WEDDING SCOOP is a brand new series dedicated to my wedding preparation. In this series, you will find reviews of products and services (ads will be disclosed at the end of the posts) that I have used leading up to the actual day. Hopefully, these will come in handy for any prospective wedding couples ❤️
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P/S: If you own a business and would like to be part of this special day, feel free to drop me a message via askme@fionaseah.com
Hello everyone!
Since the proposal nearly two years ago, fiancé and I have been busy with our wedding preparation (but I must say most, if not all, of the credit goes to him as he has been more hands-on while I’m just hoping for the bare minimum and shirking as many responsibilities as possible) amidst our hectic schedules and the stress was gradually showing on our (his) faces. Apart from the more visible eye bags, we had also noticed our faces becoming more bloated presumably from poor eating habits. Fiancé was the worst hit as existing health issues have prevented him from engaging in strenuous exercises so the other feasible way for him to shed some weight was to watch his diet – which we as foodies often struggle with. Furthermore, having born with a round face meant that any additional weight gained would cause the him to look swollen so whenever we take wefies, he would strategically conceal himself behind me 😒
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to employ this tactic during the pre-wedding photography shoot and, even more so, on the actual day (🤪🤣) because we would be constantly on the move. I could sense his desperation to look his best for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion; hence when Facia Ginza Singapore approached me for a wedding collaboration, I asked if I could pass the opportunity to him. They sorta rejected that idea and had instead extended the invitation to him so that we could both enjoy the treatment together! How thoughtful of them 😍
Courtesy of Facia Ginza Singapore
Relatively new on our shores, Facia Ginza Singapore is an award-winning facial salon with two prior outlets in Tokyo and Taipei, serving as a private sanctuary where women (and now men too if accompanied by a female patron!) can unwind from the daily grind. It provides an authentic Japanese ambience while combining original and highly-effective beauty techniques originating from Ginza, Tokyo. Located at Soho 1 within same complex of The Central (Clarke Quay), Facia Ginza Singapore is convenient and peacefully quiet as visits are by appointment only. Hence, the level is only accessible via the lift with the salon’s acknowledgement.
The techniques of their signature massage – Small Face Care – were developed by the founding team and a group of Japanese orthopaedic doctors. Unlike the Korean Golki therapy which focuses solely on “bone-setting” massages, the Japanese equivalent stimulates the bones through muscles to improve blood circulation and encourage the discharge of waste substance from our skin. Non-invasive with immediate results, the treatment brings about significant changes to the face including a desirable v-shape visage, facial symmetry, radiance, reduced sagging, eye strain reduction and an improved complexion, as well as relief from stiff shoulders and neck – all noticeable in just one session! The benefits of the Small Face Care resonated between us (our videography shoot was just a month away!) and it being the first facial treatment for fiancé, he was absolutely thrilled about it!
After a couple of back-and-forth emails to settle on a date (slots on most days were fully booked), we finally agreed on one which all of us could commit to. The publicity team had wanted to assign their Japanese master therapist (Tomomi Kosho) to me but she was off that day so we were attended by therapists Vivian (fiancé’s) and Andrea (mine) instead – both of whom were equally competent to perform the massage.
Room with strong Japanese ambience (Courtesy of Facia Ginza Singapore)
Once at the salon, we were offered the Premium Face Care which includes the Small Face Care and a choice of one clinical-grade facial treatment (Moisturising Care, Whitening Care or Pore Cleansing Care). We decided to go with a different treatment so that we could do a more extensive review on the therapy; hence fiancé opted for Pore Cleansing Care while I selected Moisturising Care.
Small Face Care
Upon entering a room that could accommodate two patrons (essentially a couple room), fiancé and I placed our belongings on a ledge near the window and changed out of our clothes into the provided towel wrap (with buttons sewn on) before sliding onto the plastic-covered bed.
Room for two. Also the room we were allotted to (Courtesy of Facia Ginza Singapore)
Plastic-covered bed (Courtesy of Facia Ginza Singapore)
Boxes to store our belongings. Facia Ginza also provides hairbands and hair ties
The provided towel wrap
The therapists entered the room and did an analysis of our faces with us and highlighted the areas which they would be concentrating on during the treatment. Bringing my attention to my higher left cheekbone to illustrate my facial asymmetry, my therapist took the effort to explain that it could be due to the fact that I have been consistently sleeping on one side of the face (which is very true 🤣), and gave me a rough idea of what I would expect to see at the end of the session.
