Hailey Bieber Swears By This Lifting and Tightening Facial Treatment

Earlier this week, Hailey Bieber posted an Instagram Story of herself having fork-like devices gently swept across her face. It's the type of video that makes you feel relaxed just watching, even if you have no idea what the hell she was having done to her face.

But even if you nerd out on skin treatment tech, the brief video probably still leaves you with a lot of questions. So here's the low-down on Bieber's facial: The model was paying a visit to Skin Worship in L.A., a beauty and spiritual wellness center that's attracted the likes of Sofia Richie, Olivia Culpo, and Lizzo. Esthetician Emma Goodman gave Bieber Skin Worship's Neurotris lifting facial, a microcurrent-centric treatment.

This wasn't your average microcurrent facial, though. "I do a lot of energy work," says Goodman. "I also work with guided meditation, chakra balancing, crystals, and craniosacral therapy [a gentle technique that, similar to massage therapy, uses hands-on light touching to look for fascia-related issues or disruptions in the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, according to Cleveland Clinic]. So I kind of create more of a mind-body-spirit treatment, instead of just slapping some stuff on your skin."

The main attraction of Goodman's treatment, microcurrent therapy, has plenty of exciting potential benefits. The pronged devices deliver low-level currents deep enough to make muscles contract, says Goodman. "It turns muscles on that atrophy as we age," she explains. "As we use certain muscles, they start to tighten up and then the skin falls down." Over time, stimulating those muscles can promote a more sculpted, lifted look, she says. Research also suggests that microcurrents can encourage the production of ATP, a key chemical in skin cells' repair process.

Now for the bad news: Microcurrent treatments are far from a one-and-done deal. Many skin pros compare using microcurrent or similar radiofrequency devices to going to the gym: If you aren't consistent, you won't see a change in your muscles. Treatment centers that offer microcurrent facials typically suggest monthly maintenance treatments, and that's after an initial month of more frequent treatments. Considering one treatment will set you back $300, it's not something everyone can afford.

But for anyone willing to invest, it could be a worthwhile preventative anti-aging measure, says Goodman. "All of my girls in their 20s are on a microcurrent schedule. It just gives you such amazing results," she explains, adding that it's easier to opt for preventative treatments when you're young than to try to target fine lines and wrinkles once they've already set in.

For those who don't feel like hitting up a salon, some companies have created devices that can deliver the benefits of microcurrent treatments at home. But they aren't as powerful as professional-grade machines, and they require a daily time commitment, says Goodman. Still, there's something to be said for spending what you'd pay for a single treatment on your own device. The NuFACE Trinity Facial Toning Device (Buy It, $339, ulta.com) can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and improve facial contours using microcurrent technology.