Gwynnie’s new thing …a facial skin scrape
IT HAS been more than a decade since Gwyneth Paltrow drew gasps when she was spotted at a New York film premiere in a low-cut top that revealed her back covered in angry-looking circular bruises – the telltale marks of the alternative ‘bloodletting’ therapy called cupping.
But where Gwynnie leads, the world of health and ‘wellness’ follows: in 2016, the same marks were seen on the bodies of numerous Olympic athletes, including US swimming legend Michael Phelps.
The treatment, which involves placing heated cups over the skin to encourage blood flow and ease stress, aches and pains, is now commonly offered at UK spas.
And of course, Paltrow, 45, has moved on.
Her latest thing (or one of them) is gua sha, a traditional Eastern medical treatment in which the skin is scraped to achieve a circulatory boost – while leaving similarly shocking bruises. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable but promises to do wonders for the muscles and skin.
So when I was invited by the recently opened Mandarin Oriental Taipei, in Taiwan, to sample what they and the city had to offer in the way of wellness – and experience a slightly gentler version of gua sha at their state-of-the-art spa – I was intrigued.
If it’s good enough for Gwyneth…
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
LIKE anyone pushing 40, I’ve noticed my face slowly moving south in recent years. Temporarily puffy eyebags seem a permanent fixture, and there’s even the odd bit of pigmentation (I refuse to call them age spots). Coupled with this, I still seem young enough to suffer blackheads and the odd acne breakout.
WHAT’S THE TREATMENT?
THE spa’s signature treatment is called Formosa, which costs £285, for a 2hr 30min session. It was developed in consultation with specialists in traditional Chinese medicine and aromatherapy experts and IT WAS, I THOUGHT, ON THE INTENSE SIDE OF UNCOMFORTABLE features a body scrub, an ultra-soft and relaxing ‘butterfly’ body massage and then the star of the show: gua sha-inspired facial and scalp scraping.
I had been lulled into a state of heavy relaxation by the preceding treatments, so the sensation of having the curved jade tools used in gua sha scraped across my head and forehead and around my eyes, cheeks and chin came as a bit of a shock, and was, I thought, on the intense side of uncomfortable.
But the treatment is said to firm up sagging facial muscles and iron out wrinkles and bags under the eyes.
Afterwards, I did look red and puffy but I was glad not to have been left with the angry lines of bruising associated with body gua sha.
The next morning I was still a bit pink and people asked me if I’d caught the sun, which wasn’t quite what I’d been after.
But by the evening I was a normal colour, and started getting compliments about how I looked rested (which, given the jet-lag, wasn’t the case).
By the time I was back home, I was still being asked if I’d ‘had something done’ while I was away.
Rooms at the Mandarin Oriental, Taipei, start from £250 per night. For more information, visit mandarinoriental.com/taipei. EVA Air flies from Heathrow to Taipei with return economy tickets from £560 and business class from £2,355. See evaair.com.