Best facial treatment in Rome: Kobido massage with Simona Primavera (Spring Touch)
I’ve had facial treatments on almost every continent, and the best, in my opinion, are those with an intensive massage.
Of course, products vary from one spa to another, as do the machines used, but my favorites are those accompanied by a personalized massage, on the one hand to get the lymph moving (and free the face of toxins), and on the other for an almost immediate lifting effect.
I really like the Omorovicza massage in Hungary, and Kobido massages, which are very toning (your cheeks get patted), but right after the massage, the features are relaxed and lifted, the skin is oxygenated, it’s truly incredible.
What is Kobido?
Kobido is an ancient Japanese massage. To be able to offer a Kobido massage, the practitioner must be Kobido certified, meaning they’ve learned from a Kobido master (a title passed down from generation to generation, we’re at the 26th generation with Dr. Shogo Mochizuki). This Kobido master is Japanese, and since his health is declining, he no longer teaches many courses, and there are fewer and fewer certified Kobido experts in the world.
It’s impossible to get a massage from Dr. Shogo Mochizuki in Japan; only the Japanese elite can access the master. We can only access certified Kobido experts (his students).
Before opting for a Kobido treatment, you must ask the massage therapist for certification and check the official list on the site kobido.com. This list isn’t fully up to date, so don’t hesitate to ask for a photo of the masseuse’s certification.
Kobido in Italy
In Italy, there are only two certified Kobido massage therapists, one of whom is in Rome: Simona Primavera.
I was lucky enough to get an appointment with her and book her for the rest of my time in Rome.
There are various levels of Kobido. Each level requires a lot of time + practice + exam. So, to reach the sixth level, Simona needed many years and many training locations (indeed, the master holds very few courses abroad, so Simona followed him in Japan, Miami, and Paris) to complete the six levels. She’s been doing this job with passion for eleven years.
She used to be a lawyer specializing in international relations, traveled a lot, worked for Italian embassies, and then, in 2009, decided to take Kobido courses, and here I am in front of her studio.
When she received me in her studio, she was incredibly enthusiastic, a real ray of sunshine. The Kobido world is very small; she also knows my other Kobido aestheticians in Paris.
Simona Primavera’s treatment
Before Covid, Simona had a studio in Rome’s historic center, with a tatami as a massage table. Her studio is currently a bit further away, but still close to the center, at Via Tacito 26, inside an osteopaths’ practice. However, the massage table is still top-notch (she’ll soon offer the tatami again).
I’ve had the chance to try Kobido in Paris with two practitioners, but since they have an aesthetician background, they’ve invented a custom facial treatment combining Kobido techniques with kinesiotherapy, Face Sculpting, and Gua Sha.
Simona has stayed more faithful to the traditional technique, following the Kobido method from A to Z. I like both approaches, but I’m also curious to learn the ancient method thanks to Simona: from the massage water to the organic Japanese toners, provided by the Kobido master (based on rose, rice, and other organic products). The water temperature changes depending on the technique used, sometimes lukewarm, sometimes hot, and sometimes she places hot stones on acupuncture points while continuing to massage with her hands.
Here’s how the session goes:
- If you wear makeup, you’ll get a thorough oil-based makeup removal.
- If you don’t wear makeup, you’ll get a lightly exfoliating cleanse (with rice water), which is then removed with warm towels. If you think that’s not enough (maybe because you’ve spent the whole day out, among exhaust pipes and sweating), you can also ask for makeup removal.
- Simona massages with her eyes closed, which allows her to better assess my face’s needs. For example, she immediately spotted tensions in my jaw and worked a lot on that area.
- The décolleté doesn’t get a full massage, but it’s stimulated a lot to get the lymph moving. By now, with experience, a masseuse just has to touch me for me to know if they know acupuncture points or not lol 😀 I can confirm Simona knows them very well and has also absorbed Asian culture, energy circulation, etc.
- She also does some light massage on the back of the neck, arms, and legs, so the whole body is relaxed.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’m posting a video; it’s exactly the treatment I received (well, Simona wasn’t wearing a kimono; it’s not comfortable for massages, but the gestures were still precise and effective).
The great thing about treatments that are 100% massage is that the aesthetician NEVER leaves you. There are no masks that last 20 minutes out of a 60-minute treatment. She’s there for you the entire time, and I really appreciate that.
Oh yes, there’s a small detail I truly appreciate: using scarves for the hair and to cover up. It’s very delicate, and I have no marks around my head afterward.
Here are the before/after photos. I had 5 treatments with her. My jaw is much more relaxed, my whole face looks lifted, and my skin texture is beautiful. Now, all I need to do is treat the spots gently and safely. These results are also the fruit of a gentle home routine that repairs the skin barrier.
€150 per 50-minute session
They have offers for a series of 4 sessions: €500
It’s a price that’s exceptional, given the quality of the service.
Simona speaks perfect Italian and English (and a bit of French), I suggest you send her a direct message on Whatsapp (rather than an email) +39 329 335 5647
She responds very quickly.
She accepts card or cash payments
More info on the Spring Touch website http://www.springtouch.it/
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY AT CHIROLAB, VIA TACITO, 26 (PIAZZA COLA DI RIENZO), ROME
More info on the Spring Touch website http://www.springtouch.it/
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY, AT HOME
Call +39 329 335 5647.
