• Think: forehead, jaw and chin.
• There are 43 muscles in the face. Like other muscles in our bodies, Snead says, facial muscles can benefit from some TLC.

How it works: Gua sha, a technique rooted in centuries-old Chinese medicine, involves using a smooth-edged tool to massage or scrape the skin.

• Western practitioners today perform facial massage in a number of ways.

Zoom in: Snead starts with warm gua sha stones, then uses her hands to massage facial muscles before finishing with cool stones.

• Clients often say their faces feel "lighter" and less puffy afterward. Some even cry, which Snead describes as an emotional release.

State of play: Demand for facial massage has grown at Snead's Berkana studio in St. Louis Park.

• Four years ago, she performed roughly two or three a week.
• Now, she may do as many as 20, she says.

The latest: FaceGym, a facial-massage chain founded in London, has two more U.S. locations planned to add to its seven already open in New York and Los Angeles.

• The company promotes cosmetic benefits, including lifting, sculpting and toning facial muscles.

What they're saying: Facial massage "would conceivably have the same physiological effects as massaging other parts of the body," Tiffany Field, a faculty member at the University of Miami School of Medicine and Fielding Graduate University who studies massage, tells Axios.

Reality check: There's not a ton of research on facial massage, but small studies suggest it may help people sleep better, while facial rollers may boost blood flow and improve skin elasticity.

To treat yourself: Snead recommends gently rolling a jade roller from the nose toward the ear and then down the neck.

• "It doesn't have to be a long time," she says.

The bottom line: For many clients, the appeal is simple: "A rest, a little breath, a little peace for a second," Snead says.