It was love at first sight when I learned about the geisha (literally meaning: ‘artist’). What hit me was the exaggeration; the mask-like make up, the sing-song voices, the stylized movements. No wonder Diana Vreeland once said that “Every girl in the world should have geisha training.” I wondered: what exactly does this almost mythical creature have that we need so badly in our lives right now? Perhaps we fought so hard for women’s rights, that we forgot the art of seduction?

If you see a geisha, you are very lucky; right now there are less than three hundred of them, and they perform their tea ceremonies only for the wealthiest connoisseurs (mostly in Kyoto). For five years the geisha is rigorously trained in the most sensual traditional arts but it’s through the smallest movements that she bewitches. As shown so brilliantly in the movie ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’: a good geisha can bring a man to his knees by merely exposing her wrist when she pours him tea. For almost two decades, I used make up artists to ‘put on my face’. But when I started studying the culture of the geisha, I noticed how they spent hours on their beauty routine, turning it into an elaborate ritual. Wow, what an eye-opener that was! This went beyond ‘making myself pretty’, this was about self-love and sensuality, about the power to express yourself through your appearance.

I realized that with the right kind of intention, anything could become a ritual of seduction. And to be a modern day geisha, you don’t have to spend years learning calligraphy or mind-boggling tricks with fans. Just try doing things with awareness; focusing more on the process than on the result. You will be amazed at how transformative this can be! For example: when you take a shower, really feel the water caressing your skin. Instead of throwing some clothes on in the morning, get dressed like a geisha in sensual layers: some beautiful matching lingerie, a garter belt and stockings, clothing that feels wonderful on your skin. Take sexy selfies, turn yourself on. After a while, try this trick when you walk down the street: find your ‘victim’, look down for a second, then fix your gaze at the lucky guy or girl with all your intention. Whatever happens -some minor accidents are to be expected!-, just keep walking and smile behind your imaginary kimono-sleeve.