Spa Week

Spa week is here again (October 12-18) in many cities including: Denver, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Boston, Detroit, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Virginia Beach and Toronto, Canada.

I love Spa week, because I can go to spas that usually I find too expensive. It is a great opportunity to try new treatments for $50.00. My recommendation is to take advantage of the opportunity and visit the most luxurious spas since $50.00 is the cost of many of the meat and potatoes treatments (massages, manicures, pedicures and facials) in average spas anyway.

You can visit the spa week website to find out which spas are participating in your area.

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Thai massage experience

I have had a lot of massages and spas treatments in my life, but it was not until a couple of weeks ago that I experienced the Thai massage.

I went to a spa in Los Angeles recommended in a program on the Fine Living Network.
It was awesome. The spa is called Pho Siam Thai Spa (1525 Pizarro Street). It is not a luxurious place, but is a nice, clean place with low prices. This is not the place where you get herbal tea, steam bath and snacks while you wait in a luxurious lobby, but for $40.00 plus tips I had an hour of Thai massage; that is a bargain.

As you may know, the Thai massage is done using feet and hands. It is a deep massage, with few similarities to the well known Swedish massage offered in most spas. At times it feels like you are doing yoga with your therapist; for this reason it is called sometimes bodywork instead of massage.

My therapist was a nice Thai woman with limited English, but enough to communicate well. I was asked to undress and given a traditional Thai garment to wear. It was a bit a weird looking garment, a sort of harem pants. I lied down on a mat on the floor in a private area separated by curtains and nicely decorated.

The therapist asked Do you want a light or medium massage? I requested a medium massage. As she started to massage my achy muscles I regretted a few times to have selected a medium (pressure) massage instead of light.

The massage room had contraptions attached to the ceiling so the therapists can “walk” on the client. In reality they do not walk, but they need the support in order to use their
feet to massage. Since it is done with the feet it is very deep, at times it can feel painful especially in tense areas. In my case these tense areas were my shoulders, in particular the right shoulder.

My husband, who was in the chamber next to me, also told me that the massage literally urt, but he bore it in anticipation of a pain-free body later one. He said that the pain was worth it, because the pain in his whole body was gone and he felt much more relaxed.

Let me repeat myself; this is an intensive massage, at the end the therapist will stretch your body in yoga like positions. By the time the massage is finished I felt totally relaxed. The next day I was energized and none of my muscles had any stress.

It was the best massage I have had. I only wish they had showers, but they only give you warm towels to clean yourself. I did not like the smell of the oil, but I will go back any time for more massages.

It is too bad that Thai massages in my area are very expensive, but I think next time I want a massage I will book a Thai massage instead of the regular massage.

I will recommend that people with medical conditions, muscle injuries or who do not enjoy a deep massage should first speak to their physician before trying a Thai massage.

Beauty treatments for bride and bridesmaids

Wedding is a very special time for a woman and she wants it be memorable in every way possible. In the past, the main concerns that a bride had was the venue, the menu, wedding dress, entertainment, flowers, and making sure that guests have a great time.

Regarding her own preparation, once the wedding dress was picked (and everything was prepared and coordinated with the bridesmaid) all the bride needed to do was to go for a day of beauty treatments (that typically included some basic skin treatments like facial, manicure, pedicure, and finally hair and makeup), put on wedding dress, and have a great time at the wedding.

Well, things are now somewhat different. Many women are delaying their wedding to their 30s or even later and many are remarrying and it seems that there is no age for that. In other words, things like wrinkles or cellulite or skin problems are common.

So what is a bride gonna do?

Well, someone has already figured out a solution. According to The New York Times, spas and clinics are now offering the bride and her bridesmaids (or close friends and family members too in many cases) a complete makeover, that depending on each person's situation assessed by a dermatologist, may include chemical peel, dermal filler, laser treatment, or whatever else may be needed to take a few years off one's face.

If you want to do the same for you and/or your bridesmaid, it is best to consult with a local clinic. They can customize the program for you because the numbers can quickly add up if you do not budget it in advance (for instance, a woman with extensive skin damage may need treatments that may quickly add up to thousands of dollars). The packages are referred to as bridal party tuneups or collective makeovers or bridal beauty buffets.

While financing is generally available through the clinics, I do not support the idea of a couple starting their wedded life with debt. If you cannot afford to pay for cosmetic surgery type procedures, you and your entourage can look quite good with just having a day of beauty.

Spa treatments for less

Most of us like spa treatments and would like to have more of them. One of the main reasons we do not go to the spa more often is the cost. If you think spa services are expensive you are not alone. According to studies, only 30 to 40% of the population can afford to go to spas. The rest would like to go, but find them too expensive.

