What is a Day Spa?

Day Spas provide an increasingly important service where the health and well being of a client is of utmost importance. Where people often lead stressful and busy lives,  a Day Spa can offer services that benefit clients through massage, facials, body treatments and sensory journeys.  These treatments are not only relaxing, but can reduce stress, help remove toxins and provide products with active ingredients targeting specific issues. Spas usually also include beauty services like waxing, tanning and tinting, and some branch out into the cosmetic arena to include microdermabrasion, laser and injectables.

Day Spas can include water with their treatments with such things as spa baths and steam rooms.  More luxurious day spas have private retreats and a quiet space to relax and de-stress.  When deciding whether to pop in to a day spa, beauty salon or other centre of health and well being, ask yourself what you are looking for and what you want to achieve.  Look at the treatments on offer and speak with staff to determine if the treatment is what you are looking for.  Pop on their website or Facebook page to find out more information about the business and look at the feedback from their past clients.  When it comes to your health and well being, the cost of the service is important to consider especially for those on a budget, however sometimes cheap is not always the best. Businesses offering cheaper treatments and services may not use good quality products with active ingredients, and the staff may not be highly trained in their field.

If you find a treatment that provides you with what you are looking for or needing at the time, the cost should be a secondary consideration.  It's important to focus on your health and well being, now and in the future, that way you are contributing to a happy, healthy and productive life.

Skin Analysis Essential for Product Purchase

Before you consider purchasing a beauty product online or in store, we recommend you have a skin analysis.  A skin analysis is undertaken by a fully qualified beauty therapist who looks at your skin under a 'mag lamp' to determine your skin type and if there are skin conditions or problem areas.

A skin analysis allows the beauty therapist to provide you with a prescription of products to use at home specifically suited to your skin.  It also helps ensure you have a great skin care routine at home.  It's true there are a broad range of products that suit many skin types, however for great, healthy looking skin it is important to ensure you have the right products, and not one you think looks or sounds good.

Beauty therapists are highly trained in the skin, and undertaking a skin analysis is usually performed for free in most salons and day spas.  Therapists can determine if your skin is oily, congested with breakouts, dry, dull or ageing. They can also categorise your skin using a recognised classification system in beauty.

Beauty therapists will ask you about any medications you are taking, illnesses you may have and your diet as these can impact on your skin and the beauty products prescribed to you.  At the end of the day, you are responsible for your skin and the products you use, but why not consult an expert to help with this process - you'll be glad you did!

Fabulous Skin Beyond Forty

I turned 44 years old recently.  It made me start thinking about how I can ensure my skin looks great for many years to come.  We all know the usual mantras about drinking lots of water to stay hydrated, don't smoke and don't go out in the sun without proper protection.  We can't turn back the clock, and ageing is something we all face, however there are other things we can do to help ensure our skin looks great beyond forty.

What are you using on your skin?  Make sure your skin care products don't contain harmful chemicals and they allow for products to be absorbed by your skin - this includes your cleanser.  We also recommend a serum on your skin - it helps with skin repair and cell turnover. You should also be using a moisturiser that hydrates the skin and is suitable to your skin type.

What are you eating and do you exercise?  The food you ingest impacts greatly on your skin. A diet rich in healthy whole foods is much better than one with highly processed foods full of sugar and salt. Eating foods rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants does wonders for your health and your skin.  Exercise is also great for healthy looking skin.  Exercise increases blood flow around the body which nourishes skin cells and provides oxygen.

Don't put off looking after your skin - the sooner you start, the easier it is to achieve and maintain.  And don't be worried about some wrinkles and fine lines - there's nothing wrong with ageing gracefully.

Improving Your Skin Texture

Some men and women have skin that has large pores, scars, discolouration, sun damage and other things that can make them feel slightly uncomfortable.  Some people don't care, but for those who do, what can be done about it? Women can wear makeup which can cover up some flaws and imperfections, but there are alternative options for something more permanent.

At our Day Spa, we focus on non invasive treatments that aren't harsh on the skin or involve the use of chemicals.  It's important to ensure the skin responds to treatment, that the treatment doesn't thin the skin or cause other damage.  We use and recommend facial exfoliation, microdermabrasion and fruit acids that can create a light peel for the skin. If you have these treatments regularly over a period of time, performed by a skin care professional, you will see a great different in the texture of your skin.  Of course for very deep scars clients will need to discuss treatment with their Doctor.

