Shizuka New York Day Spa Blog

How far will people go in search of beauty, and what the heck does beauty mean anyway? The Frisky posted a series of wild (and often disturbing) examples of bod mod, a.k.a. body modification, practices ranging from the “lip window” to Lord of the Rings-style elf ears, scarring and more.

All of these make the Geisha Facial seem vanilla in comparison.  After all, it’s just bird poop! They also demonstrate to what great lengths women and men will go to in search of beauty. [The Frisky]

Mega-retailer H&M recently settled a lawsuit brought on by a consumer watchdog agency regarding the lead content in its handbags, wallets and other accessories. Believe it or not, some of the items contained as much as 115 times the legal limit for lead!

Remember that it was lead in their thick white makeup that first led ancient geishas to experiment with nightingale droppings like the ones used in Shizuka New York Day Spa’s Geisha Facial. [The Frisky]

Recessionistas beware! Before you buy that $20 imitation perfume from a street vendor consider that said knockoff may contain bacteria, antifreeze, and even urine (gross!). A beauty expert for ABC news posited that the urine found in certain fake perfumes tested may have been there purposefully to alter the pH of the liquid and also “for color” (double gross!). If you are not yet convinced, these cheap imitators can also cause major skin irritation. Do your body a favor and save up for the real thing, even in this economy, because genuine perfumes are more closely monitored and regulated. [ABC News]

You may remember from our recent post, Style Watch: Nail Bling, that Katy Perry rocked a ‘disco ball’ manicure at this year’s VMAs. Other fans of this celebrity manicure include Serena Williams, Pink and Beyonce.

Time Out New York featured this trendy nail look at Shizuka New York Day Spa as a great way to bling out your New Year’s Eve look. What goes into a disco-ball manicure? Hundreds of shimmering Swarovski Crystals that will make your nails shine like the Swarovski star atop the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree a few steps away from our NYC day spa. The price of a disco ball manicure is $180, although you can get it for $150 through December 31, 2009 when you mention Time Out.

To make an appointment for a disco ball manicure, contact us online or call (212) 644-7400. BTW, Shizuka New York Day Spa is open until 6pm on New Year’s Eve, and while you’re at it, try our brand new Collagen Boost Facial, the ultimate pre-party facial on special through December 31.

Is Katy Perry’s look a little too extreme for your style? Try our Crystal Manicure ($65), a more subtle and affordable version of the celebrity manicure.

Celebrity facialist Shizuka Bernstein spoke with FoxNews.com recently about ‘manscaping’ and current trends in male grooming. Over the past few years, her spa, Shizuka New York Day Spa, has seen a steady growth in the demand for men’s beauty treatments, including men’s facials, manicures & pedicures, and hair removal treatments including laser hair removal, electrolysis and waxing. The following is an excerpt. Read the full ‘manscaping’ article here.

‘Manscaping’ – 3 Ways to Get Rid of Unwanted Hair

There was a time, back in the 1970s, when a hairy chest and a few gold chains were all the rage in men’s fashion.

But the birth of “metrosexuality” over the past decade has men striving for a “smoother” look, paving the way for a movement called “manscaping.”

Men have been going for men’s facials, manicures and pedicures — grooming procedures once limited to women. And one of the more recent trends involves the removal of unwanted hair, mostly on the chest and back.

Some men try shaving the unwanted hair off, but quickly tire of the daily requirements of shaving and soon head to the salon to seek out alternatives.

“Men have been coming in for facials for a while, but I would say it’s really the last 10 years that men have been doing hair removal,” said Shizuka Bernstein, owner of Shizuka New York Day Spa in Manhattan.

Read more…

The thought of tiny carp nibbling away your foot callouses is sounding a little fishy to New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez. The “Fish Pedicure,” a recent Asian import, has already been banned in numerous states across the US for its questionable sanitation.

Cortez-Vasquez believes that existing departmental regulations permit her to cook the fish pedicure even without formal legislation. However, she is willing to take that step if necessary: “we believe we can do it from a health and safety standpoint through our existing regulatory process.”

Source: The New York Post

Are you ready for Fall NYC Spa Week?  You had better get ready because bookings begin today!

Last Spa Week, Geisha Facials saw a huge response from hundreds of New Yorkers looking to be slathered with bird poop!

Back by popular demand, Shizuka New York Day Spa is once again offering this legendary bird poop facial for $50 during New York Spa Week (October 12-18).

