheeks. I realized there must be a more effective, safer way to achieve results,” she explained.
“After studying face massage and muscle situations for around two years from experts from Paris to Mexico, FaceGym was born. It began as a 30-minute signature workout for the face, consisting of warm-up, cardio, sculpt, and cool down, performed by trainers in the FaceGym studio and enhanced with powerful non-invasive machines to lift, sculpt, and tone your facial muscles.”
Hearing all of these benefits, I was very curious to see what the session would feel like and if the results would last longer than a day. Plus, it didn’t hurt that in this particular “gym session,” the trainers were the ones who did all the work and all I had to do was sit back, relax, and see the results 45 minutes later.
Benefits of FaceGym:
Upon researching, I learned that facial massages aren’t actually new within the beauty sphere. They date back centuries in countries like China and India and they have a number of incredible benefits:
- Boosts blood circulation: “By boosting circulation in the tissue, you can help to improve fine lines such as crow’s feet, nasolabial lines, marionette lines and more as this helps to naturally boost collagen production in the skin.”
- Skin looks visibly plumper: “When done regularly, the appearance of fine lines is improved, the skin becomes plumper and the overall looks rejuvenated. This combined with an effective results-driven skincare regime will deliver the results you want.”
A non-invasive way to tone and lift the face: “Our methodology starts on the foundations and structure of our face with the facial workout then we work up introducing skincare and tools for a complete 360 approach. It is all about combining muscles and skin therapy, the two go hand in hand.”
How to Prepare for Your FaceGym Workout:
There isn’t much you have to do to prepare for the workout itself. I arrived at the Los Angeles studio with clean, makeup-free skin, which is the only thing they really recommend. It’s also recommended that you leave behind any necklaces, or earrings at home. Don’t worry if you forget (like I did) because they also provide a little jewelry pouch if you’d like to remove them right before the session begins.
What Happens During a FaceGym Session:
Once I arrived at the studio, I filled out a questionnaire to list any sensitivities, allergies, or concerns as you would with any facial. Then, I removed my jewelry and slipped on one of their FaceGym headbands so my hair didn’t get in the way. The studio itself is different from what you’d expect a facial to take place in. Usually, it's a low-lit room tucked away in the back of a studio with calm spa-like music playing in the background. FaceGym’s studio, on the other hand, was a big open space that was brightly lit, had multiple reclining chairs in front of large mirrors, and had fun, energetic music playing in the background. I asked my trainer if this was intentional and she said that they wanted to emulate a real gym with people all around you and pop hits playing.
“The workout mimics a body workout with a warm-up, toning, cardio, and cool down,” explains Theron. “Expect your bone structure to look more defined, your brows to be lifted and cheekbones to be naturally contoured. It is a non-surgical facelift which leaves your skin feeling, firm, strong, and snatched, similar to how toned your body feels after a great workout.”
I signed up for The Signature Sculpt which also uses EMS technology to help sculpt and contour the face. It also helps with lymphatic drainage, stimulates blood circulation, and helps encourage collagen production.
My trainer started with cleansing my skin, and then using the Face Ball (which was a large red ball) that was pressed along my face to help relieve tension and get the circulation going, reduce puffiness, and is a way to scratch your muscle before “the workout” begins.
For the cardio section of the workout, my trainer started with fast massage movements to get the blood flowing which consisted of whipping motions on your face. (You can let your trainer know how much pressure you’d like.) She also used techniques like knuckling along with fast hand-whipping motions which was an interesting experience. I had expected it to hurt or feel uncomfortable but you get used to it pretty quickly and after a few minutes I felt the tension in my jaw immediately loosen.
Next up is the sculpting section of the workout which consists of a deep tissue facial massage, gua sha to help define your features and jawline, and an EMS device that helps cult and contour your face. I expected the EMS tool to tingle like my NuFace does from time to time but it just felt a little buzzing which my trainer described perfectly as the pins and needles you get when your foot falls asleep. When she got to the side of my lips, I noticed it did twitch upwards which she says is normal but it definitely made me laugh while recording because of how it looked.
My trainer paused, brought my chair back upwards, and handed me a mirror so I could see the results on one side of my face and I was truly blown away. You could see that one side of my face was more clearly defined, the puffiness was significantly reduced, and my eyebrow even looked lifted. (See the below image for proof!)
The final section is the cooldown starting with the product application. “Your trainer will incorporate the skin products that will best benefit whichever facial workout you've booked,” Theron says. An oxygen blaster was then used to help add moisture back to my skin and help define my bone structure even more. It honestly felt like a cold blast of wind to your face which had a tingling sensation. Next up, a cold gua sha session for even more lymphatic drainage and sculpting, followed by the finishing stretches.
Post Workout Aftercare
After gawking in the mirror for a full five minutes taking in the incredible results, I turned to my trainer to ask if there was anything I needed to do post-treatment. She suggested staying away from high-sodium foods to help keep the puffiness down, drinking lots of water, and omitting alcohol from your diet. She also suggested coming back every two weeks to a month to keep up because you are essentially training your muscle memory. Theron also suggests using some of the FaceGym tools at home like the Multi Sculpt, which is created from “medical grade steel and used for aiding lymphatic drainage and teasing out tension from a chronically clenched jawline.”
She also suggested to follow the below exercises with your hands and a face of your choosing:
- Make a V with your hand and rest your chin on it.
- Pull your lips over your top teeth, hold for 5 seconds, and repeat (do this 10 times).
- Move the hand to either side of the chin with the length of your fingers covering your ears, and make the sound 'E' with your mouth x 10.
- Put your ring fingers inside your mouth on either side, pull the skin to the side, and use your jaw muscles to bring the fingers back in to touch your teeth x 10.
The Final Results
The whole workout lasted around 45 minutes and I had truly never seen my face look so sculpted. My cheekbones looked more defined, my puffiness was gone, my jawline looked toned – all in all my face looked snatched and I loved it. It really did feel like I just had a facelift minus the whole surgery part of the equation. I had expected the results to only last a day but I was pleasantly surprised that they lasted more than a week!
Long story short, if you are looking for instant results and have a big event coming up, this would be a facial that’s worth investing in. If you’re looking for something more permanent, then you’d probably want to consult a dermatologist to chat about long-term solutions for lifting, toning, or treating wrinkles. For how seamless the process was, I can definitely see myself coming back for another session ahead of an important event or party.
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