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spring
- taking your spa experience home with you
summer - spa upgrades
fall - making your
own body products
winter - holiday spa gifts
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taking
your spa experience home with you.
Ahhh...
a day at the spa. Nothing feels more relaxing or
more refreshing. The glow in your skin, the lack
of stress in your muscles, and the feeling that
somehow, life is good, no matter what's going on
at the moment. Why can't this feeling last forever?
Why not! There's no reason for that feeling to end
the moment you step out the door and back into the
real world.
Take
your spa experience home with you!
Most
spas will offer the products used in your service
for retail sales. And most technicians are happy
to explain to you how to use the products at home.
If
you enjoyed the service, but not the product, shop
around, or make your own at home.
To fully enjoy your home spa experience, you should
try to create the proper environment for yourself.
Turn off the phone, the cell phone, the pager, the
TV, the radio and any other annoying background
noise. You may, however, want to turn on some relaxing
music. Light a candle. Send the kids to a friends
house. Send the husband to a friends house. Do whatever
is necessary so that you won't be disturbed. Your
spa time is YOU time. You don't want that interrupted.
After all, the more you give to yourself, the more
you will have to give to others. So don't feel guilty
about shipping the kids and the husband off to far
away places. You need this.
There
are a few safety tips for home spa-ing:
- Always
keep a burning candle within eye sight and within
reach.
- If
you have pets, make sure they can't knock over
a burning candle, or bottle of massage oil.
- Use
heat-resistant surfaces for things like candles
and heated oils.
- Be
sure the surface you set your bottle of massage
oil on is not a porous surface.
- Oil
stains are tough to get rid of.
Need
some ideas for what to do while home spa-ing?
- Draw
a bath with scented bath oils.
- Massage
yourself from head to toe with natural massage
oils.
- Cleanse
your face, and apply a mask. Allow to dry while
you soak in the tub.
- Add
a cup of milk, or a few teaspoons of oil to
your bath for extra moisturizing benefits.
- Before
getting in the bath, exfoliate your skin with
a body scrub. Don't have one handy? Mix corn
meal and your favorite massage oil. Rinse off
and soak in the tub. Your skin will love you
for it!
So
there you have it. A fantastically relaxing spa
experience, and you never even had to leave home
for it!
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spa
upgrades
To
upgrade, or not to upgrade? That is the question.
You
walk into your local salon or day spa, and you are
immediately submerged in a myriad of luxurious decisions.
Does your scalp want the "Ultimate Mango Seaweed
Dip"? Do your hands crave the "Intensified
Hot Therapy Dip"? Does your body perish without
a complete "Cornmeal and Cucumber Rubdown"?
How
is a sane and logical person supposed to choose?
Let's start at the beginning.
First,
realize what basic service you are there for. Are
you getting a simple hair cut or trim? Manicure?
Pedicure? Massage? Ok good. If you know what you're
there for, you've won half the battle already.
Now for the extras!
Undoubtedly,
you've been asked a time or two if you would like
to upgrade your service. There are a few things
to consider before answering this question.
-
Do you have enough money in the meter for the
extra time this upgrade will take?
-
Will you need to function in a way, after your
service, which having the upgrade will put a
stop to? In other words, you don't want to upgrade
a massage with a complimentary toe nail polish
if it's raining outside, and you only have your
close-toed, yet snazzy yellow galoshes to wear
home. Many a great polish jobs have been ruined
with that scenario!
Once
you're cleared for upgrade take-off, you now have
a fascinating decision to make. Which food group
will benefit your body the most? (And I don't mean
lunch).
Here
are some decoded upgrades to help you better decide
what is right for you.
-
Honey - any upgrade with honey is a great experience.
Not only does honey help to heal your skin,
it nourishes any part of your skin that it is
applied to.
-
Mango - this fruit is great for giving your
skin that youthful glow. Mango is a vitamin
packed skin softener.
-
Pineapple - this peppy lil' guy has an enzyme
that helps dissolve the yucky, dry layers of
skin on your face and body. A pineapple upgrade
will help you look like you got 12 hours of
sleep, even if you only got 2 hours!
-
Paraffin - Although there is some debate over
the true health benefits of paraffin (paraffin
comes from petroleum), many would argue that
it is a natural substance (petroleum is a fossil
fuel). Regardless of your stand on this subject,
we have found that the effects of a paraffin
dip on the skin are relatively short lived.
While paraffin has been indicated in the relief
of arthritis pain (due to the application of
heat), its moisturizing effects do not last
long after your service. Now, we will be the
first to admit that IT FEELS GREAT! There's
nothing like having your hand or foot (or body!)
slipped into an intensely warm bath of this
thick liquid. But use your common sense here.
If you are looking for great skin benefits,
choose a different upgrade. If you're simply
looking for the "feel good" aspect
of your treatment, GO FOR IT!
-
Scrubs - We are big proponents of body scrubs.
Why? Because they work! And did we mention they
feel great? Discuss the intensity of the scrub
with your therapist if you have sensitive skin.
But never pass up the opportunity to get this
upgrade. We love our scrubs!