Normally $180, the 45-Minute Spa Week Geisha Facial includes cleansing with Shizuka’s all-natural skin care products, exfoliation with the original nightingale droppings bird poop facial mask, pain-free pore extraction and hydration.  The story of bird poop facials has been seen around the world, recently in People Magazine, and even on Oprah.

The Fall Spa Week Event includes over 750 spas nationwide and in Canada who are all offering $50 discounted spa treatments including facials, massages, body treatments, and laser hair removal. In addition to the 45-Minute Spa Week Geisha “Bird Poop” Facial, Shizuka New York Day Spa will also be offering a 45-Minute Swedish Massage at the $50 price.

Appointments begin today and a full list of participating NYC spas and discounted spa treatments is available at SpaWeek.com.

In case you haven’t seen it already, take a look at this hilarious bird poop facial video:

If you’re planning a Hawaiian vacation, you might want to think about showering first!  Two Honolulu city council members are proposing a ban on “odors that unreasonably disturb others or interfere with their use of the transit system.”  Stinky offenders could be fined up to $500!

Underarm Botox, anyone?

Source: Honolulu Advertiser

In case you need yet another reason to eat your veggies like mom always told you to, Penn State University has recently found that compounds found in green vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, when combined with selenium, could be a potent drug to fight melanoma.

So far, the new skin cancer treatment has only been tested on lab mice, but researchers speculate that the new drug could be effectively delivered to humans intravenously, or as an additive in sunscreen products.

Source: Penn State Live

Federal officials in Washington State indicted three beauty salon proprieters this week for administering phony Botox and for trying to bribe an officer to overlook an unauthorized laser device.

In the first instance, Xin “Faith” He of Natural Beauty in Bellvue, WA told clients she was injecting Botox and the hyaluronic acid dermal filler Restylane when in fact she was injecting counterfeit substances. Her actions led to at least two reported negative reactions since 2004 that required a dermatologist’s or plastic surgeon’s care.  One victim (pictured above), who wished to remain anonymous, remarked, “My face looked like Frankenstein’s.”

In the second case, the two owners of Crystal Nails in Burien are charged with offering an official an $800 bribe to overlook a dangerous and unapproved radiation-emitting laser treatment they had imported.

In the quest for beauty, always be cautious.  Botox is a safe and effective treatment that should only be administered by a licensed doctor, and preferably one who specializes in the face (such as Dr. Silich at Shizuka New York Medical Spa).  Beware of cheap Botox knockoffs.  Botox is an FDA approved substance manufactured in the US by Allergan.  In addition, laser facial treatments should only be performed by highly trained skin care technicians.  Don’t be afraid to ask your aesthetician questions about the treatment and equipment they are using.

If you have questions about Botox Cosmetic or laser facial rejuvenation, please feel free to schedule a free consultation with Shizuka, or email your question to blog@shizukany.com.

Source: Seattle Times
Photo Source: KOMO News

A recent study suggests that burning paraffin wax candles (the most commonly found type) may actually have negative health implications.

In addition to their heat, light and fragrance, paraffin wax candles also release harmful carcinogens and air pollutants, the study indicates.

According to researcher Amid Hamidi , Ph.D., “An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you, but lighting many paraffin candles every day for years or lighting them frequently in an un-ventilated bathroom around a tub, for example, may cause problems.”  Hamidi also suggested that certain people believed to suffer from indoor allergy or respiratory problems may in fact be victims of candle air pollution.

Candle lovers should not give up all hope because soy and beeswax candles are said to be safer, although sometimes more expensive.

The moral of the story? Always read the label, and ventilate any rooms where candles are burning.

Source: Science Daily

What could be more dramatic than cosmetic surgery voyeurism?  Apparently this is the concept behind Oxygen’s new reality tv show, ‘Addicted to Beauty’ which premiered on Tuesday.

Set in a La Jolla, CA medical spa called Changes Plastic Surgery, ATB shows that rich housewives of New York City and Orange County aren’t the only ones entitled to nip, tuck and inject Botox. They’re also not the only ones with drama.

As the New York Daily News describes it, “this workplace has more nasty conflicts than “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Ugly Betty” put together.”

