A fourth generation healer, Candice Forness has always believed in a connection between how one is internally with how one looks externally. “Beauty is health,” says Forness whose mother was a nurse and healer who shared the “language” of holistic healing with her family. “The healing presence and healing hands are genetic.”
This heritage fed Forness’ desire to learn and “explore beauty on different levels.” As she cultivated a career as a makeup artist and men’s groomer, Forness listened to her clients’ concerns about aging. She wanted to find and incorporate more holistic beauty care into her work that catered to people’s various needs and concerns. And she was inspired globally, particularly when she learned of head and face massage during her travels to India. So Forness continued to dig deep and “explore beauty on different levels” that included touch and energy. She studied with an Ayurvedic specialist in New York and became certified in the Ayurvedic Facelift Massage method. She also leaned into energy work and became a certified a Reiki Master, as well as certified in advanced Intergraded Energy Therapy.
These systems of healing refined Forness’ evolution into becoming a holistic beauty specialist. Today she incorporates one’s entire wellbeing into her work. “I ask people how they’re sleeping,” she says. “I asked them about their hydration. I ask them about their diet, their exercise.”
This can be experienced through Forness’ Ayurvedic Facelift Massage. A holistic massage-facial-energic treatment, Forness calls it a cure-all that “can literally make people younger while they nap.” It starts with an element of cranial sacral where she cradles your head to communicate that you are “effortlessly supported.” (Let that sink in.) Forness then presses on the Marma points to encourage a flow of fresh oxygen to the brain. And what ensues is a euphoric “workout” for the face and soul that includes an incredible mix of lymphatic and Swedish massage and acupressure using all natural products—including UMA. (Forness even “holds the heart” by gently placing her hands under the left shoulder blade.) The treatment is a wonder: Muscles are lifted. Cheekbones are defined. Toxins are drained. Serotonin and dopamine are released. Skin is gleaming. It’s as though youth has been lassoed.
“It works on multiple levels,” says Forness. “Your face looks amazing but people get so much more out of it. You get a higher level of relaxation and time to reflect and to implement change.”
Which highlights one of the most beneficial elements of the ayurvedic treatment that is easy to overlook: the appreciation for change. We’re always evolving—and so is our world. “The weather is different. We wake up feeling different. We need different things,” says Forness, who customizes every treatment to be tailored to exactly what you need in the present moment. Because, after all, honoring this endless evolution is the pillar of Ayurveda.
Forness hopes that her treatment sparks an investment in holistic self-care and nurture. She wants you to leave feeling and looking incredible, of course. But she also wants you thinking about how you can better care for… you. It’s essential to have a beauty routine, she says. It can be fast and efficient—”a quick massage with your moisturizer”— or it can be long and elaborate. As long as you take time for yourself. “It’s hooking you back up to who you are. It’s teaching you to face yourself in the mirror, to evaluate, and to love. That is so powerful.”
To learn more about Candice Forness and her Ayurvedic Facelift Massage, visit: candiceforness.com
The advice in this column is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease, or affect the structure or function of the body. The information herein does not constitute medical advice. Anyone suffering from a medical condition should consult with a physician. User reviews do not constitute a guarantee that you will achieve the same results—what works for one may not work for another.
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