The Holiday Skin Countdown: What to Book, Week by Week, Before Christmas

It happens every December: someone sits down in a treatment room four days before a party and asks for the thing that takes eight weeks. We understand. The calendar fills, the list gets long, and your own skin slides to the bottom of it.

This year, do it in order. Christmas falls on Friday, December 25, and working backward from that date, here is exactly what to book and when. You don't need all of it. Pick the weeks that match your goals and your events, and skip the rest. One planning note before you start: we are closed Thanksgiving Eve and Day, Christmas Eve and Day, New Year's Eve and Day, and every Monday, so the last week before each holiday fills fast.

12 weeks out: start a series (around October 2)

Anything that works through repetition belongs here. Twelve weeks gives a series time to compound, and it is the only window where real change in texture, tone, and firmness is still possible before the holidays.

• Deluxe HydraFacial 6-Pack for congestion, dullness, and a reset after summer. Book weekly or every other week.
• DMK Skin Revision Therapy 6-Pack for firmness, acne, and texture. DMK Enzyme Therapy is one of our strongest tools, and it is programmed as a series for a reason.
• The Clear Skin Runway if breakouts tend to flare in fall. They usually do, and here is why.
• Next-Gen Body Sculpting as a six-session series if you have a dress or a zone in mind.
• A membership if you already know you will be in monthly. Everything below becomes member pricing, and the Royal membership adds 50% off enhancements.

10 weeks out: resurface while there is time to recover (around October 16)

This is peel season. Anything that causes visible flaking needs recovery time, and your barrier needs time to rebuild after it. Starting now leaves room for two or three spaced sessions, with the last stronger peel landing at least two weeks before your first event.

• Chemical peels: the TCA Peel and Jessner Peel for deeper resurfacing, the Retinol Peel for texture and early lines, and the Skin Brite Peel or Skin Perfect Peel for uneven tone.
• Dermaplaning + Peel to remove the dead layer first so the peel works evenly.
• Pigment Reset DMK Therapy for summer spots and post-breakout marks.
• The Barrier Rebuild instead of peels, if your skin already stings, flushes, or reacts. Read when to peel and when to wait first.

8 weeks out: sculpt, and start your waxing rhythm (around October 30)

Lift and definition respond to frequency. Microcurrent and facial sculpting results build over several close sessions, which makes this the week to begin.

• The Facial Sculpt Series, or single sessions of the Lemon LFT Microcurrent Facial and the Buccal Sculpt Facial.
• TMJ Facial if you clench through stressful seasons. December is a stressful season.
• Waxing: book your first full-body appointment now, legs, underarms, bikini, or Brazilian. Hair grows in cycles, and two or three sessions spaced about four weeks apart put more of it on the same schedule, so your holiday wax is smoother and less tender. Our waxing care guide covers the rest.

6 weeks out: protect your barrier before the dry season (around November 13)

In Orange County, late fall brings Santa Ana winds, indoor heating, and holiday stress, all at once. This is the week to build moisture and calm into your skin before it starts to feel tight.

• Barrier Repair Facial, our 30-minute Precision treatment for dry, reactive, or over-exfoliated skin.
• Vital Oxygen Facial or Alpha O2 Facial for deep hydration without a single acid.
• LH Collagen Infusion Facial, our 90-minute Indulge-tier treatment for plumpness and firmness.
• A massage before the calendar gets away from you. The Aromatherapy Massage or Deep Recovery Therapeutic Massage if your shoulders already know what December is going to be.
• Book your December appointments now. The weeks before Christmas fill first, and our last day before the holiday is Wednesday, December 23.

4 weeks out: Black Friday is gift week (around November 27)

We are closed for Thanksgiving on November 25 and 26, then Black Friday kicks off Golden Tickets Weekend, Friday, November 27 through Tuesday, December 1. Buy spa gift cards for the people on your list and get a Golden Ticket of up to $200 for your own appointment in the new year. Black Friday is also our biggest product sale of the year, 20% to 30% off everything on our shelves, Friday only, in the spa or by phone. Members keep the discount Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday.

