More catering to the affluent hipsters with their endless quest for self-improvement. Best done in a series? No thanks, I would rather save my disposable funds for travel.
4
Spending $285 for one or two days is a true waste of excess money. There are many treatments (non-surgical) where you can spend $2,000 for two years of results. If you want to spend $20,000-30,000 just get a face lift and follow with laser. You'll get 8-12 years. Boy this tops the dumb meter!
2
Not bad! Charge attorney rates without the law school loans.
6
Any decent facial I have ever had has given me a glow for at least one day. When I was younger it lasted longer. These results don't sound like anything special.
5
I paused my work combining movement with emotional healing a few years ago to allow me to concentrate on my wife developing herself as a financial executive.
Massage like this can be amazingly powerful. So many people think massage is about rubbing muscles, but work that goes into the lymphatic system, work where a therapist is allowing an individual's mind's limbic areas to reconnect to unresolved emotional issues can be transformative.
It only lasts a few days? Ah, the desire for the one-shot magic bullet. As if some therapy Must be fraudulent because in one hour or so it is not able to undo 30 to 60 years of abuse we and our environment do to us, is truly a sign of the times we live in.
Those who can, do.
Those who can't, teach.
Those who can't teach are critics.
George Bernard Shaw
Where is the health dept?
If a dentist is required to wear a glove before putting their hands in their mouth, this person should.
5
It's your money - if you want to spend it (and your time) on a fancy facial ("results" last only a day or so), that's certainly your business. I've other things to do with both time and money.
4
"But for that day or so, my skin looked great. And who can put a price on that? ($285.)"
How about people who live on this much money a year? We are such a ridiculously pampered culture. It really gets embarrassing.
11
Asian culture considers face wrinkles as wisdom lines. Growing old is a natural process with wisdom gained, a stage in life repected in Asian societies. Old people get seats on crowded buses, doors opened. I prefer to look my age, in good health and in the right weight. I'll keep $285 for vacation travel.
10
Oh, my god, my face is sagging! I have wrinkles! I look my age!!
12
This is what is called misleading !
The only way to get a facelift is through surgery
There are many wonderful and credible facialists in the world and none torture the skin to achieve results
Beware here - nothing to do with money but you only have one face!
No science here
2
I’ll stick to my weekly avocado mask and cucumber eye lid soak, thank you.
3
I use red light therapy on my face and facial exercises. Nice results.
22
Ah,,,,,anti-ageism in its finest, women willingly empty their hard earned money so their skin can look great for a day or two....isn’t it ironic there aren’t floods of men getting facials?
54
I doubt you can call the money being spent hard-earned money
9
@Juliana James Not to be contrarian, but men who shave have an advantage: exfoliating their face every day helps keep their skin more youthful looking. Also, it's easy to hide lines/wrinkles behind stubble or a beard.
12
@Juliana James, not true! The people who who work at the med spa I frequent tell me that loads of men come in for facials, laser peels, dermabrasion, Botox, injectable fillers...the whole shebang. They also get a lot of laser hair removal business from men. Chest and back. News flash: men can be as vain as women.
13
I’d rather not notice the tiny sags and wrinkles to begin with than have them pointed out only to come back in a few days.
55
The video is great! Truthfully, this is Rolfing without the licensed Rolfer (specialized massage therapist) working in your nose. It’s not stretching the skin, it’s massaging (stretching and kneading) the face muscles and stimulating lymph nodes. Soooo good for you!
3
She reduced her price from $305 to $285 to "make the service 'accessible' to more people"? Thank you, Brooklyn.
22
The ($285) treatment is best 'done in a series'. Classic! ;-)
21
It’s not clear how much this woman gets into manipulating the joint of the jaw and and masseter muscles, but if she goes there then she is overstepping her aesthetician training. She should not be doing that without training — and a license — in therapeutic bodywork.
Too much manipulation of the face and jaw can trigger a migraine, in those susceptible. It can also trigger or aggravate ongoing TMJ and bite problems.
I have had both cosmetic and therapeutic facial massage. They differ widely, as they should. A light message of the surface of your face and neck is deliciously calming. It also increases circulation. So of course you come out of there glowing. It’s a short-term effect.
On the other hand, a deep manipulation of neck, jaw muscles and joints is not calming. The end result is a general loosening of built-up tension, but it’s a bumpy ride getting there.
I had a full-body Rolfing series, years ago, which included fingers and thumbs inserted inside my mouth and nose, adjusting the bones with steady pressure. It was extremely effective. I sincerely hope that Ms. Lindsey isn’t to replicate that treatment with no pertinent training, or license.
