Striving4Zen

NYC’s elusive spa maven, Cygalle Dias, has finally launched her online shop, where 100% organic products like oatmeal apricot cleanser, whipped basil moisture cream, and our favorite orange facial tonic (along with serums, masques, and moisturizers) are made to order. (Now if only she would open permanent spa digs in the city.)

Thanks!

Labels: cool new site, Cygalle Dias, organic beauty, Spa

Recently at an onsen in Tokyo, an IG staffer loved her live fish therapy, and recommends it, but not to the squeamish. Imported from Turkey and used as a cure for skin ailments such as psoriasis, Garra rufa (aka Doctor Fish) are the latest trend in Japanese spa treatments.

But be warned, this treatment is not for the squeamish: the fish feed off of the dead and affected areas of skin and leaves healthy skin to grow. Basically, you stick your feet in a small tank where hundreds of fish swarm and nibble and suck at your dead skin. The first few minutes certainly feel freaky and it takes time to get used to the sucking feeling. But after you grow accustomed to the sensation, it actually feels relaxing. While your feet do feel somewhat smoother afterwards, it is definitely more for the experience than it is for the beauty benefits.

Thanks!

Labels: alternative treatments, fish farming, Garra Rufa, psoriasis, skin, Spa

Brazilian-born Rosangela Slomski, who spent 20 years as a celebrity aesthetician in Rio, treats her clients like her own children at her six-month-old space. While she offers a sympathetic ear (“More than anything, I’m a psychologist,” she says) and fruit and wine, she won’t pollute your lungs with airborne tan: The spa is equipped with a vacuum system that sucks up excess liquid. I’ve never achieved a tan on my own—I’m a redhead with superpale skin that only burns—so I was expecting something that looked unnatural. But it actually looked amazing. And that’s not just because she got me buzzed, too.

Rosangela Spa
1200 Lexington Ave between 81st and 82nd Sts, second floor
(212-861-0826).
Full body $48, half body (face, arms, chest) $25

Labels: beauty, NYPost, Spa, spray tan

If you want to see what a little traditional Chinese medicine can do for your beat-up body, head over to Yin Beauty & Arts Spa for their diagnosis.
A therapist will give you an evaluation before performing exfoliation… to improve circulation and "release blocked energy." Then they'll follow with a body treatment made of detoxifying herbs and seaweeds and end with a qi massage (qi being your life force, which could use a little pampering right now) to release tension.

Yin Beauty & Arts

Labels: Chinese Herbal Healing, cool spot, detox, NYC, Spa

To keep loyal devotees, spas are moving beyond basic treatments to more personalized experiences that treat the whole person. Using music, biofeedback, meditation and yoga, spas are not only touting stress relief, but nutrition, fitness and how to get a better night's sleep.
By stressing healthy lifestyles, the industry hopes to demystify the spa for the estimated 75 percent of Americans who've never visited one.
"Spa is no longer just about lotions and potions," said Jim Root, chairman of the International Spa Association. "Spa is not a place, but a lifestyle of wellness, aliveness and happiness."
SOURCE

Labels: FYI, Holistic Health, living holistically, Spa

Dr. Perricone has added a fourth tier to his prescription for beauty.Next week the dermatologist will add spa treatments to the N.V. Perricone M.D. flagship on Madison Avenue, where he promotes his program of an anti-inflammatory diet, nutritional supplements and skin care.

The limited service menu is tailored to strengthen facial muscles with electrostim — weak alternating electrical currents — and is designed to achieve a fuller, more youthful-looking face. "Probably one of the biggest aspects of aging is the loss of tissue, and of course wrinkling and sagging," said Perricone, adding that facial contours give away one's age. To maintain muscle mass in the body, one can lift weights. Electrostim serves a similar purpose for facial muscles, said Perricone, adding that services are in keeping with his noninvasive and nonsurgical approach to beauty and skin health.

The services will include Electro-Stim Lifting Facial, a 60-minute treatment for $250 that includes ultrasonic exfoliation, LED light therapy and microcurrent probes; Rejuvenating Oxygen Facial, another 60-minute treatment for $200, and Electro-Stim Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Lift, a 30-minute treatment for $150. Three 15-minute add-on treatments are also available for $50 each: Ultrasonic Exfoliation, Advanced LED Healing Treatment and Therapeutic Oxygen Infusion.

source

Labels: Dr. Perricone, Spa

After having thoroughly established that shoppers are willing to pay premium prices for natural and organic products, Whole Foods is adding premium services to match: an in-house spa and concierge services that include personal shoppers.
A Whole Foods store in Dallas is the first to incorporate a full-service spa. Located on the store’s second floor, ReFresh has seven treatment rooms, its own retail space (a store within a spa within a store) and a private veranda balcony ‘for outdoor relaxation, spa meals and retreat’. The spa is run by Whole Foods, not outsourced to an existing spa brand. The spa applies the same quality standards as the grocers downstairs do, opting for fresh, plant-based and naturally derived ingredients and only using products that haven't been tested on animals. Catering to customers pressed for time, the spa offers quick options like a mini manicure and a 25-minute Swedish massage, along with a wide range of more indulgent treatments.
Allowing customers to multi-task, Whole Foods’ concierge service offers personal shoppers. After handing over their shopping list, customers can go for a spa treatment while a Whole Foods employee dives into the aisles to gather their groceries. The shopping service is priced at USD 20/hour. Other concierge services include special (bulk) orders, dietician consultations, catering and event services and menu planning. If the spa takes off at the Dallas store, Whole Foods will add it to other locations. Concierge services are offered at a number of markets. Opportunities? Naturally, not every retailer is positioned to add a spa or concierge team to their offerings. Whole Foods Markets are mostly located in affluent areas, where consumers are willing to spend on a bit of pampering and convenience. And the company’s focus on natural products meshes well with natural spa services. Still, the focus on creating a good experience and offering consumers a combination of ease and pampering is one to learn from if you're in retail.
THANKS!

Labels: great idea, Spa, Whole Foods

Chinese herbal healing For thousands of years, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine have used herbs to treat illnesses, focusing on the entire body rather than pinpointing symptoms. “Chinese medicine considers the whole system,” says Michelle Lam, owner of Spring Thyme Spa, a calming oasis located on a chain-filled stretch of Nassau Street. The treatment I sought for my dry, sensitive skin—the Customized Herbal Facial ($110)—involves diagnosing a person’s individual health problems, and then treating them with herbs mixed into a soothing, relaxing balm. I first met with Dr. Wei Hai Li, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist. After asking me some rather personal questions (about my menstrual cycle and “bathroom habits”), he took my blood pressure, felt my pulse, and examined my tongue and skin. My body was full of “hot toxins,” he said, which can cause stress, anxiety and even hormonal imbalances. Then Dr. Li prepared a woodsy, rejuvenating mask, combining different “cooling” herbs. The facial is just one detoxifying step, he said—including removing offending foods from my diet. My face, however, reaped immediate benefits: My skin was still hydrated and radiant two days later.—Amy Plitt
Spring Thyme Spa 75 Nassau St between Fulton and John Sts (212-385-4973, springthymeny.com)

Labels: Chinese Herbal Healing, facial, NYC, Spa