YOU’LL NEVER GUESS

what spa trends SpaFinder sees for 2016.

How about sexual wellness? If that’s not a shocker, read on.

Every kind of wellness is being promoted but sexual well-being – but that’s about to change, says SpaFinder, which sees more sophisticated sexual well-being and literacy programming at wellness retreats, spa, hospitals and fitness studios in the coming year.

“Leading the trend: The new Womanology + Restore Him clinics in Southern California’s Hoag Memorial Hospitals and Shh Retreats held in an European Estate house, where women have taken a no-holds-barred drive into every aspect of sexual happiness.”

We live in a world where the porn industry is largely accepted, but female sexuality still shocks, and it often seems people are more comfortable with transgendered than “conventional women’s” bodies.

A new wave of feminism (with a global, mainstream voice via social media/blogs and celebrities) is now taking a more in-your-face attitude towards everything from female body image to how female orgasms actually transpire.

You see it, says SpaFinder, in brash “regular woman” superstar comediennes like Amy Schumer, whose humor skewers everything from women’s underwear to unsatisfying heterosexual sex to so many women celebs getting vocal about equal pay.

Recent trends lists argue that “2016 will be the year of underarm hair,” as women are dying them in technicolor hues and posting pix on Instagram. Women want new, honest conversations; reality-based sex education; and tools to achieve personal models of sexual well-being—and wellness retreats, classes, online media and hospitals are starting to fill this void.

So, for decades, spas, which are devoted to human touch and healing and often offer safe, personal and romantic sanctuaries and specialize in wellness coaching of all kinds, have bent over backwards to dissociate “what they do” from sex and the explicitly sensual, and have been intensely light on sexual wellness programs, adds SpaFinder.

When destination spas took baby steps years ago, they typically centered on couples’ therapy (how to improve communication, etc.). But the focus is now turning to more personal, proactive education, exploration and empowerment, such as women’s-only retreats, with practitioners from sex therapists to pelvic floor health experts, that take a no-holds-barred dive into every aspect of sexual happiness.

Impressive things are happening on the hospital front as well, with more locations incorporating wellness and spa approaches (like acupuncture, physical therapy, massage and Pilates) in conjunction with programs led by doctors and sex therapists that address comprehensive sexual wellbeing and pelvic floor health issues.

As Robin Christenson, founder of Womanology + Restore Him, puts it: “I’ve seen so many people who have consulted scores of doctors—for everything from pain during intercourse to an inability to have sex—only to be told it’s all in their heads.

“Sexual wellness has been so taboo, most people don’t even know it’s something that can be improved, much less that many medical and integrative approaches are so effective.

“Sexual and pelvic health programs are a real growth area at hospitals and the future is to ensure these programs are delivered in dedicated, calm, spa-like centres that make people feel totally comfortable (not weird or ashamed), with multiple evidence-based, integrative therapies that can treat the complexities of individual sexual wellness issues—because one size most certainly does not fit all.”

Shh Retreats, which stands for Sensual, Healing, Harmony, are held in beautiful estate houses in the English countryside and Ibiza, Spain, where a team of practitioners – from sex therapists to Somatic Experience specialists – immerse women in a crash course on improving their libido and pleasure, using everything from acupuncture, transformational breathing, Emotional Freedom Technique, and everything-is-on-the-table group therapy.

It’s totally discreet, says SpaFinder. “Venues are not disclosed and therapists only know guests by their first names. Shh is so successful they’re doubling their retreats in 2016 (to a dozen, and the website reports they’re coming to the U.S. soon.

“Sociologists agree that a “Loneliness Epidemic” is engulfing the human population, and in our digitally connected (and sexting), but increasingly touch-starved world, some “out there” new touch therapies are emerging.

“Touch is critical to human health – from the moment we’re born until we die. “Cuddle parties” are on the rise, where (fully clothed) people gather (in a non-sexual, but intimate way) to hold and massage each other, nuzzle and cuddle.”

“The 2016 Trends reveal innovation in and enthusiasm for wellness travel, and how wellness is an integral part of the most fundamental aspects of people’s daily lives: work, family, and love.” says Research Director Beth McGroarty, who steered the research team, along with SpaFinder’s President Susie Ellis.

“Rather than focus on how “X is the new Y,” we strive to make sense of the sea of forecasts and identify mega-trends that are having, and will continue to have, the most meaningful impact on people’s lives, and on the industry for years to come.”

Other top spa trends include:

New waves in wellness– Surfing (and spinoffs like standup paddle boarding) is fast becoming a new wellness travel genre. It’s rapidly expanding to women, families, the wealthy, and in 160 countries from the North Shore to the North Sea, and we’re seeing a wide range of offerings –  cool surf+wellness property (blending spa and wellness offerings with surfing/surf classes, at every price point), an explosion of welcoming all-female surf retreats, and a new wave of surf-simulating fitness classes and wave-simulating surfing parks.

Temazcal – After thousands of years healing indigenous peoples, the ancient Mexican practice of temazcal, an elaborate ritual in which a trained shaman uses heat, steam, aromatic herbs, and ancient prayers and chants to connect guests with forces of the physical and spiritual world, is the latest manifestation of travelers seeking out native, authentic wellness offerings.

Parenting Well – Serious spa & wellness for kids – Poor diets, constant stress, and hours hunched over glowing screens are taking their toll on kids.

