Let’s have a quick entomology lesson. Honey bees make a substance called royal jelly that’s used to feed queen bees. It’s all a developing queen bee eats. Aside from literally being food for the monarch, royal jelly is also seriously great for your skin. In the latest episode of What The Wellness, host Ella Dove gets the Guerlain Spa’s Abeille Royale treatment at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. It’s $220 for 60 minutes, and it’s just as luxe as it sounds.
“The queen bee treatment is a facial that’s going to bring back the radiance to the skin, thanks to the honey and royal jelly concentrate,” says facialist Alina Cimpoeru. “It’s going to hydrate your skin,” which she says helps to fill superficial wrinkles and lines.
Honey is great if you have a breakout due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, says Cimpoeru. It can also help with collagen and elastin production, since it’s packed with amino acids.
So what sets this facial apart from me going home and rubbing pure honey on my face? The 13-step process involves a lymphatic drainage massage that’s been used at Guerlain since 1928. Rooted in 100 years of tradition, the massage feels like an “incredibly expert facial that you could not do to yourself,” says Dove.
The facial uses products from Guerlain’s Abeille Royale skin care line. To get a taste of the experience at home, you can buy the Abeille Royale Queens Treatment ($165), which encapsulates the royal jelly in small beads. You place 15 beads in the small pouch that comes with the product, and dab it onto release the jelly directly into your skin.
But, if you’re ready for the full royal treatment, you’ll want to head to the Guerlain Spa.
Want more What the Wellness? Watch Dove learn the right way to use a Theragun, and how to get the most out of her heart rate monitor.
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