Celebrities Are Paying to Be Bitten—Seriously

Katy Perry and Kanye West shell out up to $250 an hour for the bizarre treatment. So... is this legit?!

Whether it's vampire facials or getting stung by bees, there's no beauty treatment too weird (or expensive) for the A-List. Still, this new development had us stumped: Celebs are now paying to get bitten. Literally. (See: 10 Wacky Celeb Beauty Treatments We Totally Want to Try.)

Renowned masseuse Dorothy Stein, aka "Dr. Dot" charges her celeb clients between $150 and $250 an hour for her deep-tissue massage treatments, which can include getting bitten if they so choose, Billboard reports. While the treatment isn't new (Stein has been biting rock stars since the 1980s and has sunk her teeth into everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Grateful Dead), it turns out some more modern pop stars (read: Katy Perry and Kanye West) are also fans.

We know what you're thinking: WHY? Well, biting has been said to help promote circulation in the same way cupping does, Stein tells Billboard. However, unlike the traditional Chinese method of cupping, which uses heated glass cups to suction the skin and stimulate blood flow, biting has some pretty obvious (and gross) downsides.

"Deep massage can help relax tight muscles and may help improve circulation to the skin," Joshua Zeichner, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital says. "But I do not recommend, under any circumstance, being bit by another person. Human bites can transmit infectious diseases, especially if there is any break in the skin."

So there you have it. If you were considering seeking out the treatment, maybe just don't. (We'll be sticking with your run-of-the-mill deep tissue massage, thank you very much!)