12
When I injured my hand recently it swelled up and every trace of a wrinkle disappeared. Nice and round and tight as a drum. And free.
It would be cheaper for these ladies to fall on their face.
51
Surely this is a spoof, like perineum sunning.
17
God what a scam. I don't know what's worse - that this person swindles people with something that they could easily do themselves with help from a few YouTube videos or that she convinced the Times to give her a free ad that otherwise would have cost thousands of dollars. Please show a little better judgement. Good grief.
28
The article was OK but the comments are hilarious!
42
$285 “plus tip”? Accessible? Welcome to Crooklyn.
13
“Ms. Lindsey, who has never been bitten by a client...”
Knock the subject matter, but man, Caity Weaver’s writing is unassailable.
25
@LL, I agree that the wry tone makes for an entertaining read. BTW, I once asked my dental hygienist whether she had ever been bitten by a client. She said she had.
7
The less you pull and push and cook and poke your skin, the better preserved will be its elasticity. If you truly want a fab feeling and your muscles and brain relaxing, I suggest some daddy weed or granddaddy weed. Potent, happy and quite safe. It costs less and boy if you share it around, everyone can keep young and relaxed together.
6
"There's a sucker born every minute."
P. T. Barnum
13
I had my husband do this to my face. He did not have vaseline so he used butter. After that my Maltese dog Candy licked it clean. Wow I feel like a million bucks.
34
The subject is dumb, but I do love Caity Weaver's writing.
9
I have long suspected that the primary benefit of any cream or serum comes from the ritual massage of the application. Skin does seem to respond well to touch. I’d love to know the science behind this. The good news is that you can test it at home for free.
3
I don’t really care about face smooshing for beauty, but I enjoyed reading this writer’s piece. Good writing is always entertaining.
And want younger looking skin over a long period of time? Wear SPF everyday, even if you’re darker skin toned, like a lightweight SPF 50, from a brand like La Roche Posay. It’s the only time other people seemed to notice that my skin looked better and it was visibly apparent to myself as well. Plus you get protection from skin cancer.
11
@E Sunblock has toxic chemicals. Wear a hat or use an umbrella.
5
It's a shame Brancusi had to be dragged into this.
86
Brooklyn.
27
Because Brooklyn.
21
A TMJ sufferer's nightmare.
17
Frankly, light massaging yes.... anything vigorous stretching the skin... no thank you. If you want a wrinkle -free old face try to moderate your facial expressions. Fewer wrinklings and crinklings = fewer wrinkles.... and PS vaseline is just fine as a moisturizer the winter... apply before make-up -- keeps the wind at bay.
Goop!
5
I hate everything.
85
@Seattle : Oh, gawd, thanks for the surprise laugh out loud! It's 8:38 PM and it's the first time I've laughed out loud today!! Thank you, Seattle!
16
@Seattle
Luxury serial Brancusi gourmet cheek massage therapy.
I too had my “now I’ve heard everything” moment.
5
Is this a joke? Even the picture screams wrinkles. Never tug on your face--EVER!!!!
18
It is still a free country, if she can get that much money for a massage. Just another scam for the rich and famous like the blond actress runs in LA. So many stupid people in this world. Give your self a relaxing bath and massage your own puss, its free and give the money to the poor. I am 75 years old so I have seen so many scams in my life that I am cynical to say the least.
27
What a stupid thing to do in the time of a potential Coronavirus pandemic. Even with gloves.
12
@BA, the mouth is not a likely place for a stray virus to take hold. Your saliva is hostile to viruses, and your stomach acid will kill them. Viruses like mucous membranes. They prefer to enter your body through your nasal passages — where they travel into the lining of your throat and use those moist, welcoming cells to multiply — and via your eyes. From your eyes they can travel into your sinuses, and drip into your throat.
That’s why you would not rub your eyes or nose when you are about and about!
1
@Passion for Peaches Oh, you are misinformed: there is a very nice publication that shows that the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was detected in the self-collected saliva of 91.7% (11/12) of patients. Serial saliva viral load monitoring generally showed a declining trend. Live virus was detected in saliva by viral culture. Saliva is a promising noninvasive specimen for diagnosis, monitoring, and infection control in patients with 2019-nCoV infection. This is from Consistent Detection of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in Saliva
Authors: Kelvin Kai-Wang To, Owen Tak-Yin Tsang, Cyril Chik-Yan Yip, Kwok-Hung Chan, Tak-Chiu Wu, Jacky Man-Chun Chan, Wai-Shing Leung, Thomas Shiu-Hong Chik, Chris Yau-Chung Choi, Darshana H Kandamby
Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa149, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa149
Published:
12 February 2020
4
Regretfully, I read this article. Moved to CA in 1991, Brooklyn has changed, I get it. But I'm pretty sure the unavoidable advertisement in the middle of the article shows a model evacuating in a field of wildflowers. What the heck, NYT?!
