Education

With Father’s Day fast approaching, I started to reflect on how the perception of men experiencing spa treatments has changed.

Oddly enough, my introduction to skin care and massage therapy was through a man- my Dad!  I think he may have been an original metro-sexual.  Now, even that term seems tired and silly, as culturally we’ve come to embrace that health and wellness are not reserved for the realm of one gender, but for both men and women.

Vancouver is one of Canada’s most progressive and modern cities and as such, there’s an increasing demographic of men taking part in spa treatments and skin care.

This is in part due to marketers realizing that men want to take care if themselves and they want products and treatments that are aimed specifically at them. As a result there is now a huge variety of skin care products targeting men which have popped up in the last few years.

Following suit, spas are now tailoring their decor and even the activities they offer to men. One Vancouver spa touts a lounge where men can play x-box while they get their pedicure done. Here at Spruce Body Lab, our focus has always been on creating a gender neutral environment where both men and women can feel comfortable.

Some of the ways we approach this is with our decor, which is modern and minimalist. We also choose skin care products that don’t lend themselves to one specific gender. When we choose to carry a product line, the smell, look and feel of the product needs to be something that both a man and a woman would feel comforatable to have in their medicine cabinet. With our client base at a very nice balance of 50/50 men and women, we must be doing something right!

As far as treatments for men go, we offer massage therapy which is easily a favorite of our male clientele.  Waxing for the back and shoulders, as well as chest and stomach, has become very popular in the last few years. And skin care treatments amongst our male clientele has steadily increased as well.

With regards to skin care treatments, our Customized Spruce Facial is a client favorite. Each treatment is tailored to each person’s specific skin condition and concerns.  For men, we carry the Dermalogica Shave line of products which offers a skin care regime that makes shaving a breeze instead of a burden.

Whenever I’ve treated anyone, male or female who has never experienced a skin treatment- the end result is always the same- “Why haven’t I done this sooner?” I think that fear of the unknown or misconceptions about what it means to get a skin care treatment is what holds most people back. Once they’ve had the experience, it opens up a whole new world of self care.

The last frontier in popularity of treatments for men is the body treatment. A body treatment is something that even women have a hard time getting their heads around.  Body treatments are a combination of the relaxation of body massage, with the skin smoothing and nourishing benefits of a skin treatment.  Put in such simple terms- I don’t think it will be long before these treatments are a man-favorite too!

It’s nice to see that men like my Dad are no longer an anomaly and that the spa industry has responded in kind. Happy Father’s Day and here’s to evolved men!

Spruce Body Lab Father’s Day In Store Specials:

• 25% off Dermalogica Men’s Shave Kits until June 21st, 2009.
• Book in for Full Physical Package: 60 minute massage and Customized Men’s Facial with Complimentary Infrared Sauna $169 (savings of $50)

Did you know that sun protection could be intelligent?

With this recent Vancouver heat wave we’ve had, I’ve been piling on the sunscreen. It’s so nice to have an early start to the beautiful summer weather.

I’ve been asking some of my clients recently if they’ve been applying sunscreen to their body and I’ve been shocked to find that people seem to only feel they need sun protection from the neck up!-unless they are outside for prolonged periods of time…

I have this dreaded vision of people in the future looking like collages of different skins. The faces of 30 year olds with the bodies of 60 year olds. I know I’m getting a little carried away with my imagination- but seriously, don’t forget the rest of your skin! It think it’s really important to think of sun exposure as accumulative. If you’re only outside for ten minutes a day- that ads up over a year to 60 hours of sun exposure. Considering that 80-90% of aging is attributed to sun exposure, you do the math…

On that note- I’m super excited about the Sunforgettable products which will be available at Spruce Body Lab next week. There are different colours and applications to choose from. There’s one with sparkles for a little feminine touch, two with very minimal pigment to even out the skin tone, and one that’s clear. It’s such an innovative concept to be able to dust on some minerals and get an SPF 30 without the mess of a cream or spray.

New at Vancouver Spa Spruce Body Lab! From Colorescience:

Sunforgettable Micronized Minerals Providing SPF 30 for Face and Body

1. Instant protection from uv radiation… no 20 minute wait!!
2. Chemical Free
3. Paraben Free
4. Highly water resistant
5. Non-greasy feeling… no more hot and sticky skin!!
6. Won’t sting, or drip into eyes… great for athletes and little ones!!!
7. Cooling effect on the skin… minerals act like a mini air conditioner on the skin!!
   • Zinc absorbs heat ( like a sponge)
   • Titanium Dioxide reflects heat ( like a car windshield sun deflector)
   • Iron Oxides are excited by sunlight and create a cooling effect on skin.
8. Easy to reapply… sunscreen should be reapplied throughout the day.
   • 80% of aging comes from incidental sun exposure.
   • Easy to apply under and over makeup.
   • 3 great colores to choose from.
9. Great for sensitive skin… Titanium Dioxide has anti microbial properties once it is activated by the sun.
   • The minerals sit on top of the skin.
   • Act like a breathable band aid to protect skin from all environmental pollutants.
   • Keeps skin clean.
10. Safe for the environment. Refillable. Won’t hurt the oceans or reefs like chemical sunscreens do.

