Frequently Asked Questions

Caier is a folk craft that originated in Sichuan, China. As the character 采 ('to pick') suggests, it is the art of gently removing debris from inside the ear.

Legend has it that it was once a leisure enjoyed exclusively by nobility; after spreading to the public, it became a specialised ear-cleaning trade.

Modern caier goes much further — combining ear, eye and nose cleansing with ear candling into a rich, deeply relaxing personal-care ritual.

Ear picking = cleaning out earwax.

Caier = cleansing and care of the inner and outer ear, plus relaxation and stress relief.

Taiwan has long had 'ear picking' at traditional barbershops and men's grooming salons, focused purely on removing wax. Caier, from Sichuan, combines wax cleaning with outer-ear massage, lymphatic stimulation and soothing techniques — a traditional craft of both cleansing and deep relaxation.

Both spellings are used interchangeably. Worth noting: 采 is not a simplified character — it is in fact the older form, and the one closer to the true spirit of the craft.

It varies from person to person, and also with each practitioner's technique and tools.

Most people feel no pain at all — just a pleasant tickle during the session and wonderful lightness afterwards.

Depending on your constitution, sensitivity, earwax condition and how you feel on the day, a small number of guests may feel mild soreness, stinging or pressure.

Some discomfort is simply nerves. Ear cleaning is a genuinely soothing experience — come with an open mind and enjoy it!

Of course! Caier is a relaxing treatment everyone can enjoy.

It depends on the child. Because young children find it hard to lie still, and sudden movement could cause injury, we do not encourage caier for children under 12. Parents are advised to see an ENT doctor instead.

Absolutely — we are happy to serve senior guests. For those who are bedridden or have limited mobility, we recommend seeing an ENT doctor first. Home-visit services are assessed case by case; feel free to message us.

It depends on where the injury is. For outer-ear injuries such as otitis externa or skin wounds, we generally advise against ear cleaning while the skin is sensitive. Ear-shape differences such as cauliflower ear are fine as long as the canal is normal. For inner-ear injuries — otitis media, scratched canals or a perforated eardrum — ear cleaning is not recommended at all.

Of course! Hearing-impaired guests need earwax care too. One thing we must say up front: caier does not restore hearing.

Certainly. A professional practitioner adjusts tools and techniques to each ear type.

Dry ears or oily ears — every kind of ear is welcome here.

We do.

Teaching is not our main business, however,

so enrolment involves the right timing — and a few requirements.

See the Professional Ear-Cleaning Practitioner Course page for details.

It mainly comes down to genetics, which determines your earwax type.

Dry-type earwax is crumbly, grey to tan in colour.

Wet (oily) earwax is sticky, yellow-brown to dark brown.

Dry ears typically produce flaky wax and tend to come with drier skin.

Oily ears produce damp, clumpy wax, usually with oilier skin and stronger body scent.

Most people in Taiwan and East Asia have dry ears.

Globally, however, about seventy percent of people have wet ears.

Both are formed from earwax; the difference is density.

When excess wax blocks the canal and starts to affect hearing or ear health, it is called cerumen impaction.

Left in place over a long time, impacted wax gradually hardens from the core outwards and becomes an ear stone.

Absolutely not.

A very large wax blockage usually means cerumen impaction, which — like ear stones — affects hearing. You might notice muffled or lost hearing after a shower that recovers after a while or after sleeping. These are warning signs: please see a doctor or a practitioner promptly.

Left untreated, it can lead to otitis externa, pressure imbalance in the ear, or even bacterial infection.

Large flakes of ear skin usually appear in people who often pick their own ears, and can be an early sign of fungal infection. Have it treated quickly and keep up daily hygiene to prevent it spreading.

Most dramatic earwax videos online are staged for effect. Clinically, very few people have wax like that — and it signals poor ear health. Please don't wish for giant earwax, ear flakes or ear stones; they are neither healthy nor normal.

Either can work; it's a matter of fit.

Cotton swabs suit oily ear types.

Ear picks suit dry ear types.

From a practitioner's point of view, avoid using ear picks too often — they easily cause injury. Mind your safety, pressure and depth.

We don't recommend it.

Dry-eared people who use ear picks frequently tend to injure the skin.

Oily-eared people who dig daily often end up with unbearable itching.

Leave at least 10 days between each self-cleaning.

