A Happy Client from Cielo!

Part of my wholistic wellness regime is my monthly visits to Cielo
Spa for my treatments with Owner/Esthetician Extraordinaire, Roxanne
Zbinden! I book my services a year in advance and many months I am there
more than once! Roxanne's " Pure Heaven " is her Premiere offering which I
partake in every other month, alternating with her " Cloud 9 " package. The
combination of Roxy's product knowledge in the fabulous Babor Skin and Body
Care line, her aromatherapy diffusors and candles scenting the Spa, her
music selections and the rich textures and hues of Cielo's decor envelope me
into a deep calming relaxation. I work to live, not live to work and
simply thinking about my upcoming appointments with Roxanne bring a smile to
my face, and an anticipation of balance and serenity. " Pure Heaven "
should be double the price! I am floating from the first half of the
services. Roxy begins by stimulating my lymphatic system with a full-body
dry brushing toward my heart followed by hot towels and a full-body
exfolliating scrub. She hot towels off the scrub and follows that with a
warm Moor Mud Wrap. My body is gently wrapped in a mylar sheet and I am
cocooned in soft blankets. An eye pillow is placed on my eyes while Roxanne
massages my scalp and feet. She turns on the shower for me after I bake, and
I shower off with Babor's Scentao Bath Products. I am then treated to
special hand and foot massage with treatment cremes and then I dip into the
hot paraffin wax. Plastic bags and thick, terry booties and hand mitts are
placed on me and Roxy gets me settled onto the heated table for my luxurious
facial! This is followed by a fabulous lunch and break to relax. I then save
my massage for last and I always pay for an extended version! I absolutely
FLOAT out of Cielo Spa!!! Roxanne's professional decorum, blended with her
compassionate care and the soulful repose she brings to her Cielo Spa are
why I am a loyal client. Shelly Verses, Santa Barbara

New Organic Skin Care Products at Cielo Spa

I stopped by Cielo Skin Care Spa yesterday to see and experience the new organic line called Pangea. Roxanne, the ower and esthetician, used the Egyptian Calendula and Blood Orange Cleanser and the Japanese Matcha Tea Mask which contains Acai and Goji Berry (Major Vitamin C!). I really liked the scents and my skin felt much more hydrated. She also used one of my favorite exfoliators -- the Babor Papaya Enzyme mask. Cielo's signature line is Babor, but for clients who are looking for a facial using only organic products, I would recommend Cielo and Pangea -- no one else in town offers this product line. By the way, Pangea will be featured in the March issue of Oprah!

P.S. Roxanne now offers lash extensions!

Santa Barbara Travel Bureau

I'm in the midst of planning for my Italy trip and as excited as I am, I must say that I am also nervous and overwhelmed by the details of an international trip! Finding and booking a flight has been one of the most confusing and overwhelming decisions (said the small town girl who has never been anywhere outside the western US!); after searching so many websites and calling airlines and trying to find the best deal without crazy connections, I found my angel for the day!

I was just about to book a Delta flight, when I decided to call the Santa Barbara Travel Burea just to see if they could offer something better. I am so glad I called! Tina (that would be my angel for the day) was so helpful and even encouraging. Not only did she get me the best deal, but it's through British Airways; I also was able to get a train ticket from Rome to Siena from her (another thing I had on my to-do list). I thought going through a travel agency would be more expensive with extra fees, but that was not my experience. From the flight, to travel insurance to the train ticket, I am so grateful for her wealth of knowledge and friendly service. Thank you Tina! After my looooong flight, I will be in much need of my first Italian spa treatment -- can't wait to tell everyone all about it!

Facial Acupuncture!

Kat Burns, SBCOM graduate and licensed acupuncturist will be working at Cielo Skin Care Spa starting February 1st! Kat is a licensed massage therapist and acupuncturist and she specializes in facial rejuvenation acupuncture! Facial acupuncture is a wonderful, relaxing treatment for healing, hydration and tone of skin, just to name a few of the benefits. Combine that with one of Roxanne's (owner and esthetician at Cielo) facials and you will be in heaven!

Exciting News for Amara Spa in Summerland!

Amara Spa in Summerland has recently added Patricia Noel to their team! She is a stylist who did much of her training in France and then travelled training with L'Oreal.

And...Amara has just purchased the Vacuodermie/Pressotherapy system from Paris! This system assists in body contouring, lymphatic drainage, and cellulite treatments (after the holiday season, this sounds perfect!) I don't think I can pass this up...add to my to-do list "Stop by Amara!"

Back from Austin!

Well, I am finally back from Austin! I was delayed 4 days because of the icestorm and unfortunately was stuck in the house for 72 hours and could not escape to Lake Austin Spa! Bummer! Nevertheless I really enjoyed my time with my family! Sorry for no updates in Austin, but I will be hopping on a plane this Friday to Colorado and trying some hot springs in Pagosa Springs (this is not too far from where I grew up) with my friend Kiley...I'll let you know how it goes!

