A Kobido session with Elena runs forty or sixty minutes depending on the treatment you choose, and it falls into four moments: a short conversation to read your skin and understand what you're hoping for, a purifying cleanse, the massage itself — the heart of the ritual — and a quiet return, with a final hydrating step. The room is dim, the soundscape Japanese-inspired and gently rhythmic. Here is what to expect, step by step, whether you arrive at my studio in Paris 17 or open your front door to welcome me into your home.
Contents
Before the session: making sure the treatment is right for you
The ritual starts before you arrive. When you book — by phone, text or email — I ask a handful of essential questions to check that the treatment is suitable for you: have you had any recent injectables? Any facial surgery in the last few months? Are you pregnant? These checks aren't optional. They're part of what it means, in my view, to practise responsibly.
If something rules out a session that day, I'd rather postpone or adapt the format than risk a treatment that isn't right for you. The NHS itself recommends a clear consultation and a cooling-off period before any cosmetic procedure, and the same principle applies here: a few careful questions on the front end save disappointment on the day. Occasionally, I'll redirect someone to a doctor or to a colleague whose practice fits their situation better.
Arriving at the studio: setting the scene
On the day, ideally you arrive a few minutes early — not so that you wait, but so that you don't begin in a rush. I welcome you into a space designed for stillness: soft light, discreet scents, a treatment table dressed with thick warm linen.
Before you settle, we take a couple of minutes to talk. This preliminary consultation can be in English or Italian — whichever you are more comfortable in. The contraindications have already been cleared, so this short conversation is about what changes today: your stress level, how you've been sleeping, any tension you're already aware of, and what you're hoping for from this session — radiance before an event, deeper work on the facial contour, or simply an hour of quiet after a heavy stretch. If you are based in Italy, I also welcome clients at my Milan studio in Navigli on selected dates.
This conversation owes something to my years in hospital medical imaging, where a decade of practice taught me one thing above all: precise work starts with a precise reading. Reading your face at the start of a session is what determines, in practical terms, the pressure I'll use, the rhythm of the manoeuvres, and the areas I'll spend longer on.
What I observe
Many of my clients arrive with a specific question about one line or one area. But the moment I begin to touch their face, what I meet first is tension somewhere else: a clenched jaw, a tight base of the skull, a forehead that never quite lets go. That short reading time at the start of the session is partly about that too — making space for what hasn't been said.
Preparing the skin before the massage
You settle comfortably on the table, on your back, head exposed, the rest of your body covered to keep you warm. I begin with a thorough cleanse, using the official Kobido products imported from Japan. This step is focused on the face — the area where the work will unfold.
The cleanse isn't cosmetic. It clears the pores, wakes up microcirculation, and lets my hands glide without friction. To finish, I apply the Kobido oil or serum I've chosen for your skin type — dry, combination, sensitive, mature. I also use oshiboris, warm damp cloths that open the pores and prepare the tissue to receive manual work.
The room has been preparing too. The light has dropped a notch. A Japanese-inspired soundscape now carries the manoeuvres, with tempos that support the rhythm of the percussions and the smoothing strokes. For you, this is the moment the outside world starts to recede.
The heart of the ritual: 35 or 55 minutes of Kobido massage
This is the longest part of the session, and the most intense. Depending on the treatment you've chosen — Kobido Glow (35 minutes of massage) or Kobido Signature (55 minutes) — I move through the seven main families of manoeuvres that make up the Kobido art: deep smoothing strokes, kneading, rhythmic percussions, pressures on acupressure points (the tsubos), drainage, frictions, stretches.
The sequence isn't fixed. It follows a thread inherited from a lineage founded in 1472, but it adapts to your face today. If the jaw is held tight, I stay there longer. If the facial contour needs work, I deepen the lifting manoeuvres. If the skin looks tired, I begin by stimulating microcirculation before anything else.
You'll notice several textures: very gentle passages that feel like effleurages, more energetic moments with rapid fingertip percussions, precise pressures on points that can be briefly tender — that's normal, those are usually the spots where tension has settled. The rhythm keeps shifting: that's what sets Kobido apart from a more conventional facial massage.
