“You’ve lived a happy life,” says Christy Brown, an esthetician at Vail Valley Wellness in Avon, Colorado, as she studied my face, “I can tell by the fine lines around your eyes.”

At 42 years old, I’ve avoided fillers or injectables. My skin care staples are sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, along with a nightly skin care routine and good genes. But despite my best efforts, time is slowly taking a toll. Sigh. Subtle lines on my face, not-so-subtle grays against my honey-brown hair and a muscle tweak from a mundane activity. This epiphany is not something I take lightly.

Yet in the same note, I realize that aging is a privilege not everyone experiences. And so, I’m embracing a middle ground: mindful aging — the art of getting older with intention. As someone who lives a healthy and wholesome lifestyle, I avoid putting unnecessary toxins in my body, which is how I stumbled upon Qi beauty.

Qi beauty is a needle-free, holistic treatment that uses Static Magnetic Field (SMF) therapy to support skin health, soften fine lines, improve circulation, reduce inflammation and restore vitality to the skin. Over 1,500 24-karat gold-plated magnetic microbeads are placed on your face in a customized matrix pattern, providing immediate results and cumulative benefits.

Photo by Jennifer Weintraub

Originally developed to treat wounds and accelerate healing, SMF therapy has been studied in clinical trials in Australia (where Qi beauty originated) and shown to influence cell size, shape and membrane structure. It takes several treatments every two to three weeks to change the behavior of the skin, followed by a maintenance routine every four to six weeks. Translation? It helps your skin look healthier, plumper and more alive from the inside out.

Skeptical? I was, too.

After a consultation and a calming cleanse, Brown began mapping the magnetic matrix across my face. Each treatment is customized, but starts with the same three points down the center of your face that correlate with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Beads sat in the indentations of my fine lines, around my eyes and clustered on the scar on my left cheek. The beads rested for 20 minutes; no tingling or tightening, just deep relaxation.

When she removed them and slathered on moisturizer, I peeked in the mirror.

The change was subtle, but real. The fine lines were softer. Tiny indentations under my eyes where the beads had been were evidence of immediate plumpness in my skin. My face was flushed, like I had just returned from a run, even though I hadn’t moved. It was due to an increase in blood flow, which delivers fresh oxygen and nutrients to the skin while sweeping away waste.

“Qi beauty doesn’t give you 100% smooth, porcelain skin,” Brown tells me. “It gives you skin that looks healthy and radiant. You’ll still have wrinkles, but we’ll soften them and they’ll be beautiful.”

Later that day, I bumped into a friend outside a coffee shop. She looked over to me and said, “Your skin looks amazing.” That was after just one treatment.

No one asked if I had done anything. No one thought I looked different — just fresh and glowing. Like I had slept great, drank my eight glasses of water and had no stress, ever, while raising little kids and running my own business.

Youth isn’t something we chase; it’s something we consciously nurture. For me, Qi beauty has helped restore my skin to its natural vitality, enhancing what’s already there. Because mindful aging isn’t about erasing age — it’s about honoring the story it tells.

Jennifer Weintraub
Storyteller + Stylist
jenniferweintraub.com

Originally published in the winter + spring 2025-26 issue of Well.