Next up is extractions, the part I’m most excited for. The tip of my nose has been riddled with hard-to-budge black dots for as long as I can remember. I’d always thought these were blackheads, until Waters tells me they’re actually lots of tiny hairs, something that is very common with Asian skin.

Waters flicks a switch to change the serum that funnels into the vial in her handheld machine. “For extractions, the main ingredient is salicylic acid, which is really antibacterial. I’ll release the serum onto the skin and it helps to soften the impurities in the pores,” she says, “Then I move my vacuum over. The tip has a spiral effect, so it’s designed to draw out the impurities. It’s a little bit more of a stronger vacuum than the exfoliation one, but it actually feels far more pleasant.” And it does; the suction from the vacuum feels like a gentle massage for my cheeks and forehead.

Once extractions are done, Waters says customers are asked whether they’d like manual extractions done. This is completely optional, but after discussing congestion on my nose and cheeks, I go for it. I’ll admit, this part of the facial did feel uncomfortable and slightly painful – but remember, manual extractions are an additional part of your facial and not the actual HydraFacial itself. So, I stand by my claim that HydraFacials do not hurt. At all.

“I tried the vacuum facial that’s all over Instagram, and this is what happened”