This year look for more mindfulness and meditation in schools, kid-focused yoga classes, massage for toddlers, wellness-centric family vacations, or just an emphasis on local, organic eating, as parents reveal themselves willing to dedicate considerable time, attention, as well as money toward this niche that promises to be one of the industry’s most significant areas of growth.

The Adrenaline and Zen Cocktail – Resetting the mind & body – More extreme adventure travel is the zeitgeist, and we’re seeing a dizzying proliferation of high-octane adventure topped off with “après-adrenaline” relaxation at spas, resorts and wellness retreats.

Medical science reveals why this seemingly paradoxical contrast therapy is addictive: adrenaline rushes followed by “Zen” relaxation uniquely reset and quiet the brain, and result in the most blissed-out relaxation.

The new adrenaline + relaxation combos are less a paradox than a destination…and more destinations are serving up this mind-body cocktail.

Well-Fests – Festivals shift from wasted to wellness – Move over Burners, ravers, and party animals—the latest festival trend is wellness. Wellness festivals are cropping up all over the globe, celebrating health and wellbeing while still embracing the spirit that makes music festivals so popular (many of which are also adding wellness components to their own lineup).

The Korean Beauty Explosion 2.0 – South Korean beauty was an emerging trend in 2015, but that was just the beginning. Whether it’s full-service spas, a seemingly limitless variety of facemasks, or 10-step skin-care routines, Korean beauty, for women and men, is much more than just a fad.

Look for South Korea to become the global leader of affordable, innovative, and well-marketed products and more Korean-inspired spas, which combine spa and beauty with fun for the whole family.

Healthy Cruising – The Ship of Excess has set sail – Wellness is boarding ship, allowing travelers to de-stress and keep healthy while onboard and even once they dock. In 2016, think less cruise ship and more floating retreat as some of the most impressive spa and wellness programming and facilities in the world take to the high seas.

Look for everything from yoga sessions on deck to medical beauty treatments to indigenous wellness and adventure activities while docked.

Workplace Wellness wakes up – The idea of wellness in the workplace has been around since the ‘70s, but it remains a luxury for most global workers.

Forward-thinking companies understand that a culture of wellness has a positive impact upon productivity, and narrowly focused programs are metastasizing into an all-encompassing environment that fuses company welfare to employee wellness.

In the next five years, expect to see more spa and wellness integrated into the workplace in unique ways.  (think free yoga and meditation classes, financial counseling and mandatory vacations.

The 2016 Forecast is the result of research by the company’s team of analysts, editors and industry experts, and based on ongoing surveys of, interviews with, and visits to the 25,000-plus spa, wellness and beauty providers in the Spafinder Wellness 365 network. To read the complete version of The 2016 Spa & Wellness Trends Forecast, visit www.spafinder.com/trends2016.

The post Spafinder’s Spa Trends of 2016 appeared first on Spa Canada.

Nothing Worked.  Not the spa treatments, not the light therapy, the skin care products or chemicals, and not the visits to dermatologists and holistic practitioners. Nothing.

“In fact,” says Brenda Belo, “I was inspired to become an esthetician because of the challenges I had growing up with problem skin.”

Brenda, who is executive assistant to the director of Stogryn Sales’ spa division, has suffered from heredity acne since she was 10 years old.

“I had varying success with treatments and products, including doctor-prescribed medications, but nothing was consistent, and I found some of the side effects unpleasant.”

All that changed in May 2015 when she began taking Skin Accumax supplements – a new approach to skin care that treats the skin from the inside out.

Within a few weeks, she began to notice a difference in the amount of oil production of breakouts.

“As of now, my skin continues to improve. I still get a few breakouts once in a while but the size of my pores, the texture of my skin and the amount of the breakout have improved dramatically.

“My skin is balanced and consistently clear … and no contra indications with my continual use of the capsules.”

She continues to take Skin Accumax but has reduced her intake from the recommended four capsules a day to a maintenance program of one to two capsules a day – except on those occasions when she notices her skin changing due to hormones/stress or other factors, when she raises her daily intake to four again.

The supplements were developed by the International Institute for Anti-Ageing (iiaa), a London-based distributor of beauty products, which prides itself on being in the forefront of the beauty industry.

David Alpert, iiaa’s managing director, felt there was something missing in what estheticians were offering and decided to create a professional supplement range to change that. His first effort was somewhat generic.

That’s when Lorraine Perretta, a New York-born nutritionist, entered the picture. Lorraine, who has made London her home since 1982, was retained by iiaa as an external nutritional consultant for its Advanced  Nutritional Programme, to head up its training program and develop the brand further.

That included developing the formulas for its Skin Accumax, Skin Omegas+, Skin Antioxidant and Skin Vit A products.

Skin Accumax, which took four years to develop, deals with the underlying causes of problematic skin, while Skin Omegas+, which contains EPA, DHA and GLS, is designed to hydrate the skin and protect it from UV radiation. It also provides anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing benefits.

Skin Omegas+ is probably the most important, adds Karen Ptycia, director of Stogryn’s spa division. “Omega supplements are already popular, and Skin Omegas+ is meant for virtually everyone to take, especially people with dry or dehydrated skin.”

Skin Anti-oxidant contains Lutein, Lypocene and Beta-Carotene, which protect the skin and provide free radical defence.

