As a chemist with 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry, I think in terms of energy: bond energy, activation energy, and the transfer of energy that turns raw ingredients into a stable, effective formula. It is just how I see things. So when a few women in my circle started talking about Reiki facials, treatments built around moving energy through the body, I got excited. I was genuinely curious and wanted to know what this combo treatment really was.
What Reiki Actually Is
Reiki is a Japanese healing practice dating back to 1922, when Mikao Usui developed it after a period of fasting and meditation on Mount Kurama, just outside Kyoto. He later opened a school in Tokyo to teach it, and the practice has been passed down more or less the same way ever since. The idea is that a life energy runs through all of us, and a practitioner's job is to place their hands lightly on you, or just above you, to help that energy do what it is supposed to do: support your body's own ability to heal and settle.
Why I Was Ready to Try It
I found my way to a Reiki facial in the middle of one of the tougher stretches of building Sherak. Formulating, launching, and scaling a company takes a lot out of you, and my nervous system had been running hot for months. I didn’t really know what to expect, and I couldn’t wait for 90 minutes when nothing was being asked of me.
Inside a Reiki Facial: The First 45 Minutes
I found an esthetician near me who is also a trained Reiki practitioner, which felt like exactly the right combination: someone who knows skin and stillness. The appointment opened the way any great facial does. A double cleanse, a good look at my skin (she mentioned how great my skin looked, which I will happily credited to being religious about my own Sherak routine morning and night), then a facial massage and lymphatic drainage that left my whole face brighter before we even got to the second half.
The Second 45 Minutes: The Energy Work
Then things shifted. She moved into the energy work, which can look different for everyone depending on what she is picking up on in the moment: hands-on placement, singing bowls, crystal bowls, sometimes incense. She explained it to me in a great way.
“Picture your body as a glass of water, with fine particles of sand floating in it, clouding everything up. Reiki is simply clearing those particles so the water runs clear again.”
What a great analogy.
How I Felt Afterward
After Reiki, I felt energized, but in a calm way. I felt lighter, my mind clearer. Pair that with how great my skin looked after the facial, and it's an amazing combo. Taking care of the outside of my face and the inside of my nervous system in the same hour and a half turned out to be a pretty remarkable combination.
Should You Try a Reiki Facial?
From my experience, if you are a woman in midlife carrying real stress right now, building something, running a household, holding down a career, caring for a family, and holding yourself together all at the same time, 90 minutes set aside to just slow down is worth it. Combined with a facial and energy work, it is rejuvenating. You deserve an hour and a half when nobody needs a single thing from you, and if you fall in love with the combo. Even better.
I'm adding Reiki facials to my list of things that are well formulated. Skin benefits, body benefits, and 90 minutes of actual relaxation. Well formulated, indeed.
PS: If you try one, I would love to hear how it goes. Some of the best finds in this community start with one of us trying something first and coming back to tell the rest! Send me an email!
PPS: And, if you are in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend Suzy Zelley with ForCynthiahealing.com. You wont be disappointed.
Reiki Facial: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Reiki Facial?
It is a facial and an energy treatment in one appointment. You get the usual good facial stuff, cleansing, massage, lymphatic drainage, plus a stretch of time where the practitioner works with your energy through hands-on placement, and sometimes tools like singing bowls or crystal bowls.
Where does Reiki come from?
Japan. It was formalized in 1922 by a man named Mikao Usui, who developed it after fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama, then opened a school in Tokyo to teach it.
What happens during a Reiki facial appointment?
Most run about 90 minutes, split evenly. The first half is a facial: cleansing, a skin evaluation, massage, lymphatic drainage. The second half is energy work using hands-on placement or tools like singing bowls, crystal bowls, or incense.
How long does a Reiki facial take?
A Reiki facial typically runs about 90 minutes: roughly 45 minutes for the facial portion and 45 minutes for the energy work, though timing varies by practitioner.
Can you combine Reiki with a peptide facial?
Yes, and it's a nice pairing. A peptide facial is doing precise, active work on the skin itself, and Reiki isn't competing with that, it's layered on as its own separate practice, usually before or after the skin treatment rather than during.
Can Sherak products be used during a facial massage or lymphatic drainage routine?
Yes, and the Free Radical Neutralizing Oil is honestly built for this. It has enough slip to let your hands, or a gua sha tool, move across the skin without tugging or dragging, so it works just as well as a massage medium as it does a cleanser. If you're doing lymphatic drainage or a gua sha routine at home, our cleansing oil works great.
What are the benefits of a Reiki facial?
In addition to the skin benefits of a facial, people commonly report after a session: feeling calmer, some loosening in areas that were holding tension, and occasionally better sleep that night.