From The Straits Times    |

A peek into what happens during a Korean bone-setting massage session​.

 

A slim v-shaped baby face is the ideal de rigeur standard of ideal beauty in Asia. And though it has long been thought to be achievable only through plastic surgery (that is, if you weren’t already blessed with the desirable face shape in the first place), Korean aesthetic company Yakson House’s unique Golki therapy is here to skewer that very notion.

Here’s the lowdown on this non-invasive manual treatment; Golki (meaning ‘bone tonification’ in Korean) utilises special bone massage techniques to reshape the bone structure of your face. Whether it’s a V-shaped jaw you desire, higher cheekbones or a slimmer face, Golki will do just that for you.

 

ALSO READ: 4 THINGS TO DO WHILE YOU GET A VAJACIAL

 

 

I spoke with Yakson CEO Ms Kim Hyoun Sook to find out more about the scalpel-free, face-shape resetting procedure.

 

What is Golki exactly?

Golki therapy stimulates the bones by massaging the skin and muscle.

 

Benefits of the massage

According to Ms Kim, many of Yakson’s customers seek out Golki therapy mainly for beauty and aesthetic purposes such as reshaping the face, but they walk away with many other health benefits. “Some of our customers who have previously been lethargic and fatigue find that they wake up more alert and in better spirits as well. This shows that their blood circulation is in better condition, and most of the waste in their body has been discharged,” says Ms Kim. She also pointed out that many women suffer from menstrual cramps due to the cold temperatures in their body. With the massage however, their womb and overall body gets warmer, which effectively helps to dispel painful period symptoms. Constipation relief is the third benefit of Golki. “When your body gets warm, the fats in your inner organ are dissipated so this helps with constipation.”

 

Why it hurts so much

To address the issue on painfulness and safety behind the technique, Miss Kim said that “2 in every 10 women may complain about the pain [while undergoing Golki therapy] as their blood circulation is not so good. In that case, the body reacts and registers that ailment as a sensation of pain when subjected to the massage. However, after many subsequent sessions, their blood circulation improves and the pain level will decrease appositely.”

 

I then spoke to Alexa Loh, a contestant on Yakson’s #NaturalVFace Search, who had undergone 20 complimentary sessions of the Small Face Treatment to achieve a V-shaped face regarding her entire experience with the Golki therapy treatment. Alexa had just completed her final 20th session performed exclusively by Ms Kim.

 

Before and after shots of Alexa Loh’s facial features

Alexa told me that she joined the 20 session trial program as her face used be much more bloated and wide. Alluding to her first experience at Yakson, she said, “I was a bit taken aback at first because I think normally no one touches or presses the bones of our face so it was very unfamiliar. But right now I’m immune to the so called “pain”. After my very first session, I touched my face and I could feel the difference on my cheeks and jawline. So I was pleasantly surprised by that.”

She said that the effectiveness of the therapy was evident not only to her, but to her friends as well. ‘After my tenth session, some of my friends started asking me if I had lost weight recently (which I didn’t, by the way) and I remember thinking to myself, “Okay, wow, I have to persevere with this treatment because it’s actually showing results.'”

 

All in all, the treatment made Alexa more aware of her health. “Honestly, as a person in my 30s, health is of the utmost importance – and with that comes the beauty and the confidence. I would genuinely encourage women to seek this treatment out even if they’re not so interested in the beauty aspect of things but want to know more about the potential problems in their bodies.”

 

 

My personal take 

Next up, I myself was to review the Small Face Care treatment at Yakson’s Star Vista outlet. Truth be told, I had my reservations about going for my session at Yakson initially – I was told that women often scream and cry out in pain during their treatments. Frightening right? But as cliche as it is, no pain no gain.

 

When my Golki session began,the Korean master specialist Jessica started off by kneading my jawbone with deft, forceful strokes to soften my angular jawline. I have to point out that I have a relatively low pain threshold, and the pain I experienced from the treatment was nowhere as intense I had imagined it to be. It was mostly bearable and I only yelped in pain once (yes, just once) when Jessica pressed on the lower portion of my cheekbone in an attempt to lift it. A day after my session, I did notice an immediate difference in my face shape. Aching face aside, my jawline is now noticeably softer and more oval-shaped in contrast to the angular square-shaped jaw I once had. One thing I was particularly delighted about was that my face – which used to be covered in comedones – had cleared up; an added benefit of the toxin-expelling treatment which had also promoted healthy blood flow in my system.
 

To find out more on Yakson House’s packages and prices, visit yakson.com.sg