The pandemic gave rise to an explosion in beauty apps, and now, acclaimed beauty therapists are going mobile. If you are summering on a Balearic beach or in a breezy Hamptons home, you can now summon a Lanserhof practitioner for a medical-grade facial, or Cindy Crawford’s make-up artist to give you a sultry smokey eye.
“Our clients are travelling once again, and can now have high-calibre treatments at the swipe of a screen,” says Lucy Russell, founder of beauty and wellness app Lucie. And CEO of Channel 4 Alex Mahon, for one, is delighted: “When I go to Ibiza, I plan to be stacking my calendar full of acupuncture and vitamin drips.”
Lucie
URL: lucieapp.co.uk
Location: Ibiza, Cotswolds, London (Verbier & Alps from Winter ’22). Elsewhere on demand.
USP: If your London go-tos are Jo Hansford for hair colour or regular bespoke facials, and you don’t want to let standards slip while relaxing/raving on the continent, this is the app for you. Top-grade beauty and wellness therapists include Six Senses masseuse Wanda Lammers, who counts Eva Mendes among her clients; and facialist Dr Rabia Malik, who is otherwise based at Lanserhof at The Arts Club. Lucie has recently launched in Ibiza, and also delivers bespoke services – this summer facialists and masseurs are being sent to accompany one client’s trip to Mustique, and yoga teachers and masseurs for another’s voyage round Mykonos.
Urban
URL: urban.co
Location: Paris, London, the south-east, Manchester and Birmingham
USP: Urban launched in 2014, and has become a go-to source for booking massage therapists: most popular (and highly rated) is the deep-tissue massage and the app’s take on Swedish massage. Recently launched is the oncology massage, for those with or in remission from cancer. But the site also offers a range of beauty treatments including brows, nails and facials – plus physiotherapy.
Glamsquad
URL: glamsquad.com
Location: New York, LA, Miami, Washington DC, San Francisco and more
USP: Glamsquad is all about getting ready to go out; it’s strapline is: “Top beauty professionals anytime, anywhere”. Just input what you need and how soon, and Glamsquad will send a team of professionals to get hair, nails and make-up done, providing signature beauty services or a longer “red-carpet” one. Popular with the Hollywood set.
Ruuby
URL: ruuby.com
Location: Cotswolds, London, Manchester; further afield via the Black Label concierge.
USP: Come here for a rolodex of 1,000 vetted therapists and treatments from exclusive brands, including: Dr Barbara Sturm’s Anti-ageing Facial with microneedling; Bamford’s sleep treatment with Thai stretching, scalp and back massage; Shu Uemura blow dries; PRP (vampire) facials; and makeup by Anna Wintour favourite, Nariman. Book same-day treatments, or use the “Black Label” concierge to arrange therapists to travel with you.
Secret Spa
URL: secretspa.co.uk
Location: London and surrounding counties, Manchester and north-west, further afield via the Elite service.
USP: The beauty insider’s choice for beauty and wellness, Secret Spa boasts a roster of the calibre of therapists who one day find themselves giving a client a massage on a private jet, the next tending to Chanel’s VIP clients, and the next doing hair and make-up at a pop star’s wedding. There’s a wide range of treatments – from IV drips to lash extensions, balayage, make-up, nail art or natural-looking fake tans; don’t miss the Neom De-Stress Massage. Jade Jagger and Suki Waterhouse are fans.
Priv
URL: gopriv.com
Location: Across much of the USA
USP: This is a longstanding US favourite. Blow-dries and up-dos, make-up and lash extensions are staples – but there is also ear piercing, full-body massages and an array of men’s treatments should your beard need some holiday attention.