So
the next time you walk into your salon or spa, go
with the knowledge that you have choices, you know
what they are (at least some of them), and that
regardless of the benefits, you're bound to walk
out feeling great. All in all, we support the all-mighty
upgrade!
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making
your own body products
In
our last newsletter, we talked about what different
products can do for you. But what if you just want
to enjoy a spa evening at home? What products should
you use to achieve the most relaxing experience?
At
Personal Alchemy, we truly believe in the benefits
of a purely natural product. And while there are
many on the market to choose from, there are also
many items you can make yourself at home.
Why
make your own products?
-
You know exactly what the ingredients are.
-
Your product will be made absolutely fresh and
new.
-
You have the opportunity to fine tune your product
until it's just the way you like it.
You
may think that this will be a complicated venture.
But it can be as easy as a slice of fresh pineapple
or an egg, and a fork or your blender.
Here
are some simple ideas to get you started. Some,
you may have heard of before, and some may be new.
But we encourage you to try them all and see what
works best for you. (If you have any type of bad
reaction to these methods, discontinue their use
immediately.)
-
Need a deep conditioner for your hair? Try mayo!
Leave it in your hair for 10 minutes with your
head wrapped with saran wrap to stimulate warmth.
Wash lightly, and rinse well.
-
Do you have a lot of product build-up in your
hair? Rinse it with the cheapest can of beer
you can find. Your hair will thank you for it!
(For obvious reasons, we don't recommend this
for minors) Don't care for the smell of beer?
Use vinegar instead. Add 1 ounce of apple cider
vinegar to 1 quart of distilled water. Keep
the extra in your refrigerator.
-
Have a red pimple that you really want to get
rid of? Put a dab of your favorite toothpaste
(no gels, just the white stuff) over it for
a couple of hours. You'll be amazed how much
smaller it is just a few hours later. (Please
don't sleep with this over night. It can dry
your skin out to much leaving you with skin
that is sore and chapped).
-
Looking for a great mask? If you have dry skin,
use an egg yolk as a mask. Oily skin? Use the
egg white. Plain yogurt is great to. It helps
restore the pH balance of your skin. Leave on
for 10-15 minutes, and rinse with cool water.
-
Need a good makeup remover? Use a dab of margarine
on a cotton ball. It's amazing how well it will
remove even the smallest traces of the day's
makeup.
-
Witch Hazel makes a great astringent and won't
dry out your skin. It's wonderfully refreshing
first thing in the morning as well, and is very
cost effective.
-
Want softer skin after bathing? Add milk to
your bath water.
-
Puffy eyes? Finish that cup of tea, and then
put the tea bags over your eyes. Or try cucumber
slices as an alternative.
-
Mash up a mango or pineapple and apply to your
face for a skin refresher. Leave on for 5 -
10 minutes and rinse with cool water.
We
hope this will give you some quick and natural home
remedies to add to your home spa routine. Please
keep in mind that there are many resources on the
internet which provide recipes for home made products.
Many are much more elaborate than what we have listed
here. The idea is to do some research and find what
works best for you. Each person will be different
in what works for them. Experiment! That's the fun
part!
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holiday spa gifts
The
holidays are coming!!! Oh no, nother fruit cake!
And you just got rid of the one from last year!
Yup, there's no denying it. The holidays are coming
quick. And it's inevitable that there will be that
one person (maybe two) that is just impossible to
shop for.
But
there is a solution. Spa gifts, of course! Who wouldn't
like something that makes them feel good? Even that
person who has everything enjoys feeling good from
time to time. It's the perfect gift!
So
now the question becomes, what kind of spa gift
do you give? Well, you have to consider the person.
Consider their personality, their lifestyle and
the types of things they enjoy doing.
Is
this person a home-body, and workaholic, an intellectual?
Do they spend most of their time at home, jumping
out of planes or in a book store? Are
their hobbies cooking, going from meeting to meeting
or reading?
Once
you've figured out all of that, you can start to
look at the types of products they might enjoy.
Someone who is a homebody, and is always at home
in their sweat pants with the kids, might like some
energy infused into their lives. Scents like Eucalyptus,
peppermint or rosemary can be a perfect fit.
A
person who is constantly on the go from one appointment
to the next, might enjoy a relaxing moment from
time to time. Aromas like Lavender, sweet orange
and palmrosa will do very nicely.
For
somebody who constantly lives "inside their
head", and is always thinking and analyzing,
aromas like spearmint, lemongrass and bergamot could
be just the thing.
Then
there's that person who is always searching for
something on the outside (new job, new mate, new
home), but what they really need is to connect with
themselves. That person might find ylang-ylang,
patchouli or clove to be a wonderful aroma.
So
now you've figured out what scent to look for, now
let's look at the products themselves.
That homebody might like an invigorating body scrub
of oils and salts. That person who is always on
the go might like massage oils or lotions for a
relaxing massage. The intellectual worry-wart might
like to calm down with the intense aroma of a healing
balm and some scented oils added to a bath. Last
but not least, that person needing to find themselves
could very well do so in their bathroom with a full
collection of body cream, massage oil, healing balm,
bath salts and even a facial mask.
So
you see, there's really no reason to fret over your
holiday shopping list. The gift of relaxation is
priceless, and always appreciated.
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