A spa visit truly is a matter of health, at the unique Healing Waters Spa in Columbia, S.C. At Healing Waters, they believe in healthy living as the cornerstone to looking and feeling beautiful both inside and out. Inspiring transformations of all types is their speciality. This revolutionary facility is both a relaxation spa -- and a medical spa, which means you’ll find facials and relaxing body rituals, as well as a medical doctor on site. Dr. Peter Haines is a plastic surgeon with a relaxing demeanor. Healing Waters was founded by Amanda Gorecki, and the Spa Manager is Cory King. Healing Waters is located within Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge, which is part of Palmetto Health, the largest and most comprehensive health care system in the Midlands region of South Carolina. If you’ve ever been curious to try a medical-based spa treatment, but you’ve been hesitant, this is your place. The spa is located within a hospital, but you would never know it when you are inside the spa’s walls which hold such amazing decor. The spa divides the year into quarters, which reflect four basic body needs: calm, balance, correct and restore. Each quarter a different body treatment reflecting these needs is carefully crafted to help you improve in this area. The rituals were developed with the hope of making a positive influence on the mental, emotional and physical well being of the guests. When I visited it was the balance quarter when guests come to find their center, harmonize the mind, body and soul and remember where “I” begins and ends. The Restorative I started my treatments with a quick visit to their steam room, which resembles a luxurious hammam. Try to sneak a peak when the steam is off to see it in its full glory. The steam room is in the ladies changing area, where you will find some of the largest individual showers in the industry, along with cool facial clothes and cucumber slices for your eyes. While there, I experienced the Balance Hot Poultice Body Ritual, Power Facial and CoolScultping. The medical side is seamlessly integrated into the relaxation areas of the spa, so you never know when one section starts and the other ends.
H E A L T H I left with recommendations and best practices for how to continue to best care for my skin along with PureMD product recommendations. The Medical My experience at Healing Waters culminated with CoolSculpting, which targets fat without invasive surgery. It essentially freezes and breaks down fat cells that you can’t get rid of through regular healthy diet and exercise. My CoolSculpting session was relaxing. I perused a magazine, enjoyed tea and also one of the best scones I had eaten since I was in London. It has only been a couple of weeks, but I already have a different fit to my clothes and look forward to the final results. Take-home guidelines are given and patients are told to make a three-month follow-up appointment. I think I will have to combine my follow-up with a spa treatment, of course! Another medical option is laser treatments to help the skin. Choose from the BBL, halo and other lasers. You can find many other well-known cosmetic medical treatments such as Botox and fillers like Voluma, as well as full plastic surgery. The Zen The lounge itself has enough true, healthy nourishment that lounging is encouraged and possible. The spa water in each quarter reflects the theme of that time of the year. The Balance Spa water was an aromatic blend of rosemary, lime and orange. Also one can opt for an herbal tea, like their Organic Detox Infusion. Their lounge is set up to give you the illusion of a private area at almost any angle. Nothing is required of you in this area, but to relax. There is no other spa in the area the exudes this feeling more: “Stay with us and let us care for you.” This day spa is as luxurious as any four- or five-star resort, something I have not encountered in a day spa before. With a medical staff always on site, it will surpass other day or resort spas in the level of medical care. A lovely lunch can be provided if you are spending the day at the spa. My meal was from one of the best, health-conscious restaurant groups in the area, Miyo’s. The spa hopes to soon offer its own spa menu soon.
Cory King, Spa Manager of Healing Waters Spa recommends a Poultice Body Ritual to restore balance. Per King, “It releases stale and stagnant energy from head to toe, leaving yourself feeling centered and refreshed.”
The lounge is even more refreshing in one of the softest robes around. Everything is new and fresh, and that enhances deep relaxation. There’s nothing to worry about.
My Balance Body Ritual began with a scrub, to remove dead skill cells, followed by a cleansing full-body mask and steam therapy. Then, warm Thai herbal poultices are used to massage all over your body. They hold herbs ranging from Tamarind to Patchouli. The poultices are packaged to take home with you, so you can continue to use their powers at home in your own bath. The treatment wraps up with with a Swedish-style massage, using the hydrating Balance body lotion. The 90-minute treatment is designed to release stale energy and leave you feeling refreshed and centered.
Not even parking worries, like you might find in other downtown area spas. Park right at the front or side of building.
The highly customized Power Facial was next. It may includes everything from cleansing, toning, exfoliating, masks, moisturizers -- plus extractions, a neck, shoulder and foot massage, micro-dermabrasian and more. This is the mother of all facials, from lips to eyes (the PureMD RevitalEyez Eye Treatment is amazing). Because the facial is so customized, it will be tailored to your skin’s needs. I truly felt that my personal needs were the utmost thing on the therapist’s mind -- not the clock. My lovely esthetician even checked in on me during my additional treatments.
If you’re lucky, you might even be able to catch a ride to the door with the hospital’s ambassadors in their golf carts. The perfect fusion of medicine and luxury culminates with Healing Waters’ product line, Pure MD Skin Products. Pure MD embodies what the Healing Waters Spa stands for; it fuses natural, botanical ingredients with chemical ingredients and cutting-edge, anti-aging technology. I live so close to Healing Waters that I think about just dropping by to catch some zen in the lounge almost daily -- and Healing Waters does offer “Massage Me Monthly” memberships, which entitle you to monthly discounts on massages and 10 percent off products and body rituals. So slap on those Costa sunglasses, take a trip to Columbia and while you are there, refresh yourself with a trip to Healing Waters Spa. Tell them Ava, the Spa Travel Gal, sent you!
21 Upscale Living Magazine |
Issue 38 www.upscalelivingmag.com