CONDE NAST TRAVELLER UK December 2007
ZEN FACIAL Book this as soon as you've got your plane ticket, just as movie stars flying from LA do. Fumi Yamamoto promises 'a facelift for the body and soul' and that is exactly what she delivers, with a combination of hara (abdominal) and facial diagnosis, essential oils and, especially, magic fingers. You'll leave looking fresher - and maybe even younger.
SPA LIFE Winter 2008
BETTER THAN BOTOX A gentle, healing treatment to open up your face, release tension and improve energy. by Kayte Nunn
VOGUE Magazine Australia April 2006 - Click here for full article (700kb) ZEN AND THE ART OF BODY ABND MIND MAINTENANCE by Alexandra Spring
When is a facial more than a facial? How about when your skin emerges visibly glowing, wiht muscles lifted and countours newly defined? Or when you awaken with a peaceful mind, and colours appear brighter, sounds seem sharper and smells are crisper.
The Australian March 2006 - Click here for full article
JAPANESE-born stress management specialist Fumi Yamamoto has always been drawn to what she calls "the Oriental approach to life force". Nine years ago she was headhunted to Singapore by a global advertising agency to work with Japanese clients. It was her dream job, but Fumi asked herself: where to next? "I am the kind of person who needs a sense of purpose, a vision as to where I am heading. I need to feel that I am making a contribution, and I need to be challenged all the time. The new position was stimulating and wonderful, but I was doing 16-21 hours a day, six days a week. I was compromising on my values at work, my health was deteriorating, and I had no time with my family although they were living in the same city. It just didn't make sense." more... Beauty Directory August 2005 www.beautydirectory.com.au Working on the Eastern principle that the face reflects a person's physical, mental and spiritual health, the Zen Facial promises to not only improve te complexion with massage but to promote general wellbeing through the stimulation of the body's energy meridian lines. tension releases through soft rhythmical touch is all well and good, but can a facial treatment really have such holistic benefits? NOW AND ZEN
by Tracey Withers I admit that it was with some scepticism that I arrived for my 'facelift for the body and soul'. I was sold on the idea of lymphatic drainage, tension release and collagen stimulus through facial massage but, as for 'zen', invisible 'energy flows' and 'meridian lines', I needed som convincing. Though it didn't take long for practitioner Fumi Yamamoto to start soothing my critical mind. It wasn't just Fumi's positively luminous complexion that led me to believe she was on to something good; her opennes and pragmatic approach also inspired confidence. Well-studied in her modalites of kinesiology, shiatsu, yoga, facial harmony and aromatherapy, Fumi certainly knows her stuff. But if feeling is believing, it was the Zen Facial itself that finally dispelled my doubt. My facial started as I laid on my back beneath a crisp white sheet and Fumi began a 'hara' diagnosis of my abdomen. What? "Each person experiences conditions and treatments differently," explained Fumi as she encouraged me to breathe deeply. "The energy merieians that run through your body can be felt in your belly and they give me a blue-print of where your body is today. I try to achieve a shift in your wellbeing and the hara diagnosis tells me where to start." As if her hands radiated some sort of current, I felt Fumi's every touch resonate gently throughout my entire body. She kneaded away tension in my shoulders, stimulated my scalp with a tingling head massage and as she continued to press specific points on my face, I felt warm, soothing sensations stream from my head all the way to my toes. When Fumi finally roused me from my blissful state with a reflexology massage of my feet, I found that my body had the relaxed fluidity that usually comes with a full body massage. Even better, my mind was focused and free of 'white noise.' I felt like I'd been on a holiday! I was so consumed by the depth of the experience that Fumi had to remind me to look in the mirror. That's right- this was a facial! "That always happens", she laughed, "people who come initially because they can see stress, tension and heaviness in their face end up feeling so good that they forget about their face altogether. Then when they look in the mirro it's like the icing on the cake." And what a sweet discovery it was! I actually gasped in delight at my fresh, bright complexion. My whole face felt more taut and the perceptivle lift around my jawline led me to rapture. "When muscles move freely to support the skin layer you can see the difference to tone and texture of the face," Fumi explained as I started at my reflection, transfixed. Despite my protests to the contrary, Fumi was quick to remind me that she's not a magician - she just helps people achieve balance of mind and body: "I can't make you look like someone else," she says, "but