DAYSPA by Kimiko Martinez

MUST HAVE Ha, Ha, HA! Hyaluronic acids are no laughing matter, but they may reduce smile lines ... and more.

Derma MD Hylo. Antioxidants, peptides and HA in this hydrating serum protect skin from free radical damage. These ingredients also improve texture and elasticity. 866.940.7546, dermamdskincare.com

Pevonia Timeless Repair Lotion. Caviar and HA work together in this alcohol-free lotion. It helps smooth wrinkles, and hydrate, rejuvenate and replenish skin. 800.446.3751, cosmoproshop.com Dr. Grandel Hydro Active. Capsules of pure hyaluronic acid quickly smooth, hydrate, firm and plump skin while reducing wrinkles. 800.543.5230, grandelusa.com

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Biologique Recherche Serum Yall~O. This lightweight serum moisturizes and plumps skin with antioxidants and hyaluronic acid. 800.755.5270, biologique-recherche.com

Kerstin Florian Rosacea Hyaluronic Serum. This calming, anti-inflammatory serum uses HA, chamomile and parsley seed oil. It helps calm redness, and balance dry, flaky skin. 888.KERSTIN, kerstinfloria.com

Menscience Eye Rescue Formula. This ultralight formula combats dark circles and puffiness around the eyes. It also increases firmness and elasticity. 800.608.MENS, menscience.com

Photography: Hannah Ross Product styling: Danielle Caseñas & Kimiko martinez

glō Therapeutics glōPure Hydration. Acai fruit extract, pink guava and pomegranate work with HA in this lightweight, hydrating gel. It protects against free-radical damage. 800.649.0510, gloskincare.com

MUST HAVE Vegan Variety Appeal to eco-conscious clients by offering natural, cruelty-free products. Ola Hawaiian Body Products Pineapple Lime Body Wash. Hawaiian pineapple, virgin coconut butter, antioxidants and enzymes moisturize, cleanse and refresh skin. 808.959.2358, hawaiianbodyproducts.com

agoodnightkiss Organic Tub Tea Blend Sachets. Herbs, antioxidants, vitamins and botanicals in this all-natural body soak relieve stress, relax sore muscles and nurture skin. 888.241.4496, agoodnightkiss.com

Verikira Naturals Acne Fighting Toner. Black willow bark in this toner provides salicylic acid to fight acne. Witch hazel soothes and tightens pores. 952.746.1290, verikira.com

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics Eco-Sensual Balm. Palm, coconut and virgin olive oils, antioxidants and spearmint essential oil in this soothing balm moisturize and hydrate lips. 866.PEACE.36, iamapeacekeeper.com 5th Avenue Co. Foot & Leg Moisturizer. Soybean and sunflower oils, aloe and shea butter moisturize, nourish, hydrate and revitalize skin. 614.403.5298, 5thavenuebathco.com

Von Natur Grapefruit Whipped Butter. Paraben-, phthalates- and gluten-free, this naturally derived body butter nourishes skin with avocado, shea, Tamanu and jojoba oils. 866.628.8774, vonnatur.com

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SpaRitual Instinctual Organic Bath Salts. Organic ginger essential oil in this soothing soak balances the root chakra. Mineral-rich salts detoxify and tone skin. 800.558.5571, universalcompanies.com

Natural Spa by Earth Friendly Products Pomegranate Body Souffle. Pure, plant-distilled ingredients in this moisturizer nourish skin. 800.841.3100 ext.227, ecos.com

Photography: Hannah ROss; Product styling: Kimiko Martinez

Brushes by Karen Brown Faux Collection. Made with 100% feather-soft synthetic fibers, these brushes come in 19 styles, and work with creams and powders. 800.722.0528, brushesbykaren.com

TREND WATCH Self-Splurge Can a day spa actually get away with the same self-serve philosophy as a restaurant buffet or gas station? Adding D.I.Y. treatments to your menu may be more practical and profitable than you think. Destination spas and bathhouse-style facilities have already adopted a “serve yourself” array of offerings. Here’s a sampling:

Guests at Skin Deep—The Body Spa (eskindeep.com) in Huntington Beach, California, can treat their minds and bodies with a guided, self-serve Zen Water Experience. The five-step treatment (45 min./ $45) incorporates the elements of earth, air, fire, water and wood. Guests journey alone through the rooms of the cave-like space and an attendant prompts them when it’s time to transition to the next step. “I don’t want people wearing a watch,” says Deborah Wood, owner. “I don’t want them to keep track of anything.” The treatment includes an exfoliating scrub under a warm rain shower, a therapeutic mud application followed by time in the steam room and a soak in a mineral-rich bath. “When people slow their bodies down, they need to slow their minds too,” Wood says. “This combines meditation and the healing aspect of water. It’s a symbolic cleansing of the body, and it allows the mind to settle.”

