MEDIA
ZEN FACIAL AS EXPERIENCED BY YOUR MOST TRUSTED SOURCES
TRAVEL INSIDER: JUNE 2018
QANTAS: “TRY THE BEAUTY TREATMENT MEGHAN MARKLE SWEARS BY”
“Do you like cheekbones?” Fumi Yamamoto, the owner of Zen Facial, asks me. Not in some weird, served-with-a-nice-chianti way but…“Yes, I like cheekbones.” “And what do you want?” I pause. “Everything.”
This isn’t a scene from Extreme Makeover but I’m secretly hoping the result might come close. I’m at Zen Facial in Sydney’s beachside suburb of Bronte for a treatment that, as the establishment’s name suggests, is something of a specialty here. Model Jessica Hart calls the treatments by Yamamoto “life-changing”. Miranda Kerr, Jessica Gomes and Jesinta Franklin are similarly enamoured."
BEAUTY: FEBRUARY 2017
HARPER'S BAZAAR MAGAZINE: "I WENT TO THE FACIALIST THAT (ALMOST) EVERY AUSTRALIAN SUPERMODEL SWEARS BY"
I realised that all the muscles in my face were more relaxed than ever. I guess this is what Botox must feel like, except without the injectables. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely could frown if I wanted to, but it was harder than usual.
The treatment made my face default to serene, which made me wonder: What kind of facial expressions had I been walking around with that morning?
BEAUTY: MAY 2018
ELLE: “WOULD YOU TRY MEGHAN MARKLE'S MASSAGE FACIAl?”
In Australia, Fumi Yamamoto practices a similar type of massage facial from her clinic overlooking Sydney's Bronte beach. Fumi's list of regulars reads like the front row of MBFWA—Jesinta Franklin, Jess Gomes, Lara Worthington, to name a few—so it's obvious that her treatments work.
BEAUTY: AUGUST 2018
Body + Soul: “The 4 Sydney facialists celebs use when they’re in town”
This supermodel hotspot has flown under the radar for years, despite being frequented by everyone from Jessica Gomes, Jesinta Franklin, Isabel Lucas, Rachael Taylor and so so many more. Fumi is an industry legend, using a knowledge base of Eastern therapies, treatments are focused around healing.
BEAUTY: AUGUST 2020
Ruush: “YOUR GUIDE TO SYDNEY’S BEST ORGANIC FACIALS”
Specialising in Eastern remedial therapies, Fumi Yamamoto’s Zen Facial is more of a healing experience then a one-off beauty treatment. A non-product based facial, Zen Facial relies on diagnostic yoga, Zen Shiatsu, meridian therapy, aromatherapy, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, reflexology and neurological re-patterning to help achieve a more smoother and lifted appearance. Rather than just treating the face, Zen Facial works on the whole body, to relieve tension and stress locked in the face. Truly a facial like no other.
BEAUTY: MARCH 2018
URBAN LIST: “THE BEST PLACES TO HEAD FOR A FACIAL IN SYDNEY”
Zen Facial (as you’d expect) is about delivering the nourishing goods to your skin, without any invasive chemicals or machines. Going deeper than only your skin, at this place, each session will begin with a Hara (abdominal) diagnosis to address the underlying cause of skin issues and then the gentle (but super effective) treatment will use high-end products to get serious skin results. There’s a reason this is one of Sydney’s most popular facial spots, just saying.
BEAUTY: AUGUST 2017
GRITTY PRETTY: “THE SKINCARE TREATMENT THAT WILL CONTOUR YOUR FACE WITHOUT MAKEUP”
For those searching for something that lasts, we recently road tested a miraculous treatment with the potential to keep you face sculpted for days (weeks, even!). What we weren’t expecting were all the extras – noticeably whiter whites of the eyes, firmer skin and that holy-moly glow.
BEAUTY: JULY 2017
RUSSH MAGAZINE: "ZEN FACIAL"
In a serene beach side studio, nestled near the water at Bronte beach, lies Zen Facial – the treatment room of Eastern remedial therapies expert Fumi Yamamoto. Less beauty therapist and more healer, Yamamoto is qualified in Japanese remedial diagnostic yoga, Zen Shiatsu, meridian therapy, aromatherapy, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, reflexology and neurological repatterning. Offering a holistic facial that begins at the feet and ends with Yamamoto sculpting the face with her hands for her famous ‘chiselling’ – a method used to pronounce cheekbones and generate a smoother brow. The perfect pre-event ritual – or for whenever you feel the need to give your face some overdue TLC – Yamamoto’s facials are a true mind-body experience.
“Want to know whom Miranda Kerr visits religiously when in the country? Her name is Fumi Yamamoto at Zen facial in Bronte and she’s like no other facialist you’ve been to. Trained in the art of facial harmony, a muscle release technique based on the philosophy that the face is the bridge between the body, mind and spirit, she uses her delicate fingers to release tension from your temples and assist lymphatic drainage. You’ll leave looking as if you’ve had six-months sabbatical.”
BEAUTY: FEBRUARY 2014
SUNDAY LIFE: "THE SUPER FACIAL"
Natural therapist Fumi Yamamoto gives a facial like no other, combining reflexology, acupressure massage, facial yoga and meditation. Fumi aims to get skin glowing and balanced, ridding it of toxins and delivering more nutrients to the cells through lymphatic drainage. She works from my feet to my head and gives my skull an extensive workout with her gentle yet powerful fingers. She uses muscle-release techniques and essential oils to work on the stress locked in my face, neck and those problem shoulders. This is the opposite of a pampering facial.