The cheapest spa treatments someone can get are in beauty schools, massage schools,facial schools etc. I find that these are great choices for massages, but not for facials. In my area (Boston) you can get massages for $25 at a school. The experience is different than in a spa. These massages are more therapeutic and less luxury and pampering. Usually the quality is good or moderate.

Another choice is the chain "Massage Envy" or similar chains that have popped up all over. They offer the introductory massage at $39 plus tip (apparently they press for $10 tips) and $49 plus tip after that. In my area this is not a bargain;there are a few massage places that offer $50 massages and the therapists are the owners and they are great.

Many therapists offer facials and massages at their homes. In the case of facials they have better prices.

During Spa Week (an annual event in many cities along the lines of restaurant week) many spas offer services at discounted prices; it is a great time to go to and try luxury spas.

Some spas offer promotions so you can sign up for their newsletter at the website and you will get emails when promotions area available. Be careful with these promotions. When booking, ask what the service entails. For example a regular facial includes extraction (black and white heads); a
shorter facial may not included this part. In the case of pedicures, a shorter pedicure will eliminate steps such scrubbing calluses. Always ask for any specials when calling a spa.

There are no good alternatives for really cheap treatments but looking around you can get deals.

Do body wraps work?

We all want to lose weight and many spas offer all types of exotic body wraps promising you that you will lose pounds and inches. You must have also heard your friends rave about the results. But do they really help you actually lose weight and become slimmer?

No, and this is why. The body's weight comes from bones, muscle, fat, and water. When you have a body wrap treatment, you lose water and nothing happens to fat, bones, and muscles. Of course, being pampered for a few hours will make you feel good and you will see a reduction in size and weight, but the reality is that during the course of the day or days as you drink water and eat normally, most of your weight will return fairly quickly. Even those so-called detox treatments are also effective in the short run. As soon as you return from the spa and eat normally, your weight will come right back or you might even gain weight since you were starved all this time and end up eating more than normal.

So are they worth it?

Not for weight loss. If you just want to be pampered and lose a few inches for your wedding or a special moment, they might be fine, but there is no short-cut to losing weight. Long-term, stable weight loss can only be achieved through smart eating, regular exercise, and lifestyle changes. Of course, liposuction or tummy tuck help too.

Soft feet in the cold weather

A fast way to keep your feet soft during the cold weather

During the cold weather (most of the time where I live) our skin becomes dry and can be flaky. The feet and, in particular, the heels become really dry.

To prevent or treat this is easy and it does not even require any money or if you choose, you can treat yourself to great pampering products. The key to as soft as a baby's feet is:

1- Moisturize. Apply a heavy cream or Vaseline on you heels after the shower and at bedtime. Great natural options are shea butter and other vegetable butters.

2- Exfoliate. You can either buy a product to exfoliate in any price range, from the inexpensive products at supermarket to the most expensive brands available at department. You can either make your own or use one of our recipes: exfoliant. One more option is to buy a feet file or a puma stone. Use after every shower until your feet are normal and then every 2 to 3 days. It takes only seconds and it will make a big difference in your feet.

If you are a busy person, then avoid the oil and salt or sugar exfoliants because they leave the bathroom oily. This is a fast treatment and you do not have time to be taking care of slippery surfaces. There are many products that do not leave any residues in all price ranges.

Enjoy the cold weatherPublish Post with you soft feet.

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Sabai Spa Thai herbal balls

With this product you can bring some of the exotic Spas of Thailand to your home. Cloth balls filled with herbs are used to massage the body. The herbs smell really wonderful and help to relax the muscles and eliminate impurities.

The balls must be submerged in hot water before using them and it is a kind of hot massage, thus, better suited for colder weather. It is a great experience at low cost. If you prefer to have a more luxurious version many spas offer the same service.

If you like you can also make the balls at home using our recipe Thai herbal massage . Read herbal massage recipe here Thai herbal massage .

Cleansers for dry skin

A large percentage of people think that they have sensitive skin and want to hear this when they go for a facial. Some times the esthetician tells them what they want to hear even though it is not the true.

Sensitive skin is nothing desirable. It is a kind of temperamental skin that reacts strongly to many things including temperature changes and cosmetic ingredients. However, most skin (99.999%) types do not require strong cleansers.

My skin hates strong cleansers, especially if they have too many detergents leaving it with the tight skin sensation. I have found that my favorite cleansers (I have tried a lot of them) are the products for sensitive skin with one exception that is a cleanser I got in TJ Max a while ago. I have never seen it in stores. It is the cleanser for all skin types from the Australian beauty line Bloom. It smells great, something like geranium and it does not irritate my skin.

Other brands that I think are great include: Avalon organics for sensitive and for normal skin, Clarins for dry and for sensitive skin. The cleanser does not need to be strong to clean your skin; if you feel your skin tight you may be overdoing it.