Phenomenal animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters is breaking and setting new records in and out of Netflix. With over 130 million views worldwide six weeks since it was released on 20 June, it is the most-watched animated film ever on the streaming platform.
Even the tracks of the movie’s fictional bands, HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, dominate real global charts, beating real K-pop girl and boy groups. HUNTR/X’s “Golden” peaked at the United Kingdom’s Official Singles Chart, making it the only K-pop single to hit such mark since PSY’s “Gangnam Style” in 2012. The movie’s soundtrack has been hailed by Billboard as the highest-charting soundtrack this year.
Even HUNTR/X and Saja Boys’ fashion and looks in the film have taken the world by storm — with many cosplayers and influencers making their own versions.
Whether you are a Hunter (from HUNTR/X’s fandom) or a member of Saja Boys’ Pride, you, too, could recreate their looks in real life! As the lyrics of HUNTR/X’s “How It’s Done” song goes, let me show you “how it’s done, done, done!”
Slay with Cat’s Eye nails
A purple like Rumi? Red like Mira? Green like Zoey? Whatever your color vibe is, Ukiyo Beauty Bar, a spa and nail salon in S Maison, Pasay City, offers Cat’s Eye nails in a rainbow of colors.
While Ukiyo has massages and facials, it specializes in Cat’s Eye nails, an in-trend manicure style with a shimmering gradient effect resembling the cat’s eye.
For brittle and short nails, the nail salon recommends nail extension application prior to installing the pre-designed Cat’s Eye nails. The application of both the extension and the Cat’s Eye nails take about two hours in total for both hands, a process involving cleaning the nails; attaching the extensions to each fingernail using premium glue; cleaning and polishing the extensions with clear nail polish; then gluing the Cat’s Eye nails and “designing” every fingernail’s gradient line using a pen-like magnet; and drying the polishes and the glue in between every process using ultraviolet (UV) light.
The extensions and the Cat’s Eye nails are cut depending on one’s desired length. They are strong enough to withstand household chores like dishwashing, doing the laundry, can-opening and even scratching dirt, tape and stickers from surfaces. The nails also do not make it hard to type on a computer keyboard — in fact, they make typing easier!
There are, however, some chores that could be challenging to do with the nails on — such as putting body-hugging underwear or clothes on and off, but these are usually manageable even if these take some more time than usual to do.
The nails can be cut like your natural ones and can stay in place for a month. It is advisable to have a nail technician remove the artificial nails to not damage the natural ones. Alternatively, just let your natural nails grow until they kick off the artificial ones.
In general, having Cat’s Eye nails is so “slay” — just like each HUNTR/X member who has a signature weapon!
Get a ‘Golden’ glow-up
Be confident to show your stripes, just like Rumi at the end of the movie, by observing a skincare routine.
Key to the success of K-pop stars like HUNTR/X and Saja Boys are “visuals.” To help Filipinos achieve glass skin and that quintessential “Korean aesthetic,” KNatural in PNB Building, Doña Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, specializes in authentic, all-Korean skincare treatments and products, administered by specialists trained by Korean doctors.
Every session at KNatural starts with determining one’s skin type and needs using an advanced skin analyzer. There are treatments specifically for dry, oily or combination skin.
The anti-aging, non-laser Porcelain Glow Facial is to minimize the pores, oiliness and adult acne. The five-step treatment lasts for about hour, using a Hysonic Three-Way machine and a procedure that includes blackheads and whiteheads removal; lymphatic drainage; High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for skin-tightening and lifting; and then Radio Frequency (RF) to improve skin elasticity and blood flow. For better results, Elline Manaois, a beauty consultant at the clinic, recommended six to eight sessions of the facial, in weekly intervals.
For tired and/or irritated skin, Elline suggested the Calming Laser Treatment, which she said, is also ideal for addressing sensitive skin, active acne and redness.
“Our products and services were tested on Filipinos’ skin,” Elline assured.
True to the tradition of Korean therapy dogs, each room in the center has a mascot, a stuffed toy named “Byeol” (“Star” in Korean), which aims to comfort those undergoing therapy, much like the tiger Derpy and the magpie Sussie, Jinu’s pets in K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Indeed, after a KNatural facial, you can confidently show off your skin like Rumi, and like her, hum some lyrics from “Golden”: “I’m done hidin’, now I’m shinin’, like I’m born to be…”
AI sauna a la HUNTR/X off-duty
From science fiction, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now part of everyday life — and even Biovitalis’ Infrared Dome has it.
Biovitalis, a recently opened wellness center in S Maison co-owned by doctors Ryan and Candy Dalman of Centro Holistico, takes pride in offering regenerative treatments like the in-trend exosomes for skin and hair. But for those aiming for detox and weight loss, its crown jewel is Infrared Dome, which is like the pod version of the traditional hot bath and sauna where HUNTR/X members go to while on a break from their K-pop duties.
Besides its infrared lights that are as colorful as K-pop, the Infrared Dome in Biovitalis S Maison has added features, doctor Ysabella Espino told DAILY TRIBUNE. These include vibration that simulates a full-body workout; lymphatic drainage; improved blood circulation; and jade crystals that also aid in energy healing — seems like the superpowers the HUNTR/X possess to kill demons!
To prepare for a treatment, one is asked to drink plenty of water and to take out everything, including underwear, and only wear a hospital gown upon lying on the dome. An attendant checks on you in five to 10-minute intervals, asking you if the temperature setting is comfortable and tolerable. There is also an emergency button you can push anytime.
Halfway through the 45-minute procedure, which is like being in a massage chair and a sauna rolled into one, your feet might get very hot, so the attendant could put a wet towel over the feet. After the treatment, one gets very sweaty, which according to Dr. Espino, is a sign of effective detoxification.
A day after the experience, I can still feel some sensation of the shaking like a muscle memory, especially on my tummy. My urination and bowel movement also improved.
For overall good health, Espino recommended the procedure to adults at least once a week, except for those with pacemakers and other metallic implants on the body.
Look younger with well-shaped eyebrows
I am now 40, but after having a brow threading at Browhaus in S Maison, I have been told that I look 25!
Now, you too could feel and look young enough to be a fan of K-Pop Demon Hunters after a Brow Reconstruction or eyelash extension session at Browhaus, or a waxing treatment at its sister brand Strip.
The brands use in-house and exclusive natural-based products with flavors like strawberry and chocolate, which are good enough to eat. The treatments are done in “Instagram-worthy” rooms with a quirky synchronized swimming theme — making you feel like swimmers are saying “hi” as you kiss unwanted hair goodbye.
Have abs like a Saja Boy
Among the funniest scenes in K-Pop Demon Hunters are when the HUNTR/X’s eyes turn into popcorn every time they spot the Saja Boys’ biceps and abs. In fact, one of the Saja Boys, Abby, has been literally named as such for being a walking abs.
At S’ Maison, salon and aesthetic clinic Pink Parlour offers Body Building Tan, a “100-percent organic” procedure that can highlight one’s abs. For sagging butts, the clinic boasts of its unique Athena Bumbum Facial using “new and improved” six-in-one hydra facial machine for flawless buttocks.
For couples like Rumi and Jinu, Pink Parlour has a special message posted on a treatment room wall: “Our Brazilian waxing is less painful than your breakup.”
Ukiyo, Biovitalis, Pink Parlour, Browhaus and other wellness stores in S Maison present special promotions and offers until 31 August as part of the luxury mall’s “Wellness Redefined” campaign.