'I got a facial that promised to take 5 years off in 30 minutes. Here's my honest review.'

Mamamia's Tried and Tested series is your review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellbeing. You won't find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Mamamia's Stacey Hicks tried the viral Face Up Method treatment.

It's not very often I let a stranger put their hands inside my mouth, but when I do, it's usually at the dentist and usually to do with cavities. 

So I was intrigued (and slightly apprehensive) when I agreed to try a facial sculpting massage with "face whisperer" Olga Newman. 

Olga has built a cult following after developing her Face Up method — a somatic treatment to release deep emotional and fascial tension. And yep, it involves intra-oral massage. 

Her technique is based around the idea that you can naturally sculpt and lift your face by releasing the tension, chronic stress and mental exhaustion we carry in our face — from our clenched jaw to our furrowed brow. 

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Like any cynical Millennial who has seen just about every treatment possible come and go, I was interested in how much of a difference this facial could actually make, but scrolling through before and after images, I was excited to see the results.

As a working mum with a rapidly vanishing jawline, I knew I wanted whatever they were having (and if I could put off my next injectables appointment, then that would be an added bonus). 

So, what's actually involved in the treatment? 

You know those people who are so glowy and magnetic that they make you subconsciously correct your posture when you meet them? That's Olga.

The 42-year-old radiates a calming energy I could only dream of achieving, but admits she didn't always feel so comfortable with what she saw in the mirror.

After noticing changes to her face, she worked on developing her technique to naturally reshape her own face.

Olga Newman before and after using her Face Up method. Image: Supplied.

As we sat down, she explained how, by using deep tissue massage and somatic therapy, the treatment would activate blood flow, increase circulation, help clear my sinuses and create a visible lift. 

Essentially, it's like a remedial massage and a workout for your face all in one. 

"Our face is the filter of our life, it is everything we consume consciously and unconsciously," Olga told me. 

"Stress and tension are what ages us. So many people don't realise how much tension they hold in their face. People get injections to paralyse it, to help with the pain in their face, but this is not a long-term solution." 

She shared: "Facial muscles are intricately connected to the nervous system, and many of us unknowingly carry years of unprocessed emotion in our expressions."

"For example, the jaw often stores frustration, suppressed anger, and the tension of unexpressed emotion. The temples reveal chronic stress and mental exhaustion, while the mouth, brow, and eyes hold the subtle imprints of long-held emotional endurance. These patterns live in the fascia, facial muscles, and even the nervous system itself."

Olga Newman. Image: Supplied.

As someone who loves a firm massage, I didn't find it painful or uncomfortable. Olga used firm motions to break down the tension, and it was more of a pulling sensation as she worked through nooks and crannies of my face I didn't even realise existed. 

First she worked along my cheeks, nose and jawline before stretching out the muscles of my neck and shoulders. 

While it's not the type of treatment to make you doze, I fell into a deep state of relaxation. 

For the intra-oral part of the treatment, I was surprised by how natural it felt as it released tension deep in my jaw and cheeks.

Immediately afterwards, my sinuses felt clear and there had been a huge "emptying" of my face — like a weight I didn't realise I'd been carrying as I walked around the world, had been drained out. 

Here's my mug right before the treatment, then immediately afterwards: 

I noticed a lifting around my jowls most. Image: Supplied.

My cheeks felt lifted and my sinuses were clearer. Image: Supplied.

The next day when I applied my makeup, I did notice my face looked visibly less puffy than usual, and I felt like a lot of the tension in my shoulders was gone. 

I felt some slight soreness along my jawline and neck, like when your muscles are a bit sore from a weights class, but felt back to normal by the next day.

The verdict. 

Would I have this treatment again? Absolutely. 

While the results from one session were subtle, I could see that repeated treatments and self-massage treatment at home (which Olga shares in tutorials on her Face Up App) would make a distinct difference and release a lot of the built-up jaw and sinus tension I suffer with day-to-day. 

While Olga rarely does treatments for clients anymore, she works as a trainer for other providers to expand out to multiple locations. You can find a qualified practitioner here, with more becoming available as they complete the strict assessment process. 

Feature image: Supplied.