Galvanic Facial in Boston

Who it is for

Oily, congested and acne-prone skin, blackheads, enlarged pores, and skin that needs extractions without extra irritation. It is also lovely for dehydrated or sensitive skin when used to infuse calming serums. Galvanic is used throughout our Acne Bootcamp.

A skincare technology with real history

Galvanic treatments are one of the oldest technologies in professional skin care. The name comes from Luigi Galvani, the Italian physician whose experiments with electricity in the 1780s helped launch the study of bioelectricity. By the early 1900s, iontophoresis, using a gentle current to help products into the skin, was already being used in beauty salons. In the 1930s, French skin care pioneers developed desincrustation, using galvanic current to soften oil before extractions. Nearly a century later, estheticians still rely on it because it simply works.

How galvanic works

A galvanic device delivers a very low, steady direct current through the skin. Changing the polarity changes what it does:

• Desincrustation (negative pole): with an alkaline solution, the current softens and loosens hardened oil and dead skin inside the pores, so extractions are more thorough and kinder to your skin.
• Iontophoresis (positive pole): with a water-based serum, the current helps the serum absorb more deeply, calms and tightens the look of the skin, and helps bring it back to its natural, slightly acidic balance.

What happens during your galvanic facial

The full signature ritual: breathwork, essential oils, steam, double cleansing and an expert skin analysis, all done for you. Then desincrustation softens the pores, followed by careful extractions. Iontophoresis infuses a calming, hydrating serum, and twenty minutes of massage finish the visit.

Galvanic and high frequency

We often pair galvanic with high frequency. A glass electrode filled with neon or argon gas delivers a gentle, warming current that creates a tiny amount of ozone on the skin's surface. It helps calm active breakouts after extractions and leaves skin looking clearer. Your esthetician decides what your skin needs on the day.

Before you book

Your esthetician reviews your intake form before every treatment. Please tell us if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have an active skin infection or cold sore, a recent sunburn, or use prescription retinoids or isotretinoin, so we can adjust your treatment. If you have had Botox, fillers, laser or other injections, please wait two weeks before your facial. Galvanic is not used during pregnancy, with a pacemaker, metal implants in the face or epilepsy.

Aftercare

• Do not pick or squeeze extracted areas.
• Skip exfoliating acids and scrubs for 24 hours.
• Keep your routine gentle tonight: cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF in the morning.
• Drink water. A slight warmth or tingle that fades quickly is normal.

Done for you, start to finish

We never hand you a cleanser and point you to a sink. Some spas make you wash your own face before they start. Here, every step is done for you, from the double cleanse to the final massage. Just lie back.

Membership pricing

Members save on every visit. The Signature membership is $129 a month for a 50-minute signature facial, and the Advanced membership is $199 a month. Students pay $99 Tuesday to Thursday with student happy hour.

Where we are

Proven in Dallas, now in Boston. Facial Theory began in Dallas, Texas, where our sister studio has earned over 100 five-star reviews. Facial Theory Boston is run separately, with the same method and the same standard of care.

Facial Theory is a private skin studio inside Sola Salon Studios at 3 Center Plaza, Government Center, one client at a time. See our location and directions.

Serving Back Bay, Newbury Street, Downtown Boston, Financial District, Beacon Hill, South End, Seaport, North End, Fenway and Kenmore, Charlestown, South Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, Quincy, Government Center, West End, Chestnut Hill, Brighton, Allston, Wellesley.