Torn between the Glow and the Signature?
It comes down to what you're after. The Glow is ideal for a fresh boost before a specific moment; the Signature, more complete, brings in a shiatsu dimension that allows for deeper relaxation — some clients half-doze through it. Browse the treatments →
During the massage, I work in silence on my side, but you're free to speak if you want or need to. Most clients fall into the silence after the first few minutes: that silence isn't absence, it's full presence to what you're feeling. It's also what lets the depth of the relaxation take hold.
For a sense of what each manoeuvre can do, you can read my piece on the effects of Kobido zone by zone. And if you're wondering how Kobido sits alongside aesthetic medicine treatments, I've written a full article on that question.
Coming back slowly after the treatment
The massage closes gently, with slower soothing strokes that bring your attention back to the present. I then apply a final hydrating product chosen for your skin, and step away for a few minutes to let you come back at your own pace.
This moment matters. I prefer my clients to take two or three minutes to open their eyes, sit up unhurriedly, drink a little water. Walking straight out of a Kobido session means missing part of what it offers — the relaxation needs a few quiet moments to settle in.
At the studio, I leave you time to dress. If I've come to you, I pack up while you stay lying down. This is often when clients ask their real questions — about frequency, about home care, about what they felt during the session.
What changes when the session takes place at home?
The structure is identical. The only difference is that I bring everything: linen, towels, official Kobido products, soundscape. You don't need to prepare anything — except a quiet spot with soft light, and a comfortable bed or sofa. I don't bring a massage table to home sessions: you stay lying on your bed, in your own surroundings, and that's precisely what makes the home experience particularly valuable for some clients.
The Signature at home runs sixty minutes, just like at the studio. You'll want to set aside ten to fifteen extra minutes overall, for setting up and packing away. I travel within central Paris and the western inner suburbs — Neuilly, Levallois, Clichy — for home sessions, with select dates in Milan available throughout the year.
How much time should you allow?
For the Kobido Glow (forty minutes of hands-on work), plan around fifty to fifty-five minutes in total. For the Kobido Signature (sixty minutes), count seventy-five. At home, add ten to fifteen minutes for setting up and packing away. I'd gently advise against booking straight into another commitment afterwards: give yourself a few minutes to enjoy the state you'll walk out in.
If you're thinking through a course of sessions rather than a one-off — meaning how many sessions, and at what rhythm, would match your goals — I've written an entire article on how many Kobido sessions you should plan for.
One last thing
Kobido isn't a treatment where you simply lie back and let it happen. It's a two-way experience. The more available you arrive — to the moment, to your own sensations — the deeper the experience can run. Preparing for a session isn't only about arriving with clean skin and avoiding harsh products the day before, though both help. It's about giving yourself permission to take an hour for yourself, with no guilt attached.
If you'd like to try, I see clients Monday to Sunday, from 8am to 8pm, at the studio (Paris 17, near Porte d'Asnières) or at home.
Book a session
You can book directly online — choose your treatment, date and time slot. If you'd prefer a conversation first, I'm reachable by phone, text or email. Book a session → | See all treatments →
Frequently asked questions about a Kobido session
How long does a Kobido session with Elena last?
It depends on the treatment you choose: forty minutes for the Kobido Glow, sixty for the Kobido Signature. Allow another ten to fifteen minutes for the opening conversation, settling in and the quiet return — a total slot of roughly fifty to seventy-five minutes.
Should I come with bare skin?
Ideally yes. I don't do makeup removal at the studio, and arriving with a clean face means the whole length of the appointment can go to the massage itself. I'd also recommend avoiding harsh treatments — peels, scrubs — in the forty-eight hours before your session.
Is the massage painful?
No. Some of the acupressure points can feel briefly tender if an area is particularly tight, but the overall intensity is that of a wellbeing treatment. I adjust the pressure to your tolerance throughout — please tell me during the session if anything feels uncomfortable.
Can we talk during the session?
Yes, you're free to speak whenever you need to. I work in silence on my side so that you can genuinely let go, and most clients settle into the quiet after the first few minutes. The conversation usually happens before and after the massage rather than during it.
