I love the contrast therapy at Hana (or any similar hot/cold treatment, either official or jumping, sweaty, into the ocean) but I’ve kind of avoided a standalone sauna in recent times as I don’t love breaking a sweat (see also: exercise). But I returned from the States a couple of months back absolutely broken from partying in the Texan heat and turned to the sauna to put me back together again.

The heat was similar to standing on a pavement in Austin, yet its detoxifying effect helped subdue the nasty cold I picked up on the plane. So I was back on the sauna buzz when I was invited to try the Sans sauna at Hana Parnell, a location I’d not yet visited but which has a brilliant selection of brands to shop including Raaie, Tronque, [Sans] Ceuticals, The Gut Cø and Cymbiotika.

The Sans Sauna Experience is a 60 minute self-service treatment which entails scrubbing your body with the Sans body exfoliator before having a shower to wash your hair before saturating it in a leave-in conditioning treatment and spritzing it with Shine Corrector. You then apply a face mask and jump in the sauna. The best part? When you step out to get your pre-prepared giant ice cube made of hyaluronic acid and step back in to give yourself the most wonderful cooling facial (and by way of removing the mask). Afterwards, you enjoy a final shower and then saturate yourself in the Sans Activator 7 Body Oil (one of my desert island beauty products) and pop an overnight face mask on before stepping out into the world shiny, aglow, refreshed and dewy. This is definitely a late afternoon treatment so you can sink into a deep sleep, allowing all that goodness to penetrate your skin. The next morning you wake up looking and feeling amazing.

This treatment was gifted

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THE FACIAL

Zoe Walker Ahwa lies down for the Dermalogica PRO LuminFusion Treatment ($220).

There have been a lot of changes happening at work recently, including on the day that I went to experience this dreamy facial treatment at the Herne Bay Skintopia salon – so it was exactly what my stressed out mind, and skin, needed. It’s only 45 minutes which appeals to my impatience/rushing woman’s syndrome, too: a quick and simple treatment with instant results.

The point of the treatment is glowing ‘glass’ skin with a few non-invasive steps, so it’s perfect for party season or ahead of big events, like weddings. My therapist Fulvia talked me through the Dermalogica products she’d be using, then I lay down, closed my eyes and tried to turn off my brain as she got to work.

First she double cleansed my stressed out skin, before applying a deep exfoliating peel with retinol, salicylic and lactic acid which she got deep into the skin using a NanoInfusion pen (it’s softer than micro needling; it has small pyramids rather than needles). This was the step that my skin desperately needed; I could literally feel her smoothing away dead skin cells and texture in areas like my chin and nose. The peel was removed with the Daily Microfoliant; a product I genuinely use.

The final step was LED red light therapy, which is extremely bright – like, being 1cm from the sun and staring into it with no sunglasses bright (you do have goggles on) – but my therapist warned me and helped me through it; you acclimatise in a minute or so then it’s like you’re staring into nothingness (again, exactly what my brain needed). They apply a Light Energy Masque before your whole world turns red, which helps hydrate skin and boost the results of the light. I left feeling glowy and lighter, and my skin was absolutely more radiant in the days following – I’d recommend getting it a day or so before a special occasion for best results.

This treatment was gifted

THE SKINCARE

If you’re really organised, simple skincare can help ahead of big events or the festive season; but the truth is, you need to commit to a routine to really see results. It’s also about finding what products and brands work for your skin, lifestyle and budget.

Makeup artist Sarika Patel, known for her expertise in shade matching and wedding makeup, recommends Environ’s Focus Care Moisture+ Vita Complex Super Moisturiser+ Super Moisturiser ($78) as her skincare go-to for clients; it “feels (and looks) like you’ve just applied a sheet mask, but without having to”.

“Most skin types have some level of dehydration or dryness, whether all over the skin or just in certain areas,” she says. “I love using Environ’s Super Moisturiser to prep dry or dehydrated skin types for makeup because it boosts the skin's natural hydration levels so that makeup doesn’t appear cakey or dry in those drier areas. I’ve also found that it works wonders for people with eczema.

Nica Marcello, the Australian-based national education manager for Elizabeth Arden and a makeup artist specialising in weddings, knows that healthy, hydrated skin is the best base for any type of makeup (or no makeup at all, if that’s your jam). She suggests the Prevage 3-in-1 Reset Serum ($199) and Multi-Restorative Soft Cream ($279) as a duo, perfect for pre-pary season. “The 3-in-one serum really is a beautiful lightweight texture, but it's really described as a non-injective cream,” she says. The soft cream has collagen building peptides and ingredients carnosine and idebenone to help protect collagen fibres against the damage caused by a high sugar diet and other things that aren’t great for your skin, but we all do them anyway.

Her main tip for skin prep before a wedding or a party is to not do anything drastic too close to the event – aka no laser treatments or waxing. “I would also say building up a routine of being consistent, and finding out what works for you. I always advocate that you go to a professional or beautician and get what's right for your skin,” says Marcello.

She rates using a hydrating mask every night leading up to said event, and “definitely the night before and the morning of”. She also recommends layering your skincare to form a good super hydrated base for makeup – but having patience when doing so. “A lot of women just layer, layer, layer without waiting for each step to actually absorb into the skin.”

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Tools are a booming category of the beauty market, from at-home LED light masks to microneedling devices. Again, you’ll need to use them over an extended period to see proper results. Bowie is a just launched local brand (with really great red branding) offering a microneedling tool to use at home, alongside a Chill Serum – there are kits combining everything, from $106. We all know the benefits of microneedling which often happens with spa treatments; Bowie aims to make it more accessible at home. The handy little Ziip Halo Facial Toning Device (about $750) uses micro and nanocurrents to help lift and tighten the skin; it also works to improve lymphatic drainage (you can also buy it with a bottle of the Electric Complex Gel to help with the process).