Strange 'biting massage' that many stars are competing to experience
A unique massage involves biting down the client's back with the teeth, a technique the masseuse says relaxes muscles and promotes blood circulation.
Dorothy Stein gives "bite massage" to female wrestler Elena Pogosyana. |
Dorothy Stein became famous in the 1980s when she used "bite massage" therapy on rock legend Frank Zappa's band before they played a show.
Stein said her mother encouraged her to use her teeth as a massage tool from a young age. When she was just 5 years old, her mother asked her daughter to give her her first massage. However, her daughter's hands were too weak, so her mother told her to bite her back with her teeth instead. And that method proved to be very effective, because 4 decades later, Dorothy Stein still uses her teeth to serve customers.
Dorothy Stein's "bite massage" therapy is especially popular among A-list celebrities in the US. Since the early 1980s, Stein began offering free massages to famous bands, which is how she became widely known. Def Lepard and The Rolling Stones were among Stein's first clients.
Video of Dorothy Stein performing the bizarre "bite massage" technique:
Stein only started charging for massages in 1994, when she was already well-known among musicians and Hollywood celebrities. Today, her massage therapy also attracts big names such as Kanye West, Katy Perry and Simon Cowell. Each massage costs around $150.
Stein took a photo with singer Katy Perry after the "bite massage". |
Still, Stein admits not all clients are interested in her unconventional massage therapy.
“I usually ask if they want to try it first. Then before I apply the oil, I bite all over the back, up and down, slowly and in small bites, avoiding the bones. I do this on the neck and shoulders, sometimes the buttocks,” Stein says.
“I bite down wide, not hard enough to break the skin, but firm and deep enough to grab and ‘stretch’ the back muscles, warming them up,” Stein adds. “I’ve never hurt anyone this way, and it’s really soothing for the client, bringing them to a place they’ve never experienced before. They go from being unaware to trusting me.”
Recently, Dorothy Stein appeared on the British television channel ITV's This Morning and performed the "bite massage" technique live on air. The show received mixed reactions, with some commenting on Twitter that it was weird to watch but they couldn't take their eyes off the TV, while others couldn't stand it.
Stein claims that the "bite massage" helps promote blood circulation, but not everyone is convinced that it is harmless. Dr. Holly Phillips, author of "The Exhaustion Breakthrough," has raised concerns about the risk of infection if Stein accidentally bites too hard. "About 10 to 15 percent of human bite wounds become infected. There is also a risk of transmitting viruses such as hepatitis B," she warned in Billboard.
