The stresses of big city living can quickly take its toll on your skin. The mixture of humidity, pollution, and daily Jakarta anxiety is the perfect formulation for icky, clogged up, problem skin. That’s why, in order to prevent future breakout bummers, we decided to call on for a little help from the pros. Enter Erha, the skincare experts famous for their fabulous Erha Apothecary products and billboards across Jakarta displaying happy faces with flawless skin. The skincare experts had recently opened a clinic in the neighbourhood of Kemang where we decided to give their famous Deep Pore Cleansing Therapy (DPCT) treatment a try.
Now, we’ve had our share of extraction facials before, and let’s not beat around the bush here – they HURT! So while we were looking forward to getting a good skin cleansing (GOODBYE icky clogged up pores), we were definitely not excited about the pain aspect.
Erha Clinic is first and foremost a skincare clinic set up by a team of medical dermatologists, and healthy skin is their forte. Upon entering the very calming and zen-like reception area, visitors get the sense that they are about to pop in for a relaxing spa treatment rather than a pain inducing facial, so our nerves were calmed down a bit. While we were there specifically for a two-hour round of DPCT, you can also make an appointment to see a dermatologist for more severe skin problems. We called the clinic at 10AM, and managed to snag an appointment for later in the day. Office peeps working the 9 to 5 clock will be pleased to know that the clinic takes appointments up ‘til 8PM, so you can schedule in an after-work facial if needed.
On our visit, we went with the Signature Renewal DPCT, a specialized facial treatment designed to deeply cleanse the skin. The treatment started as the therapist gently applied and massaged a cool, cleansing milk to the surface of our face, wiping off any pore-clogging make-up and excess dirt from our skin. The therapist continued with an exfoliating scrub and acupressure before applying the beta light peel. Now, up until this moment, we were enjoying the relaxed pampering our skin was receiving. The beta light peel took things for a turn, as it has an itchy sensation that you have to stand for a few minutes. We comforted ourselves with the thought that hey, if it hurts, it must be working! Oh, the sacrifices we make for flawless skin. Ten uncomfortable minutes later, the peel is cleaned off, and the steaming begins.
Next: the dreaded extraction. While we know that extraction is the most essential part of getting rid of gross clogged up pores, this part of the procedure always has us silently squealing in pain. However, our therapist’s expert hands were able to deal with our pores gently enough that it wasn’t as painful as our previous experiences with extraction facials. Cue major sigh of relief. The extraction was followed by an Iontophoresis treatment to close up the now squeaky clean pores and prevent acne scarring. One more serum application before a thick cool mask was slathered on to our face for about 20 minutes, and finally a light application of moisturizer to finish things off.
Though our skin felt fresh and a whole lot cleaner, we did leave looking a bit red on some areas of our face, so we wouldn’t recommend scheduling the DPCT facial right before a big event. The better verdict came a few days later, as our skin was looking brighter, cleaner and a whole lot less oily than usual. We are definitely convinced to include this in our regular monthly beauty regime.
Erha Clinic Kemang. Jl. Kemang Raya No. 93A. +62 21 717 9498. Check website for more locations.