escargot mosaic

Beauty — they say it’s only skin deep. Regardless, we all know there are plenty of people out there who would go to great lengths for what they believe to be a chance to look even just the slightest bit more beautiful. Yes, obsession with beauty can run deep and strong. But just how far would you be willing to go to look prettier or younger? Would you be willing to actually go under a plastic surgeon’s knife? Or if that’s too much, would you be comfortable with receiving botox shots once in a while? What if it was a completely non-invasive procedure that may do wonders for your skin, but one that involves having certain living organisms crawl over your face? Well, some people may be prepared to endure great hardships in the name of beauty, but this is one treatment you have to be pretty brave to try!

So, what exactly does the treatment entail? The picture below should give you a good idea.

escargot

Starting July 15, Ci:zMedical Group, which offers a wide range of clinical beauty services in Japan and is also the manufacturer of the popular Dr. Ci:Labo line of skin care products, will be offering the unique “celeb escargot” beauty treatment course at their Ci:z.Labo main salon in Ebisu, Tokyo. What makes this program so unique is that it comes with the option to include a “live snail” treatment experience, which, as you can guess from the picture, involves having snails crawl all over your face! (They’re promoting it as the first experience of its kind in Japan, but seriously, we would be very surprised if it wasn’t.)

The secretions from snails apparently contain components that are said to have anti-aging and skin rejuvenation properties, something that was discovered several decades ago when it was noted that scars on the hands of escargot farmers handling the snails seemed to heal unusually well.

Now, “essence of escargot” is a popular ingredient in beauty creams around the world. Snail extract is also considered to be effective for moisturizing skin and alleviating skin conditions like burns and rashes as well as regular sunburn.

The celeb escargot course uses extract from helix aspera muller snails grown in Switzerland on organic feed in the actual treatment, and the “live snail facial” is actually an additional option you can select on top of the regular escargot treatment. According to a Ci:z.Labo spokesperson, the snails on your face feel a little ticklish at first, but they gradually start to stick onto your skin and after a while, they feel nice and cool on your face. Umm, okay, I think I’ll take their word for it and not try it myself in this case.

Like most beauty treatments, the escargot regimen doesn’t come cheap, with the 60 minute regular course priced at 24,150 yen (US$240) and the additional live snail experience option costing another 10,500 yen (US$100). Since the snails require careful management, the celeb escargot course is currently available only at the main Ci:z.Labo salon in Ebisu.

So, would you be willing to try this daring new treatment? Who knows, there may actually be more people willing to go “under the snail” than we expect. After all, it does sound better than, say, some of the stories surrounding the notorious Elizabeth Báthory, doesn’t it? Well, I guess we all have our priorities and weaknesses. Personally, I think I’ll stick to retail therapy for now, so let me tell you about the therapeutic and rejuvenating effect of acquiring beautiful shoes and bags …. well, maybe some other time.

Source: Narinari.com (Japanese), MSN Sankei News (Japanese), Ci:z.Labo website (Japanese)
Top image and inset photo: Ci:z.Labo website (Japanese)