Although the use of surgical masks in Japan is widespread during cold and allergy seasons, those of us from other countries still can’t help but feel awkward walking down the street wearing one.

It sure would be nice to have something more discreet, wouldn’t it? And what’s more discreet than underwear? If that line of logic makes sense to you, then you better order Pantsu Mask. It’s a face mask with the shape and feel of a pair of panties.

Each Pantsu Mask is handmade from cotton by handicraft expert Suko. They come in a variety of colors and each one is reversible. This means that you could flip it over for different patterns depending on your mood, assuming that mood involves wearing panties on your face.

▼ Every day is a choice between the brooding and intense horizontal stripes, or cheery and life-affirming polka-dots.

They can be bought online from Dwango.jp, the same shopping site that brought us Panty Glass Ribbon and the more risqué Panty Glass Adult. Pantsu Masks sell for 1,080 yen (US$8.65) each and are only available until 31 August…presumably because Suko doesn’t want to have to tell people that this is what she does for a living.

Pantsu Mask is 20 centimeters (8 inches) up and down the face, 30 centimeters (12 inches) across the top and 3 centimeters (1 inch) across the bottom. The bottom appears to simply cup over the chin portion of your face without any straps. It’s unclear if the mask is meant to represent the front or back of panties, leaving it up to the wearer to decide whether they are a butt-head or butt-face.

Source:Dwango.jp via Niconico News (Japanese)