Reviewed and last updated on August 13, 2026 by Awais Ahmed, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Urban Scope News.
Walk past any high street in the UK today and you’ll spot salons and clinics offering treatments that didn’t even have names five years ago. HD brows, LVL lashes, vampire facials, baby Botox, glass skin facials. The menus at beauty salons have quietly turned into a language of their own, and if you’ve ever sat scrolling through a booking app wondering what half these treatments actually involve, you’re not alone.
This guide breaks down the beauty and aesthetic treatments, so you know what you’re booking before you sit in the chair.
Hollywood wax
A Hollywood wax removes all hair from the pubic and intimate area, front and back, leaving the skin completely bare. It’s the most requested waxing style at UK salons and typically takes between fifteen and thirty minutes. Most therapists recommend growing hair to at least a quarter of an inch before your appointment, since wax needs something to grip. Redness and light sensitivity for a day or two afterwards is normal, and most salons will talk you through aftercare on the day, including avoiding hot baths, tight clothing and sun exposure immediately after.
HD brows
HD stands for High Definition, and it’s a semi-permanent brow treatment that combines tinting, waxing and threading in one appointment to shape and define the eyebrows. The tint used is designed to last longer on the skin than standard brow tint, giving a fuller, more defined look between appointments. It’s become one of the most booked brow treatments because it suits most face shapes and requires no daily upkeep beyond the occasional brow gel.
Ombre brows
Ombre brows are a form of semi-permanent makeup, applied using a machine rather than a blade, that creates a soft, shaded, powder-like finish across the brow, usually lighter at the front and darker towards the tail. Unlike microblading, which mimics individual hair strokes, ombre brows give a more filled-in, makeup-like appearance and tend to suit oily or mature skin better, since the technique doesn’t rely on fine cuts that can blur over time. Results typically last one to three years before a top-up is needed.
LVL lashes
LVL stands for Lift, Volume and Length. It’s a lash treatment that lifts your natural lashes from the root, giving them a curled, lengthened appearance without extensions or mascara. A silicone shield is used to lift the lashes into a new curl, then a tint is often applied to darken them. The whole treatment usually takes under an hour and lasts around six to eight weeks, growing out naturally with your lash cycle.
Glass skin facial
Glass skin is a Korean beauty term for skin that looks so smooth, hydrated and luminous it appears almost translucent, like glass. A glass skin facial is built around that goal, typically layering gentle exfoliation, deep hydration and light-reflecting products to leave the skin dewy rather than matte. It’s become a popular one-off treatment ahead of events, since the glow effect is immediate even though the underlying skincare habits that create lasting glass skin take longer to build.
Scale and polish
A scale and polish is a routine dental cleaning that removes plaque and tartar buildup from the teeth and gum line, followed by polishing to smooth the tooth surface and remove surface staining. It’s carried out by a dentist or dental hygienist and is generally recommended every six to twelve months as part of standard NHS or private dental care, rather than a cosmetic add-on.
Chiropody
Chiropody, more formally known today as podiatry, is the treatment and care of the feet, covering everything from corns, calluses and thickened toenails to more clinical concerns like ingrown nails or diabetic foot checks. A chiropodist is a trained foot health professional, and appointments are widely available both on the NHS for certain conditions and privately through salons and dedicated foot clinics.
Vampire facial
A vampire facial is the popular name for a treatment combining microneedling with platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, taken from your own blood via a quick draw at the start of the appointment. The plasma is applied to the skin during microneedling, with the aim of encouraging collagen production and improving skin texture over the following weeks. It’s a clinical treatment that should only be carried out by a qualified aesthetic practitioner or medical professional, given it involves a blood draw and needling.
Baby Botox
Baby Botox refers to using a smaller, more diluted dose of botulinum toxin than a standard Botox treatment, aimed at softening fine lines rather than freezing movement entirely. It’s often chosen by people wanting a more natural, subtle result, or those having Botox for the first time. As with all Botox treatments, this is a prescription-only medicine and should only be administered by a qualified, registered healthcare professional following a proper consultation.
Sculptra
Sculptra is an injectable treatment that works differently to traditional dermal fillers. Rather than adding immediate volume, it contains poly-L-lactic acid, which stimulates your own skin to produce more collagen gradually over several months. It’s typically used to address volume loss and improve skin quality over time rather than for instant, dramatic change, and results usually require more than one session spaced weeks apart.
Lemon Bottle
Lemon Bottle is a brand of injectable fat-dissolving and skin-boosting treatment that has become widely available at clinics, marketed for reducing small areas of stubborn fat and improving skin texture. As with any injectable treatment, it should only be carried out by a trained and insured practitioner, and anyone considering it should ask for full details of the ingredients and expected safety profile during a consultation rather than relying on social media claims alone.
Which treatment is right for you
Most of the treatments above fall into one of three groups: hair and skin maintenance you can book at a salon with no medical involvement (Hollywood wax, HD brows, ombre brows, LVL lashes, glass skin facials), routine health and hygiene care (scale and polish, chiropody), and clinical aesthetic treatments that involve injectables or needling and should only be carried out by a qualified, registered practitioner (vampire facial, baby Botox, Sculptra, Lemon Bottle). If you’re ever unsure which category a treatment falls into, that’s usually your first question to ask before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Hollywood wax painful?
Most people describe it as uncomfortable rather than unbearable, and it tends to hurt less with repeat appointments as hair grows in finer over time.
How long do HD brows last?
The tint typically lasts one to two weeks and the shape around three to four weeks, so most people rebook every three to four weeks.
What’s the difference between ombre brows and microblading?
Microblading uses fine blade strokes to mimic individual hairs, while ombre brows use a machine to create a soft, shaded, powder-like fill. Ombre tends to last longer and suit oily skin better.
Are vampire facials safe?
When carried out by a qualified, insured practitioner using sterile equipment, they’re considered a low-risk cosmetic procedure, though as with any treatment involving needling, you should check credentials and hygiene standards before booking.
Is Baby Botox the same as regular Botox?
It’s the same botulinum toxin product, just used in a smaller, more diluted dose to create a softer, more natural-looking result.
