Ashley Banks, of Boulder, lies on a table under the glow of two metal probes.
Right now, the probes glow red. Next is orange. Then yellow, in time with chimes on a CD. There are 12 colors, each designed to stimulate a different 'chakra' in other words, different physical organs and psychological issues.
Not that Banks, 19, is concerned with wrinkles. She has been getting energy light rejuvenation once a month for 10 months to treat and prevent acne, although her complexion is clear today. She focuses on her acne 'problem spot' her chin.
The treatment is also supposed to minimize puffiness and encourage collagen and elastin production. Other patients claim it has helped with congestion and allergies. Some come to zap a specific pimple before a big event, such as a wedding or dance.
Jamie Gordon Skin Care in Boulder has been offering energy light rejuvenation for two years — the only practitioner in Boulder. She performs energy light rejuvenation on about 15 regular clients, but the number continues to grow as more people hear about it.
It has been featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.' Celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Renee Zellweger and Meryl Streep, have reportedly joined the trend.
Boulderite Banks' focus today is orange, the second chakra, standing for intimacy, creativity and abundance, as well as lower pain and the reproductive system.
'Skin takes in color, says Gordon, who is also a color consultant. She helps clients pick out clothes and make-up to accentuate their natural beauty and characteristics.
Think, she says: Dietitians recommend eating a variety of food with different colors, because they contain different vitamins. Feng shui, the Chinese practice of decorating and arranging rooms, says colors can help you achieve goals, healing and relaxation.
The Web site, www.thespiritualfengshui.com, says, 'Every association you have with a color contributes in some way to how you are.'
Energy light rejuvenation plays off the same belief.
The treatment combines color-light therapy and micro-current, also known as electro-medicine, which been used to decades for pain management. It started for patients with Bell's palsy, the paralysis of facial nerves. It requires no healing time and has minimal discomfort.
In fact, Banks calls her treatment revitalizing.
'It's relaxing,' she says, lying on the bed. 'It kind of tingles, but it doesn't hurt at all.'
But it's not cheap. One 90-minute session costs $150, but sessions can be as quick as 15 minutes. Experts recommend between seven and 20 sessions for noticeable results, depending on health and the damage of skin.
Banks' treatment started with testing her chakras to identify deficiencies. Gordon uses something called the 'O test' where the patient's muscle strength is tested while she looks at different colored slides. If the strength is weakened while looking at a specific color, it indicates a problem in that chakra, Gordon says.
The intense varying colored lights are warm on Banks' face as Gordon applies the probes. Some colors at specific points make the muscle twitch, and Banks can feel the heat travel in distinct lines up to her head or down to her toes. Occasionally, where Gordon says there is a clogged chakra, the warmth surges into a tiny pin-prick. If Gordon focuses a probe on that point, the feeling typically fades.
Some people compare energy light rejuvenation to acupuncture without the needles. They say it feels similar, and stimulates chakras in a comparable way.
'It stimulates muscles, brings energy to it' Gordon says. "It allows it to be nourished with oxygen and blood to recover."
A machine connected to the probes measures the energy wavelengths, which Gordon says represents the body's reception to specific issues. For example, the crown of the head is supposed to indicate openness to spirituality. Gordon aims to rouse low-functioning chakras.
The premise: Eastern medicine believes the face is a map of the organs. And internal health is the foundation to external beauty, Gordon says.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Aimee Heckel at (303) 473-1359 or heckela@dailycamera.com.
