What is a Bojin facial? The luxury L.A. treatment feels like 'gua sha on steroids'

I cognize my measurement astir a facial. I person well-formed opinions astir collagen look masks and laser treatments. I planned a travel to Seoul, successful part, truthful I could sojourn a celebrated spa known for its precocious tegument attraction techniques and K-drama personage clientele. So erstwhile I saw a TikTok video that described a section L.A. curen arsenic “gua sha connected steroids,” I couldn’t resist.

The $108 work is offered astatine JY Beauty successful San Gabriel. Owner Yajing Lu opened nan shop successful 2021 aft she trim her teeth successful section salons for six years. Before launching her ain business, Lu traveled to China to stitchery inspiration, incorporating ideas for illustration Bojin, a accepted Chinese method that stimulates facial muscles, into her spa’s offerings. On nan menu, it’s listed arsenic “face tendon,” which, arsenic Lu explained to maine done a translator, is simply a nonstop translator from Chinese.

Lu said nan facial contours nan face, firming and lifting nan skin. It tin besides trim nan quality of pores and minimize wrinkles for illustration marionette lines, which spell from nan chemoreceptor to nan mouth. Overall, she said, it reduces signs of aging.

This is each beautiful adjacent to nan claims of look sculpting, different beauty inclination that promises astatine slightest temporarily tighter-looking skin. But Bojin goes beyond look sculpting and relies connected accepted Chinese medicine (TCM) practices that attraction connected manipulating nan body’s power pathways.

Different facial products utilized by JY Beauty, wherever Bojin facials are connected nan paper of offerings.

Yajing Lu massages nan writer arsenic a nourishing facial disguise sets connected her look during a Bojin facial astatine JY Beauty.

In TCM, these pathways, known arsenic meridians, are believed to transmission qi, aliases life energy, passim nan body, according to Dr. Elizabeth Ko, an adjunct objective professor of medicine astatine nan David Geffen School of Medicine and aesculapian head of nan UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative.

“A cardinal credo successful TCM is that blockages successful meridians lead to imbalances successful health, including unwellness aliases pain,” Ko said. “Like acupuncture, which uses good needles, Bojin is simply a method of unblocking stuck qi utilizing a pointed instrumentality made of chromatic aliases horn.”

Bojin involves nan aforesaid instrumentality arsenic gua sha, different TCM method that uses a flat, smooth-edged scraper usually made of jade aliases stone. Gua sha allows for targeted massage to merchandise hostility on muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia of nan look and cervix truthful that qi tin travel decently done nan meridians, thereby restoring balance. Bojin mightiness let for a much targeted and precise treatment, enhancing circulation and promoting lymphatic drainage, according to Yu.

“The use of tegument attraction resides successful tegument clarity and health, and Bojin is simply a instrumentality that mightiness connection immoderate use erstwhile mixed pinch a broad facial successful nan skilled hands of a trained aesthetician,” Ko said, adding that its risks are debased beyond flimsy symptom from nan pointed instrumentality used.

Beyond those benefits, Yu says she’s seen nan curen trim acheronian circles astir nan eyes and brighten nan tegument for galore customers. There has been a surge successful liking successful TikTok since nan “gua sha connected steroids” video from Jing Zhang, an L.A.-based beauty influencer who posted herself getting nan facial successful January, which has garnered much than 2.6 cardinal views, bringing successful caller customers who Yu says often petition nan “TikTok facial.”

“A batch much group cognize astir Bojin and emotion it,” Yu said astir nan video.

All of nan 90-minute facials astatine JY Beauty see nan accustomed facial steps, specified arsenic cleansing, extraction and moisturizing. There is besides a lymphatic facial massage section, which includes nan chest, cervix and shoulders.

Frames decorate nan entranceway astatine JY Beauty.

Yajing Lu gives nan writer a facial and enarthrosis lymphatic detox massage.

Yajing Lu applies a nourishing facial disguise connected nan author’s look during a Bojin facial.

The curen began pinch maine changing into a dressing gown that wrapped astir conscionable nether my armpits, exposing my shoulders and precocious chest. Then I laic down successful a cozy room, wherever Yu quickly cleansed my face. She group up a steam instrumentality to support maine hydrated and thief unfastened up my pores.

Yu past performed a facial lymphatic massage pinch her fingers, a process that focused not only connected evident areas for illustration nan muscles successful my jaw, but besides amazingly tight areas, for illustration nether my eyebrows. The process made it clear that I person been woefully neglecting these parts of my face. She applied gentle unit slow down my look toward nan lymph nodes successful my cervix and down into my chest. Beyond emotion wonderful, I had to support swallowing, which tin beryllium a motion that lymphatic drainage is occurring, according to Yu.

To do nan Bojin conception of nan facial, she took retired 2 gua shas and worked nan devices on my look and neck. This portion was beautiful gentle, but it still felt for illustration portion of nan massage and contempt Ko’s warning, location was nary pain.

Then came my slightest favourite portion of immoderate facial: extraction, aliases nan process of clearing clogged pores by pushing retired blackheads and whiteheads. This portion ever feels for illustration nan commencement of a “Saw” movie, but possibly because nan massage relaxed maine this extraction was not that painful.

Next up was a hydrating serum. Yu pulled retired a serum booster device, thing I recognized from different facials, to supercharge nan serum’s effectiveness. It was a bully cooling acquisition aft nan extraction.

Yajing Lu does extractions connected nan author’s face.

The writer receives a reddish ray treatment. (Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

After that, Yu put covers complete my eyes earlier placing a sheet of reddish lights astir my face. A reddish ray curen tin dainty wrinkles, acne, scars and, astir importantly for maine astatine that moment, redness. While my look was getting blasted, Yu rubbed and moisturized my hands earlier putting them into lukewarm mittens, a process that near maine emotion for illustration I was connected a formation somewhere, snoozing successful nan sun.

JY Beauty besides offers 30-minute oculus and caput Bojin treatments that tin beryllium tacked connected to a facial. Yu demonstrated a fewer minutes of what nan caput summation would consciousness like. While it wasn’t not achy by immoderate means, I was near wanting a bully caput scratch, but possibly location is conscionable little hostility location for me.

The finale was a cool, clay look disguise heavy capable to make maine consciousness for illustration a barroom being frosted. While it dried, Yu rubbed my legs. The disguise peeled disconnected successful 1 elephantine piece.

The writer aft receiving a Bojin facial from JY Beauty.

Finally, Yu rubbed immoderate sunscreen into my look and vanished nan facial pinch immoderate speedy pats connected nan back. It was half-facial, half-massage, and each relaxation.

Post-facial, I asked Lu astir my blockages. She gestured astatine my eyes, hinting that I mightiness request that other oculus curen adjacent time. This is wholly fair: I tin consciousness my eyes ache moreover arsenic I type up this article.

I’ll surely beryllium backmost to effort it out. With my tegument moisturized, and my qi unblocked, my tegument glowed. I’m not judge I tin spell backmost to plain aged facials aliases massages now that I’ve knowledgeable this hybrid heaven.