When you shower, wash the outer ear, behind the ear and the earlobe with facial cleanser.

Afterwards, give your ears a gentle blast with a hairdryer until they feel dry.

If wax needs clearing, wipe only the entrance of the canal shallowly with a cotton swab. Avoid pushing straight in and out — that packs wax deeper and can cause impaction or stones. Instead, keep the swab against the canal wall and rotate it gently as you clean.

Either works; both a practitioner and an ENT doctor can assess and treat it.

An ENT will usually prescribe ear drops to soften the wax so it falls out on its own, then move to irrigation or suction. Both are quicker than caier but more intense and less comfortable.

A practitioner relies on experience and the right tools to remove the wax gently, keeping you comfortable throughout — cleaning as care.

Itchy ears have many causes, and they differ between dry and oily ear types.

For dry ears, itching usually comes from flaking skin or dry weather.

For oily ears, it is usually the canal secreting fresh cerumen that feels itchy.

Try this first: press the small hollow just in front of the ear tragus, towards the temple. Rub gently 5–10 times, then press and release with light pressure 3–5 times. Most itching eases with this method.

But if the itching starts every night at bedtime, or even wakes you in the middle of the night, your ear may have a fungal infection — please see a doctor as soon as possible.

Yes — more than a hundred of them, reflecting the health of every part of the body.

Rubbing your ears every morning and evening is genuinely good for you!

Between booking and your appointment, please avoid cleaning your ears with any invasive tools.

After the session your ears will feel light and clear. A few guests feel mild redness or itching inside — this happens when ears haven't been thoroughly cleaned for a while, leaving the canal a little sensitive afterwards. Your practitioner will apply a soothing ear-care product as needed.

You're always welcome to ask us anything about ear health and care.

Entirely up to you. For the most comfortable, relaxed experience, we suggest taking it off and settling in at ease.

After every session the room is disinfected with UV light and all contact surfaces are sprayed with disinfectant. No tool is ever reused between guests. Your comfort and safety are the whole point.

An ear candle is a hollow candle made with beeswax; ear candling SPA is the practice of placing one at the ear entrance and letting it burn.

It is said to originate from natural folk therapies of ancient Egypt, India and Native American traditions, claimed to help with allergies, sinus issues, colds and so on. Folk belief also says the 'chimney effect' draws out earwax, lowers pressure and expels dampness.

Medical research has confirmed that ear candles create no negative pressure and do not draw out earwax — what you find inside a burnt candle is wax mixed with moisture, not earwax.

What is real: candling does help clear dampness from the ear. And the true relaxation comes from the aromatherapy massage of the head, shoulders and neck during the burn, with essential-oil aromas calming the mind and easing you towards sleep.

That is why aromatherapy spas offer candling too, why pregnancy is the common contraindication — and why we call ours the Ear Candling SPA.

Because candling draws out moisture and some of the warm, stuffy air in the ear, a few guests feel thirsty or lightheaded afterwards.

If you usually pick your own ears, the canal may feel a little more sensitive to swabs for up to three days. All of this is normal — drink warm water and rest well.

If you rarely receive massage, mild soreness the next day is normal too. Regular sessions help release tension and improve sleep, keeping both your ears and your body at ease.

The silver-bead eye wash — some studios call it eye therapy —

is a signature eye-cleansing treatment from Sichuan, the birthplace of caier.

The eyelid is gently everted, and a sterilised pure-silver rod is drawn lightly back and forth along the upper and lower lids — clearing debris, stimulating the tear glands and meibomian glands, encouraging tears to flow and oils to clear. It relieves dry-eye discomfort and tired, overworked eyes.

It is usually paired with a warm eye mask and eye-area massage to wake up the nerves around the eyes.

That day, your eyes may feel puffy and a little sore — like after a good cry. That's normal; by the next morning they should feel wonderfully fresh.

Any solutions used during the wash are safe, preservative-free commercial eye washes and compound eye drops.

The eye wash genuinely relieves dryness, but for diagnosed dry-eye syndrome we recommend regular long-term eye care, or seeing an ophthalmologist to confirm its severity first.

The nasal refresh — also called nose washing or nasal therapy at some studios.

Methods and tools vary slightly between schools and lineages.

The goals are the same: cleaning the nose, tidying nasal hair, and opening up the upper airway.

