Education

I recently had the pleasure of treating a woman in her mid-thirties who had never had a professional skin care treatment. Why did I get so much satisfaction from this you may ask?  

There is no better instant gratification than the before and after effects that a professional skin treatment can have.  This women came in with dull, dehydrated and congested skin and left with a glowing and vibrant complexion. 

I often tell people that initiation into the self-care rituals of massage therapy and regular skin care treatments is like opening Pandora’s box- there’s no turning back!

This particular client had a rather curious question for me- are regular facials bad for your skin?- aren’t they really only effective for about a week?- that’s why you have to continue with them…?!

I’m not sure what the logic behind that idea is, but I do find that people rarely appreciate the benefits of habitual professional skin care. I liken it to regular excercise, eating well, brushing and flossing your teeth. If you don’t do these things regularly and consistently- it shows outwardly and inwardly. The same goes for your skin. Would you expect to stay in shape if you went to boot camp for a month and then stopped working out?

I’ve seen incredible changes in people’s skin, but it tends to happen gradually, over a period of about six months to a year. For instance, I did a series of microdermabrasion treatments on a client, one treatment a week for six weeks.  This client had a very bumpy and rough forehead with micro-comedones/ blackheads and more blackheads scattered throughout her cheek and chin area. After the treatment series, her skin had improved quite drastically, but it wasn’t until six months post-series that I saw the lasting results that come from regular treatments- spaced every five weeks for maintenance. Her skin had changed. It was smooth, clear and healthy with little to no breakout activity. 

Now that we’re using light therapy to treat the skin, the results we can offer are even more gratifying. I just completed a treatment series of skin tightening treatments with a gentleman in his early 70’s. Although skin tightening is not a replacement for a face-lift, I was astonished how much of a difference there was from his before and after pictures. The skin was definitely rejuvenated; his smile lines were softened and the definition of his jawline was improved.

So yes- with effort and consistency,  you can train your skin. Has a skin treatment changed your skin for the better? Post your comments here.

Other Site Links:

Skin Treatment Series: “Theory of Relativity” and “Cellular Salvation” packages 

Pre-Skin Tightening

Post-Skin Tightening

In the new year Spruce Body Lab introduced Micro Zone treatments to our menu of services.  This concept in approaching professional skin care treatments, at the time was relatively new to the Vancouver spa culture. It was originally developed by Dermalogica’s concept store in Los Angeles where they are constantly striving to innovate the way we treat the skin.

I will admit that I was a little skeptical about whether or not these treatments would take off.  The concept is that within a 20 minute span, you target a specific skin concern.  For instance, someone may just needs extractions, perhaps they need to heal some break out activity or hydrate the skin.  These can be treated within a quick 20 minute treatment, whereby the client doesn’t even need to get under the treatment table covers and they can go on about their day without having to set aside an hour or more of their time.

Can you really have an effective treatment within 20 minutes? The answer is yes. Some of my successes with this treatment have been truly remarkable- as detailed by my client Jenny’s experience below.

“I have never been one that goes to the spa to get facials but when I read about the Micro-Zone treatments I thought I’d give it a try.  The shorter time frame and smaller cost of the treatments were a definite attraction.  I’ve always struggled with acne and have a horrible habit of picking; so my skin was quite bad when I went for my first treatment.  Afterwards I noticed immediate results,  it calmed down the redness, sped up the healing and seemed to help diminish the up and coming break out!  After my second and third treatment, I was amazed at the results, all of a sudden my skin was clear of acne for the first time in a long time.  As a result I stopped going for treatments, but found that my problems came back so clearly the Micro-Zone treatment is something that needs to be part of my regular skin care from now on.”

I’ve also had a client who has alternated his Micro Zone treatments with full skin care treatments.  Again, the results of coming in every three weeks and working with professional products at home have made a world of difference with his skin. Having suffered from stage two and three acne, we’ve been able to down grade his skin condition to a grade one acne which means that the main concerns that we treat are blackheads and oily shine instead of pustules, papules and comedones (the scientific term for blackheads).

It’s so rewarding as a skin therapist to see these kinds of results and be able to deliver them in a timely and affordable fashion, but the greatest reward is for these client’s who have experienced the results.

Spruce Body Lab Micro Zone Treatments

Dermalogica Products

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)

It’s unfortunate to think of caring for the environment as a trend, but it seems we need reminding and a little social pressure to keep up with being green. I personally haven’t purchased a fashionable tote for my shopping yet, but I have found myself making extra effort recently to remove the little piece of plastic from kleenex boxes before I recycle them, or re-use paper bags and fabric totes for shopping.  

Part of our focus here at Spruce Body Lab has been finding ways to lessen our impact on the environment. As a Vancouver spa, we feel that we want to reflect West Coast values and provide our clients with the best massage therapy and skin care treatments available.  Our first priority was to work with skin care products with minimal packaging made of recyclable materials and ingredients that are as natural and effective as possible.

The next stage of our journey to become a greener company was to find a resource for recyclable plastic cups. Up until recently, we were on a bit of a recycling zeal and putting all of our plastic cups, which were made or number 5 plastic, into the recycling bin. Apparently our attempt to be good to the environment was all for naught as the City of Vancouver only accepts number 1 and 2 plastics.

I found this perplexing- why wouldn’t a city that is known for it’s “green” bent, make it easier for people to recycle?  With a little research into this, I discovered that the numbers on plastics signify the type of plastic material used to construct the container. Number 1 and 2 plastics are the easiest to recycle and have many uses as post-recycled material.  The higher numbers such as 5 and 7 are harder to recycle and have fewer uses as post-consumer materials. 

Once we realized that the cups we were taking the time to sort and recycle were just heading to the land fill, it took a few months to find a supplier for recyclable cups. The hard work has paid off because, not only did we find a resource for bio-degradeable cups made of corn-based plastic, we are also working with the same company to supply Spruce Body Lab with recycled paper materials and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. 

It is a happy ending for our “going green” dilemma.

It’s important to remember that as consumers, we play a vital role in patronizing “green” companies and demanding products that have a smaller foot print on the environment. Let’s all do our part!

On that note- Happy recycling!