= pretty intelligent sun protection

I am a skin care therapist, so it may seem odd that I would get so excited about make up, but I am.  I’m not talking about make up in the traditional sense though.

Why am I so passionate about mineral make-up? It’s simple really- I work with clients to improve the health and quality of their skin. They spend money on their treatments and on professional products, only to have this work, time and money laid to waste by a traditional make up full of dyes, talc, fillers, mineral oils, fragrance etc.

Since we opened four years ago, I’ve been wanting to bring in a mineral make up, but none of the brands that I’d been introduced to were a fit here at Spruce Body Lab- until we found ColoreScience.

ColoreScience is a mineral-based, treatment cosmetic developed in 2000 by Diane Ranger- the inventor of mineral make-up.  In addition to the highest quality and concentration of minerals, ColoreScience contains the latest advancements in skin care ingredients including peptides, antioxidants and vitamins to arrest the triggers of aging in the skin. 

ColoreScience minerals limit sun exposure by providing an SPF 20, camouflage uneven pigmentation and improve skin health and hydration without ingredients such as talc, dyes, fragrance, mineral oil, tars and preservatives found in traditional make-up formulations.

There are many brand variations of mineral make-up in the cosmetic market to choose from. Points to consider when choosing a treatment cosmetic are: what is the concentration of minerals and are there fillers or preservative present in the formulation?

The flawless, light coverage that enhances the natural beauty of the skin, rather than covering it up is what I find so gratifying about these products. There is an amazing camouflage palette to address scarring and pigmentation variations in the skin, that’s fool proof to use. I could go on and on.

If you’re curious about these products, book in consult with a Spruce Body Lab Skin Care Therapist and put your best face forward- stop hiding behind your makeup! 

Oh- and they have Menerals too for guys. It’s not as scary as it sounds. A VERY light amount of titanium dioxide to even out the skin tone infused with antioxidants to prevent aging. We have some men trying it so far- they’re adventurous and they look great for it!

There’s so many conflicting opinions about whether what we eat influences our outward appearance. In my experience it differs for everyone due to genetics and environmental influences.  For some people, food sensitivities can have a huge influence on the appearance of their skin- something as minor as taking a bite of cheesecake can cause an eruption that may takes days or weeks to go away. 

For others, diet does not have such an obvious influence on their skin, but over time, the aging process can be accelerated if proper diet, lifestyle and exercise haven’t been made a priority.  This is because, our skin is our largest organ, and it receives it’s nutrients from the blood stream.  If we’re not giving our body plenty of nutrients to draw from, our skin suffers the consequences as it subsists on the leftovers from the internal organs.

Of course supplements are nothing new.  People have been taking gingko biloba, echinacea, fish oils and many other herbal and dietary supplements to improve their health. However, the recent trend is in vitamin drinks, potent anti-oxidant and mineral rich cocktails as well as omega oil and enzyme supplements directly marketed to prevent aging of the skin and body.

What it comes down to is whether or not your diet supports your optimal health and for most people, it’s hard to get the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables which contain the nutrients we need.

Introducing a supplement into your daily routine can help support your body’s ability to cope with stress and free radical damage, thus slowing down the aging process.

We recently brought in a product called GliSODin which is researched and developed by a dermatologist and nutritionists. The key ingredient for this line of supplements is superoxide-dismutase.  This enzyme can be found in the most luxurious of skin creams on the market for it’s potent anti-free radical properties.  SOD is actually produced by our body naturally, but as we age we don’t create as much of it to battle free-radical damage.  GliSODin has taken SOD from melon and wrapped it in a protein sheath to ensure that it is protected from the stomach acids which would normally break down the SOD enzyme, rendering it inactive by the time it reaches the small intestine.  This biotechnology, along with therapeutic dosages of bioactive ingredients, allows our body to absorb the supplement properly and use it to significantly reduce inflammation and free-radical damage which are two of the main triggers of aging.

I’m personally very excited to offer this product to my clients here at Spruce Body Lab.  Not only am I able to help them feel and look their best from an external perspective, but now I can boost their internal wellness as well.  This is something I’ve always felt to be a non-negotiable with regards to beauty.  If you’re not right on the inside, it will reflect on the outside.

One of our staff members has had tremendous result from using the Brightening Formula from GliSODin to treat post-inflammatory pigmentation.  For me, seeing is believing and the results that my co-worker had were incredible. Uneven skin tone can cause a lot of self-consciousness for people and by simply taking two tablets a day for a month, this concern was greatly improved; all the while supporting the organs and functions of the entire body.

Here’s a great blog review of these products by Carmindy from TLC’s “What Not To Wear”.

Curious about these products?  Email us and ask away! or comment here…

http://www.glisodin.com/