I Got a Butt Facial and My Cheeks Are So Soft

Bespoke Surgical’s Manhattan office performs all kinds of treatments, from laser hair removal and anal bleaching to physical therapy and reconstructive surgery—all exclusively for the ass. I recently stopped by for—drumroll please—a butt facial.

“At my practice, I often see patients who struggle with skin-care problems like clogged pores, breakouts and acne, ingrown hairs, sun damage, and hyperpigmented skin, but not on their faces—on their butts,” says Evan Goldstein, DO, anal surgeon and founder and CEO of Bespoke Surgical. “For this delicate part of the body, these issues can be caused by daily friction and chaffing, sweating, exercising, shaving, or waxing/sugaring. Since we are always looking for ways to address booty-specific concerns, not just on the surgical and medical side, but also on the aesthetic side, we thought a natural addition to our Medspa menu would be to add butt facials.”

Before we get into the details, know that the butt facial (unlike many of Bespoke Surgical’s other treatments) is limited to just the cheeks. My “bacial” was performed by licensed esthetician Austin Ielpi.

“It’s a regular facial, but for your butt,” says Ielpi. “We’re double-cleansing, toning, exfoliating, and extracting if you have any extractions that need to come out. We’re doing some bt-micro fusion with that exfoliation as well, which is an ultrasonic vibration that will help push out any sebum, oil, dirt, and debris in the pores. And then, we’ll do some serum, some massage, and some high frequency, which will help blood circulation to stimulate collagen and elastin and kill any underlying bacteria from acne. Then we’ll finish off with a hydrogel mask.”

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Dr. Goldstein says anyone can benefit from this luxurious butt treatment.

“It’s easy to forget parts of our body that don’t see the light of day. However, all the skin on our body can benefit from regular maintenance and skin-care routines,” says Dr. Goldstein. “Whether you engage in booty play or enjoy wearing bikini bottoms that accentuate your beautiful booty, your butt deserves to be treated like royalty. For those who experience hormonal butt-ne (acne on their butts) or irritation from exercise or certain clothing, pampering your butt can help rejuvenate the skin, revealing younger, brighter skin and a more even and acne-free surface.”

I settled in for the hour-long treatment, laying on my stomach while Ielpi got to work. Although he shared what he was doing and why, I know for damn sure I will never be able to recreate this experience at home since my butt is, well, behind me. So I relaxed and enjoyed one of the most soothing and thorough body treatments I’ve ever received.

What it was like getting a butt facial at Bespoke Surgical

1. Double cleanse

The butt facial starts with a double cleanse using a salicylic acid cleanser. Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid that is great for dissolving the glue that holds dead skin cells to the surface of your skin, melting them away to let fresh and healthy cells shine. “It’s well known for exfoliating the skin, reducing acne and inflammation, and keeping your pores clear,” says Dr. Goldsein. Ielpi adds that most people could benefit from giving their cheeks a bit more attention while cleansing.

“I’ve come to realize there are some people who don’t really clean the area as they should be,” he says. “Sometimes people work out or wear too-tight clothing and then hang out in sweaty underwear [which can cause breakouts]. I’ve also realized that some people sit at desks all day, and because they don’t move, they come in with acne or ingrown hairs.”

After the cleanse, Ielpi went in with a hot towel.

“The hot towel’s also going to help make sure that your pores and follicles stay open and make sure that we’re really like cleansing and steaming everything,” he says. “I don’t like to go in with like a steamer all the time. It can be a little damaging to the skin.”

2. Toner

Next came a toner that utilizes salicylic acid and micronized silver. “Micronized silver has been proven to fight and regulate harmful bacteria and microorganisms on the skin,” says Dr. Goldstien. “It has antimicrobial, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties, making it great at fighting acne.” Ielpi spritzed it all over my cheeks to start, then went in with a cotton pad coated in the toner for concentrated application.

3. Magnified examination

Just like in a regular facial, Ielpi whipped out a lit, magnified lens to closely examine my skin. He found two small pimples that I hadn’t noticed before and let me know that he was going to physically exfoliate my skin before popping them.

4. Physical exfoliation

This step includes one of my favorite body products, the Future Method Butt & Body Scrub ($35). “This is formulated by Dr. Goldstein,” says Ielpi. “It uses vitamin C, which is good for really making this skin glow. It also has really good antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.”

Plus, it contains chia powder and jojoba beads to polish the skin. “This really helps push the exfoliation a little bit further and will help push up all of those dead skin cells that are there,” he says.

5. Ultrasonic vibration

With the butt and body scrub still on, Ielpi went over my cheeks with an ultrasonic vibration tool called BT Micro. “The BT Micro works by creating high-speed oscillations which help to loosen up sebum, dead skin cells, dirt, and grime within your pores,” says Dr. Goldstein. “By combining BT Micro with exfoliation from Future Method’s Butt and Body Scrub, we can achieve an overall deep exfoliation.” Once that was done, Ielpi used another hot towel to remove the scrub.

6. Extraction

At this point, my skin was prepped and ready for extraction. “Just with the exfoliation and everything that we’ve done so far, I can already see the gunk coming out a little bit,” Ilepi said. He went in with an extraction tool to remove the layer of skin on top of the pimple and ingrown and squeezed them clean. I could feel it, but it didn’t hurt—much more comfortable than facial extractions.

7. Serum

Next, Ilepi applied a high-potency vitamin C serum. “It’s going to really help with brightening and treating any acne,” says Ielpi. “It’s also going to help with those little [extraction] spots we just did, ensuring they’re nice and treated.”

8. Oil massage

Next, Ilepi used the Fur Oil ($52) to gently massage my cheeks. “The Fur Oil is an amazing product,” says Ielpi. “We use it for laser hair removal and sometimes for the butt facial massage portion; it really depends on what’s going on. I love it because it can benefit anywhere the skin meets the hair, and help keep those areas open and treated.”

9. High frequency

Next, Ilepi used a high-frequency tool that felt a little tingly on my skin. “It utilizes thermal current to kill acne-causing bacteria and shrink enlarged pores, producing blood circulation and stimulating collagen and elastin,” says Dr. Goldstein. “High-frequency devices oxygenate the skin and kill bacteria when they come in contact with the skin. After extractions are performed, the high-frequency device helps stimulate the skin’s healing process, closing the pores we’ve opened during the exfoliation and extraction steps of the butt facial.” Ielpi adds that it allows the vitamin C to penetrate deeper into the skin.

10. Hydrogel mask

Then, Ielpi mixed a custom hydrogel mask based on my skin’s needs. “We’re gonna be doing a vitamin C one for brightening, making sure that everything is nice and glowy and feels good for the rest of the week,” he told me. “And then the hyaluronic acid mask will lock in the hydration. Hyaluronic acid holds a thousand times its weight in water, so it locks in any moisture, ensuring the skin is nice and hydrated.” It went on in a pudding consistency, and after about 10 minutes, it dried down like silicone. Ielpi left me in the room to chill while the mask did its thing.

11. Moisturizer

To finish it all off, Ielpi peeled off the mask, cleaned up any residual product, and coated my cheeks in a light layer of the Future Method Butt and Body Soothing Cream ($35). “I love this stuff because it’s not like your typical lotion when you put it on,” he says. “It dries down really nice, and it’s not sticky.”

How my cheeks felt post-facial

Once I stood up and started to put on my undies, I realized just how soft my ass was. It had never been that soft before, and—unless I return for another butt facial—it will never be that soft again. As Dr. Goldstein puts it, “We’re taking the phrase ‘smooth as a baby’s bottom’ to a whole new level,”