A Beauty Speakeasy

Written By Ale Ore

I'm writing this from my pitch-black bedroom, in bed, watching You've Got Mail with my dogs while repeatedly spraying Tower 28's SOS hypochlorous acid spray on my face. If you know, you know. That stuff cools your skin right down.

You’ve Got Mail

It's the start of the long weekend, and I just got microneedling done.

The drive home was stressful. I couldn’t escape the bright sun, and for the first time in my life, illegally tinted windows sounded like a fantastic idea. I skipped the hat because I didn’t want anything rubbing against my freshly microneedled skin.

Right now, my face feels a little hot. Like that time I fell asleep at the beach and ended up with heat stroke and duck lips. The difference is, my skin will look great soon.

So... where did I go?

A little while ago, I asked if anyone knew a great facialist in the city.

*Crickets*

So I did what I always do... I went down the rabbit hole. After scratching beneath the surface and feeling a little overwhelmed by what social media was pushing, I came across Room One.

It's Mississauga, about a 20-30 minute drive west of Toronto. Not exactly around the corner, but I'd happily make the drive again.

I'll be honest, when my GPS brought me to a quiet residential street, I did have a brief, "Wait... am I in the right place?" moment.

But don't let that fool you.

Room One facialist Leslie calls it a "beauty speakeasy," and honestly, she's totally right. From the outside, it's just a house. Then you walk downstairs and you're like...

"Yep. Beauty speakeasy."

I can talk about beauty for hours. I over-research everything, and I love learning something new, so this was pretty much my idea of a good time. Leslie talks you through everything she's doing and why she's doing it. Eyes closed, talking skin, growth factors, ingredients... I was in my happy place.

Everything starts with a skin scan, which helps create a game plan, not just for that day's appointment but for future ones too. Mine confirmed what I already suspected: a little sun damage and slightly larger pores. Nothing dramatic, but it was nice having an objective baseline instead of guessing.

After a cleanse and numbing cream, there was a quick round of red LED before the microneedling started. Surprisingly, it wasn't painful. I'd still describe it as a little spicy, but very manageable.

Once the microneedling was finished, everything shifted into repair mode. A growth factor serum, a sheet mask, oxygen, and LED... by the end, my skin felt calm instead of angry.

One thing I really appreciated was that I never felt rushed, and there wasn't an aggressive product push. I also didn't leave wondering, "Okay... now what?" You leave with a little Epicutis aftercare kit, so you're not standing in your bathroom later trying to remember what you were supposed to do.

Beyond DP4 microneedling, they also offer Biologique Recherche, Valmont and IS Clinical facials, as well as more advanced treatments like lasers and body treatments.

I actually started writing this the night I got home, but before publishing it, I figured I'd come back and add a few updates because I always appreciate when people share what the healing process is like.

Day 5 update:

The redness is gone, the peeling has pretty much stopped, and things finally feel like they're getting back to normal. Last night was the first time I brought the unscented version of the  Florés Hydrating Essence Mist back into my routine. My skin absolutely drank it up.

This morning I woke up with soft skin, my forehead felt way less tight, and I'm going to keep using it while my barrier finishes recovering. I'm also swapping over to the mister attachment because I have a feeling I'll be reaching for it a lot over the next few days.

Microneedling was the perfect excuse to revisit mineral SPFs

If you're getting a treatment like this or using tretinoin, these are the three I'd recommend.

Kiehl's Beyond Screen Miner-All UV Mineral Sunscreen Serum SPF 50+; Supergoop! Mineral Mattescreen SPF 40 (texture reminds me of the old Smashbox Photo Finish Primer.) and Skin Ceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50

What I used while my skin was healing

Things I did while healing

  • Kept my skincare routine super simple. No serums or anything with essential oils for the first 7 days.

  • Avoided the sun as much as possible (especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.).

  • Skipped makeup for the first week. The only thing I wore was my tinted mineral SPF.

  • Clean pillowcase.

  • Drank lots of water.

  • No heat

  • Stayed home as much as I could (luckily, it was the long weekend)

One last thought…

Do your research. Talk to people you trust who've actually had the treatment, then book a consultation to see if it's even the right fit for your skin.

And don't feel pressured to buy a package right away. If you're still in the curious phase, start with one treatment and see how your skin responds. If it feels like the sale is coming before the conversation, I'd probably look elsewhere.

Stay glowing,



Ale

PS. Not sponsored. I paid for the treatment myself, did my own research, and everything above reflects my own experience and opinions. Hopefully this answered a few questions if you're thinking about getting microneedling.

Ale Ore
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