Skin Vit A reduces oil and the skin thickening. It also stimulates blood circulation to your skin as well as cell turnover to help your skin heal. It builds healthy cells, provides anti-aging benefits, and partners beautifully with topical Vitamin A sera.

“Taken together,” says Karen, “they become a powerhouse of nutrients to help you achieve clear, healthy skin. Each ingredient performs several key roles in the maintenance of your skin and allow it to return to its natural beauty and radiance.

“Each of the ingredients also performs several key roles in the maintenance of your skin, and when used together, they bring balance to your skin and enable it to recapture its natural, healthy, clear radiance.”

They also protect your skin, says Lorraine, by using the same colours that protect plants from the sun’s harmful rays. Lyopene, for example, is red; Beta-Carotene, orange, etc. They protect your skin the same way.

She referred to a report in the Journal of Nutrition, published in 2003, which reviewed 120 studies. Their study compared taking vitamins orally to dabbing the vitamins on your face in a cream.

It showed that oral supplements had three advantages over topical applications:

First, the vitamins are carried to the deepest levels of your skin by your blood.

Second, they feed every cell, not just where you apply the cream but between your toes and behind your ears as well. They’re also more absorbable.

“In the past decade, topicals have been using every kind of technique and scientific advancement to get their vitamins into the skin,” said Lorraine.

Third, vitamins are easy to take.  It’s a simple matter of popping a supplement into your mouth and your body does the rest.

“That’s really important today,” says Glenn Stogryn, president of Edmonton-based Stogryn Sales Ltd., which distributes the supplements in Canada.

“In today’s time-starved world and with most people not getting enough essential nutrients every day, if you want to maximize your skin’s health and maximize your topical choices, ‘Skincare from Within’ only makes sense. Skin Care supplements are going to become extremely popular in the very near future, to help ‘Correct, Protect and Perfect’ problematic skin, dehydration, anti-aging, etc.” he says.

“Making good skin cells in the first step in having great skin because a perfect, beautifully formed skin cell rises to the epidermis, where it can be treated with topicals for a great finish,” notes Lorraine.

“We’re talking about a new way of treating your skin. This is important because makeup can often undo all the good things estheticians do when they’re fortifying and doing fabulous facials that clean the skin.

“What happens, more often than not, the first thing many clients do is pull out their makeup bags filled with old makeup that has become a breeding ground for bacteria, and slap it on their skin.

“We’re all about making good skin cells – way down and deeper than the epidermis.”

For Lorraine, that means phytonutrients – the vitamins, mineral and essential fatty acids, found in plants as well as Lycopene and Beta-Carotene. Lycopene, for example, is the red colour in tomatoes and an important protection for our skin against exposure to UV radiation. In a test, people who had been taking Lycopene saw the redness in their skin reduced by a third. All the ingredients in Skin Accumax – Lycopene and “a brigade of anti-oxidants” – confer the same kind of benefits.

“You need everything,” says Lorraine, who talks with encyclopedia authority about everything involving nutrition. “You need all the vitamin and plant nutrients. You need both. It’s not one or another. If you look at what you get in the food you eat, the level of vitamins and minerals in the food has been diminishing.”

The Beta-Carotene found in the carrots we eat today, for example, is not at the same level as it was in the 1940s. So have the vitamins, minerals and plant nutrients found in other foods.

“To stay well nourished as you age, take a multi-vitamin, essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants.  If you want to boost your skin, be sure to take Vitamin A. In Canada, she notes, 40% of the population is deficient in Vitamin A. We’re simply not getting it in what we eat”, she adds.

The minute food goes into our bodies, it breaks it down and sends the nutrients they contain to the most important organs in your body first – your brain, heart, liver and bones.

It boils down to ensuring that your body gets enough of these nutrients to feed all your organs as well as your skin.

If your skin is dry, she says, it means you’re low in essential fatty acids. That’s because your skin cells use water with oil on the outside. It also means you don’t have enough water in your skin cells.

More likely, she says, it’s because you don’t have enough fat to hold the water inside the cell. It also means, she says, that your brain, which needs a lot of fat and oil to keep it healthy, is using the fat that your skin needs.

A lot of research has gone into Vitamin A in recent years. It’s been a challenge for topicals for decades, she adds, trying to get Vitamin A through the surface of the skin.

The problem is that there aren’t enough receptors on the skin to absorb the Vitamin A. “We’ve created a supplement that will increase your Vitamin A, which normalizes collagen production and strengthens elastin. That’s important because as your hormone levels decline, so does your collagen production.

“As we get older, we start to get fine lines and wrinkles, and our elastin starts to degrade. That’s because elastin keeps stretching and doesn’t spring back. But if you can compact the elastin again, then your skin will spring back into shape. That’s why anti-oxidants are included.”

For Lorriane, the ultimate anti-aging formula can be summed up in two words: Correct and Preserve. It’s why Accumax includes Vitamin B in its Vitamin A formula. Both Vitamin A and Vitamin B play a big role in making skin and protecting it, she says, and why anti-oxidants and Omegas+ and Vit A are also needed for optimum results.

She also has a lot of great things to say about Vitamin D. “It’s important for your bones, and it’s also anti-cancer and it also strengthens your heart. It’s good for flexibility and helps with depression.”

