Spoons Not Just for Cereal

Turns out one of the cheapest and most effective ways to calm your nervous system, ease jaw tension and de puff your face is sitting in your kitchen drawer. A spoon.

It sounds ridiculous at first. Surely we have enough gadgets already. But there is something brilliantly simple about a spoon. It is smooth, cool, curved and surprisingly effective when it comes to helping your body shift into rest mode. Add a bit of face oil for glide and suddenly you are giving yourself a nervous system reset and a de puffed face in less than five minutes.

The ancient ritual hiding in plain sight

Using a spoon for massage is not a TikTok fad. It is actually rooted in gua sha, a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique that goes back thousands of years. As far back as the Paleolithic era, people used smooth stones to scrape and soothe the skin to relieve pain or illness.

By the time of the Qing Dynasty spoons were being used alongside oils and balms to reduce inflammation and ease tension. Tools ranged from polished stones to copper coins to buffalo horn and yes, soup spoons too. There are even stories of aunties in Shanghai grabbing a soup spoon to scrape a child’s back during heatstroke, believing it could draw out toxins.

So when you pick up a chilled spoon and run it under your eyes or along your jawline, you are stepping into a ritual that has been around for centuries.

Why spoon massage works

Spoon massage works for three main reasons.

• It calms the nervous system. Gentle, repetitive strokes on the face and neck send signals of safety to the body. You shift into rest and digest instead of stress and clench.

• It reduces puffiness. Cold constricts blood vessels and helps move lymphatic fluid along. Perfect for morning puffiness or the “I didn’t sleep” face.

• It eases jaw tension. If you clench at night or grind your teeth the spoon can feel like relief pressed into the right spots.

How to try spoon massage at home

First things first, what kind of spoon? Traditionally people used ceramic soup spoons because they are smooth and curved but everyday soup spoons are great too. They are brilliant for cheeks, jaw and forehead. Teaspoons are great for precision work under the eyes. And don’t forget the handles, they are perfect for pressing into those tight spots at the base of your skull. 

Now you are ready:

1. Place two spoons in the fridge or dip them in ice water.

2. Start with a clean face and a light layer of face oil. This is important for smooth glide.

3. Sweep gently under your eyes out toward your temples.

4. From the sides of your nose glide down toward your jaw.

5. Trace upward along your jawline.

6. Use the spoon handle to press into the tight spots at the base of your skull.

That is it. Two to five minutes is enough. You feel calmer, your face looks fresher and you will be quietly smug that you managed a mini nervous system reset with cutlery.

Join us for Beauty Within Rituals

If you want to experience this in a group setting we will be using spoons in our next Beauty Within Rituals session. It is part ritual, part reset, and it feels so much better than standing alone in your bathroom. Come join us here.

Sometimes the most powerful tools for wellbeing are the simplest. And sometimes they are hiding in the kitchen drawer.