8
Fools and their money are easily separated.
22
I love to NOT read that type of great USELESS information.. two more articles like these and I get rid of my subscription. Be careful the NYT.
5
I think there is no nation as stupid ..none
This is priceless !!!
Gave me a good laugh. For those who are contemplating this please rewatch, or watch for the first time, the movie Parasite.
This was nice!
20
@Rs I read about this type of facial massage a couple years ago, when skincare entrepreneur Alicia Yoon wrote about it for Byrdie.com. Koreans have been paying for extreme contouring massages like this for years. Here's the opener of the article:
"There's a little-known secret in Korea, and her name is Ryu Bae, also known as The Star Face-Maker." She has many dedicated famous and civilian clients.
1
Puleeze. As my grandmother used to say 'that's a load of twaddle'. It is amazing what people with more money than sense will spend their cash on!
17
@CAS I would go even farther thanCAS and say this is clearcut evidence that Elizabeth Warren is right when she proposes an excess wealth tax.
21
do yoga. learn how to be inverted/ upside down for long periods of time. blood flow to the head. reverses everything. especially state of mind:)
12
@Fromjersey Except if you're hypertensive!
4
so Brooklyn is now home to the same frivolities previously seen only on the Upper East Side or Beverly Hills. Too bad.
7
@Vin ...the only difference being that, those in the hipster/millennial/PC parts of Bk would consider this treatment to fall under the comical banner of 'self-care', and therefore not worthy of any criticism. lol
4
Um not very sanitary. You can do facial massage at home, and there are Youtube videos of the Japanese facial massage technique. Need a book, you can get those on Amzn.
3
Making Portlandia feel more like a documentary every day.
35
How do you look like after all that stretching and kneading and plumping ends? I envision hanging jowls. ugh
5
How many people could be fed with $285? A sham treatment with no lasting benefit is a scam.
4
Big deal. One of the elements of beauty is nice teeth, and anyone with nice teeth has most assuredly had a professional's hands in his or her mouth.
4
Open your mouth
And close your eyes
I’m gonna give you
A big surprise!
6
Eckart Tolle would call this "the world of form".
If you're chasing it, you need to look elsewhere for your real needs.
3
Um, $285 is price gauging. That is absolutely not affordable for most people.
4
Why would you pay so much when you can just push on your face for a good fifty minutes and be done for free and not have to go back and pay again.
1
There is a reason this can be referred to as “disposable income”.
11
Intraoral tissue manipulation? No thanks. I’ll leave that sort of work to a licensed dentist.
2
She said: “It’s a lot of money still.”
A statement everyone but Trump and Bloomberg would agree to.
Hey, this is AMERICA! If Ms. Lindsey can pay the rent, her taxes, and take 3 weeks vacation, I say, more power to her. Personally, I wouldn't let her touch my darkened eyelids, sagging cheeks, or puffy brow; all my students say I'm the PERFECT Mr. Chips and I plan on keeping it that way.
5
For far less money you can not only look ten years younger but also have your entire body feel great in 30 - 45 minutes.
Try Zero Balancing
Lol
Corona
1
Phineas Taylor Barnum would be proud of the Brooklyn massage lady. Not so much for her clients, though. The psychological benefits far outweigh the physical.
8
Great way to transmit Coronavirus!
3
As a weekly recipient of Shiatsu and Swedish massage I can say without a doubt the benefits of these are clear. Increased circulation from the massages are very helpful with recovery from my daily workouts as well.
I am sure that the increased circulation from these facial massages are beneficial as well however the cost of $285 for 75 minutes...wow.
2
“It’s really hard to come into established neighborhoods, where people loved what brought them there, and take over a space,” she said. “And, to be honest, he was black. I felt like a young white woman — there was a lot." She is a youngish white woman, isn't she? She is "riding the wave of gentrification."
Also, I think the facial priced at $285 will not become widely accessible. The service she provides is fine; but, it is the province of the relatively privileged. I don't like the obligatory "mea culpas" that too frequently accompany such more or less luxury services or personal choices. If one avails oneself of these, one can quietly give back (if one wishes) and leave it at that.