Her specialty, as a consulting nutritionist, is treating depression, anxiety and bipolar conditions, using high doses of amino acids that are found in protein as well as regulating brain chemistry and neuro-transmitters to reduce symptoms.

If you still have doubts, says Lorraine, try it for three months. “You have only your skepticism to lose.” It takes that long for your skin to go through a couple of cycles of skin renewal.

Your skin will not only look better and more radiant but you’ll have a bit more energy and your hair will look better as well.

“We hear these things over and over in our research. Our trials are done outside our office by a third party. After we received the results, we then tested it on 15 people in our office for 10 weeks to make sure the supplements were safe and that everyone was happy with their results.

“We see only positive outcomes for spas because they’re now able to offer something else and because spas are all about well-being. Spas that make it part of their wellness program soon found that clients who take the supplements also respond to massages better. Even acupuncture seems to work better when your body is well nourished.”

It also makes a difference in facials.

Training takes less than a day, adds Karen. The training sessions focus on understanding the ingredients, how to prescribe the supplements and integrate them into your treatments and analysis, and how to handle objections.

“The products are not complicated. You don’t need to be a nutritionist. You already know how to diagnose their skin problems … and what the supplements can do for them.”

Learn more about Skin Accumax here.

The post Skin care – inside out appeared first on Spa Canada.

A lot of people are rethinking their advertising strategies after an announcement from Apple that it would allow ad blockers on its iPhones and iPads. Source

How big of a deal is it? Huge. “While iPhone users can download third-party browers, the majority the majority of mobile and iPhone users use Apple’s own software browser,” writes Wired Magazine about the development.

Wired sees it as a strategic move to create a wall around its iPhone and iPad users so that everything they read, watch, search and listen to comes from Apple.

If you’ve been depending on the Internet to reach your clients and customers, there’s something else you should be aware of – a resurgence of print in recent months.

For the first time in years, sales of print books are up and the use of printed flyers is vastly outstripping Internet-based flyers by a fairly wide margin.

This point was underlined in a recent article in the Globe and Mail, which noted that “social media postings occasionally rant about flyers ending up in dumpsters, and hurting the environment, but consumers can’t seem to do without printed promotion.” Source

The article went on to note that 98% of Canadians read a paper flyer at some point during the year. This compared with 70% who read a digital flyer in a year.

It quotes Mark Balfazar, partner at market researcher at BrandSpark International, that “shoppers find print flyers easier to navigate and more time efficient”.

Adds Jason Blanchette, vice-president of marketing promotions and planning at Canadian Tire Corp., who was also quoted in the Globe story:

“In fact, I think the love of paper is actually going up with customers because of the fact they just don’t receive mail any more. People always enjoy getting something in their mail box.”

The post Time to rethink Internet Advertising appeared first on Spa Canada.

“It’s all about staying positive.” Jennifer Nikkel-Walls is sitting in one of the treatment rooms at Riverstone Spa in Winnipeg, talking about spa treatments for cancer patients and cancer survivors.

There is an intensity in her voice that suggests she understands it in a way only cancer survivors can – the nightmare cancer patients go through and just how hard it is for cancer patients to stay positive.

“When you’re dealing with this affliction, nearly everything is bittersweet. It’s impossible to be positive all the time, and it can be a slippery slope into severe depression.

“It’s so important to accept the bad days, to pick yourself up again, and go on living because that is the reason we fight.”

Jennifer took it a few steps further. She decided to become a registered professional with the International Society of Oncology Estheticians, undergoing training thorough “Touch for Cancer”, based in Saskatchewan. Their program is called Oncology Training International (http://oti-oncologytraining.com) Jennifer is the only registered professional in Manitoba.

“Anything that can be done to make the cancer journey less horrific is a valuable commodity.”

The course covered topics like how cancer behaves, the treatments that can be used and how they may affect the body. At the end, she says, you’re able to modify your treatments to accommodate people who are going through treatments or those who have had cancer, even it’s years after they’ve had a treatment.

“There are often long-term side effects that need to be approached in a certain way, essentially for someone who’s currently going through treatment.”

There are concerns, for example, that a lot of skin conditions can occur, mostly with chemotherapy. There can also be change to the skin caused by radiation. And if the lymph nodes are affected, you need to adjust massage techniques, and know what types of products and ingredients to avoid and what to look for.

A lot of what she does is offering advice on how cancer patients and survivors can take care of their skin.

A big part of it is not completely changing your services or necessarily offering oncology services but accommodating people as needed. “That’s important because two people on the same chemo therapy drug can have completely different side effects.

“It’s looking at the symptoms and also knowing what to be aware of, such as blood counts – one of the biggest concerns because if there’s any chance of infection, it’s a huge concern for someone going through chemotherapy.”

As an Oncology Esthetician, she is able to address risks associated with low blood counts; chemo-induced skin conditions; nail disorders; surgical scars; radiation areas; missing or radiated lympth nodes; various side effects like dry mouth and hot and cold sensitivities; over-all skin care during treatment; pre-cancerous skin lesions; loss of eyebrows and lashes; and physiological effects.

“The purpose is not to treat the cancer, itself, but to treat the person as a whole, and these therapies help a person cope with cancer, its treatment or side effects, and to feel better.”

She also has each of her clients provide an update on their condition, medications, etc., every time they come to the spa.

For Janice Colatruglio, Riverstone’s spa director, it’s one of the things that make her spa different and unique.

