I truly love a good facial—the ritual of it, the permission to lie still for 90 minutes, the way my skin looks afterwards. I'm that person who books facials on vacation, who tries whatever's trending that month, who travels to San Gabriel for a treatment that a TikToker described as “Guasha on steroids” So yes, I was willing to pay $430 to have someone's fingers in my mouth if it meant potentially changing my jaw. Even if it meant that a tuning fork was somehow involved.
The service is offered in a cozy store in Beverly Hills by the company Sonia Vargascosmetologist and owner of Sonia Vargas Skin. While I called it a “tuning fork for the face,” Vargas calls it “restructuring and rebalancing the face.” The 90-minute, $430 procedure promises to physically restructure your face.
Vargas said she left fashion design eight years ago to undergo training in facial massage techniques such as craniosacral work (gentle manipulation of the skull and spine), manual lymphatic work and TMJ release. She told me that this treatment has become popular among different types of clients. “It just depends on the person, the person, what they need and their budget,” Vargas said.
Some come in weekly when dealing with acute TMJ issues, while others make quarterly maintenance appointments or schedule pre-wedding sessions when they need what Vargas calls a “natural lift.” She's had clients come in after jaw surgery who were treated twice a week for months, others were dealing with bad filler or Botox that needed intensive work to break up adhesions.
Sonia Vargas performs lymphatic drainage massage.
The room was similar to many I've been in for a facial, dim, had low music playing and the bed took up most of the space. But it featured special LED lights and “chakra-aligning” gemstones that Vargas claimed pulsed at 4 hertz, a frequency she said was designed to help the immune system.
The familiar parts went first. The tingling of glycolic acid, the pain of extraction, the warm towels warming my skin. Vargas then applied myofascial release techniques with the precision of someone who knows exactly what she's doing. Her fingers glided over my face like a pianist playing complex scales as she worked on lymphatic drainage and relaxation of my jaw—a pleasant experience that never felt uncomfortable.
As she continued to work, the gradual lifting of my facial muscles began to turn into something noticeable. There was a permanent knowing smile on my face, as if I had heard a particularly good joke that no one else got.
After examining my jaw, Vargas suggested I add a TMJ release, a $90 add-on to the basic treatment. What followed was some amazingly gentle intraoral work, also known as buccal massage. I saw aggressive videos onlinewhere the beauticians seem to be trying to extract someone's skeleton through their mouth, but it was very peaceful in comparison. Her gloved fingers ran along my jawline from her mouth, breaking the silence and noticing that my left side was significantly tense and slower there. I didn't mention the growing asymmetry I noticed in the photos, or that I was going to ask my dentist about it.
1. Sonia Vargas wraps a warm towel around Jackie Snow's face. 2. Sonia Vargas applies cleanser. (Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
The tuning fork came last and Vargas pressed it to various points on my face. It supposedly vibrated at a frequency called the Schumann resonance, 93.96 Hz, she later explained, a frequency that supposedly helps with immune function and chronic pain. It was basically what it was like: a cold piece of metal pressed against my skin, vibrating. Unlike the dramatic muscle work before, this was neutral, a little disappointing.
The treatment includes elements that straddle the line between established practice and less tested ideas. According to Dr. Ivy Lee, board-certified dermatologist at Pasadena Comprehensive Dermatology Center, the lymphatic drainage component has solid scientific support. “The scientific evidence is really based on the breast cancer literature,” Lee said, referring to post-surgical treatment for lymphedema. For healthy clients seeking wellness treatments, the benefits are primarily limited to a temporary reduction in swelling.
Sonia Vargas places a vibrating tuning fork on Jackie Snow's face.
Vibration therapy occupies darker territory. Lee pointed to small studies showing that vibration can temporarily improve microcirculation and skin temperature. But existing studies vary widely in frequency, duration and methodology. “We don't know the optimal dosage,” she said. “We don’t have an optimal protocol for what frequency of vibration, where you apply it and how long you apply it for.”
Traditional elements of facial care have clear benefits, Lee confirmed. As for the rest, she didn't see any potential for harm, and in our high-stress world, that might be the most important thing.
“Anything that can help us get that little moment where we can focus really helps,” she said. “Chronically elevated cortisol levels are bad for us.”
When it comes to claims about facial restructuring and balancing, the medical community is skeptical. “There is no evidence-based medicine to support any of the claims,” said Dr. Lisa Chipps, a Beverly Hills dermatologist who has reviewed the details of the treatment. While she acknowledged that practitioners can feel differences in muscle tension—as Vargas did with my jaw—changing or correcting that imbalance is another matter entirely.
However, Chipps noted what both dermatologists emphasized: There is no evidence that these treatments cause harm. “If it makes people feel good, there’s nothing wrong with it,” she said. For some, she suggested, it might be similar to how actors do exercises before auditions. If it makes them feel better, why not?
Vargas views the face as connected to the entire body's fascial system, which is either revolutionary body work or an expensive sham, depending on who you ask. When I mentioned that three years ago I had broken my pinky toe while surfing and injured my back and now maybe my entire jaw, she agreed that it was possible. “Your neck and shoulders are so tight,” Vargas told me. “When you get certain injuries, you think it's just here, but it actually affects everything.”
My skin looked great within days, glowing and lifted. I couldn't tell if it was the result of lymphatic drainage or fascial work, a tuning fork, or just 90 minutes of focused attention. In a city where everyone is stressed and most people have their jaws clenched without even realizing it, the results were worth it. And while Vargas clearly believes in working deeper with the body, she doesn't lose sight of the basics.
“I’m still an esthetician,” Vargas said. “I want your skin to look good.”
