Get Your Slime On: Japanese Snail Facials Available On Taobao

There was a time when grandma would pay you a quarter for every snail or slug you salted in the backyard, helping her eliminate one more threat to her precious petunias. Now, thanks to a certain Tokyo salon, people are shelling out hundreds of RMB to let those same critters trail slime all over their faces.

Yes, you heard us right. They are now offering snail facials in Japan, and the products (i.e. the snails) are available for the beauty-conscious, online shoppers in Beijing.

Snail slime has long been praised for its beauty benefits: it’s said to make the skin more youthful by helping it to retain moisture, remove dead skin, and pump it up with antioxidants and proteins. Snail-infused creams and serums have become quite popular in places like Japan and South Korea over the past few years, and now Tokyo-based Ci:z.Labo salon is capitalizing on this slimy mollusk’s surge in popularity by offering “Celebrity Escargot” facials. It’ll probably be a while before this facial fad catches on in Beijing, so in the meantime, satisfy your snail beauty craving with some of these products below.

1. "Nutrition Snail Cream"
2. Snail "Healing Cream"
3. "Snail Liquid"

If none of those products quite cut it, you can always try to replicate the results by getting your own snails and doing the facial yourself. Taobao has some nice ones for just RMB 4.5 what a steal! We're not quite sure what this is, but more snails.

Beauty benefits or no, I still prefer my snails the good, old-fashioned way: on a dinner plate.

Photos: abcnews, nymag, foodimentary.com