The practice of healing is so personal. From the East to completely modern Western medicine, from the physical to the mental and emotional, functional and naturopathic, and everything in between, healing has become a multifaceted art. It’s a crucial part of not only our longevity, but our vitality, tangibly and metaphysically.
Acupuncture is a not-so-buzzy form of healing—it dates back to the Ming dynasty as far as we can tell, and has never stopped being considered a reliable form of healing for pain, pressure, and a multitude of other human conditions. While some fear needles, the small, sterile needles are virtually painless. They are used to stimulate the thousands of various (and by “various” I mean there are thousands) acupoints that activate all of our body’s meridians (the spots on the body that trigger organs and nerves).
While acupuncture has the power to alleviate pain, both physically and of the heart, perhaps lesser known are its beautifying powers. Cosmetic acupuncture increases circulation, stimulates collagen, tones facial muscles, decreases wrinkles, and evens the skin tone. Absolute dynamo and true modern goddess, Chandra Scofield, blessed me with her ritual of healing via a facial I won’t soon forget. Yes, there were needles involved. I strongly urge those of you in fear to get over it.
Her Gemstone Facial Acupuncture Rejuvenation Method is not just acupuncture, and it’s not just a facial—it’s a cosmic experience. Her always-evolving tool kit contains everything from deeply massaging electrical devices, crystal gemstones smoothed into the familiar gua sha shape, rollers for pressing in deeply nourishing oils and hydrating masks, and pretty little mushroom shapes that make efficient, heavenly work of massaging the eye area, loosening tight jaws, and relieving sinus pressure.
A little backstory for my own experience: I hadn’t been sleeping well, I’d been stressed, and it was really starting to show in my skin. I had a few breakouts in odd, unfamiliar places, was a little sallow, and my eyes were somehow both simultaneously puffy and sunken in—a really soul-crushing combo to top off my current #mood. Acupuncture transformed this.
Chandra closes the drapes of her office to create a womb-like feeling of comfort and gets you cozy under a blanket and some infrared heat lamps strategically placed along the body for a nourishing, cocoon-like feeling. Chandra is an energy healer as well and can sense what you’re in need of when she meets you. She just instantly connects.
For me, she could tell I was in need of a heavier energy cleanse, and she set out all her favorite stones and gems around me, as well as the heavenly scent of fresh rose petals from her garden that morning. She placed some crescent-shaped stones above my chest on my shoulders, the weight of which was instantly comforting and grounding.
She started with gua sha to release tension from my neck and jaw before using glass instruments for some facial cupping to bring blood flow to the surface. These aren’t your regular cheap rubber facial cups you can snag off Amazon, but a much more professional set with a satisfying pressure and glide that makes your skin tingle energetically. Then, the needles were in place on both my face and scalp, and an LED light was fixed above me to absorb the nutrient rays while I completely relaxed for what felt like the first time in ages.
Both the crystal massage and acupoint stimulation were like a mini facelift. My jaw was more defined, color came back to my cheeks, and everything was just bouncier, if you can conjure that image. For those seeking noninvasive alternatives for real lifting and sculpting, the results are very real, and very long term if you go on a regular basis to achieve a specific goal.
Chandra offers a number of treatments you can find on her website. She is developing some products for internal and external wellness to support their holistically beautifying powers with regular at-home use in between treatments. As for me? I slept like a baby that night and woke up looking reborn, so, yeah, I’ll be back.
Written by: Nicole Lesmeister