At MIMIC EAR we use professional nasal tools with single-use cotton tips and a natural essential-oil cleansing solution, finishing with a nose-and-eye-area massage to awaken the senses.

Your nose may feel slightly cool afterwards.

Depending on its condition, some nasal hair is trimmed during cleaning; sensitive guests may sneeze or have a runny nose for a while. This is the nose naturally rebalancing itself — completely normal.

Because we believe caier is a treat to be savoured — not just a functional wax removal.

So even our most basic set, the Classic Caier Course, always includes ear conditioning and the gentle head-massage 'Dream Finish'.

If severe wax build-up, foreign objects or fungal signs are found during your session, we will show you the endoscope images and — with your consent — switch to special care: a surcharge of $900 (impaction clearing) or $1,300 (ear-stone removal).

If you already suspect a blockage, you can book the full special-care session directly in the booking system (standalone price: $2,400 impaction / $2,800 ear stone, about 60 minutes).

If you still wish to proceed with your original booking (eye wash or candling, say), we will assess the difficulty and your ear's condition, and adjust the fee using the special-care calculation.

Yes — every session begins with an endoscope check so you can see your ear's condition before we continue.

We do not, however, keep the endoscope in use during the cleaning itself.

Sorry — we are not a 'full-video' studio. The endoscope is used only at the start to confirm your ear's condition.

Here's why: the endoscope magnifies everything, and fitting both a camera and tools into the canal at once makes it hard for the practitioner to control pressure — which actually causes discomfort or pain. Studios advertising fully-visual cleaning mostly just use cotton swabs on camera, which is neither true caier nor very effective.

Caier tools are professional instruments, so we don't sell them to guests — and on principle we don't store privately purchased tools either.

If a fungal condition is found, that entire tool set is discarded after use. For regular guests, the set is disinfected and reserved for your next visit, then replaced once the condition clears.

No guest ever shares tools with another on the same day. Every set is cleaned and disinfected immediately after use, then cycled through a UV steriliser for at least an hour. Book with complete peace of mind.

Sorry — we are strictly appointment-only.

We cannot serve walk-in guests. Thank you for understanding.

All bookings are made online (the phone line is for enquiries only — and it's usually the male co-founder answering, who may miss calls when busy). Book via LINE or Facebook message, through our official LINE account.

Before your first booking you'll verify your phone number by SMS and fill in a short registration. Then you can browse services and available time slots for each practitioner. A booking is confirmed only after the practitioner replies.

Note: the LINE interface is the most stable and clear — we recommend booking through LINE. Our system is built and maintained by SayDou.

[Booking calendar]

At 12:00 noon on the first Wednesday of each month, the next six weeks open for booking.

Example: if 09/01 is September's first Wednesday, bookings open that noon for 09/01 through 10/16.

Note: regular guests (Mu-fans) are not bound by this — just message us to book manually.

[Earliest and latest slots]

Earliest bookable slot: 11:00. Latest: 20:00.

(We close at 22:00, including cleaning time.)

Note: regulars may book earlier or later slots by arrangement, subject to the practitioner's agreement.

[NEW: late-night sessions]

During the late-night programme, the latest booking is 01:00.

(Closing at 02:00, including cleaning time.)

Note: late-night sessions are served by Lowie. Mumu accepts late-night bookings from regular guests by message only.

When choosing a service, note its duration (from 30 minutes up to 2.5 hours) — it affects which slots you can select.

PS: a booking counts as confirmed only after the practitioner has reviewed and accepted it.

Our team has two practitioners, but the studio currently has one room — so only one guest can be served per time slot.

In brief:

1. Mumu

→ Founder / Chief Practitioner

→ Accepts bookings up to 19:30 daily (regulars excepted)

2. Lowie

→ Professional practitioner / metaphysics consultant / editor

→ Late-night sessions / English & 日本語 OK

See the Practitioners page for full introductions.

The system's duration includes cleaning, disinfection and room turnover before and after your session. In the spirit of hospitality and infection control, we keep generous buffers so guests rarely cross paths.

Actual service time follows the menu.

For two or more guests, service is taken in turns — message us and we'll arrange the timing for you.

Note: consecutive bookings for two or more take less total time than the system displays.

Yes, though they'll need to wait in the lounge.

