Chicken soup facial offered at Montco spa
Chicken soup is said to be a cure-all for whatever ails you.
But a local spa says it isn't just good for your soul - it's just as therapeutic for your skin and the broth is a base for their newest skincare treatment.
Inside Custom Skin Care in Wyncote, it smells like mom's kitchen.
But owners Rebecca Abel and Gigi Wolk aren't cooking up dinner.
It's actually the latest addition to their facial menu.
"It's your basic chicken soup recipe with onions, parsnips, turnips, and carrots..." says Wolk.
Wolk got the idea over a big steaming pot of soup in her own kitchen.
Her face felt smoother afterward, so she strained some soup, and tried it as a facial.
"All my pores were tiny, and I have big pores on my chin & cheeks," she said.
Abel added extra ingredients like tumeric and sweet potatoes.
She also added tamarind, not for flavor, but for other properties.
"They're all great antioxidants," said Abel. "Tamarind also has tartaric acid, which is a light exfoliant."
Wolk says friends tried the facial and loved it, so it went onto the spa menu.
Rachel Schwartz has had facials before, but none like this.
"I thought it was a little crazy, but i'm always up for something new," said Schwartz.
Some doctors think the idea may not be so crazy.
Plastic surgeon Steve Davis says some of the ingredients have long histories in making the skin look younger. And protein - in this case chicken - is often used to get topical ingredients through skin.
Davis sees it as part of the holistic approach to health.
"If you do have certain things that have been used for centuries, years, why not try to figure out some way of bringing that into some modern-day version," said Dr. Davis.
Schwartz said it worked for her.
"Yeah, it really feels fresh & smooth, and tight," she said.
Schwartz says there was no real chicken soup smell to it.
Wolk and Abel say the results last for several days, about the same as other facials. And the chicken soup facial also costs the same as their other facials.