13
She lowered the price by a whole $20 ($305 to $285) to "make this more accessible"? That's nothing. Anyway, I'd love to see a detailed tutorial for how the rest of us 99 percenters can massage our face at home for free.
82
@Amanda
Take both hands and rub your face in all directions of the compass.
It will do as much good as the lunacy in the article, and at a far less cost.
15
I’d be very careful of the tugging and stretching. You never want to nor should you let anybody pull your facial skin in all directions. I follow the “fountain” method and always push in toward the nose, up the nose bridge and out across the forehead towards the temples. It’s worked for me for 40 years. I’m 76 and look 60. Learned it all from my mother. Oh, and I’m a man.
89
Call me when the results last six months.
234
Sorry but all I can think about is the enormous waste this practice crates; a daily, heaping pile of discarded plastic gloves.
Do Jemima Kirke and her "progressive", wealthy friends
care about their carbon footprints?
77
@Left Coast My reaction exactly. People are not getting it.
6
@Left Coast Every time a sandwich is made in a deli, the guy puts on a new pair of gloves. 3 massages a day is 3 pairs, hardly a mountain of waste.
Pick your battles and stick with meaningful criticism, or you make real environmentalism look like a joke.
20
Expect services like this to be the first to go if the stock market continues to fall
54
Can’t this just be done at home for free?
25
@Eric No! It must never be performed by amateurs, least you end up looking like Picasso's Muse Dora Maar!
12
First time a comment made me laugh so much that my now very annoyed cat jumped off my lap!
2
Before and after pics of clients 45 and up? Otherwise, seems like an expensive massage—relaxing, yes, and for that money I’d choose a full body massage ;-)
59
@SomethingElse ...it doesn't even look relaxing
4
@SomethingElse , or 5 of them.
1
This looks fun, but anatomically and medically it's nonsense. Any results are at best temporary due to microtrauma swelling. Still, knock yourself out. Life is too short to tease millennials all day.
142
@MortimerPanic To be fair, the owner is 46 so she would've been born circa 1974 making her Gen X. And I doubt many millenials living in NYC are able to purchase a series of treatments for wrinkles at $285 per session (excluding trust funders). Agree with you on everything else, but weak effort at a knock on my generation.
12
@Anon Every generation deserves a mild knocking.
6
@Anon Come to Brooklyn. There are plenty of millennials making too much money.
4
I must reply Moira Rose of this new technique.
30
@Brooklyn Dog Geek but can a bébé benefit from such a technique?
3
@Brooklyn Dog Geek
Hilarious!
@Brooklyn Dog Geek
David (not the writer of this reply) could set up a little treatment space at the back of the store!!
2
No gloves?!
4
@Drew
Let’s hope there’s a sign in the restroom reminding employees to wash hands before returning to work.
1
Only in NYC would $285 for a facial be considered "accessible" for more people.
58
@John-Manuel Andriote Nope. It's still not. Not even here.
10
New Yorker here and this sure doesn’t feel accessible to me.
11
how come there aren't before & after photos ?
107
@Richard NAhem I asked the same question.
10
@Richard NAhem I was wondering that too.
1
As a massage therapist, I find this treatment familiar to lymphatic drainage massage, face massage and inter-oral treatments for TMJ disorder and other jaw issues. Your face is full of muscles -- that's how we express ourselves, blink eat, hold tension in our jaws and all kinds of other activities. So it makes sense to treat these muscle and the lymph nodes in the neighborhood (gotta keep the waste management system moving), but the price tag is ridiculous. You can do this yourself after a few times with a trusted therapist -- or just ask you massage therapist for some facial work. Also, go easy on that lymphatic work -- lymph responds to lighter pressure given its location just beneath the skin. Glad she's found a way to offer skin care without botox and fillers and surgery,
163
I think I’ll just soak in a bubble bath in my own home and massage my own face for an hour. I’m sure the results will be the same - except with money still in my wallet.
46
@Tracey S And also treat yourself to a glass of Champagne!
6
The juxtaposition of this article, with all the finger on face photos, with the CDC warning on the likely spread of Coronavirus to crowded urban areas of the US, was quite startling to me. I think I’ll pass on this treatment for now.
46
But Jemima Kirke already IS gorgeous. So . . .not a big leap.
17
Everyday there seems to be a new form of "beauty" alchemy designed to separate the desperate, aging throngs from their money!
$275 to look younger and more appealing for 24 hours!
Seriously?
