New Spa Downtown

I stopped by "Sumbody" downtown yesterday because my esthetician classmate Katy said they had great facial sponges! I love the store -- natural products and ingredients (I really like the gua sha tool). I asked the manager if Sumbody would ever open a spa...well it just so happens there will be one opening in six months or so! Keep a look out!

Nutritionist at Spas

I wish more spas would incorporate a nutritionist in the spa. It would be nice to not only provide consultations to clients, but really embrace the philosophy of taking care of oneself internally -- which will reflect on your face and your skin! More and more skin care products lines are incorporating wellness/nutrition into their product line (Dr. Murad, Dr. Perricone). I just read that Pure Inventions, the company that makes my fave tea is starting a skin care line emphasizing nutrition (the founders of Pure Inventions are nutritionists). I believe the spas in town that offer nutrition consults are Qui Si Bella and Artesia. Any others? This is all encouraging because I feel that even though quick fixes are convenient, they are not always lasting physically or emotionally.

Day Care at Spas

I talked with a friend, who is a mom (busy, multi-tasking, super woman), who would like to seek a little relaxation at a spa. Are there any spas out there that offer day care in the spa, especially in the LA area for her, but I would be curious to know about any spas that offer day care!

Your Sweet Spot

I just added SweetSpot Labs to my fave product list -- I LOVE these products! I gave samples to my esthetician classmates so they could experience how great they are! This line is so much better than other "feminine" hygiene products...seriously, why didn't someone think of this concept before?

Two more added to Spa Defined

We finished up two more photoshoots this weekend for Spa Defined. One person is an independent massage therapist -- Maggie Lang. Maggie is also studying to be an esthetician -- she's a busy woman! The other person added to the website is acupuncturist Julia Dubiel. I've gotten facial acupuncture rejuvenation treatments from her -- very relaxing and good for the skin tone and fine lines. I'm starting to see acupuncture treatments offered on spa menus; the spas in town that offer acupuncture include Avia and Qui Si Bella. I know Artesia is also hoping to add acupuncture to their menu.

Oxygen treatments controversial

I loved the Oxygen facial I had a few weeks ago; after a conversation with a doc friend, I wanted to research the topic a little more. I just finished writing a paper on the controversy of oxygen treatments, for my esthetician class. Research shows that oxygen treatments may increase free radicals; I always encourage people to research themselves to understand how the treatment works. To combat free radicals, it's recommended to take Vitamin's A,C and E. When I got my oxygen facial, the esthetician used a serum with those Vitamins. I loved the results of the treatment, but I just encourage clients to understand how the treatment benefits the skin and also the potential negative effects.

Proactiv

Last weekend I was able to do something really fun -- I got to be a part of the filming of a Proactiv Skincare commercial. I stayed at the Shade hotel in Manhattan Beach -- what a great little boutique hotel. And of course I toured the Trilogy spa just around the corner from the hotel -- great spa with lots of Hawaiian treatments. The commercial shoot was at the Raleigh studios; the whole experience was really neat and seeing the staff of Lieberman productions and Vanessa Williams in action, was intriguing.

Ojai Spas

Here's some good news, I was just informed by my webmaster that two Ojai spas were just added to the site, The Day Spa of Ojai and the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. I have a review posted for The Day Spa of Ojai and I'll eventually have one posted for the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa so make sure to check them out.

Another bit of news is that the articles section of my website is coming along and it will be posted soon.

Have a great day!

Spa Medicus

I attended a presentation that Spa Medicus and Aesthetic Surgical Partners (Plastic Surgeons) organized. I watched a demo of a woman getting botox – ouch! It looked like it was painful based on her wincing. I was more intrigued by a demo on dermaplaning – this is a treatment similar to microdermabrasion, but instead of using crystals blasts for exfoliation, a scalpel is used. I know, it sounds scary and invasive, but it’s really not and it’s great exfoliation for the skin! I think I’ll try that somewhere. I also learned about a new treatment – Fraxel, which is similar to IPL, but more intense and treating deeper into skin. It seems like this would be really good for removing sun spots.

Seaweed Treatments

I ventured up to Ojai to go spa-ing…nope, not to Ojai Valley Inn, but to the Day Spa of Ojai. It’s a charming day spa, located in a 100-year old house. I really indulged – got a seaweed body scrub and a seaweed facial; both were amazing! My skin was not only super soft, but also glowing…and much more hydrated which is exactly what I needed. The owner Kim is very personable and “small town” – I like that.

Sedona

While in Phoenix and Flagstaff on business, I drove through Sedona; I knew there had to be an awesome spa there. The scenery was gorgeous and I found a destination resort 12 miles out of town just below the red rocks – The Enchantment Resort (www.enchantmentresort.com) . I was in awe walking through the grounds and spa – a lot of Native American influence. I was also bummed that I didn’t have time for a treatment, but next time I will definitely schedule that in my trip.

Oxygen Facial

I visited Por Vida Skin Care for the first time. I’d heard that Andrea (the owner) gave great facials, so I was excited to see how her treatment might be unique. When I saw her cozy little treatment room I loved it; she calls it her “hacienda”. I loved the details of the rose-petal foot scrub before my treatment. The best part was definitely the facial, for the first time I tried an Oxygen Facial. Andrea did just one side of my face so that I could see the difference – there was definitely a “newness” on the side that had been treated with Oxygen. I really like that Andrea is a “true” Santa Barbaran – born and raised here.