My Gata Mask is, Quite Possibly, The Last Mask I'll Ever Buy

Last week I took my first flight since Covid. I was STRESSED. Understandably so, since I never hear about how flying is actually safer than going to the grocery store, and instead just see videos of people fighting flight attendants over mask wearing. The flight was fine (easy even!) but I had an added layer of comfort knowing I was wearing a Gata Mask.

I’m fully vaxxed and boosted, but I know it’s still good to wear a mask any time I’m in public. I was double masking (a disposable surgical mask under a cloth mask) any time I was out for a long time, like grocery shopping. If I was just going through the drive thru or stopping at an ATM, I’d just wear one surgical mask. It was working fine, but I dreamed of feeling secure during a Costco run while ALSO not having to wear two masks. Then I found out about Gata Masks.

These silicone masks have removable filters that are KN95 certified, and the masks themselves are made of FDA rated silicone that you can wash easily by hand, or even put in the dishwasher (anyone else immediately more interested in something when it’s dishwasher safe, or just me?). The mask forms a seal on your face, so you can wear glasses without them getting fogged, and because the seal is only touching a small area of your face, you can avoid maskne, messed up makeup, and can even wear lip color without it getting all smudged.

You get 10 filters, each of which provides 50 hours of protective wear, and two filter reinforcements, which help keep the mask’s shape and hold the mask and filter away from your face. You can also buy washable cloth filters through the Gata website, but they do not have the KN95 rating. Putting the filter and reinforcement into the mask for the first time was a little fiddly, but it’s not actually difficult at all, once you know what you’re doing. I’ve replaced the filter once and it was a cinch the second time around.

I struggled with choosing which size mask to get (there is a measuring guide on the website) because I was kind of inbetween a small/med and large (they also offer a kids size). I went with small, becasue the mask is meant to sit on the front of your chin and the bridge of your nose. I’d like to order a large mask to compare, but they’re not cheap, and the small/med is working well.

It did take some finagling of the straps to find the right fit, and for the first two or three wears I was constantly adjusting my mask. I find that the mask fits better if I’m not doing a lot of talking, so I take that into consideration when I’m getting ready to go out. I tried using the silicone mask strap, and while it did create a stronger seal on my face, it pulled the straps down and made my ears fold over, which was not comfortable.

If you’re used to paper-thin masks right up against your face, then the Gata Mask will take some getting used to. I felt a bit Bane-ish when I was first wearing my Gata Mask, but that feeling faded. Mostly now I’m just happy I have KN95 protection with just one mask, that I can put in the dishwasher if needed (the dishwasher!).