One of the most effective, yet least relaxing, spa services out there is the Korean body scrub. During the service, you lie on a wet plastic bed completely naked (in an open space with other people, I may add) while a Korean grandma, donned in a black bra and panties set, soaps, scrubs and rinses down every inch of your body. Using a scratchy nylon mitt, she physically exfoliates your skin until it turns pink and ropes of dead skin fall off. The scrubbing continues until no more dead skin forms and then the treatment concludes with a shampoo, a milk body rinse and a cucumber face mask. The result? The softest skin you’ll ever have that lasts for weeks.
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Although a Centuries-old beauty tradition in Korea, finding a spa in the States that performs the treatment is a bit harder—not to mention, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Luckily, you can get the same results in the privacy of your own home with the Deep Exfoliating Mitt by Dermasuri. As someone who makes a quarterly pilgrimage to the Korean spa (one state over, I may add!), I had pretty high standards when I put the Dermasuri mitt to the test.
First things first—read the instructions. The mitt should be used on wet skin, but not under running water. At the Korean spa, the scrub is preceded by a soak in the hot tub and five minutes in the steam room. At home, I recommend getting your skin softened in the shower before starting the scrub by bathing for 5 to 10 minutes. Second, don’t soap up before you start exfoliating, as the fabric relies on friction to take off the dead skin.
When you’re ready, put on the mitt (side note: it feels a little Michael Jackson-ish) and make sure to apply decent pressure to your skin, then scrub using quick upward and downward motions. Any buildup and dead cells will slough off in ribbons, revealing softer and smoother skin. It takes a bit of time to get used to and it’s not as luxurious as say—using Jo Malone—but it’s so satisfying to see the gunk fall off and the results are better than any sugar or salt scrub I’ve used. A word of caution, however: Make sure you don’t go too aggressive because you can easily overdo it and be left feeling a bit raw. Finally, don’t forget to follow up with a great body oil or moisturizer (we like Jergen’s Wet Skin Moisturizer) to keep your skin soft for days.