The spa is located on the main floor of the Inn of the two Forks, a major historical spot in Winnipeg, where the Red River and the Assiniboine meet.

“We’ve also worked a lot of our treatments around the location. We called our spa Riverstone and have incorporated stones in our treatments,” said Janice.

She also created a number of indigenous treatments, working closely with Thunderbird House in Winnipeg to enlist its help in incorporating indigenous techniques into the spa’s treatments.

“We felt a need to develop a treatment that would complement and reflect the history of our area, and with the support and encouragement from the First Nations community, we created the Riverstone Indigenous Hot Stone Massage.”

This grounding treatment incorporates aboriginal traditions and practices, using hot baslt and cold marble stones. Sacred elements such as cedar, sage and sweet grass are also used to enhance the experience “of true cleansing and the strengthening of the body, mind and spirit”.

In recognition, the spa was presented with an authentic eagle father, which is used in a ceremonious segment of the treatment, where the client and the treatment room are cleansed  or “smudged”, using smoldering sage and leaves.

Braided ribbons, representing the four colours of the four nations, and a star blanket, made exclusively for the spa, are also incorporated into the décor. Cedar and sage teas are served, and sweet grass candles are lit to enhance the spiritual nature of the treatment.

Linda Biomme, resident elder of the Circle of Life, Thunderbird House, liked what she saw on her visit to the spa. “The décor made me feel welcome with the sacred elements of cedar, sage and sweet grass in the room. I certainly felt a sense of inclusiveness.”

Smudging is used to clear the room of any unwanted energy. Smudging begins in the East “because it’s where the sun rises and gives us strength. The eyes are cleansed so that we can see the truth; our mouth, so that we speak the truth; our  ears, so that we can hear the truth; our hearts, so that we feel the truth; and our feet, so that we can walk the true path”.

Its Indigenous treatments include Riverstone’s Indigenous Hot Stone Massgage and body treatments like Sacred Nature Organic Face and Cocoon, Sacred Naruee Organic Relaxations, Grotta Gulsti Signature Face and Body Cocoon and its Purifying Back Regimen.

The spa offers a full range of services, ranging from massages and facials to foot therapy treatments, etc., “with the emphasis on what’s different and unique” like its Zero Gravity Chair, which relines all the way back so that you feel you’re in a higher position than your head. “We perform all our hand and foot treatments this way.”

The spa uses Comfort Zone from Italy in its spa  treatments and Jane Iredale for its cosmetics.

Bob and Diane Sparrow, who own the hotel, have worked closely with her over the years. Their son, Ben Sparrow, is now general manager.

Like other spa directors, Janice has had her share of challenges. Initially, it was getting construction of the spa done on time. The spa opened a couple weeks after the hotel opened its doors.

“We actually opened up missing the glass door to the spa. We had to put our retail products away and lock them in our dispensary every night until the glass doors finally arrived.”

For Janice and her team, every day has its own challenges and she has learned over the years to deal with them as they come along. “We try to learn from our mistakes and when someone offers constructive criticism, we regard it as a positive. If you run your life that way, things go more smoothly.”

You get a pretty good idea of what the spa is like even before you walk through the glass doors and into the spa’s retail and reception area.

The spa is located on the main floor of the hotel and clearly visible from check-in. A “river” – a small, 12-inch wide flow of water – starts from the front of the hotel lobby check-in and flows all the way into the spa, past the spa area and into the spa’s lounge.

“It’s also an invitation to follow the stream unto the spa for a natural spa experience and a complete escape.”

But it’s also a big challenge to keep that “river” sparkling clean, adds Janice. But a lot of our guests are amazed by it and like to play in it.

The spa also has two water walls – one in the retail waiting room area and the other, at the back lounge – where the water trickles down into the river.

As you enter spa reception and its retail area, you’re met by a retail co-ordinator and a makeup artist to answer with any questions about the products it sells.

You’ll also be met by one of the spa’s two receptionists to guide you through check-in and escort you to a locker room, where you’ll exchange your shoes for sandals before being taken to the back of the spa and its Quiet Zone to get ready for your treatment.

The men’s and women’s locker rooms are also located in the Quiet Zone. Each locker room has its own shower and steam rooms and a sauna.

The spa has 12 treatment rooms that feature indigenous art on the walls, which are painted in earth tones.. The floors are inlaid and designed to give the appearance of river stones.

One of the big lessons she’s learned along the way is to be mindful of your surroundings. As a spa director, you need to what your staff and clients are saying “because they provide the best information for you.

“Listening is hugely important – probably the most important thing every esthetician can do.”

Her advice to someone thinking about starting their own spa – do a lot of research on your own.

“During the entire time I’ve been in the industry, you never stop learning – you have to keep up to date on what’s happening in the industry – what’s new; check out the competition; know what other people are doing; what’s the latest and the newest; be different; and don’t copy what the competition is doing.”

During her career, Janice has operated her own spa, worked as an esthetician in other spas and taught esthetics before becoming spa director at Riverstone.

Janice is vice-president for Provincial Trade Advisory For Manitoba board (PTAC ) and has sat on that board  for the past five years, representing Esthetics and Electrolysis trade.

Learn more at www.riverstonespa.ca

The post Spa Treatments For Cancer Patients appeared first on Spa Canada.

Argan Oil. If it’s not on your radar now, it probably will be over the next year or two.

