Queen Camilla is a devotee and her trusted beauty consultant has a host of other A-list clients. But is a bee sting facial worth it and does it hurt?
Filled with some trepidation, I approached The Langham in London on a dark, chilly Thursday morning having been dispatched by my editor to experience a bee sting facial.
The name strongly suggests I’m not heading for a relaxing experience, but I’ve been told the rejuvenating treatment is loved by the Queen, no less. So, I figure if it’s good enough for royalty, it’s good enough for me.
Nonetheless, I’m slightly worried I’ll be going back to the office covered in angry red spots looking like I’ve disturbed a beehive. Thankfully, when I arrive at the five-star hotel, I’m greeted by Deborah Mitchell, who created this unique treatment.
She’s been Queen Camilla’s own facial therapist for 18 years, and she immediately puts me at ease, insisting it won’t be painful, despite the name. Phew.
“It doesn’t sting,” she assures me as she leads me to a treatment bed.
“You can feel it tingle but, believe it or not, it’s terrifically relaxing.”
After cleansing and exfoliating my skin, Deborah applies her patented bee venom mask, which feels slightly prickly but, to my relief, doesn’t hurt. The treatment works by tricking the skin into thinking it’s been stung, which causes it to go into repair mode, boosting blood flow to the area and stimulating rejuvenation.
Deborah explains, “The bee venom relays a message to the skin that it’s been stung by a toxin, and it sends in the helpers like collagen and elastin. It tightens, firms and lifts the skin.”
As she gets to work, Deborah, 60, reveals that the previous night she’d been to Buckingham Palace to collect the Royal Warrant granted to her company, Heaven Health & Beauty.
This recognition from the royals of her products and treatments is a huge honour, but as it turns out, a trip to the Palace isn’t that out of the ordinary for Deborah.
She regularly treats the Queen at home with a bee sting facial, which she markets as a ‘natural facelift’. Her Majesty also uses Deborah’s collagen drops, which can be taken orally or applied to the skin.
Deborah began what is now a multi-million-pound beauty brand on her kitchen table almost 30 years ago, having learnt the art of making beauty products at Telford College.
So how is it that she came to be the woman who’s trusted with attending to our Queen’s skin?
She suspects she first attracted the attention of the royal household when she was listed in Vogue as one of the top six facialists in the world. Not long after this, her flagship salon in Shifnal, Shropshire, received a call out of the blue.
“Somebody shouted to me, ‘Clarins is on the phone – they want to talk to you’,” Deborah recalls. “I thought, ‘Why would Clarins be calling me?’
“I spoke to them and they then said, ‘No, it’s Clarence House. Would you be able to do a treatment on Camilla?’”
Of course she said yes, though was naturally apprehensive before the first visit.
“I wasn’t sure what she was going to be like because you look at the newspapers and have no idea,” Deborah admits.
“But immediately I thought she is one of the nicest people. I love her. She’s genuine and she cares, she listens, and she remembers. She has been unbelievably nice and thoughtful. She even came to our factory in Telford to visit.”
So, are the two of them good friends after all these years? “I wouldn’t be rude enough to say we’re friends but what I love about it is that I’m there to look after her and meet her needs.”
In fact, Deborah is now on such good terms that she’s bold enough not to reply when the Queen talks during treatments as she wants her to enter a state of deep relaxation. As I chatter away during my massage, Deborah confides:
“I don’t let people talk normally. Shall I tell you a little trick I’ve got for the Queen? I don’t answer her when she starts talking so she can relax.”
The treatment involves deep massage of not only the face but also the shoulders, neck and feet. Deborah is so adept at this – loosening tension with sweeping movements – that I can easily imagine Her Majesty drifting off during one of her treatments.
With such expertise, it’s no wonder Deborah has a list of high-profile clients. Sadly, she has to be more discreet about these – while the Royal Warrant enables her to confirm she treats Camilla, she remains more tight-lipped about her other famous devotees, despite my probing.
However, we have it on good authority that her clients include other members of the Royal Family, and she does also confirm that Duran Duran were one of her first clients – she still treats them to this day – with Strictly host Tess Daly another regular.
But Deborah doesn’t only treat A-listers. She also does facials for local clients at her Shifnal salon, charging £120, or £67 if it’s done by one of her team members. In London, the price rises to £250. Deborah’s training academy in Telford has also spawned therapists across the UK who can administer the bee sting facial.
Deborah’s bee venom creams (which come in three strengths – silver, black and gold) can also be purchased and applied at home. They’re made in a factory in Telford using bee venom from a supplier in Ireland. No bees are harmed in extracting the venom as they are ‘milked’ via a process that sees them stinging a pane of glass from which the venom is gathered. They survive with their stings intact.
Deborah gave a pot of the gold cream – made from the venom of queen bees and costing £370 – to the Queen for Christmas. Only 500 jars are produced a year. She mostly uses the silver cream in my facial, but at the end applies a tiny bit of the gold above my eyebrows – and it feels distinctly more tingly.
Treatment over, I’m amazed to see my skin does look fresher and plumper and when I return to the office – far from being covered in nasty bites – I’m told I have a new, radiant glow.
No wonder this has the royal seal of approval.
One reader can win a bee sting facial from Deborah Mitchell herself, either at her salon in Shifnal, Shropshire, or at a venue in London.
To enter, email competitions@saga.co.uk with ‘Bee sting facial’ in the subject line. Closing date is 1 April 2025.
The prize is for one person only and the winner must be able to visit Deborah at her salon in Shifnal, Shropshire, or in London on a date that is mutually convenient before 31 December 2025.
The winner will be responsible for expenses and arrangements not included in the prize. The prize is non-transferrable and cannot be exchanged for monetary value.
This year, Saga is celebrating an incredible 75 years – and we’d love you to be part of the celebrations. For a limited time only, you can subscribe to Saga Magazine for just 75p an issue.
Receive the next 6 print editions delivered direct to your door, plus 6 months’ unlimited access to the Saga Magazine app – perfect for reading on the go.
The ultimate guide to Saga Puzzles, full of technical tips, tricks and hints.
With the start of the new financial year on 6 April, our money expert explains the changes to your pension, benefits and taxes.
