There are many good reasons to visit Whitstable. Bracing sea air. Lots of seafood, straight off the boat (if you’re not veggie/vegan). Great charity shops, too. But the biggest single reason we can recommend this North Kent seaside town for is facialist Frances Prescott, who’s based there.

We recently had a mini-facial with Frances, to launch the second of her multi-tasking products, Tri-Spritz. But she told us about the bespoke facials and skincare ‘editing’ service she offers at her home clinic – actually, a very gorgeous, louvre-shuttered, vintage objet-filled room on the ground floor of her house – and we made a date to visit.

Trained as a make-up artist and beauty therapist, and with years of experience in films, Frances had always taken a skincare-first approach to her career, understanding that make-up (however expertly applied) can only do so much.

Frances’s facials are completely bespoke, meanwhile. You’ll probably get to enjoy her Tri-Balm multi-purpose skin treat, and the gorgeous Tri-Spritz. But beyond that, she’ll use whatever skincare in her arsenal that she diagnoses will work for you best. You can see the line-up she used on Jo, above: some Crème de la Mer, some By Terry, some Dermalogica (plus a fabulous Oribe facial oil that Jo didn’t even know existed). All applied with ‘magic hands’, so that she emerged glowing-in-a-good way, ready for lunch with some friends who happen to live in Whitstable. (Oh, how we love killing two birds with one stone…)

What Frances also offers is something completely unique: a service to help you navigate your own skincare products, to ensure that you’re getting the most out of them. You can take along products that you don’t know how to use, or aren’t quite sure are right for you, and she’ll demo how you can incorporate them in your skincare, show you the best techniques… All 100% independent advice, from someone who really KNOWS.

You book her time by the hour – and it’s what we think is a very reasonable £80 per hour. Book as many hours as you like… (We’d recommend at least an hour and a half, which is how long Jo’s fabulous facial lasted.)

You can even STAY. And lots of groups of women do; on the top floor of her house is a gorgeous apartment which can be rented as a B&B experience. (For three or four people staying overnight, in two bedrooms, it’s £200. More info here.) You can then all book in for treatments, during your visit, at that £80 p.h. rate.

Trust us: we’ll be back…

francesprescott.com

theapartmentwhitstable.com (to book beauty appointments, click here)

Prize Draws