She began with a décolleté massage (which fiancé thoroughly indulged in) that focused on the shoulders and neck, and proceeded with a muscle sketch using a hot towel. Then, as a quick way to measure the size of our head, we were told to rest our palms on the back of our head and intertwine the fingers of both hands. Our fingers merely met at the tips!
I didn’t know my face could be stretched so much XD
Shoulder massage!
Fiancé indulging in his massage
Remembering our “old” faces before the Small Face Care treatment
Shifting their attention to the skull and face muscles, they worked to loosen our muscles and make bone adjustments for the next 15 minutes or so. Having experienced the Golki Therapy prior to this, I knew I had to put up with a certain degree of pain during the facial massage. But the initial presses (against the head, back of the head, forehead and cheekbones) were surprisingly bearable although it felt like the therapist had practically exerted her mighty strength with every thump on my face.
Head – Pain scale: 1/10
Was he sleeping already? Oh gawd.
Back of neck – Pain scale: 4/10
Cheekbones – Pain scale: 3/10
Still a 3/10 surprisingly.
My relief, however, abruptly turned to distress when she moved on to my jaw in the final (thank God!) phase of the massage. Somehow it hurt so much – unexpectedly – that tears started streaming down my puckered face uncontrollably and she had to pause for a while to soothe my face like a baby to ease some of the pain 😂 Gosh, how embarrassing! Fiancé, on the other hand, cleverly distracted himself from the agony by repeatedly cracking his knuckles and clenching his teeth.
?!?! This sicko doesn’t seem to be in pain at all LOL I’m impressed! I had always thought I was the one with high pain threshold!
The most dreadful part – the jaw! Pain scale: 11/10!!!
At the end of the massage, we positioned our palms at the back of our head again the same way as before and were pleasantly surprised (especially so for fiancé – he was literally dumbfounded by the results!) at how far our fingers could go past the other hand! No rocket science is required to conclude that our faces had shrunk in size 😍 The effectiveness totally won the initially-sceptical fiancé over and he couldn’t stop raving about his smaller, lifted face for the next couple of days! (My poor ears though..)
Double Cleansing
Following the Small Face Care, the therapists cleansed our face with 2 different types of Wove Style cleansing product. As someone with extremely acne-prone skin, it kinda worried me when the therapist kneaded my face after doing so on my scalp because it could potentially transfer dirt or sebum over and cause new pimples to erupt on my face. But this rigorous step certainly robbed the bacteria of the chance to breed and gave me a peace of mind.
Still recovering from tears
The start of double cleansing
Those white pads my therapist was using to wipe my face felt so comfortably warm!
Another round of cleansing
So soothing!
Soaking up all the water
Wove Style products available for sale at the reception
Wove Style is a skincare brand developed in Tokyo by WOVE Clinic – one that specialises in anti-aging treatments – which offers a professional line of clinical-grade products produced with the latest technology to deliver GFs (Growth Factors) and other vital nutrients while focusing on cell-activation to achieve fundamentally-improved skin. Most of the products or machines utilised at Facia Ginza are by Wove Style, and they can also be purchased at the cashier for home use if you are satisfied with how your skin feels after the treatment. But be sure to plan your shopping list well because Facial Ginza is currently the only facial salon in Singapore to distribute Wove Style products – you won’t want to make another unnecessary trip there (or spend S$8 on local delivery if you buy it off their online store) just to get that one bottle of Special Essence you missed out on the first time ’round 😉
Facial Steaming and Ultrasonic Cleaning
With fiancé’s face now clean and free of dirt, impurities would less likely be able to get into his pores during the 3 to 5-minute session of facial steaming. Facial steaming further loosens dirt and contaminants that are clogging pores and is a great option for people with blackheads (his biggest concern), and acne-prone skin. While fiancé was getting his face steamed, his therapist performed a gentler version of extraction on his wet skin with an ultrasonic cleanser (that little handheld device with a spatula).
Putting on those strips to aid in the removal of his awful blackheads
Ultrasonic cleaning while his face was being steamed (not sure if you can see clearly but there’s steam coming down from that machine on top of him)
Close-up of the man, because there’s too many of mine
The junk collected from his face. Actually, it’s not that bad considering this was his FIRST facial treatment lol
Only Ultrasonic Cleaning for me
Since I had opted for another treatment, I was only offered ultrasonic cleaning at this stage. Therefore, if you’re not sure which face treatment to choose for your Premium Care Treatment, I suggest taking up the Pore Cleansing one because it seems to deliver greater value for the same expenditure with that extra step. Otherwise, if you’re not that gian png (always on the lookout for better deals), go for the one that you think can meet your needs!