Luv, Truth, Soul

Yes...these are three things to live by in the new year!...And they are the perfume oils by Sharon Bolton that are listed on my Gotta Have It list! Sharon just came out with the candles in the same scents. They are a soy blend with cotton wick and smell romantic, smooth and Soul reminds me of my Hawaiian vacation with hints of coconut and pineapple. The perfume oils and candles are available at Treat Boutique downtown Santa Barbara.

Field trip to Jaqua!

If women could conceive of their own toy store or candy store, what would it look like?? It sounds like a funny question, but as I walked into the Jaqua corporate office today, I noticed beautiful products creatively organized throughout the office. There was even a hint of buttercream frosting in the air (my favorite lotion!). In the meeting room, placed in the center of the table were cake dishes filled with the beautifully packaged body butters, lotions and shower syrups. At first glance it looked like a bakery had delivered dessert! Just as I was thinking how lovely it would be if all meeting rooms presented such wonderful little indulgences, Emily reached for the peach parfait lotion -- I love it! It's like visiting Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and trying a sample of this or that!

I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting two of the women behind Jaqua -- Sara Lamothe and Emily Proctor. While talking business, I discovered where the "sweet" in Jaqua comes from, both Emily and Sara were so enthusiastic and passionate about Jaqua. I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Jaqua -- one of the founding sisters; with a very friendly smile, she was very sincere.

And yes... of course I sampled a few more "must try's" -- I really love the Chai Spice Latte Creme! In fact, everyone must love it because I stopped at Bellezza Vita on my way home and they said it was their best seller and they were sold out! So...besides Bellezza Vita, Jaqua is available at: Aqua Nail Bar, Nordstroms, and Bath and Body Works.

Mud Bath!

Today I went to Calistoga -- the most northern town in Napa Valley, to experience the highly recommended mineral springs and mud baths at Golden Haven! First, I sunk into a mud bath -- what you've heard of the smell is true; it's not the most pleasant, but it's worth the experience! The mud is made of peet moss and mineral water. This is probably not a recommended treatment for the claustrophobic or squeemish. The mud is so thick that I basically just floated; it was really warm too -- about 104 degrees. After 10 minutes in the mud, an herbal mask was brushed on my face and then I soaked in the clear mineral water for another 10 minutes -- very relaxing! Lastly, I was wrapped in a blanket to rest for about 15 minutes. This whole experience is meant to relax and detoxify...perhaps I should have gone AFTER I visited the wineries, not before!

Napa Valley

This week my job takes me to Napa Valley to do spa reviews....okay wineries too! This is my first time in Napa Valley and it is beautiful...and a bit chillier than back in Santa Barbara. I find the change in weather refreshing though! The rolling green hills and valley after valley lined with vineyards is remarkable. I'm staying at the Meritage Resort, where the first of it's kind, cave Spa Terra is being built. I am so bummed because it won't open until next month, but I did get to tour the facilities of the resort and it will truly be amazing. The spa is actually being built into a cave in the hillside just below a winery; I can see it from my room window now. Tomorrow I am visiting wineries and venturing up to Calistoga...can't wait!

No more roots!

Yesterday I got my hair styled and colored at Walter Claudio Salon and Spa and I love it! You have to know that getting one's hair styled at Walter Claudio feels like a spa treatment! A scalp massage is included before the cut and during the shampoo...and not just a short little scalp massage, it really is awesome! (you might actually see clients dozing off in their chairs!). Not to mention the aromatherapy mist used during the shampoo and then a hot towel is placed on your head. Then I got a hand massage while my hair was being done -- it was dreamy. Lisa Gaede was my stylist -- she is so sweet and such a great stylist! My cut and color are perfect (I love being a brunette!) I actually met Lisa about 6 years ago when Walter Claudio was on upper State Street! We bonded because we are both from Colorado:) Plus I got to see and visit with my esthesista Maggie who is the esthetician at Walter Claudio.

Happy 07 from Spa Defined!

I am excited to report that in it's First year -- 2006, Spa Defined had 86,485 hits to the website! This could not have been achieved without the helpful partnership with www.santabarbara.com and also www.spasofamerica.com. This year, Spa Defined looks forward to more partnerships, the first with www.destressessentials.com.

Our site visitors came from ALL over the world including: Italy, Greece, Switzerland, India, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France just to name a few! And just this morning, we had a visitor from Finland!

The majority of our visitors come from the U.S. and most of them from California.

Spa Defined thanks Ricky Mia, the webmaster and photographer for making SD beautiful! Thank you to Spa Defined's Spa Clients whom I represent on the website and to Spa-goers around the world who frequent Spa Defined! Happy 2007!