For your own skin this week:

• Honey Gua Sha Facial or the Sculpt & Gua Sha Facial, two of our favorite treatments for a mid-season reset.
• Body treatments: the Coconut & Cinnamon Sugar Scrub, the Seaweed Body Wrap, or The Reset, so skin below the collarbone matches your face.
• Luxe Back Facial if there is an open-back dress in your future.

3 weeks out: Hanukkah begins (around December 4)

Hanukkah starts at sundown on Friday, December 4. If you are celebrating, this is your week, and if you are not, it is still the right time for a treatment that needs a few days to settle.

• Magic Hour Facial, customized to what your skin needs that day.
• Skin Revision Therapy, our 90-minute DMK Enzyme treatment, for a single session with visible firming.
• Brow Design so your brows have time to grow into shape.
• Hanukkah gifts: a product for each night, or a digital gift card scheduled to arrive on the eighth.

2 weeks out: the glow window (around December 11)

Stronger resurfacing is done. Now it is about hydration, clarity, and light, with no downtime.

• Ultimate HydraFacial Experience, our 90-minute version with every step.
• Deluxe HydraFacial with Facial Massage, or Dermaplaning + HydraFacial for makeup that sits like skin.
• Dermaplaning Basic on its own, if texture and peach fuzz are your only concern.
• Glow O2 Facial for a 30-minute oxygen boost.
• Clearing Back Facial if breakouts on the back or shoulders are the one thing standing between you and that dress.

1 week out: quick finishes and a little rest (around December 18)

Nothing new, nothing aggressive. This week is about 30-minute Precision treatments that polish what you have already built.

• Glaze Facial, Mini Lemon LFT, or Nectar Eye & Lip Perk for a fast, visible lift around the eyes and mouth.
• Zero Downtime Peel, the only peel that belongs this close to an event, and the Urban Detox Facial or Clean & Clear Facial for a surprise breakout.
• Waxing: lip, chin, and brows now, and a Brazilian or bikini wax two to three days before your event.
• A massage: the Signature Refresh Massage, The "Newport" Hot Stone, or the Chill Nirvana Massage, because you will sleep better and it shows.

2 to 3 days out: tan and last-minute gifts (December 22 to 23)

Tuesday and Wednesday are our last two days open before Christmas.

• Custom Spray Tan one to two days before your event. Exfoliate and finish all waxing at least 24 hours before your tan so it goes on evenly. Our spray tan prep guide has the details.
• HydraFacial MD, our 30-minute HydraFacial, for one more round of clarity.
• Gift cards for anyone still on the list. Stop into the Holiday Shop and we will wrap it for you.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: the digital save

We are closed December 24 and 25, but you have not run out of time. A digital gift card can be scheduled to arrive Christmas morning. It never expires, and it works on anything on our menu. Nobody needs to know you bought it at 10pm.

December 26 to 30: The Exhale

The week after Christmas is the quietest week of the year, and the one where you finally have time for yourself. We call it The Exhale. We are open Saturday the 26th, Sunday the 27th, and Tuesday the 29th through Wednesday the 30th. Book the treatment you put off all season:

• The Nurture Massage, our 85-minute massage, or the Tailored For You Massage.
• New Mom Massage for the new mom who carried everyone through the holidays.
• Deluxe HydraFacial, DMK Enzyme Therapy, or the LH Collagen Infusion Facial to undo the late nights.

New Year's: a plan, not a resolution

We are closed New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and back Saturday, January 2. January is when a lot of people try to fix everything at once. We would rather you build a plan. If you earned a Golden Ticket in November, it is good from January 15 through March 30. Use it on a facial with a full skin analysis, and let your skin expert map the next 90 days with you. Or reserve a Skin Forecast at The Skin Edit, January 15 and 16, where we build that plan with you on paper. Our packages and series are a good place to start thinking about what it could look like.

Every service here is on our master price list. Not sure where to start? Book a facial with a full skin analysis, or see our holiday gift guide if you are shopping for someone else.