REPRINTED FROM "LES NOUVELLES ESTHETIQUES"  JANUARY 2006

     One of the most exciting facets of the spa world is its ability to reach into the past even as it races toward the future. The typical spa may offer a dozen state-of-the-art therapies and just as many traditional modalities borrowed from Asia or Native America. As practitioners, our absorption of multiple cultural traditions helps us to view our clients in new ways. One of these traditions, Chinese face reading, can allow us to understand our clients on a surprisingly deep level and help us predict their needs with uncanny precision.

     While mastery of this ancient art requires a fair amount of study, you can nevertheless access the fundamentals of Chinese face reading and put them into practice very quickly. Applied correctly, Chinese Face Reading (CFR) will enhance your relationships with clients by putting them at ease and increasing the confidence you generate.

                                                                    THREE ARCHETYPES

     Recently, a California car dealer ran a radio ad that distilled the fundamentals of Chinese Face Reading. He didn’t realize it, of course, but in the span of thirty seconds, that’s exactly what he achieved. “We cater to every kind of customer,” said the announcer, “whether you want to take our brochure home and think about it, whether you want to take a look under the hood, or whether you just wanna jump in your new car and drive off!” This ad described the three basic types of consumer, their sensibilities and their buying habits and was probably the result of extensive research. While advertisers may spend millions of dollars tailoring their ad campaigns to specific character types, this doesn’t mean you can’t use the same principles on each of your clients…and at no cost. You can begin by visually measuring the three zones on your client’s face and noticing which one is most expansive. A dominant upper zone (from hairline to eyebrows) will be found on a person who is motivated by mental/theoretical concerns; a dominant middle zone (eyebrows to tip of nose) will assure you the client is motivated by practical concerns, and a dominant lower zone (ending at the chin) will show that a client’s choices are influenced by emotions.

     How, then, do you approach the three client types, put them at ease and generate interest in the services you offer? “In any sales situation,” says CFR consultant and teacher, Lillian Bridges, “you’ve got to instantly understand the client’s point of view.” Ms. Bridges has trained corporate, retail and spa personnel worldwide and is the author of the popular Face Reading in Chinese Medicine (available at Amazon.com). “When approaching a client with a prominent upper zone,” she says, “you should be prepared to discuss any research that relates to the modality you offer. If there are clinical studies that you can talk about, then take the initiative and do it.” If you can offer any of this information in printed form, then do so but never let it interfere with a prospective client’s momentum. You never want to hear, I’ll take this information home and think about it.

     And if the middle zone is dominant? Says Ms. Bridges, “This is a person who needs to know the practical aspects of the service you offer--the nuts and bolts. What are the side effects, for instance, of a glycolic peel?” You will sustain this client’s interest by showing her or him your tools and workspace, along with before-and-after photos. This person will need to know what is required in terms of time and money. But stop short of handing this person any testimonials; offer those instead to the lower-zone person.

     The lower zone--emotionally driven--person is perhaps the most commonly seen visitor at your spa. This isn’t surprising, since your spa is by definition an oasis where pampering abounds and healing energy flows. Ms. Bridges gives us this insight: “With a lower zone person, you won’t want to conceal your enthusiasm for the service you offer. If you can enhance your client’s appearance and help her look refreshed and younger, don’t keep it a secret. Your excitement will resonate with her.” Does this mean a lower zone person isn’t motivated primarily by the price of services? In a word, yes. Says Ms. Bridges, “Before you tell a woman that the treatment she’s considering is a bargain, take a look at her face. If she’s lower zone-dominant, she probably isn’t purchasing the treatment because it’s economical; she’s probably doing so because she wants to be pampered.” Of course, an upper- or middle-zoned person may have observed or deduced their need for pampering but they will enjoy luxuriating just the same.

                                                                        FIVE ELEMENTS

     Zone-based face reading, while an important tool, is but one aspect of CFR. Chinese tradition also classifies faces, as well as body and character types, into five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. When deciding how to perform a treatment modality, it can be helpful to know what element the client embodies. The use of five element theory and techniques for aestheticians has been extensively explored and is taught by Ontario-based Patty Leung, founder of the Advanced School of Aesthetics International. Her techniques are based on Eastern philosophy blended with Western methodologies. In addition to considering the facial shape and the skin type, she says, it’s important to consider skin hue.

     “To classify the client,” says Ms. Leung, “you must notice if the person has a green cast to their skin or if they’re white, yellowish and sallow, or even slightly black in areas. Once you’ve classified them, you can customize your treatment.” Ms. Leung favors meridian massage as part of her treatment. If the client is an earth type, she says, “they will probably be somewhat robust and will enjoy a deep muscle massage. When considering any conditions they may be suffering from, you should look at digestive irregularities. There might be a relationship. With a water type you would take a less rigorous approach. This is a person who bruises easily. You can sometimes recognize them by darkness under their eyes. A metal person is likely to have lung issues such as asthma. In this instance, it may be helpful to provide massage in the décolletage area. This is where some of the major energetic points are located that affect lung function.” No matter what their element is, all clients need to have their metal/lung element fortified, as the lungs nourish the skin.

     Ms. Leung explains that there are “outer elements” and the less obvious “true elements” and that most people are a virtual tidepool of both. An experienced practitioner can identify the interplay of these sometimes conflicting elements within a client and can put them into balance. This takes the practitioner and their client beyond the arena of physical beauty into a decidedly emotional/spiritual realm. And it all starts with reading the face.

     Chinese face reading can not only aid you in giving the best and most appropriate service possible but can help you understand your clients on a deeper level and pamper them accordingly. In an industry that is growing ever more inclusive and eclectic, it’s good to know that the newest and strangest techniques are sometimes the oldest and most dependable.

                                                     click here for ChineseFaceReading.net