with the technique, food advice and yoga technique I can help you make the best of your natural state." And that's what makes this facial, well, Zen. Body and Soul/Sunday Telegraph 7/9/2003, p 8 Can a Japanese facial massage really rub out wrinkles while harmonising your body and soul? By Kris McIntyre The brochure about facial harmony promises me a blissful journey from head to toe. My guide on this journey is Japanese-born yoga teacher and shiatsu practitioner, Fumi Yamamoto. Dressed in white and lavender with a face that radiates a happy healthiness, Yamamoto immediately exudes a sense of calm befitting someone experienced in the art of healing. But she tells me this hasn’t always been the case. I don’t need makeup any more! Yamamoto boasts and I squirm in jealous awe of her flawless complexion that glows without a skerrick of makeup. Yamamoto asks me to lie down on a shiatsu futon and kneels beside me, placing her hand on my lower belly. She instructs me through a round of abdominal breathing exercises to calm me before doing a shiatsu diagnosis of my ‘hara’ (abdomen). Just as I am starting to wonder what my hara has to do with my face, Yamamoto starts to explain that she likes to get an overall sense of what’s going on both physically and emotionally. Life challenges us and the stress, unexpressed emotions and painful experiences often remain in our face and body. You may have noticed the mental or physical state of a person by simply looking Facial harmony is a gentle yet powerful massage technique that releases the stress locked in the muscles of the face, head and neck through a soft rhythmical touch. Yamamoto draws on her knowledge of healing techniques including Zen Shiatsu, reflexology, kinesiology and yoga as part of her treatments. Most of my clients come to me initially for beauty effects, but they soon realise the benefits are not just skin deep, Yamamoto tells me as she starts to work her fingertips in tiny rhythmical circles over my forehead and the entire surface of one side of my face. No products or equipment are used, no bright lights or lectures about the sorry state of my skin. Phew! This feels better than any facial I’ve ever had. I start to wonder off into a meditative lull feeling a release of energy like rain falling throughout my body. I am completely relaxed. I’m almost about to nod off when Yamamoto asks if I’d like to see the changes in my face. At this stage she has worked over only half of my face so the comparison between the face I came with and the face I’ll leave with is apparent. She holds a mirror up and I’m amazed. Lines on my forehead and around my eyes have softened and I have defined cheekbones. As I squeal in delight at my natural facelift, Yamamoto explains the joy she gets from seeing her clients starting to notice their faces. Although facial harmony can’t change the shape of a face, it does bring it back into it’s natural balanced state. The touch stimulates the connective tissue of the face, where collagen and elastic fibres are stored. It relaxes the nervous system to improve blood supply and lymphatic flow, removing harmful cellular waste products. The end result is an ‘uplift’ as the muscle layers move freely to support each other and the skin with improved muscle tone and shape, skin texture and colour. Best results are achieved over a series of seven treatments spaced a week in between. The space between visits gives clients space to observe changes in their face and in their life and they release old emotions and blockages in the body. Yamamoto encourages her clients to keep a journal throughout the process to increase their self-awareness. Yamamoto works the other side of my face, massages my neck and shoulders and then finishes off with reflexology on my feet. Yes, this is bliss from head to toe! My treatment ends with some corrective yoga and food advice so I can keep my new face. Seeing yourself differently helps you see your life differently, Yamamoto says. So life’s challenges become tiny stepping stones instead of obstacles to you having the life you want. In Style magazine February 2005 P140/141 The Good Facial Guide - Tried and tested, these are the facials that deliver results. Getting results "A facial should make you feel beautiful, to get that inner beauty flowing" says Sydney-based facialist Fumi Yamamoto. A natural "face lift", Yamamoto's treatment doesn't involve any products, just a deeply meditative massage technique to stimulate the skin. Expect a firm, glowing complextion and a sense of wellbeing. Madison September 2005 P192 Fix-it Facials
road test to see which one gave us something to glow about According to facialist Fumi Yamamoto, people hold tension in their faces. By working on the pressure points here, she is able to release this tension for a lifting effect. She works on half the face first and then lets you see the results before completing the treatment. The facelift facial "It looked like I'd had a mini-facelift. Everything was much plumper and the muscles were more relaxed." |