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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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.

Beauty in the times of recession

Lately there is a lot of bad news about the economy and it looks like many people are trying to save money. But do not worry, your looks do not have to suffer for a shortage of cash.

Beauty products. According to many studies most beauty products give similar results; price does not determine their effectiveness. Some drugstore products perform as well as some of the most expensive beauty products. What is important is to read the ingredient list carefully before buying a product.

Moisturizers. The moisturizers from Olay Total Effects and Avon Anew gave as good results as Lancome and better results than pricier La Praire in a survey by Consumer Reports. There are many other great moisturizers at reasonable prices.

Cleansers. Avoid the expensive new cleansing wipes; they just add to your budget and are a big waste for the environment. You can get the same results just by using your hands, a hand towel or a marine sponge with your cleanser. Choose a gentle cleanser even if you have very oily skin.

Exfoliate. There are great products for exfoliation at reasonable prices. This is a step in your beauty routine you should not skip; you will see the difference. Although you can use sponges or home made products such as oats and yogurt, if you are past 30, perhaps, in addition to those you may to try microdermabrasion alternated with a peeling. My favorite peeling is "Peel and Reveal" by Elizabeth Arden.

Hair cuts. The shorter you keep your hair the more often you will need to go to the beauty salon. Geometrical haircuts such as the hair cut of the moment, the bob, require more visits to the salon. If you are short on cash choose less structured haircuts or longer lengths.

Color. Color is the money maker in beauty salons, especially highlights. It is easy to understand why, color treatments require frequent visits, and generally speaking, they are more expensive than haircuts. If you color your hair to cover grays, try at home color kits. Highlights and radical color changes are best to leave to the experts.

Manicures and pedicures. If you love to have them done professionally, try to space them out by maintaining them at home by repainting the nails and toes and exfoliating the feet. The cheapest alternative is to do them yourself.

Massages. They are great, not only for relaxation, they are also healthy because of increasing circulation and controlling stress. Try a massage school instead of a spa; they offer good quality massages at lower cost. Other alternative is to try spas like Massage Envy. They require membership and the client has to commit to one massage a month, but usually it is not a long term commitment and it can be broken with one month's notice. In my area the massage is only $38 and no tipping is required.

Styling your hair. There are salons that have hair boot camps to teach you how to straighten your hair. You can see pictures and try to imitate the styles. It is a rewarding experience to do your own hair. For special occasions, it is not a bad idea to get your girlfriends together to get ready.

Shop around and get creative for beauty products and services to fit your budget without sacrificing quality.

We have a lot of natural beauty recipes, that we have tried, in our Spa at Home section in the website.