We Think We Have Found The Best Facialist In The Midlands

Floraison is a state-of-the-art skincare studio and specialist store …

Dawn Hill has long been in my little black book of best facialists. Devotees have flocked to her salon Floraison in Co Dublin since 2019 for her expert bespoke skin treatments and niche skincare lines that you can’t buy anywhere else in Ireland. This year, she opened the flagship Floraison in Tullamore, Co Offaly – a beautifully designed, spacious studio/boutique with two treatment rooms.

The new space is calm and serene. Hill worked closely with local designer Mary-Rose Grogan of Strawberry Hill Living, who explains: “I wanted to create an environment where you could feel grounded, a space to welcome and embrace you. The theme is Wabi Sabi – recognising the beauty of all things in their most natural form.”

SEE MORE: Tried and Tested – Dawn Hill’s Selected Skincare At Floraison

You can still enjoy Floraison’s expertise in Dublin as master facialist Kakie Taylor-Black leads the treatment room, with Hill attending monthly for her loyal clientele. There are no set treatment menus as such – both Hill and Taylor Black will assess your skin to create a bespoke approach from there, depending on what your skin needs at that time.

Expect facial massage, cooling masks, perhaps LED light therapy – and always an intuitive, caring approach. “Women need to be held,” believes Hill. Her superlative sculpting massage boosts the skin while relaxing and nurturing the body and mind.

Hill is also the exclusive stockist in Ireland for some extraordinary skincare lines, such as high-performance organic Spanish brand Ayuna (try the Plasma mask and the liquid exfoliant, The Facial and Deviant, whose glorious, buttery-rich cleansing concentrate with hemp and camellia seed oils has to be tried to be believed. Australian brand Poets Atelier is another new star.

Hill is constantly approached by brands, but only takes on those she finds truly unique and advanced, who are doing something different. Among her careful selection of quality skincare, which she uses on clients in her facial treatments, the most recent addition is LAST skincare, created by Katarzyna Janocha, who describes it as “a new standard in neurocosmetic skincare, designed to reset, deeply hydrate, and visibly restore skin under chronic stress”. “It has proven results behind it and so much research,” says Hill, who’s found that clients trying it out have become instantly hooked.

I can see why. Taking Hill’s advice, I cleared my shelf and started using the LAST cleanser (which is like cleaning your face with a serum) and the Fundamental Serum; a deeply hydrating, soothing and active-packed elixir that’s a pleasure to use.

First impressions: it really is a clear-cut, minimal, beautifully effective approach to skincare that is appealingly fuss-free, resulting in healthy, less stressed skin.

Whatever about the best in the Midlands – Floraison’s treatments are among the best in Ireland, and if you’re in striking distance of Tullamore, lucky you.