Bird excrement facial hits New York spa

June 18, 2008

So maybe you're one of those people who paid $100 for a cup for coffee brewed from beans excreted by a civet cat and you're looking for your next fix. Well, look no further than the beauty spa.

A New York salon is now offering a facial made of bird droppings, Reuters reports.

The Geisha Facial at Shizuka New York day spa contains a powder made of nightingale excrement and costs patrons the hefty sum of $180. The facial is derived from a Japanese treatment used by Geishas and kabuki actors to remove thick white makeup from their skin.

The spa's website tries to clear up concerns customers might have about the treatment, with a Q&A asking,  "Are nightingale droppings safe/sanitary to use on my face?" and "Does the nightingale droppings facial mask smell?"

The answers, respectively, are: "yes" (the droppings are "professionally sanitized under UV light), and "not really" (rice bran neutralizes the "slightly musky aroma").

--Tony Barboza

Photo: Andrew Councill/For the Times

Other Shizuka New York Day Spa 2008 Press Releases
Les Nouvelles Esthetiques features Geisha Facial - Skin ingredient technology, specifically the uguisu no fun (nightingale droppings) in the Geisha Facial at Shizuka Day Spa in New York City, is the focus of this article from Les Nouvelles Esthetiques and Spa.
Geisha Facial on Mezamashi - Video from Fuji TV featuring Shizuka NY Day Spa in New York City.
New York's weirdest spa treatments - Weird spa treatments from the New York Daily News in NYC including Shizuka's Geisha Bird Poop Facial and the fish pedicure from Alexandria, Virginia.
New York Daily News, Sep. 18, 2008 - She's guano have it! Trendy Japanese facial features bird droppings.
New York Magazine - Japanese Spa Treatment Comes to NYC - It's full of crap...
Perez Hilton - In two separate posts, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has poked fun at the nightingale poo facial - Shizuka's Geisha Facial.
New York Daily News, October 7, 2008 - Are bird droppings the secret to Posh Spice and David Beckham's good looks?
All Shizuka NY 2008 Press Releases