Radical Beauty: Meet the Therapist in Brooklyn Giving Leech Facials

Andrew Plucinski is the owner of the Silesian Holistic Center in Brooklyn. His job? Administering leeches to clients suffering from ailments, ranging from migraines to dull skin. Leech therapy — also known as hirudotherapy — is an alternative treatment based on an ancient medical belief stretching back 2,500 years, to Greek antiquity, that bloodletting balanced the body’s “humors.”

While leech therapy might still occupy the murky area of pseudo-science, a growing body of evidence points to its legitimacy as a complementary treatment for certain illnesses. Here, we meet Plucinski as he bloodlets a willing client (for $40 per leech) and administers a bonus leech facial for glowing, more youthful-looking skin.