Danielle Candoni-Finkelstein, co-founder of Montréal-based Argan Lounge, sees it as part of a new direction towards organic, natural and multi-functional anti-aging cosmetics.

“It’s more than a trend,” adds Danielle, who likes to be called Dani. “Argan oil is our top anti-aging weapon and one of the most precious organic ingredients you can use on your face and body.”

Argan Lounge has 15 products that include pure Argan oil and 13 Argan-based elixirs

They have a lot going for them.

“They’re multi-functional and their simplicity is striking.”

Argan Lounge’s products help slow aging by promoting the renewal of skin cells by making your skin more elastic, and reducing fine lines, crow’s feet and wrinkles. Its sterols also stimulate the structure of cell membranes and improve skin metabolism.

Its fatty acids – essential Omega 6, which counts for 45%, and non-essential Omega 9, 35% — lock in the moisture of your skin cells.

There’s a new cosmetic consciousness among women today. People want luxury today, she says, but are also concerned about the real cost chemically loaded products might have on their skin. They also want to know exactly what they’re putting on their bodies, where it comes from, and how it’s made.

“In the case of Argan Lounge, we’re putting products on the market that not only allow the public access to this luxury but tell them where they’re produced. In our case, in a cruelty-free, fair trade and equitable way.

“This is as important to us as it is to them,” says Karim Alexis Candoni, president, co-founder and Argan Lounge’s director of marketing,

With Argan Lounge’s products, clients know exactly what is being applied to their skin and that these products are high performance – without the use of chemicals or needles.

Nor do you need to nurture your skin by infusing it through procedures like microdermabrasion because Argan Lounge’s elixirs work deep inside the layers of your skin – so that the effect will come from the inside out.

Argan elixirs are safe for all skin types and all age groups, and work as an antiseptic by eliminating microbes on the surface of your skin and protecting it from germs and fungi.

“In addition,” he adds, “it’s easily absorbed and leaves your skin smooth and glowing without being greasy.”

Adds Dani: They’re also ideal during detox. A prominent health coach and nutritionist recommends using Argan Lounge’s products to her clients when they detox. Many of her clients are celebrities, who agree.

“The main reason for detoxing is to clean your body of toxins and other impurities,” says Dani. “Many toxins we absorb enter our body via the skin, and that’s why it’s crucially important to use only natural products when cleansing our bodies.

“Otherwise, the effect is zero. If you use chemically filled or manufactured skin care, it’s the liver that eventually absorbs and works on minimizing the waste – and the effect of any detox is essentially zero.”

Argan Lounge’s products can prevent and reduce stretch marks caused by weight fluctuations and pregnancy, and protect the skin from environmental influences. This is because they have a high degree of Vitamin E, which has shown to be effective in fighting free radicals that constantly attack our skin.

These products are also effective in treating skin problems like exzema and acne as well as age spots.

“They reach into the deeper levels of the skin, making them an amazing moisturizer for your skin and your hair. They’re so soft, in fact, they can be even used on infants.”

Even if you skip treatments for a couple of days or even a week, it won’t matter, says Dani. Your skin will be rebalanced in the long term.

Many spas make Argan Lounge’s products part of their facial and massage treatments. All you have to do, she says, is incorporate them into the treatment you’re doing. They absorb well, help to heal skin damage and usually give clients a feeling of change in their skin.

On the plus side for the esthetician, Argan Lounge’s products can replace the oils and creams used during facials, or in giving a massage, or for decoletée and scalp treatments.

“There’s a lot of added value in replacing existing creams and oils with Argan Lounge’s elixirs during spa treatments. They nourish the skin deeply with vitamins and Omega 3 and six fatty acids. Omaga 3 is essential for healthy skin, organs and youthful appearance but it cannot be produced by the body and needs to be infused into the skin by food and skin care.”

Best of all, adds Karim, Argan Lounge’s elixirs are easy to incorporate and added into all spa treatments. They can also be used to immediately calm the skin after waxing or laser treatments and reduce swelling or red or peeling skin for days.

“In the case of facials, the moisturizing effects of our products will last much longer and be more profound – without any oily residues – a lot of added value for the client.”

Argan Lounge’s elixirs can also open a new customer base for spas – clients who want natural skin care only as well as people who have very sensitive atopic skin or skin that reacts allergically to different ingredients in common products used during treatments.

The elixirs are also anti-inflammatory and can be used on patients who suffer from severe conditions like burned skin and even cancer.

Argan Lounge’s products can also be used as separate treatments, in fact, on all body parts, including hair and nails.

As a pure oil, she says, it’s a great massage oil with different and added benefits. It penetrates the skin and does not need to be showered off after the massage and leaves the body feeling hydrated.

“They’re also a great way to nourish your hair and scalp and re-establish the brilliance, and tame frizz and chemically treated hair. In this instance, the oil is applied to the full length of the hair, using a brush. The hair is then covered with a warm towel or dried under a heater for 20-30 minutes before being washed and styled. The results are immediate and offer much more added value than all the treatments that claim to be the Botox for your hair.”

The Argan Lounge Deluxe Treatment begins with an Argan Lounge Scrub, followed by a body polish and massage with warm Argan oil, which is left to dry under infrared lights, while hand and feet are massaged, also with one of Argan Lounge’s products. The treatment ends with a hair and scalp massage with Argan oil and a face mask.

