Japan’s latest trend for those who can afford the luxury. One of the experiences I didn’t mind missing as I backpacked around Japan, but for sure a must-try if I ever win the lotto.

What use to go towards decorating Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion Temple now goes towards the beauty of the modern Japanese women. Thin pieces of gold sheets, or commonly referred to as kinpaku (gold leafs) are made of pure gold, to the point that it can be edible.  There are places in Japan, especially cities that are known for their gold, that will sprinkle gold on their food and in their teas.

Gold hasn’t be clinically tested, but traditionally gold has been considered to have a lot of benefiting properties. Especially towards beauty, gold is considered to help maintain healthier and firmer looking skin.  Apparently Cleopatra went to bed every night with a bed mask of gold to retain her youthful look, so why not bring the fad back?

Highlights of the Kinpaku Facial

a. It improves circulation and rejuvenates the skin.
b. Reduction in wrinkles & firmer skin in general by slowing down our skin’s collagen depletion and the breakdown of elastin
c. Ultrasonic technology allows for softer, and more supple by locking in the moisture.
d. It has effective disinfectant qualities.

Japanese Gold-Leaf Facial (30,000 Yen)

For the budgeting travellers, like me. If you prefer to forgo this lovely experience at the moment, you can do what I did.
In Kanazawa, I tried tea with gold sprinkles for the fun of it. I bought a pack enough for a family size tea pot for a decent price, around $10-$15 CAD. Nothing out of the ordinary, flavor-wise. It still tasted like green tea to me, but it was fun to experience and I’m sure my self-value increase a bit that day.

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Jul 27th by Jack