Of self-healing and butthole sunning: Bling Empire's Kelly talks about 'finding her groove' in Season 2

Yes, she's done it once onscreen and no, she hasn't done it again — sun her butthole, that is. 

You read that right.

If you've watched the latest season of Netflix's reality series Bling Empire which aired on May 13, you'd have known that Kelly Mi Li, one of the show's main cast members, went through a controversial form of therapy known as perineum sunning. The perineum is the area between one's genitals and anus.

The process involves lying on the ground completely naked below the waist and raising your legs to the sky in broad daylight, as we saw Kelly and her therapist do in the show.

The wellness trend is believed to bring solar energy into the body and aid in balancing a person's sexual energy, among other purported benefits.

Onscreen dramas aside, the episode was probably one of the more eyebrow-raising scenes of the season.

When AsiaOne had the opportunity recently to sit down with Kelly for an interview last Thursday (June 2), we had to ask — how was the experience, and has it become a regular practice for her?

"No, no, it's silly. But hey, if somebody wants to do it, there is no harm in it. You're not harming anybody, so suntan all you want," the 36-year-old responded. She added: "I probably wouldn't try it again... I don't feel any difference."

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And because we've read horror stories, especially about the potential health risks involved in perineum sunning, we wanted to know — did she end up with any sunburns, erm, down there?

Fortunately, the answer is no. "It was literally 15 seconds," she shared of the time spent engaged in the activity. "Even on the show, I think they mentioned how long [it was], it was like 30 seconds."

With the producer-entrepreneur's story arc this season being more focused on her inward journey towards self-discovery and mental wellness, Kelly admitted to being happy to have "avoided a lot of the drama".

"It's really just about taking time off trying new things and finding my groove again, and finding my voice again," she shared, broaching the subject of her on-off relationship with former beau Andrew Gray.

"Sometimes we lose ourselves in relationships, and you learn from every relationship. I'm really, really grateful for my relationship with Andrew because I wouldn't be where I am today, or who I am today without him and those experiences."

So are they still in touch, and what about that cliffhanger of an episode where we see Andrew paying fellow cast member Anna Shay a visit?

"I think it's a free world, he can go wherever he wants," said Kelly matter-of-factly.

And as if to quash any lingering doubt that the couple is done romantically, she added: "I really have no idea [why he dropped by at Anna's]. Because whatever he does, it's no longer a concern of mine. So yeah, I have no idea. That's between him and Anna."

Although it's not clear if she's seeing anybody now, it seems Kelly and Kane's friendship has only gotten stronger since the end of season two. The pair were in town recently for the launch of Fenty Beauty's latest campaign, where Kane is the brand's newest ambassador.

It's not surprising that while in Singapore, eating was by far their favourite activity, shared Kelly, who was brought on multiple food tours courtesy of Kane.

"I feel like I've been to every single hawker centre there is. It's like the national sport of Singapore is eating and I think I'm winning," she laughed.

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The two friends appear to share a close bond far beyond indulging in food.

"Kane has obviously always been there for me, but having great friends like him and family members around me, it's very, very important," shared Kelly of how a support system has kept her grounded in her self-healing journey.

Sharing tips from her own experience, Kelly said mindfulness "is just as important as physical health".

"I think checking in with yourself is very important, journaling and spending time with yourself.

"There's also a lot of resources [available]. So yes therapy is great, but at the same time, there are great podcasts, books, YouTube — so there's a lot of knowledge out there."

Bling Empire season two is now streaming on Netflix.

candicecai@asiaone.com