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)

The term “non-invasive cosmetic procedure” seems to have become an everyday term over the past few years.  Tune into your daily talk show and you’re bound to see a makeover segment where someone is being lasered, peeled and injected. 

As a Vancouver Spa integrating medical grade procedures with traditional spa treatments, Spruce Body Lab has recently expanded it’s menu of services to include fillers as demand for injectables has increased.

For the average consumer fillers and Botox® have become more accessible and  with continued improvements in procedures and products the results have gotten better and are lasting longer. 

For example- Juvederm, a commonly used hyaluronic acid filler, has now been approved by the FDA to last for up to one year.  

There are many different brands of HA fillers on the market- all competing for consumer dollars.  The trend is towards creating a smoother product with less side effects such as bruising and swelling, or post-treatment lumps and bumps.  

In it’s natural form, hyaluronic acid is a liquid substance which is found to naturally occur in the skin.  It’s main function is to maintain skin volume and hydration as it holds 1000 times it’s own weight in water.  If it was to be injected in it’s natural form it would be absorbed by our bodies in about 12 hours.  Facial fillers last longer in the skin through a process called cross-linking which chemically binds the individual chains of the acid. This differentiation prevents it’s rapid break down.

Do you need both Botox® and Facial Fillers?

Botox® and fillers differ in the type of wrinkles that they target.  Botox® is used to paralyze the muscles that cause deep wrinkles such as the furrow in the brow; whereas HA fillers address wrinkles that relate to loss of volume in the skin, in areas such as the naso-labial fold (smile lines) and marionette lines around the mouth. It is also used to enhance the lips and fill scars. As a substance it has been shown to increase collagen production and inhibit the break down of existing collagen.

Botox® and facial fillers work well in combination to address the signs of aging, and a consult with a trained professional will help determine whether you can benefit  from one or both.