I experienced a 30-minute Kobido facial massage with shiatsu at the Assa Japanese Wellness Salon on rue Christine in Paris. Kobido facial massage is provided for anti-aging purposes, to help temporarily diminish fine lines and wrinkles with a natural lifting with rejuvenating effect. This was my experience of it:
It does not appear that there are any hair or nail services provided in this wellness establishment, so I would describe it as a wellness clinic or maybe even a medi-spa given they do have medical devices and equipment for certain services, although they are not used with the Kobido facial massage. Below is a picture of the establishment on rue Christine:
Upon arrival for my appointment, I was asked to remove my shoes for vinyl flip flops which I gladly obliged. This shows respect within the establishment and also keeps the floors more sanitary.
Despite only booking a facial massage, I was asked to remove my dress and lie supine on the treatment table. The table was covered with a paper roll, and I was provided a small blanket to cover myself with. Below are pictures of the treatment room after my facial service was provided, which show the paper covered table and the natural stone surroundings of being within an ancient building in Paris on rue Christine. The pictures are a little blury because it was low light in the dark treatment room.
The therapist reentered the treatment room once I was on the table, and covered me with another towel. I wasn’t provided a knee bolster and I did not ask one for one either. Please note that when a client is lying supine on a flat treatment table, it is best practiced to place a knee bolster underneath their knees to support their spine, unless the client refuses the bolster after they learn how it will help them.
She then used a headband to further pull back my hair from my face with a gentle beautiful touch. The hands-on session then began with make-up removal which was a little odd given I wasn’t wearing any, and haven’t worn make-up for 5-years.
Eye make-up removal was wiped from the medial corner or the eye to lateral, especially when working the undereye area. We recommend wiping in the opposite direction (as shown in the picture below). Lip make-up removal was wiped from the lateral corners to the middle, starting on the left side then the right.
Immediately after make-up removal the practitioner then provided a facial cleanse. She cleansed my face, neck and decolote, and removed the cleanser with sponges and a hot towel. Next she applied a lightly scented floral toner, wiping away any leftover cleanser or impurities.
Facial shiatsu was applied next. She started with fairly heavy pressure from the middle of my forehead with the sides of two thumbs, working her way out laterally with pressure points approximately one inch apart. The pressure was around three pounds or greater. She repeated this horizontal line from the middle to lateral forehead bilaterally before moving superiorly towards the hairline and repeating. Shiatus with pressure points continued on the face from superior to inferior. This was a curious direction to work given most anti-aging facial treatments would work inferiorly to superiorly to lift away or against gravity.
After facial shiatsu was applied, the therapist then applied a massage of high viscosity with sweeping strokes for full coverage. She turned my head to one side and fairly vigorously worked the soft tissue between my mandible and zygomatic bones. When she finished, she turned my head to the other side and repeated the routine.
After she performed lower face work bilaterally, she then started massage or manual mechanical maneuvers directly over aging lines or wrinkles, commonly known as the marionette lines, crows feet, nasolabial folds and the eleven between my eyebrows. Once the massage strokes and kneading were concluded, she then performed fingerpad grasping and tapotement over the entire face. All of the massage was wonderful, and when she completed it, she then wiped the massage medium from my face with the same slightly scented floral toner and cotton.
I have extremely dry and dehydrated skin, so I was a little surprised after wiping my face with toner that she then placed a tissue over the skin to dry it. The make-up removal for nonexistent make-up as well as the tissue to dry dehydrated and dry skin are all steps that should have been skipped for better treatment proficiency.
Once the massage medium was removed, the therapist then placed toner soaked cotton pieces over my face as seen in the picture below. She then continued with shitsu pressure points over my scalp while the toner packs remained stationary over my face. The treatment ended with bilateral simultaneous and alternating compressions over my chest and decolote area.
The treatment was very nice and cost $55 euros for 30 minutes. They did not expect a tip and offered no way to provide one when I was paying, but when I asked to add a tip to my charge she gladly obliged. I was provided tea at the end of the session in a disposable cup and led back to where I could change back to my regular shoes (pictured below).
Even though this wellness clinic or medispa is a short walk from my hotel in Paris, I decided to take an uber because it was heavily raining and I was running a little behind to walk, and I didn’t want to be late. Rue Christine is a very short street in Paris, and was named after King Henri IV’s 2nd daughter Christine. When I got into the uber at my hotel, it was so interesting because my uber driver asked me if I was going to go have a massage. He probably guessed this based upon requesting a ride to this very short street where there appear to be two similar Japanese wellness clinics offering massage, plus the Gurlain Spa is in the Relais Christine Michelin Star Hotel across the street. Needless to say, I found one of the places that could be called the heart of massage in Paris on rue Christine. The picture below shows the exterior of the businesses Assa and Calma on rue Christine in Paris:
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