Our 100 yen shop expert puts his face on the line.

As loyal SoraNews24 readers will know, our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori spends a lot of time, and coins, in 100 yen shops. It’s within their walls that he found his hair removal pads, an entire uniquely fashionable outfit, and even the materials necessary to build a batting cage inside his living room.

As a matter of fact, Go spends so much time in 100 yen shops that sometimes he forgets which one he procured certain treasures in. For example, while straightening up his apartment Go came across the 100-yen Steam Face Mask…

…but doesn’t remember which 100 yen store he bought it at, just that he didn’t get it at Daiso. But that’s OK. Go isn’t a 100-yen brand snob, and if this mask could deliver on the package’s promise that it’s “the simple way to make your skin soft and beautiful,” it’d be money well spent.

▼ There’s an opening in the middle of the mask so that you can breathe,

The mask can be used hot or cold, but since Go wanted the rejuvenating effects of steam, hot was the way to go. The directions are simple: wet the towel with water, thoroughly wring it out by hand, then pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Once he heard the bell, Go took the mask back out of the microwave and dropped it onto his face.

Instantly, Go was rewarded with a relaxing sensation as comforting warmth seeped into the pores of his cheeks, nose, and forehead. However, just as he was thinking how he’d be happy staying like this forever, the heat began to fade.

The Steam Face Mask only retained its temperature for about 30 seconds, leaving Go instantly wanting a reheat. Thinking back to how the directions had told him to thoroughly wring out the towel before putting it in the microwave, his wondered if he could produce longer-lasting results if he just gave the wet mask a few light twists before heating it.

Unfortunately, this only bought Go an extra second or two of warmth. The real reason the Steam Face Mask seems to cool down a quickly as it does is because of the fabric. It’s pretty thin, causing the heat to dissipate in a short amount of time, and so Go’s next idea was to instead use a thicker hand towel he happened to have around his apartment.

Go repeated the procedure of wetting, wringing, and heating the towel, this time extending the microwave time from 30 seconds to one minute. When he retrieved the towel from the microwave…

…it was piping hot, like a Pac-Man curry rice meal.

Go gingerly folded the towel back and forth across his face, leaving himself an air opening around his nostrils.

Sure enough, the thicker cloth helped keep his face warm longer. Using the towel, Go had about two minutes in paradise, but once again, he had an idea about how to extend his bliss. If he could just lay the hand towel down on his face without folding it, less heat would escape, so he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut a slash in the middle of the towel, just like the 100-yen Steam Face Mask has.

Then it was back in the microwave for another minute…

…followed by another round of fingertip searing…

…but it was all worth it!

This method gave Go four solid minutes of relaxing, ostensibly beautifying heat, long enough for him to almost doze off as he stretched out on his back.

Of course, if you’re not in the mood to go cutting up your towels, the pre-cut Steam Face Mask is still a pretty nice deal at just 100 yen.

Oh, and as for whether or not any of this has made Go’s skin any more beautiful, we can’t really say, since now that he’s got two different masks he can use in tandem, it’s been a while since we’ve seen his face.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]