THE STORY
Pyrrha, age 90 on Mother’s Day 2020
Pyrrha Malouf
In 1983, with the encouragement of Helen Gurley Brown (founder of Cosmopolitan magazine), Pyrrha Malouf turned a series of Cosmo beauty articles into Metamassage, a book about advanced skincare techniques. She had worked in Hollywood as a model and actress in the ’50s and was dismayed by the effects of the improper removal of pancake makeup.
Pyrrha was determined to find a fix and Pyrrha’s Metafacial Massage™ was born. The method offered multiple advantages including its functionality for home use.
Pyrrha went on to teach celebrities, stay-at-home
moms, working women, and even started a
program teaching formerly incarcerated males in a
halfway house in Dallas; her class was so well-received that the director requested funding for her method to become a permanent part of the programming.
More on Pyrrha: Pyrrha-Malouf_In-Loving-Memory.pdf
Nodiah Brent
As Pyrrha’s daughter, I was trained in her
technique as an adolescent. Unsurprisingly,
I lacked the motivation to perform it. As I
grew older, my skin began to age prematurely from years
of neglect coupled with high-altitude living
sans sunscreen. I panicked and began to practice in earnest—the turnaround was immediate.
What I know now is that
this practice goes much deeper than the
surface of the skin, helping to heal the wounds,
self-inflicted and otherwise, that result from undervaluing ourselves. I, like many women, held myself to unrealistic standards for the usual reason—a misguided attempt to gain acceptance and love. The compassionate self-touch that is integral to this system taught me how to direct that love toward myself on a visceral level.
BIO: Nodiah Brent is a Master Instructor of Pyrrha’s Metafacial Massage™ and a Level One Kundalini Yoga Teacher and workshop facilitator. She has more than thirty years experience and is certified in facial rejuvenation, yoga, gong meditation, and NIA. Nodiah moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1981 to attend the College of Natural Medicine. She went on to study with Hanna Kroeger in Boulder, Colorado, and remains deeply engaged in the world of wellness.
Acknowledging Santa Fe, New Mexico, its history and its people
Tewa Women United is a matriarchal, Native-led organization that addresses every aspect of Native health, including the integral relationship between Natives and the environment. The future of this region depends upon the empowerment of Native Peoples. Contributions to Tewa Women United constitute a meaningful investment in the foundations of Native culture.
Acknowledging This Land, People & Story ~ Dr. E Rael-Gálvez
We acknowledge the breath of those that came before us and all of the living animals, on the ground and above it. We acknowledge that this place we now call Santa Fe is still recognized as Oga Po’geh (White Shell Water Place). Thousands of years ago, it was a center place for the communities of Northern and Southern Tewa (often identified as Tanos). The living memory and stories told by the people of Taytsúgeh Oweengeh (Tesuque Pueblo) hold profound meaning to this day, revealing that the ancestral site, Oga Po’geh is Taytsúgeh and Taytsúgeh is Oga Po’geh still.
GALLERY
My grandmother Clara, née Azizi, who performed Pyrrha’s Metafacial Massage™ faithfully.
Cheesecake, oh la la!
Mom in the hairdo that she swore Liz Taylor copied!
Mom and Dad, brown and beautiful.
Mom hanging out with Ravi Shankar and Friends. 
Mom and George Harrison