We are especially fond of the redhead, back and center in this promotional photo, who happens to be the owner of Changes.  She is quoted on Addicted to Beauty’s official website:

How do you count procedures? Do you count botox as procedure, restylane, laser resurfacing or just going under the knife? I’ve had tons of Botox and the other non-surgical procedures. I go in every six months or more if needed for these non-surgical procedures. For the surgical procedures, I’ve had more than 5 and less than 10.

Addicted to Beauty airs Tuesdays at 10pm on Oxygen.

On Monday Montana Democrat and Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus told reporters that he had heard some “interesting,” “creative,” and “kind of fun” ideas about smoothing some of the wrinkles in President Obama’s highly contested overhaul of the US healthcare industry.

According to Sen. Baucus a new 10% tax on cosmetic procedures was proposed. Although far from definite, this tax would be applied to cosmetic procedures, defined by law as “any procedure which is directed at improving the patient’s appearance and does not meaningfully promote the proper function of the body or prevent or treat illness or disease.” This could include procedures such as facelifts, breast implants, hair restoration and, of course, Botox Cosmetic injections to smooth wrinkles.

Although many states have tried to enact similar taxes on cosmetic procedures such as Botox, results have been inconsistent. New Jersey, which currently has a 6% cosmetic procedure tax, has brought in only 25% of the anticipated revenue since the tax was enacted in 2004 according to Malcolm Roth of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Needless to say, the proposed Botox tax or “Bo-Tax” has ignited the passions of many on both sides of the issue.

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Experts in the cancer branch of the World Health Organization have now moved tanning beds and other forms of ultraviolet radiation into the top cancer risk group along with arsenic, mustard gas, smoking cigarettes and chimney sweeping, among others.

Tanning beds have long been considered “probable carcinogens” likely to lead to skin cancer by the WHO, but this news, published in the medical journal Lancet Oncology, concludes through the analysis of about 20 different cancer studies that skin cancer risk increases by 75% in people who start using tanning beds before the age of 30.

“People need to be reminded of the risks of sunbeds,” remarked Vincent Cogliano, one of the researchers. “We hope the prevailing culture will change so teens don’t think they need to use sunbeds to get a tan.”

Studies show that the use of tanning beds has increased in the under-30 generation, including teens. This is easy to believe due to high visibility of bronzed celebrities gracing our movie theaters and television screens (see our previous post on Tanorexia and UV protection).

Cogliano went on to elaborate that ultraviolet radiation is not healthy in any form, whether it be from a tanning bed or even the sun.  This research only further emphasizes the need for us all to limit sun exposure and to always protect our skin by wearing sunscreen or sunblock daily with an SPF of at least 30. In addition to the cosmetic problems such as hyperpigmentation and wrinkles that prolonged sun exposure can cause, it has now been confirmed what a serious health risk tanning can be.

As an alternative to tanning, the American Cancer Society recommends cosmetic bronzers and self-tanners as an alternative to tanning beds.  Let’s all remember to protect our skin this summer!

More information about this story at USAToday.com.

The Geisha Facial was recently featured during an hour-long E! Entertainment Special titled “Radical Hollywood Remedies.”

The special also included celebrity beauty secrets such as the “Acupuncture Facelift,” cupping (a favorite of celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow), snake massage, leech therapy, ayurvedic treatments, and of course the bird poop facial, a favorite of Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and Victoria’s Secret Angel Karolina Kurkova.

During the show, Shizuka Bernstein, owner of Shizuka New York Day Spa discusses the benefits of having Geisha Facials and why they are so great at getting celebrities red carpet ready.

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A few weeks back the U.K.’s Daily Mail posted some not-so-posh photos of Posh Spice who had an acne breakout at the time.

Acne is a serious problem for many people.   Pimples and blackheads can be embarrassing even if you are not a celebrity on a magazine cover.  The Geisha Facial is an excellent facial treatment for all skin types, including acneic.  Also highly recommended for acne treatment are the Acne Facial with Intense Pulsed Light and the new T-Zone Facial.

Apparently Posh has been battling acne since her teenage years and has recently turned to Geisha Facials to treat acne:

Victoria has been regularly indulging in £100 Geisha Facials, using a paste made from nightingale droppings.

A friend told Closer magazine recently: ‘When Victoria was in Japan recently she was admiring the local women’s clear skin and discovered it was down to these facials.

‘She was intrigued and when she got back to the US she found that some New York beauty salons now offer the treatment.

‘She tried it and loved how great her skin looked.’

Hopefully Posh will get back on the Poo!

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