Microdermabrasion is very gentle on the skin and minimally abrasive. It stimulates blood flow and increases nutrition delivered to the skin.  6 treatments are recommended for best results. Our clients opt for microdermabrasion as it can improve the signs of ageing and it is a very cost effective treatment.  The machine is normally used for about 15 minutes depending on the areas covered, longer if you want your neck and decolletage treated as well. We perform microdermabrasion with a nourishing facial to keep clients skin hydrated.

Contact us today to find out more about this fantastic treatment.

Microdermabrasion facial 

The Benefits Of A Good Quality Make Up Brush

Before I started working in the beauty industry, my daughter (who is a qualified Beauty Therapist) was horrified one morning to see me putting on my make up with my fingers and not a make up brush.  She gave me a lecture about germs and coverage etc, and bought me a top quality professional brush.  I gave the brush a go, and loved it, but I found it absorbed the make up. I was going through my bottle faster than usual.  Being a lady who likes to watch her pennies, I didn't like the idea of using more make up, and went back to the old finger technique.

Once I started running my own Day Spa, I was naturally impelled to use the products we retail and recommend to our clients.  This also meant by default I had to use the make up brush that we retailed with the make up.  I must admit I was worried about the increased use in make up and the associated costs, however I was assured by my experienced staff that this brush didn't soak up the make up.

Well, I am converted!  I love the make up and the brush, which I use every day.  The brush ensures hygiene, an even coverage and better finish.  I would recommend everyone who wears make up to use a professional make up brush.  Just remember to give your brush a good clean regularly.

Contact us today to find out which brushes we recommend and what you can use to clean your brush.  You'll never want to use your fingers again!

A professional make up brush provides even coverage

Professional Make Up Brush

Customised Beauty for 2017

It is important for those in the Beauty and Day Spa industries to ensure their services and products are flexible and can be customised for each individual client.  We all know how different our needs are.  In this age of disruption where business ideas are moving forward in leaps in bounds in an attempt to turn traditional business practices on its head, beauty salons and day spas need to ensure that they can cater for individual needs, or risk being outdated.

When we customise our services for our clients, we take the time out to talk to them about their needs, what they are looking for and if they have anything of concern that needs to be considered during the treatment.  We use essential oils in specific massages that suit our clients requirements.  We also look at the skin and assess the clients needs when conducting facials.  If our clients have a disability or injury we make sure we can cater to their specific requirements and ensure their comfort. Spa parties are also customised to suit the requirements of our clients.

In an attempt to take customisation a step further, we are introducing a new service in our salon where clients can customise their own essential oil blends with our guidance, to address issues such as stress, headaches, sleeplessness etc.  Clients will also be able to create a perfume they like to wear each day (with no alcohol) that suits their own personal taste.  This element of customisation is giving the client a unique experience which allows them to control the end product - a scent they love!

Why not customise beauty, after all it's personal.

Massage and the Body

I had a massage the other day -  it great!  Afterwards though, I felt a little dizzy, a bit sore and quite sick. I hadn't had a massage for a while and I was surprised it had this effect on me. When I spoke to my massage therapist, she mentioned that massage releases the toxins in our body which are then eliminated through the liver and kidneys.  This can result in a feeling of nausea. Nausea after a massage can also result from a lack of hydration.  We recommend our clients drink water before and after a massage if possible.  Drinking enough water is essential to our good health and assists with the detoxification process of the body.  There are many benefits to the body to stay well hydrated, and doing so can also help alleviate any headaches experienced after a massage.

I have decided I am going to make time for a regular massage (one of the perks with working in a day spa!).  I like the idea of toxins being removed from my body. Toxins can be caused through the foods we eat, the environment, our lifestyle and other factors including stress, anxiety and our emotions.  So a good massage is great for the body, the mind and our emotional well being.

Before you head in for your next massage, discuss your requirements with your massage therapist - they will be able to tailor the massage to suit your needs.  And remember, never get a massage from someone who isn't property qualified (unless its a loved one of course).  They can do more harm than good!

Massages are great for the body, mind and emotional well being.