St. Luke’s opens medical spa

Services and products to help you look and feel your best

By Claire Kiger

Aday at the spa can do wonders.

From waxing to facials, spas offer services that refresh and enhance a person’s natural beauty, helping them feel more confident in their own skin as they take on the world. A medical spa serves exactly the same purpose, while also offering some significant additional benefits. However, not everyone is aware of what these additional benefits are.

“Hearing the term ‘medical spa’ for the first time can be intimidating,” said Michelle Sturm, licensed advanced practice esthetician (LAPE) at St. Luke’s Rejuvenation Center. “People sometimes assume it means our services are extra expensive or more invasive, but that’s not necessarily true.”

Formerly part of St. Luke’s Plastic Surgery Associates, St. Luke’s Rejuvenation Center provides a full range of medical spa services, and Sturm is excited to show patients all that a medical spa has to offer.

The benefits of a medical spa

“At a medical spa, patients will receive medical-grade products and services in a spa setting,” Sturm said. “That means they’ll see noticeable results more quickly.”

St. Luke’s Rejuvenation Center offers a full range of services, depending on what skin concerns a person wants to address, including:

• Laser treatments for fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, redness, acne, scarring, spider veins, skin tightening, rosacea and hair removal

• SkinPen treatments

• Microdermabrasion

• Chemical peels

• Facials

• Face and body waxing

• Eyebrow waxing and tinting

• High-end makeup and skincare products

• Makeup application and instruction

• Injectables and fillers to be available in the near future

Another benefit is the level of training the staff receives.

“An LAPE is a step above a regular esthetician’s license,” Sturm explained, “and in order to offer skin care services in a medical facility in the state of Minnesota, that is now the required license. For our patients, that means experience and training resulting in knowledgeable, expert care.”

Finally, being in a medical facility enables collaboration with physicians and specialists who are always available when needed.

“If I come across a skin condition that would be better assessed by a physician, I’ll recommend the patient to someone at St. Luke’s Dermatology Associates,” Sturm said. “If someone comes in with spider veins, I’ll recommend them to St. Luke’s Vascular Surgery Associates before I tackle the cosmetic side. There are so many resources available to our patients because we’re part of a healthcare system.”

Treatments for everyone, in every season

No matter what issues a patient may want to address, everything starts with a free consultation. These can happen either virtually or in-person, and help the licensed esthetician understand more about the patient.

“We will go over their skin and what bothers them most,” Sturm explained, “then give them options, including both products and treatments that will help them achieve their goals for healthy, youthful skin.”

Treatment recommendations tend to change with the seasons. In the fall the Sciton BroadBand Light (BBL) treatments and chemical peels are especially popular, addressing sunspots and other skin damage from the summer sun. In the winter, exfoliation treatments and hydrating facials are often recommended because they help remove dead skin cells and add moisture back into the skin.

The Center also has a few special treatments available during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People have been struggling with acne related to maskwearing,” Sturm said. “So, we are offering mask-ne (mask acne) treatments. These involve facials focused on cleansing the skin and reducing inflammation, as well as products patients can use on a daily basis at home to keep that area looking and feeling healthy.”

Virtual facials are also now available. These are done by sending products to a patient’s home, and then walking them through how to use them via a video visit.

“That way, if they are at home doing distance learning with their kids, for example, they can still take care of their skin with high quality products,” Sturm said.

Skincare solutions at St. Luke’s

The Center serves a wide range of people and addresses a host of different issues, and the staff is always ready to help new patients. While Sturm typically sees more female than male patients, she hopes to help more men in the future.

“I see quite a few gentlemen for rosacea. It would be great to get more in for facials and other treatments as well,” Sturm said. “We have some great regimens designed specifically for men.”

Prices vary from $15 eyebrow waxes to $350 chemical peels, and include everything in between.

“It all depends on what a patient is looking for in terms of results and the down time they have available,” Sturm said. “Our treatments are very reasonably priced and they can easily fit into any budget.”

To learn more about St. Luke’s Rejuvenation Center or to schedule a free consultation, visit slhduluth.com/ rejuvenation or call 218-249-7910. D

Samantha Roffers, a Moose Lake writer, believes it’s important to shop for things you love and feel comfortable in. Everyone’s style is unique and that’s what makes it so special.

By Samantha Roffers

Hellodear readers! By the time you’re reading this it will be fall, which is absolutely insane. Our gorgeous Minnesota summers seem to pass in the blink of an eye. Summer is, hands down, my favorite season, but I am a total sucker for fall as well.

One of the main reasons I love fall so much, aside from the beautiful leaves and warm apple cider, is fall fashion. Fall outfits are a great way to mix summer blouses and tanks with cardigans, light jackets and sweaters. You can retire the sandals, relax on the pedicures and play with boots, booties and sneakers. All too soon we’ll be wearing as many layers as we can and swapping fashion boots for snow boots, so let’s enjoy the crisp and snowless days while we can.

Advertising director Megan Keller and I had such a wonderful time at our local Maurices putting these outfits together and there was certainly no shortage of beautiful pieces. It felt fantastic to partake in a little retail therapy and actually get my hands on my online finds.

I hope you find some inspiration for your own fall looks from our finds! D

by Sam

The first look I put together was this comfy and casual one. I paired this adorable red graphic tee with a light camo button up and distressed jeans. Camo goes with so many different colors and can easily be dressed up or down. The sneakers were a great casual touch and very comfy! These KanCan jeans stayed on through all of my outfits changes. They were recommended to me by Miah who swore up and down the comfort of them is unlike any other — and she was right! They felt as comfortable as pajama pants but have a thick, quality denim feel.

2 4 3

This look screams fall! It is full of vibrant fallish colors and it has a great layering setup, perfect for a cool morning going to work and a warm afternoon. The olive shirt underneath has a little longer sleeve and covers your bottom. It can easily be worn without the cardigan and paired with cute jeans or yoga pants. This cardigan was so perfectly cozy and it has an adorable scalloped hem along the front and a lace up detail in the back. You could pair this cardigan with a ton of different tanks, tees and even dresses making it very versatile for work or play.

This second look is my personal favorite. I adore flowy kominos and wear them often. It is so easy to wear them in summer, spring and fall with a tank or tee. You can even bring them into winter paired with a long sleeve. The colors in this one were stunning and went perfectly with this beautiful mint tank top. How great is that neckline? I paired the look with the KanCan jeans and these adorable booties. They are a perfect fall shoe and can easily go from work to date night to play! They were very comfortable, which is a huge thing for me — if I’m not comfy, I’m not happy, and it’s hard to look your best when you’re not happy.

When I put this shirt on I instantly felt like a princess! It is such a romantic top and absolutely perfect for a fall date night. When I initially grabbed it off the rack I thought it was a tank top, so I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on. This top is perfect to show off your summer tan and can be worn with many different bottoms and shoes. You could easily pair this top with shorts and sandals for a fun late summer look. Buy it now and bring it along for any warm winter destinations you may be thinking about. This top is a great mix of beachy, boho and romantic…plus it doesn’t cling so it’s very comfortable and flattering. I paired it with booties, the KanCan jeans and a cute little necklace.