The treatment room is small, and we want every guest to enjoy a fully immersive, undisturbed session — plus infection control matters. Companions may not enter the room during treatment unless the practitioner agrees. Thank you for understanding.

If you mean booking for two: reserve two consecutive slots (both can be sent from one account) and we'll confirm with you. On the day, you'll take turns — one in session, one relaxing in the lounge.

Your booking is held for 10 minutes.

If something comes up and you know you'll be late, please tell us early so we can rearrange.

No notice, no reply to messages and more than 10 minutes late counts as a cancellation.

Arriving early is fine — up to 30 minutes ahead is ideal. If the previous session is still running, relax in the lounge.

Note: three consecutive no-shows means future bookings require full prepayment to hold the slot.

Rescheduling is always to a later date (regulars may move earlier).

Requests must be made no later than the day before your appointment; last-minute requests count as cancellation — please rebook.

How rescheduling works:

1. Moving to a not-yet-opened slot is preferred; otherwise, as below.

2. If your new date is fully booked, we'll ask a guest in that slot to swap.

3. We'll ask at most three guests; if none can swap, your booking is cancelled and moved to the waiting list, or you rebook.

Note: three consecutive no-shows or same-day cancellations means future bookings require full prepayment.

[Bus]

Tourism Bureau stop or Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall stop

(about a 5-minute walk)

[Metro]

MRT Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station

(Exit 2, walk straight, turn right at Mazendo — 3 minutes)

[Car]

No free parking on site.

Nearby Qiao-an car park, NT$40/hr

(fills up at weekends and mealtimes — arrive early)

Some street parking on Yanji Street, the back lanes of the East District and behind CTS.

After 8 pm, yellow lines on Zhongxiao E. Rd and Guangfu S. Rd are OK.

[Scooter]

Free spaces in Lane 280 and neighbouring lanes.

Yanji Street also works (NT$20 per entry).

Besides cash,

we also accept bank transfer and mobile payment —

(JKOPay and LINE Pay).

[Tools]

Our tools are partly disposable and partly reusable.

No guest ever shares tools with another on the same day. Every set is cleaned and disinfected right after use, then cycled through a UV steriliser for at least an hour.

[Environment]

After every session the room is sprayed with disinfectant and treated with UV light. Practitioners sanitise with alcohol before starting and wear masks throughout. Public areas are cleaned and disinfected morning and evening; during outbreaks, hot tea and snacks are replaced with water in single-use cups.

[Epidemic measures]

Following CECC guidance, SMS contact registration has been discontinued; please use the Taiwan Social Distancing app.

Yes. With one treatment room at MIMIC EAR, two or more guests are served in turns.

You can share our account with your friend or partner so they book themselves,

or book multiple slots and services directly from your own account — we'll confirm once we receive the requests.

There's a lounge where the waiting guest can relax.

Note:

for two or more guests together, actual service runs a little faster than the system shows.

Some carriers are known to delay SMS delivery (sometimes over 15 seconds).

1. If the code arrives after the 15-second resend window, don't tap resend — just enter the code when it arrives. There's no time limit for entering it.

2. If it never arrives, message us — we'll register you manually and arrange your booking, report the issue to the system vendor, and you can complete verification a few days later.

It means the day still has gaps, but none long enough for the service you chose,

or someone has booked the slot and the practitioner hasn't confirmed it yet.

What to try:

1. Pick another date.

2. Try a shorter service.

3. Message us (especially for two or more guests — we can adjust slots manually).

Two common causes:

1. The desktop or web version of LINE doesn't show rich menus.

→ Switch to the mobile app, or message us and we'll send the booking function to you. You can also type these commands:

"準備開始預約" → opens booking

"關於MIMICEAR" → opens brand info

"我要付款" → opens payment

"常見問題" → opens FAQ

2. The rich menu is glitching.

→ Message us and we'll sort it out.

No need to scan it!

That QR code is for our checkout system to verify guests.

Sorry for the confusion.

The fix:

long-time Facebook friends, delete the whole conversation and message us again. Once you see "Get started", the function menu should appear for booking and records.

LINE's booking integration is more stable, with a handy rich menu (mobile LINE). We recommend adding us on LINE: search @mimicear or use this link: https://lin.ee/VhVi8yf

Still stuck? Message us and we'll book it for you by hand.