Personal Service By The Brisbane Facialist

By Louise May

Clare Lamberth started The Brisbane Facialist to meet a need that she saw in the industry for truly personalised and customised service and treatments. A minimal menu when the Therapist prescribes the treatments the client needs, every client has a consultation every time and clients are set up for results success from their very first visit, no matter what their skin concerns.

Clare wanted to create a private, intimate, and beautiful experience for her clients, that armed them with the right tools while balancing relaxation with results, all while allowing her to still pick kids up from school every day.

Our Beauty Biz Editor Louise May chats with Clare about her recent opening of her new clinic, The Brisbane Facialist.

What sets The Brisbane Facialist apart and how do you ensure a luxurious and unique experience for your clients?

The Brisbane Facialist is an “by appointment only” niche skin studio, designed to deliver the ultimate in customer attention and care. There are no walk-in clients wanting to buy products in the idle of a treatment (these are by appointment too or online), no phones ringing in the background, no interruptions.

Every appointment is solely centered around the client experience, with the consultation at heart of each clients first visit with me. Every single client has an in-depth consultation with their very first appointment with me where I get to the heart of the skin concerns and desires and set them up for success from that first visit.

As a stockist of Image Skincare what made you choose this brand? How do they align with your philosophy and vision for The Brisbane Facialist?

After working with Image Skincare while at Professional Beauty Solutions (PBS) as a Clinical Educator and Content Creator, I got to know the range very well. PBS are the exclusive Australian distributors of Image Skincare.

I love Image Skincare’s philosophy of skin nutrition and a complete skincare diet, with Correction, Prevention and Nutrition at the heart. I was impressed by their clean clinical formulations, advanced ingredient blends and delivery systems. The scope of the range ensures no skin gets left behind.

With Image I can treat every skin concern from a broken, impaired skin, all the way through to stubborn Melasma, Advanced Glycation and even Acne Grades 3 & 4, all within the one range. They even have an organic and advanced MD ranges too. Now I don’t lose any clients to other skincare ranges. I have every solution they need & desire.

I’ve worked with A LOT of different big skincare brands in my 20+ years in the industry. I’m very fussy about what I put on my own skin, choose for my clients and the treatments I want to offer. Image ticked all the boxes. It was an easy choice.

Could you describe the range of luxury facials offered at your clinic?

My menu is unique in that it’s quite small. Every treatment is completely bespoke, and I’ve allowed for customisation and upgrades to be included in my key treatments.

I found clients don’t know which treatment is best for them, so I made a menu that makes it easy for them. My clients have a consultation and introductory treatment to start from there I build the journey of their skin. Clients can dictate their treatment time and pricing presences, and I take care of the rest.

How do you personalise your facials to meet the specific needs and concerns of each client?

The first visit consultation is crucial for all customisations. The client’s desires, concerns and goals shape the way I individually adapt each treatment just for them. And one of the reasons I don’t have a big menu.

Client safety and satisfaction are paramount. I don’t allow my clients to pick their own facials, because to put it simply, they aren’t the professional Facialist & skin expert. That’s our jobs as Therapists. So having tools and products that allow me to be prepared for any skin situation is very important.

With Image Skincare they have over 22 facial protocols to draw from, in addition to combining modalities like LED, infusion, Microcurrent, customised masks, specialty enhancement serums, just to name a few. I planned out every skin scenario I might be faced with, costed out the customisations I wanted and ensured these were built into my treatment pricing. I didn’t want my clients to choose whether or not to have LED, so I have it as standard in my 1-hour Signature Facials.

What measures do you take to create a relaxing and serene environment at your clinic? How do you ensure that your clients feel pampered and rejuvenated during their visits?

Clients often don’t remember what you said, they remember how you made them feel.

My private studio space is set up so that there aren’t any unwanted distractions. No phones ringing, no doors sliding or banging no clients walking in to book an appointment or buy products.

This allows me to focus 100% on my client, their needs, and their experience with me. We get all the talking out of the way first up so when they lie down on my treatment bed, I already have all the information I need from my client, and they are free to relax (and snooze) as they need in my tranquil studio space.

What are some of the most popular treatments or facials at The Brisbane Facialist? How do these treatments address common skincare issues and contribute to overall skin health?

My most popular treatments are my ‘first visit’ Consultation and Facial, and my 1-hour Signature Facial.

These work by setting a strong foundation of understanding and trust with the client before building on skin nutrition, health and wellbeing using plant stem cells, peptides, antioxidants, tyrosinase inhibitors and skin technologies.

How do you stay updated with the latest trends, techniques, and advancements in the skincare industry? How do you ensure that your clients receive the most current and effective treatments?

Skin Science and skin health in general fascinates me. The way we can apply topical formulations or modalities with change and improve the function of the skin is a wonder. I’ve studied continuously over my career, so I have a wealth of knowledge to draw for my clients.

We never stop learning and I’ve always been the sort of person to keep asking ‘why?’. I take as many classes as I can get to, listen to podcasts, read journal articles and studies, listen to industry thought leaders, attend webinars, industry expos and recently I attended Skin Summit and Zingfest as well.

This is also why I chose to partner with PBS, their industry-leading blended learning platforms both face to face and virtual, in addition to a rich educational library, makes feeding my curious skin science brain easy. There’s always a juicy science-based piece of content to devour.

What do you consider to be the key factors in building and maintaining a strong client base in the skincare industry? How do you foster long-term relationships with your clients?

Personalised service. Taking time to listen to your clients (and asking the right questions). I call it “being a real human”. This means consciously stepping out of autopilot and connecting with clients. Check in on them and see how they’re doing with no other agenda apart from making sure they’re ok after their treatments and finding their skincare. Remember your clients, make notes, set tasks for yourself in your calendar and follow through.

What are your future plans and aspirations for The Brisbane Facialist?

My goal for The Brisbane Facialist to grow to be the sought-out skin health destination for women in Brisbane, and around Australia. I aim to add some awards to the business in 2024 then a light lounge and expand into retreats, virtual services, a podcast, grow my online store, add more technology-based services, and eventually expand into my own private commercial premises.

I’d love to have TBF’s home be a discreet door on the street with a doorbell where clients will have to know it was there to access it.