Girls Night clients at Boston’s Spa Newbury (spanewbury.com) skipped the bar and got an evening of “skin bartending” instead. This process was created by owner Selena Belisle, based on Dermalogica’s face-mapping skin analysis tool. The 1½-hour event included snacks and socialization—plus skin consultations and Q&A sessions led by licensed estheticians that culminated in do-ityourself facials with Pevonia and Dermalogica products ($50/person). “At first we were scratching our heads, wondering, ‘Is this going to work?’ For $55, we’ll do the facials for them,” Belisle says. “But we’ve had a lot of fun with them; never had a dissatisfied customer. And more than 50% purchase something.”

Forget painting the town, visitors at the self-serve Club Mud area at Glen Ivy Hot Springs (glenivy.com) in Corona, California, paint themselves instead. According to Denise Sutterfield, marketing manager, Club Mud is included in the spa’s admission price (Monday-Friday/$35, weekends and holidays/$48), and about 80% of guests opt to slather on the nutrient-rich, therapeutic red clay. “Because Club Mud is included, many of our guests feel that the treatment is just part of the day,” she says. “They keep coming back to enjoy Club Mud, because they see and feel the difference in their skin.” The magnesium oxide in the clay mud helps prevent leg cramps, osteoporosis and PMS. Its high iron content also cleanses blood, making clients less prone to lethargy. “Guests may think they’re getting down and dirty,” Sutterfield says, “but in reality, they’re getting spic-and-span!”

Are you a trend spotter? Email feedback and ideas to Kimiko Martinez at kmartinez@creativeage.com. 12 DAYSPA

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TREND WATCH Teen Scene Teens spend billions each year on health and beauty. Tap into this mass market with tailored spa treatments and spaces geared specifically for these savvy spenders.

Sleepover parties, salt scrubs, spray tans and more are tailored toward the middle and high school set at Teens Too. The spa at Skin Sense’s (skinsense.com) Brier Creek location in Raleigh, North Carolina, features its own treatment and locker rooms, and a specialized menu. Services such as Max Relax, a back, neck and shoulder massage (25 min./$45), Cheek to Chic mini facials (25 min./$45) and Twinkletoes pedicures (45 min./$35), as well as the colorful, interactive website (teenstoospa.com), tempt teens to this spa-within-a-spa. “Teen spa services are a unique, often overlooked, niche market, and we’ve had great success with our location,” says Ana Jansen, marketing coordinator at Skin Sense. “Angela Padgett, our owner, decided to start Teens Too spa because she saw a need for specialized services for the teen/tween demographic and knew that parents who visit us would love to share the experience with their children.” Young locals and hotel guests have a place of their own to unwind at Sea Spa at Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa (loewshotels.com) in Coronado, California. Birthday packages for members evolved into an entire space specifically for the younger set, including a beach-themed lounge with iPod chairs, a flat screen TV, air hockey and Nintendo Wii. The Pottery Barn PBteen Spa Room includes ocean accents, such as hibiscus-print sheets and a shell chandelier. Manis and pedis are the most popular treatments, according to spa director Krystal Mason, as well as fitness massages for boys and youth facials for girls. “Our facials are more like a tutorial for them so they can learn to take care of their skin,” Mason says. But many of the young clients are already quite savvy spa-goers, Mason says. “I’ve had girls tell me they’ve been getting facials for seven years already,” she says. “This age group is definitely knowledgeable, so it’s imperative that we serve them.”

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You’re more likely to hear Hannah Montana than Zen-like nature sounds at The SPAhhhT Youth Spa, at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa (wildflowerspa.com) in San Antonio, Texas. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, young guests have a place of their own to indulge in 25- to 50-minute treatments ranging from fully clothed, adult-supervised massages to handpainted nail art and hair weaving. While the treatments are adult, the atmosphere isn’t. Lava lamps, black lights, brightly colored walls and sleek, satin comforters give the rooms a funky, youthful feel. “Parents have repeatedly asked us to offer spa treatments for their children,” says Gino Caliendo, the resort’s general manager. “The SPAhhhT is our solution. Parents have Windflower— The Hill Country Spa as an adult haven to escape to, and their children have a cool, fun, unique place to get ‘grown-up’ services.” For years, young women have turned to the fashion/beauty/lifestyle magazine Seventeen. Now, Texas teens can receive the same sort of advice and services at the Seventeen studio.spa.salon (seventeenspa.com) in Plano, Texas. From the touch-and-try Make-up Bar and Internet Bar to the popular Pedicure Pit, this space is geared for on-the-go, savvy young women. Treatments include massage, facials, waxing, spray tanning and more.

