In June I was coming off of a pretty hectic work schedule and in dire need of "me" time, so I did what anyone would do.. I Googled "Best facialist in Melbourne" and up popped The French Facialist. What won me over was Christine's website, and I told her as much -- it's easy to navigate, clean, and the best part of all is the ability to book appointments directly through her website. No awkward phone calls, no "hang on and let me check my calendar", just book in and show up.

Now that I'm in my early thirties (!) I don't mind paying a little extra for great skin care products and services, so long as they work; but what I didn't expect to hear when I walked through Christine's front door was...

"So, what brings you here today?"

A simple question, but what was the right answer? I fumbled for a second and grasped ahold of my first thought.

"To be honest, my skin is so dead tired from lack of sleep and care, and is begging to be spoiled."

During our 15-minute chat I couldn't help but stare at Christine's face -- porcelain white, framed with tight, sun-kissed curls, a wide smile, and earnest eyes narrowing in on my face in an attempt to analyse my skin issues.

In the next breath I saddled up onto a heated bed and went out like a light; I struggled to hold onto the experience, the scents, and Christine's light touch dancing across my face. What eventually woke me was the sound of my snoring, which sounded as abrupt as a record scratching to a halt.

Christine laughed, and added, "It happens all the time, just relax."

When it was time to wrap up our time together, Christine said, "I'll see you in three weeks -- does Saturday work for you?" Things just sort of happened; I didn't question the appointment because I reached my happy place, ultimate relaxation station. Before leaving, I also picked up a new face wash, mask and single-use face cloths, a purchase that didn't break the bank and was quickly rationalised as a take home version of Christine.

Before my next facial, Christine combed through my entire skin care regimen to see if there were any areas for improvement. Surprisingly for both of us she was pretty pleased with everything I put on my skin; the only exceptions were Ren's Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream as the super emollient formula isn't quite right for my skins' needs. We also binned Ren's Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial (very gimmick-y) and Dermalogica's Barrier Repair, neither of which did anything to help my skin.

When Christine asked me how I found her business, I told her what I Googled, to which she responded with a humble smile and a sheepish laugh.

The French Facialist, after two visits, has officially become my home away from home.

Be on the look out for Christine's book early next year -- I desperately want to know why she thinks we should ban the brush.