All products are available in spa sizes of 350 ml and 1litre pure oil as well as a scrub and mask for spa use.

Argan Lounge also offers on-site training, where its trainers show estheticians and therapists how to apply each of its 15 products as well as how to use them together, and how to sell them to clients. It is also prepared to work with spas to develop their own special treatments, including whole natural treatments.

“We have spas that use it as a full body exfoliator and follow it with an Argan oil massage to lock in its moisturizing benefits,” says Karim.

Many spas use it as a full body exfoliator, followed by an Argan oil massage, which not only confers the effect of a massage oil but also doubles as a moisturizer. When Argan oils are used in a massage, they leave you with the feeling you don’t need to take a shower. That’s because they enter into the deeper levels of the skin.

In addition, says Dani, Argan Lounge has managed to keep product costs down to make them more attractive to spas and their clients.

Hair salons also love it because it doesn’t weigh down the hair or clog the pores or leave any residue.

She also raises another interesting point: With some skin care products today, we really don’t know what the long-term effect their ingredients will have on our skin or bodies.

“It’s a concern for a lot of women today. You see it the growing preference of clients for ingredients that do not contain certain chemicals, typically anti-aging products.”

And while Argan oil products are all natural, she adds, you still have to be careful in choosing the right Argan oil product.

One of Argan Lounge’s biggest challenges is educating spas and their clients about Argan oils and why Argan Lounge’s products differ from others in the market.

“We start off by asking them to forget about what they know about the so-called Morocco or Argan oils they’ve experienced because these products have not lived up to their promise. That’s because these products are not pure. In most cases, Argan oil usually plays a minor or secondary role in these products.

“In almost every case, we have to explain that we are not just another me-too product, and that our Argan oils are so much higher in quality.

“This is important,” she adds, “because pure Argan oil offers benefits the others do not.”

Argan oil is the main ingredient in all of Argan Lounge’s products – with a minimum 85% Argan oil combined with other natural active ingredients, depending on the skin type and problem they’re designed to address.

Argan Lounge’s showroom – designed by a studio in northern Italy, called Dsegno, in the same town where Karim was born – has the look and feel of a beachfront lounging area that evokes the look and feel of being on a care-free holiday.

It underpins the company’s basic philosophy of creating simple, yet high-performing products that deliver what they promise in a relaxing atmosphere.

“Argan Lounge was born by chance, coming out of a brainstorming session,” says Karim. “We wanted to make a difference – to create a product with ingredients so powerful that it would enter the skin layers and get where the magic really happens, rather than offer just another product that stayed on the surface of the skin.

“Market research showed we needed a product that was unique, high performing and results effective, cruelty free, met peoples’ concerns about the environment and lived up to its promises.

“That led us to Argan oil.”

Argan trees grow only in Morocco’s southwestern region and are protected by UNESCO’s agricultural rules. The Argan fruit is harvested and sorted by hand as part of the quality control process.

Argan Lounge also believes strongly in sourcing its ingredients from Fair Trade suppliers, and in Morocco, where it works closely with the United Corporate of Female Argan Producers (UCFA).

“These women are able to earn an income for their families – at a fair wage – while the corporate that employs them contributes to the economic growth and social development of the area.”

The women have kept the ancient techniques of extracting the oil as well as the secrets of medicinal recipes for centuries. To extract the Argan almond from its nut, these women use a pebble stone to knock off the dried pulp and the shells off the Argan nut.

Interestingly, it was used for centuries by Moroccan women for various family needs but was not produced on a large scale until recent years when its cosmetic qualities were recognized.

“You can see it on their hands. These women have spent their lives in the desert and the faces of 46-year-olds, for example, are lined and wrinkled from the intense desert heat and winds while their hands, which are bathed in the oils during the production process are those of a 20-year-old.”

Learn more at www.arganlounge.com

The post Argan Oil – A New Direction in Skin Care appeared first on Spa Canada.

“Will it really make me look younger?”

Sherry Ahn Sztrimbely, Continental Cosmetics’ national training director, smiled. “At least five years younger, may be more. It really depends on various factors such as your age and the condition of your skin.”

Continental Cosmetics, Concord, Ont. is Thalgo’s master importer and master distributor for Canada.

We were talking about a new cosmeceutical brand from Thalgo that takes skin care to an entirely different level. She stops short from calling it a breakthrough and describes it as “a significant advance beyond traditional skin care – the first corrective solution that targets factors that cause blemishes and irregularities to restore smooth and radiant skin quality”.

Clients who have tried it are amazed at the results and the positive reaction of their friends, she adds.

Thalgo calls the new brand M-Ceutic. It took its research team three years to develop, including 18 months working with leading dermatologists and medical professionals to develop a concept and the formulas to verify M-Ceutic’s efficacy claims. It involved 28 clinical evaluations, using 320 volunteers selected according to the varying degrees of imperfection and irregularities of their skin.

M-Ceutic’s first range called Rénovation Radicale consists of a course of four treatments of alternating 55 and 30-minute sessions, about a week apart.

“Clients can expect immediate and progressive improvement in the quality of their skin. After clinical trials, all volunteers voiced 81%-100% satisfaction rates to clearer skin, even complexion, smooth texture, reduced micro relief, scaring, etc.” said Sherry.

