What is Gua Sha?

The word ‘Gua’ means scrape, and the word ‘Sha’ means sand. The treatment involves scraping a identified flat stone or other identified flat material over the skin to relax muscles and promote tissue drainage.

The treatment is used in East Asian and Chinese medicine. You may be familiar with the Gua Sha massage, which use a unique tool to treat muscle pain and tight muscles. There is also a prescriptive facial treatment, undertaken with a similar technique and that is one of the facials we offer.

You don’t need to wear mascara with an LVL, since the treatment tints and colours your natural lashes to make them look longer and thicker. If you still want to wear mascara to enhance your look further, make sure you don’t overloading your lashes to avoid pulling the curl down. Our aftercare range is designed to work in harmony with your LVL lashes.

Gua Sha is one of the ultimate care treatments for the face. The facial muscles are often stressed from constant changes in expression, such as frowning, raising eyebrows, or clenching jaws – and that’s where Gua Sha comes in. The technique is used to release tension and promote lymphatic drainage.

Facial Gua Sha is the practice of gently drawing a curved stone or other material along the contours of your face to reduce fine lines and wrinkles by reducing muscle tension in the face. Gua sha also improves circulation and assists in lymphatic drainage to reduce swelling which will help to define the face.

Every movement leads to lymphatic drainage, removing bloat and breaking down the fluids that build up under the skin to sharpen every contour of your face.

GUA SHA Facial is an ancient Chinese healing technique that uses a stone or other identified tool to apply pressure and stimulate circulation, as we are only offering the facial - it is important to understand the distinction between ‘Body’ and ‘Facial’ Gua Sha treatments.

On the body, it is broad vigorous strokes that brings out toxins, increases blood flow, and relieves tension. (and, this can often lead to light bruising.)

However, The ‘Facial’ Gua Sha comes from the same background of learning and evolving of the treatment, and it has over time become its own art: the Gua Sha Facial is a more gentle, fine-tuned adaptation that focuses on each clients muscles, fascia, lymphatic stagnation, meridian lines, and pressure points.

For the skin, Gua Sha encourages collagen production (and strengths your facial skin cells). It can sculpt and tone the face shape, allowing inflammation to drain and muscles to become free of tension. The Gua Sha Facial treatment also helps the skin return to its most radiant state as circulation is increased, sending nutrients to areas that may have been starved because of blockages.

What are Gua Sha’s benefits?

Gua Sha treatments can help with migraines and neck pain, among other symptoms. Just as your body experiences stress when your shoulders are tensed whilst working over a computer, or tension headaches, your face holds stress as furrowed brows and a clenched jaw. The facial massage technique is designed to relieve that tension in the muscles of the face, whilst boosting blood circulation and encouraging lymphatic drainage to reduce bloat. It helps to break up fascia, which is the connective tissue on muscles but which can sometimes interfere with circulation.

Relieves Puffiness Gua Sha Facial
Eases facial tension, helping blood flow for a brighter and healthier complexion.
Promotes Lymphatic Drainage
Reduces Tension & Pain
Improves Circulation
Toning of the muscles of the face which can help with sagging skin
Firming and hydration of the skin
Relaxation of muscle tension in the face
Boosting of blood flow & circulation
Movement of stagnant blood that contributes to dark circles & under-eye bags
Helps the skin to recover from blemishes & acne scars
Prevention of wrinkles and helps to smooth existing lines
De-puffs and slims the face
Instantly lifts and plumps the skin
Allows serums to penetrate deeper post-treatment
Aids in neck pain & headaches brought on by tight muscle or fascia
Boosts SELF-CARE!

Gua Sha contra-indications include:

Inflammation of the skin ( rosacea, eczema, severe acne breakouts)
Sunburn
Clients on blood thinners
Skin with dermatitis or easily irritated, hyper-sensitive skin should be careful with Gua Sha.

Many people can become easily red or flushed after circulation of a facial massage, but for those who often breakout in rashes or dermatitis-like skin irritation as a result of using new products or from their skin being touched or massaged, it is recommended to wait until the skin is brought into a more stable state before trying Gua Sha.

Clients who have had fillers or Botox should wait at least three months after their procedure to undertake Facial Gua Sha on those areas where they received injections. You can consider Gua Sha on other areas, e.g. focus on the neck area only. Releasing the neck is essential for facial work and can even help to create change and improve skin health.

As with all of our personalised facials

Once the treatment is completed our therapist will leave you alone to enjoy a cold glass of water and for you to quietly get ready to get on with the day or evening ahead.

So, when planning for your facial treatment - allow yourself an 'Hour You Time!'