The Secret Behind Salma Hayek’s Coveted Glow

Salma Hayek, Amber Heard and Ana de Armas have all been touched by the magic of skincare master and healer, Cynthia Franco. 

Breathe in, breathe out, close your eyes… and escape for a moment to the blissful retreat of soothing pleasures and holistic care with alternative health therapies from a world-renowned aesthetician, Cynthia Franco.

Cynthia Franco Aesthetics is located just above Jacquie Aiche Jewelry, tucked away within a beautiful duplex in Beverly Hills. A hot spot known for its one-stop-shopping and for all things covet-worthy, this refuge has become a sanctuary for some of the world’s most alluring celebrities from Salma Hayek and Maude Apatow to Ana de Armas and Lucy Boynton. 

This is an escape, even for Cynthia herself, who describes it to us in her own words. “As you enter, there is a beautiful yoga and sound healing room to the right which is used for sound baths, gong and kundalini yoga. Enter down a long hallway to my sunlit 1940’s room with French windows. The space is airy and peaceful and is such a personal and intimate setting. This isn’t like a typical salon or spa, but more like a retreat in Paris. It even overlooks a bohemian backyard, and is one of my most favorite places ever.”

But with so many revered salons around the world, there must be more to the magic than just rejuvenating surroundings that bring the clientele back to Cynthia Franco over and over again.

Cynthia is trusted and revered thanks to a combination of her comforting disposition, unique training that includes everything from Neuromuscular Massage Therapy to energy work and alternative health, and, of course, her healing touch. She studied at NMT (Neuromuscular Therapy) with honors in Aesthetics and The Academy of Beauty in Culver City. Her experience also includes working with plastic surgeons (which helped her become more educated about medical aesthetics), along with time spent at various spas. But it was the birth of her daughter that lead Cynthia down the path to an alternative health approach and to the work she now practices today. 

Her early career in beauty began as a makeup artist at Shu Uemura Atelier in Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as M.A.C. She entered into the alternative health field by training at the California Healing Arts in California where she perfected massage therapy techniques from myofascial release to sacred stone massage, which led her to practice alongside top chiropractors. “I became more interested in helping people feel better and it certainly aligned with being a nurturing new mother,” she says.

That nurturing spirit led her to develop expertise in everything from ancient Japanese massage therapies such as Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki (Universal Life Energy) to modern-day treatments such as CCT (Crystalline Consciousness Techniques) and LED light therapies. She is constantly expanding her knowledge of global treatments and will soon be receiving her Reiki Master.

Cynthia’s work is a well-rounded routine of healing, nurturing and results-oriented treatments, specifically tailored to each client. “I have always added my own special element to each of them,” she adds. “Each person is different, and each session is different, so it really depends on the client and what they are literally and figuratively bringing to the table that day and what they wish to achieve with their session.”

“My first goal is to relax the client, helping them leave behind the stress of the outside world,” she says. “I never immediately apply any muscle modalities, and that is one of the most important aspects of healing for me. One must always relax the muscles before manipulating them. And, everyone needs relaxation, especially during this time.”

When taking care of any of her clients, Cynthia first reads the room. “I tend to do more calming face and body treatments and less talking; it all depends on the energy being brought in,” she says.  “I also sage my room and keep it energy ready for each client,” she says.

One of Cynthia’s most sought-after treatments was developed for her celebrity clients like Salma Hayek, who were (once upon a time) attending red carpets and award shows almost nightly. 

"She (Salma) really is quite the specimen; a true natural beauty,” says Cynthia. But even Salma Hayek requires some skin nurturing, and from head to toe, thus Cynthia’s “Head to Toe Glow” was created and has since become one of her most-requested treatments.  

The "Head to Toe Glow” involves a detoxifying body slimming treatment with an infrared body wrap and full-body, dry exfoliation followed by thermal toning and tightening serums. This restorative goodness is coupled with a cleansing and oxygen-infused facial that’s topped off by a non-invasive facelift. Expect to leave Cynthia’s sanctuary with a feeling of peace and a spellbinding inner and outer glow.

It’s a transformative, doozy of an experience and one that you won’t soon forget.