Moisturising Care and Pore Cleansing
The Moisturising Care and Pore Cleansing treatments were both carried out via an Electroporation Machine. Developed by dermatology specialists in Japan, electroporation is an innovative process that enables key nutrients and substance to penetrate deeper into our skin as compared to regular treatments that are delivered using supersonic wave and Iontophoresis (the process of transdermal drug delivery by use of a voltage gradient on the skin).
Do you see the blackhead coming out of his nose? His nose was a HAVEN for blackheads
Don’t know why I’m sulking here but I was definitely relieved that the kneading was finally over lol
Electroporation causes little to no pain and is a highly effective treatment (20 to 60 times more effective than Iontophoresis) with an ultrasonic probe vibrating at 25,000 Hz per second to turn the cleaning solution the therapists had applied on our faces into a fine spray to remove pore-clogging dirt. The machine comes with handpieces of different tips designed for each treatment. In my case, it was a revolving flat round tip attached to a rectangular hand grip while the one fiancé’s therapist used looked like a two-pin plug attached to a large pen.
Face Mask
Once the aforementioned treatments were completed, our therapists coated our faces with a layer of Custard Pro Mask using a brush before covering it with a fabric sheet. At this juncture, our therapists would leave the room, giving fiancé the long-awaited opportunity to drift off to sleep when he should be awake to mentally document the whole experience with me 😠 According to the time stamps of my photos (we were instructed to close our eyes), the masking session lasted for about 10 minutes.
Applying the mask
On his face too
Putting on the fabric gauze
Lotion & Moisturiser
Our therapists returned to remove the mask, and apply lotion and moisturiser on our faces. As a finishing touch (literally), we were treated to a final round of massage on the shoulders and the back of our necks before we were left alone in the room again to get changed. Tea and snacks were already served on the table when we reached the reception area. There was even a vanity table for ladies to do their makeup or fix their hair before leaving the salon. Talk about after-service hospitality! 😁
Wiping the mask off my face
Applying moisturiser/lotion
I think he was already deep asleep at this point
Last round of massage!
MY FACE IS GLOWING
Fiancé’s hair was somehow given a new look too hahaha
Vanity table
Despite the pain felt during the Small Face Care therapy (which to him was just a short segment of the whole treatment), fiancé enjoyed his Premium Face Care treatment very much and looks forward to his next appointment (that’s right) with Facia Ginza Singapore even though he will have to pay this time. In general, I thought this was much less painful than Golki therapy because the number of kneads into each area were relatively fewer, yet equally, if not more, effective. We did feel a lingering ache in our jaws the next day, but it was too mild to cause any hindrance in our daily routine so we ignored it most of the time.
My before and after! Sharper chin, more defined forehead (Courtesy of Facia Ginza)
His before and after! More defined jawline, and a complimentary hair makeover XD
The result of all those magic that was done on his face – NO MORE BLACKHEAD. I was so amazed! His nose was SPOTLESS for the first time
Of course, one session isn’t going to yield a long-term effect. To maintain the current size of our faces, we were encouraged to do the treatment once a week for the first four to six sessions for optimal results, and once a month subsequently to maintain the effects of the treatment. All in all, the Premium Face Care prepared us well for our videography shoot. Not only did it make our faces look smaller and ease the tension on our shoulders and faces through a very relaxing and invigorating massage, it also helped us achieve a more flawless complexion that ensured we would look marvellous on-screen. That’s killing multiple birds with one stone! ☺
If you are still on the fence about giving Facia Ginza Singapore a shot before your big day, hopefully a special promotion of S$188 NETT (U.P. S$248+) for the first trial AND a free hand pack when you quote “fionaseah.com” (or my name) would push you off the edge!
Would you be keen to prep your skin at Facia Ginza Singapore with your other half? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
Facia Ginza is located at The Central Soho 1 6 Eu Tong Sen Street #09-20 SINGAPORE 059817. Nearest MRT is Clarke Quay (NE5). For more information, visit their website or like them on Facebook.
Treatment was complimentary in exchange for this review but all opinions expressed are my own.
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Therefore I didn’t really enjoy Gogi Plate as much as I wanted to.
