Beauty

5 Bizarre Facials and How Bird Poop Became a Japanese Facial

Eric Shinichi
Written by
Published on 23 Oct, 2018
5 Bizarre Facials and How Bird Poop Became a Japanese Facial

If you’re reading this, you probably have gone to at least one normal facial in your life, but it’s time to say goodbye to your good old regular facials and hello to these crazy facials that might actually work on you. (Though if you prefer sticking to safe, luxurious, and proven skincare, you might want to check out our first trial facial promotion in Singapore instead!).

By the end of this article, you will learn how bird poop became a Japanese facial, and you might consider that to be your holy grail, like how Victoria Beckham swears by Sheep Placenta facials.

Sheep Placenta

A split image showing a close-up of a sheep on the left and a person with long brown hair and a serious expression on the right, highlighting the contrast in features like texture and complexion, reminiscent of careful attention in a Japanese facial.

Sheep Placenta is nothing new. Having a lamb’s afterbirth on your face is known to be able to reverse signs of ageing, and although science is debating whether it’s true or not, A-lister celebrities Victoria Beckham and Simon Cowell still swear by this facial. Do not worry, as this facial is animal-friendly. The serum is derived from sheep placentas that were once discarded after meat slaughter.

Kitten Litter

A woman with a white Japanese facial mask holds a grey and white cat in her arms, standing indoors near a doorway.

It all started when beauty vlogger Michelle Phan posted a video of her making a face mask with a $2 bag of unscented kitten litter and mixing it with water. She claims that this DIY mask moisturises and clears the skin, but some are doubtful, as some brands contain aluminium silicate, a neurotoxin in humans and an ingredient used in glass-making and housing insulation. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to moisturising the skin, I’d rather stick to traditional skincare and leave the pet supplies to the pets! In fact, if you want to treat your furry friend to some real pampering instead, check out our free pet grooming spa promotion.

Fire Facial (a.k.a β€œHuo Liao”)

A person lies with a towel and pads shielding their eyes during a fire therapy treatment, which resembles a Japanese facial technique. Their face is carefully covered as part of this unique wellbeing ritual.

This popular facial in China involves a regular face massage, followed by wrapping the face with a towel soaked in a special kind of alcohol and lighting a fire to the towel!

But before the flames burn the towel and touch the skin, the fire would be extinguished with another towel. This treatment apparently stimulates the skin and helps in skin dullness, sagging and wrinkles. 

Vampire Facial

A person receives a cosmetic facial injection whilst their face is covered in a red substance, possibly blood, as if undergoing a Japanese facial, with a gloved hand gently holding their head.

Although we may agree that β€œbeauty is pain”, drawing blood from our own faces and injecting it back in might be a bit overboard. This facial became widely raved about when Kim Kardashian West went for it on the reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which she now deems one of her regrets because the procedure was β€œrough” and β€œpainful”. Crazy or not, in 2013, every Oscar winner and the runner-up went home with a goodie bag containing $45,000 worth of freebies, including vouchers to this blood-harvesting facial.

A person with a towel wrapped around their head receives a facial treatment, as a brush is used to apply a cream mask to their face.

This is the most popular Japanese facial to date. The secret behind a beautiful and talented geisha back then was Nightingale droppings. Geishas have traditionally worn heavy white makeup containing zinc and lead, which contributed to serious skin diseases and irritation. It was found that powdered nightingale droppings helped remove harmful makeup and soothe their skin. Although geisha makeup no longer contains those dangerous ingredients, this unique Japanese facial is still a beauty secret in Japan and is recognised worldwide in facial spas.

If you are wondering where in Singapore you can find this Japanese facial, Ikeda Spa invites you to their signature Geisha Organic Facial, which uses nightingale droppings combined with their 300-stroke Japanese meridian massage technique, to remove dirt and exfoliate dead skin cells. No doubt you will leave the spa with soft, smooth and bright skin.

Don’t miss out on this unique Japanese facial!

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Founder & Director

About the author:

Eric Shinichi is the founder and director of Ikeda Spa, Singapore's first authentic Japanese day spa, opened in Bukit Timah in 2009. A cosmetic chemist by training, he has spent 17 years adapting Japanese wellness traditions, from onsen ritual to anma massage, for Singapore. Ikeda Spa is among the most-awarded Japanese day spas in the country, recognised by Singapore Tatler, Harper's Bazaar Singapore, and Her World. He also founded IREN Shizen, a Japanese clean-beauty skincare brand, and Laboratoires Cosmefides, a cosmetics OEM and regulatory consultancy based in Singapore and Paris. His work spans three countries, anchored in the Japanese principle of omotenashi: hospitality without expectation of return.