The secret of its success is the Biospheres, a patented, unique “Mesotherapy-like” transport system – micro-spheres made of up to 1,000 layers that mimic an injection, enabling active ingredients to penetrate into the target cells and diffuse them continuously over 48 hours.  Encapsulated inside the Biospheres is Pure Marine Mesolift, a Thalgo-patented complex of 34 poly-revitalizing nutrients that “boost cell metabolism and preserve skin youth”. 

All skins can certainly benefit from the patented Mesolift but to treat severe blemishes and skin irregularities, Thalgo has created a second patent, Néo-Skin complex, which treats the cause of these problems.

It combines three powerful extracts that target sebocyte dysfunction – Buchu leaf extract and two algae extracts – that work in synergy to regulate excessive sebum production, remove excessive oiliness, and treat the causes of blemished skin lacking in vitality.

Buchu leaf extract prevents sebocyte dysfunction, which is responsible for skin irregularities and blemishes. Its flavonoids inhibit the ability of the sebocyte stem cells to mature and differentiate themselves – with the result the pores become less dilated and clogged, and the skin is restored “with an effective and balanced film”.

Pure Marine Mesolift Thalgo’s patented bio-regenerative infusion that stimulates cell vitality and promotes the skin’s youthful appearance. It contains 34 revitalizing nutrients, including two B group vitamins, 14 minerals, 18 amino acids, hyaluronic acid and one anti-ageing nucleotide.

The two algae extracts – 100% marine based – are highly concentrated in zinc and anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory trace elements. These work to reduce hyper seborrhoea (over-active sebaceous glands that cause oily skin) and blemish formation.

In addition, they all have a powerful anti-oxidant action.

Rénovation Radicale is a three-step protocol:

STEP ONE:

RENOVATING PEEL uses three products designed specifically for this phase – Pro-Regulator Makeup Remover, Pro-Renewal Cleaner, and the Peel-Box.

The Pro-Regulator Makeup Remover uses Thalgo’s exclusive lipophilic technology to trap oil and waste for effective makeup removal.

The Pro-Renewal Cleaner is an exfoliating gel cleanser, which gradually renovates the skin, using papain enzyme and salicylic acid. These ingredients unclog pores and refine skin texture.

The Peel-Box contains Salicylic acid, Malic acid and Ascorbic acid and comes in three grades to treat varying degrees of the skin conditions.

These three acids were specifically chosen over other acids to ensure the skin is well prepared before the active ingredients, which fight against severe blemishes. Irregularities are introduced in the second step. The percentage of the concentration of the acids is important, their sizes and pH are equally important.

STEP TWO:

BIO-REGENERATIVE INFUSION uses two professional products: Pro-Detox and Pure Marine Mesolift.

A unique formula with 5% Active Oxygen and Lumisource, the Pro-Detox is able to detoxify the skin surface and gorge cells with oxygen to boost cell energy.

Next, the Pure Marine Mesolift is applied to boost the skin’s metabolic processes at the cellular level, and to preserve the youth of the skin for “perfect quality skin”.

Thalgo’s IBeauty device, introduced earlier this year, can also be used effectively in this step, using one of the three technologies, the sequential ultrasound:  In “draining mode”, to detoxify and oxygenate the skin, and in the “infusion mode”, to actively penetrate the ingredients.

If not, manual techniques (relaxation, draining and digito-pressure), which are taught in the M-Ceutic training, are employed for a complete, efficient and pleasurable experience.

Rénovation Radicale The name of the first range for Thalgo’s M-Ceutic cosmeceutical brand, which targets the causes of severe skin imperfections and irregularities that are resistant to traditional cosmetics to regain the perfect skin quality.

STEP THREE:

CORRECTIVE INTERVENTION: In the case of severe imperfections, an Extreme Normalizer Mask and a Normalizer Cream-Serum contain powerful anti-blemish active ingredients to treat even the most severe blemishes.

For severe irregularities, the Extreme Resurfacer Mask and Resurfacer Cream- Serum use the latest generation retinol-like active ingredient to “resurface away” skin irregularities.

How long do results last?

“That depends on you, your age, the condition of your skin and your life style, which includes your skin care regime at home but ideally the recommended course of four treatments followed by two follow-up treatments at one- month intervals will ensure long-term results.

“After a course of four treatments, clients will see a dramatic improvement in severe blemishes or severe irregularities. However, due to the age-prevention and cell-boosting actions of the Marine Mesolift, there is hardly anyone who cannot benefit from at least one Radical Renovation treatment, and clients comment on the difference it makes even after the very first treatment.”     

One thing more – Thalgo’s anti-ageing treatments can continue to be used along with this new procedure and results are increased tenfold.

Rénovation Radicale, as the protocol is known, also comes with a caution:

“It’s important to remember to stay out of the sun as much as possible and to protect with a sunscreen with a high SPF,” says Sherry, “because your skin is renewed after deep exfoliation and it’s more vulnerable to sun damage.

“It’s important to protect your skin at all times. Even without these treatments, it’s very important to protect yourself because of the long-term and immediate damage the sun exposure causes, particularly after a few facial treatments.”

Sherry will be conducting training sessions that will include step-by-step illustrations focusing on each stage of the treatment. The training sessions will be reinforced with access to Thalgo’s training videos.

The post Taking skin care to a Deeper Level appeared first on Spa Canada.