Health

Wellness

Cracking Nut Allergies PB&J sandwiches may make you long for the good old days, but for some, the childhood staple inspires fear of a potentially deadly reaction. Unlike other food allergies, which most children grow out of, reactions to the nut can be severe, affecting about 3 million Americans and causing about 150 deaths annually. However, peanut allergies may be eliminated in the next five years through immunotherapy and genetically altering plants, some experts say. Several studies point to a potential cure in the near future—a therapy could soon be available that would alter a person’s immune response, rendering the nuts nonallergic. Genetic engineering may also someday produce an allergen-free variety, according to comments recently in The Lancet from Wesley Burks, M.D., a food allergy expert at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Breast Practices

When it comes to bras, cups that runneth over are definitely a bad thing. Beyond tackiness, ill-fitting garments may actually be bad for a woman’s health. Wearing the wrong bra can irreparably damage the breasts, stretching fragile ligaments, sometimes causing pain and discomfort, according to recent research from the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. During this pink-ribbon month, breast biomechanics researcher Wendy Hedger reminds women that breastfeeding, menopause, fluctuations in weight and other life events can lead to changes in cup size, and, therefore, the appropriate bra size.

Science

Coming Undone Celebrities are famous for doing, and undoing, nips and tucks. But they’re not the only ones. Recent reports claim there’s been a surge in demand for plastic surgery revisions and reversals. Dubbed “undo-plasties,” some doctors are promoting themselves as “revision plastic surgeons,” devoting up to 50% of their practices to fixing botched nose jobs, face lifts, breast augmentations and more. “Plastic surgery is one of the most important decisions a person can make,” says Gregory A. Wiener, M.D., a FACS boardcertified cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon in Chicago. “But in today’s instant gratification society, patients are making snap decisions on cosmetic surgery without thinking about how it will affect the rest of their lives.” The most common reversal procedures, he says, are the removal of breast implants, and injectable collagen in the lips and face.

Please submit items of interest for Healing News to Kimiko Martinez at kmartinez@creativeage.com. 128 DAYSPA

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HEALING NEWS

Debt May Lead to a Doctor’s Office Paying bills and dealing with creditors is a pain in the neck—literally. A recent Associated Press-AOL Health poll found that people in serious debt are more likely to report health problems, including ulcers, depression and heart attacks. Between 10 and 16 million Americans’ health may be negatively affected by economic-induced chronic stress, according to Paul J. Lavrakas, a research psychologist and AP consultant who analyzed the survey results. Poll findings showed significantly higher levels of reported physical ailments in those with high debt stress. These individuals were also much more likely to have problems with sleep and concentration, and get upset easily.

Ulcers or digestive tract problems

27%

Headaches or migraines

44%

15%

Severe anxiety

29%

Severe depression

23%

51%

31%

Heart attacks Muscle tension/back pain

Saving Face Just as lifting weights can tone muscles and reshape the body, facial yoga and other “facercises” can create dramatic, injection-free results. Annelise Hagen, author of The Yoga Face: Eliminate Wrinkles with the Ultimate Natural Facelift (Penguin Group, 2007), teaches weekly facial yoga classes. They incorporate poses such as the Smiling Fish (with pursed lips), the Marilyn (a blowing kisses movement) and more. Facercise and Facebuilder For Men creator Carole Maggio licenses her facial toning system to therapists and spa professionals nationwide. The movements aim to isolate and work the 57 muscles of the face and neck to smooth skin, open eyes, diminish under-eye puffiness, tone and define jaw line, and create fuller lips ... all without needles.

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HIGH-DEBT STRESS LOW-DEBT STRESS 8%

Pelvic Fitness New York Kegel queens looking to flex a little muscle—pelvic muscles, that is—now have a new medical spa setting in which to do so. Phit (pelvic health integrated techniques) is a Manhattan-based medical spa dedicated to vaginal rejuvenation, pelvic fitness and noninvasive skin rejuvenation. Inspired while walking past a tooth-bleaching franchise, which caters to healthy patients looking for improvement, gynecologist Lauri Romanzi extended that idea to her own practice. The spa offers individually tailored regimens that help clients get in shape from the inside out. It also features cosmetic gynecologic procedures, such as labiaplasty, vaginal tightening, and laser and radio frequency-based vulvar recontouring. Nonsurgical, noninjectable body rejuvenation options are also offered.

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