7 Bizarre Beauty Treatments That Belong In A Horror Film

We can’t believe people get these done voluntarily.
There’s nothing better than going to a spa for a relaxing beauty treatment.
Whether it’s just a quick pick-me-up facial, or something more extravagant like a 24-carat gold mask, it’s just so nice to do nothing while your beauty therapist massages beautifully scented products into your skin, making you feel fresh and rejuvenated when you walk out of the salon.
However, sometimes beauty is pain; and between Brazilian waxing, getting lash extensions, and Botox appointments, salon visits aren’t always that comfortable, but we’re happy to play through the pain if the result makes us feel more confident about our looks.
That said, we have to draw the line somewhere, and while the following beauty treatments aren’t necessarily painful, they’re definitely pretty weird and a little gross.
From bird poo masks to burning massages and bloody facials, these treatments definitely aren’t for the faint-hearted…
1. The Bird Poo Facial
The Shizuka Spa in New York City offers a facial with a very special ingredient; powdered nightingale droppings, aka, bird poop. According to the spa, the purified animal faeces have brightening and exfoliating properties, and have been used as skin treatments in the ancient Japanese Geisha culture.
2. The Ghee Eye Therapy
Turns out flour and ghee aren’t just for cooking, according to the Ananda Spa in Nepal. During their Ayurvedic eye treatment, a ring of flour paste is formed around the eyes before medicated ghee (clarified butter fat) is poured into the ring. You then have to let the flour-ghee mix flow into your eyes by opening and closing them for about five minutes. The treatment supposedly helps relieve stressed eyes as well as some eye disorders.
3. The Burning Herb Treatment
This stimulating body therapy involves medicinal Chinese herbs which are placed on several acupuncture points of the body and then set on fire. That’s right, Lefay Spa in Italy will burn dried herbs directly on your skin, supposedly strengthening blood flow. The small fires are extinguished and removed before they have time to burn the skin, apparently producing a pleasant heating sensation.
4. The Snail Trail Facial
Snail slime has creeped its way into many anti-ageing skincare products, thanks to its hefty concentration of antioxidants and hyaluronic acid, but the Snail Spa in Thailand is taking things a bit further, by placing actual snails onto your face and letting them crawl all over you. The snail mucus trail left behind is then massaged into your skin, leaving clients with a very, er, special glow.
5. The Snake Massage
For those who don’t place a huge amount of emphasis around the relaxation element of a massage, this one might be up your alley. Instead of employing a masseuse to knead your back, Ada Barak’s Spa in Israel will let a pile of snakes do the job. Large nonvenomous snakes are draped around you to squeeze your arms and legs while smaller snakes slither over your skin for a supposedly soothing sensation.
6. The Bagel Head
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and when the beholder is Japanese, beauty can take the shape of a bagel forehead. The bizarre beauty trend became all the rage in Japan a few years ago, and involves saline injections into the forehead to create a bagel-like shape over your eyebrows. There’s no point to it, other than wanting to look like an alien for a day or two – that’s how long it usually takes for the body to eliminate the saline.
7. The Vampire Facial
Made famous by Kim Kardashian, the vampire facial uses your own blood to rejuvenate the skin. Also know as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy, this extreme facial starts with blood drawn from your body, of which the plasma is harvested. The PRP is then injected into your face, where it theoretically stimulates new cell growth and collagen production, though more research needs to be undertaken to verify its efficacy.
Images via lacarmina.com, vampirefacial.com, skizukany.com, inquisitr.com, makeupandbeauty.com, heavenlyenergetics.com, sadiehayslac.com.
Comment: Would you have any of these spa treatments?
Nadine is a beauty writer who's always on the hunt for the perfect nude lipstick and the best Instagram filter. She has a weakness for handbags and never says no to a cup of strong coffee. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.