41
"But what if, in exchange for subjecting yourself to that existential reckoning, for 285 American dollars plus tip..."
Tip?? You never tip the owner. Especially at $285! She set her price and that is that.
65
You can give a version of such facial massage daily to yourself by yourself, in the comforts and cleanliness of your own bathroom, for free :).
12
This reminded me of a practitioner in San Francisco who promoted "slap treatments" to forestall aging.
Compared to handing over a credit card in exchange for getting slapped around by a stranger, this doesn't seem all that far fetched.
41
@Randy
I’m willing to give “slap treatments” for free to all comers.
14
@Randy There are also certain ladies advertising similar services on the Internet. Generally they depict themselves wearing leather bustiers.
9
@Bucketomeat There are a few people I would gladly refer to you for treatment.
5
For older people, and younger ones too, it pays to contemplate our bodies, our physiques, and how we move and feel from day to day. Ignorance about bodily movement and functions is an invitation to disease and worse. I wasn’t especially athletic as a kid or teenager, though as a Boy Scout I did a lot of hiking in the outback of New Mexico. As an adult, I neglected to exercise sufficiently until I was in the middle years and learned from a teacher the importance of muscle movement to wake up the fascia and lubricate them. Sitting behind a desk a real downer over time. I became more aware of the need for movement and got up and walked around periodically to get the blood flowing again. And I began to limit food intake.
Now retired, I have benefited from regular work-outs at my gym following double bypass surgery that saved my life. My cardiologist says I’m healthier now than before the operation. And I enjoy Yoga classes and strength training as well as performing functional exercises with a really experienced trainer. She’s great.
Thinking back to my years as an altar boy during the Communion service, I am reminded that we live in the world of the quick and the dead. So, in my seventies, I’ve pursued more exercise to keep my body in shape and maintain my mental acuity. Oh, and I’ve always been careful about my teeth and oral hygiene. The mouth, as our children’s pediatrician once told us, is the gateway for disease if one is not careful.
31
Wonderfully written and witty - more please!
9
It obviously relaxes tight muscles, stimulates circulation, and exfoliates -- all of which should improve complexion and facial expression. But $285? Yikes!
32
@Baltus van Tassel I agree. Regular workouts and Yoga practices at a local gym are much cheaper and, in my experience, more rewarding, especially when one is in a group. One learns about different muscle groups and how they interact and when to squeeze the glutes and when not to lock the knees. It's all really interesting, especially when exercise also stimulates the mind. I pay $39 a month in gym membership. The Yoga classes are free.
15
@Baltus van Tassel I don't understand this kind of comment when someone is trained to do what they do, like a plumber is, like an electrician is, etc. Aestheticians are trained. Too expensive? Don't go.
7
Any article compelling enough, like this one, that’s not a part of the usually news cycle, is a welcome respite. Thank you :)
44
Yikes.
Bacteria bacteria bacteria.
19
@Susan Anderson
Hopefully she sees the sign in the bathroom about washing her hands.
5
@Susan Anderson How? She's wearing gloves.
4
@Susan Anderson
Yes indeed! No sanitary gloves? My dentist wears gloves. Also you can do this yourself.
5
Ah, the joy of disposable income! Queen For A Day (or maybe two days, which is what the author reported).
I can think of a lot better things to do with $285 (plus tip)!
95
@Bill I agree. For $285 I can pay for my gym membership for seven months and go every day and attend special classes (Yoga, Body Pump, Zumba) at no extra charge.
27
Where is the before and after picture?
Otherwise it is just a facial massage.
210
If it feels good to have your face kneaded for 75 minutes, relax and enjoy it. But to call it a 'non-surgical facelift' or 'sculptural face lifting' is nothing short of quackery. The results fade when the swelling is gone the next day.
170
@Dr.A And the artificial, temporary results of cosmetic surgery aren't quackery???
Meanwhile, I saw a woman whose face was a mass of surface wrinkles, undergo a "Rejuvenessence" series of acupuncture treatments, and after several painless treatments, her skin was as healthy and glowing as a newborn baby.
4
@Plank Actually, no, surgery is not quackery. A well done face or neck lift can last 8-10 years and look very natural. And non-surgical rejuvenation with fillers can make a subtle difference that lasts nearly a year. Either can look artificial if overdone. Acupuncture has many benefits, but it does not get rid of superficial skin wrinkles.
29
@Plank
Yeah, but how long did it last? My 106 year old great-grandmother was hospitalized and received a ton of intravenous fluids and her face was plumper and smoother than mine ... until she then died the next day.
13