Whoever would have thought it’s possible to feel relaxed enough to fall asleep when you’ve got 35 tiny needles embedded in your face?
Certainly not me.
In fact, as I drive to cosmetic acupuncturist Melissa Day’s treatment room on Ipswich Waterfront to allow her to insert those fine, orange-tipped needles around my cheeks, eyes, nose and mouth, I feel strangely nervous.
I’ve never had any kind of acupuncture before, probably precisely because I’m not a fan of needles. I have to sit down for fear of fainting if I so much as think of a needle-wielding medic coming anywhere near me.
This is probably not the best line of thought to be pursuing immediately before my acupuncture session and it’s not long before I pluck up the courage to ask Melissa if it will hurt. She reassures me it won’t. I might feel a little discomfort as the super-fine needles go in but the trick is to breathe into it and it will soon pass.
And anyway, if there is any discomfort it indicates the needle is at a point where there’s some energy imbalance to clear. So it’s a positive thing.