BEAUTY: JUNE 2015
THE FILE: "HOW TO DO FACE YOGA"
The general consensus from said friends in fashionable places was that when you leave her table, you walk out with a radiating smile, feeling rejuvenated, balanced, calm and more energetic – with a set of cheekbones that you didn’t even know you had.
“Not your traditional facial, but one that’s gaining popularity among models. Fumi Yamamoto uses a combination of eastern and western techniques to give a holistic facial treatment. A combination of meridian acupuncture, lymphatic drainage and cranio sacral therapy relax facial muscles and reduce puffiness in the face. With fans including Shanina Shaik and Jessica Gomes, Zen Facial is allegedly the closest thing to natural botox.”
LIFESTYLE: MAY 2016
THE WEEKLY REVIEW:"WE TRY A ZEN FACIAL"
After a busy week, this exhausted journo needs to wind down. So when I heard about rave reviews for Zen Facial from the likes of Jessica Gomes, I could hardly wait to give it a go. The promise: natural therapist Fumi Yamamoto’s signature Zen Facial promises to deliver a “natural facelift for the body and soul’’
My cheeks are visibly plumper, my brow is noticeably smoother, a niggling backache has disappeared and I seem to have lost one of my chins...
Fumi’s magic fingers and holistic approach to working through the stresses and strains of everyday life are a girl’s best friend.
“Fumi Yamamoto promises a facelift for the body and soul’ and that is exactly what she delivers, with a combination of hara (abdominal) and facial diagnosis, essential oils and, especially, magic fingers. You’ll leave looking fresher - and maybe even younger.”
“The first five things you must do on disembarking in Sydney... Sydney’s secret among those landing with jetlag and needing to look fabulous is Fumi Yamamoto. Her Zen Facials are not a quick fix and involve almost no product. It’s all in her magic fingers.”
BEAUTY: JANUARY 2011
BODY + SOUL: "ZEN FACIAL: DOES IT REALLY WORK?"
I... see myself looking as though I've never had a stressful or toxic day in my life. My eyes are bright, my cheekbones and jawline contoured, there is space between my eyebrows and my cheeks are lifted. My skin glows and has a more even tone.
Most of all, I feel wonderfully peaceful, like I've been on a long, lovely holiday.
APRIL ISSUE, 2007
VOGUE: "ZEN AND THE ART OF BODY AND MIND MAINTENANCE"
When is a facial more than a facial? How about when your skin emerges visibly glowing, with muscles lifted and contours newly defined? Or when you awaken with a peaceful mind, and coulis appear brighter, sounds doom sharper and smells are crisper.
“We love sending skin cynics to see Sydney’s Fumi Yamamoto at Zen Facial. Her blissed-out Bronte vibe belies her serious skin skill. It’s Fumi’s healing hands that do all the work, gently prodding and poking your complexion into compliance with the help of shiatsu, lymphatic drainage, aromatherapy and craniosacral therapy. Other than wow-look-at-you-now results (let her snap before and after shots to capture and contrast the ah-mazingness of it all), the sound of the beach below will lull you off to nirvana.”
BEAUTY: OCTOBER 2008
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA VOYEUR MAGAZINE: "You BeautY: Where rest and relaxation is your ultimate reward"
Enjoy a facial, celebrity-style at Zen Facial, by booking a secret spa location. Along with your shoes, leave your idea of what constitutes a facial at the door. Once you’re lying on the table and Yamamoto is working her magic, you will start to understand why she calls it a “facelift for the body and soul”. Each treatment is tailored to the individual and combines beautiful scented oils with meditative abdominal and facial diagnostic treatments. You have been warned…. The 90 minute delight may leave you feeling so relaxed you won’t want to leave.
BEAUTY: AUGUST 2003
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: "CAN A JAPANESE FACIAL MASSAGE REALLY RUB OUT WRINKLES WHILE HARMONISING YOUR BODY AND SOUL?"
The brochure about facial harmony promises me a blissful journey from head to toe. My guide on this journey is Japanese-born yoga teacher and shiatsu practitioner, Fumi Yamamoto. Dressed in white and lavender with a face that radiates a happy healthiness, Yamamoto immediately exudes a sense of calm befitting someone experienced in the art of healing. But she tells me this hasn’t always been the case.
“A gentle, healing treatment to open up your face, release tension and improve energy. It might seem strange that a facial begins and ends with a foot reflexology treatment, but then Fumi Yamamoto definitely does things differently. The moment this charming, radiant and gently whimsical woman lays her hands on my stomach for a ‘hara’ diagnosis (it is in the abdomen that the meridian lines pass, enabling a practitioner to literally get a feel for what might be out of balance), a feeling of calm begins to radiate through me and quiets my internal chatter... Picking up immediately on my late-afternoon energy slumps and sweet cravings, she gives me some practical advice - plenty of root veggies and whole grains - and then begins the treatment. As soon as Fumi touches my feet, I feel energy running like molten metal along the back of my legs. As she them moves to the shistsu acupressure massage of my face, the movements are sometimes gentle, but often strong - there’s obviously a fair few blockages to keal with! Time flies as she continues the treatment with aromatherapy oils, and shoulder, upper back and neck massage that further helps to release the muscle tension. More than an hour later, I feel extremely relaxed, but the real surprise is when Fumi asks me to look in a mirror, and yes, the drooping eyelids are definitely reduced and the skin around my jawline firmer - I am definitely impressed! She recommends a course of such treatments to further enhance the visible, and non-visible, benefits.”