How Much Does a
Facial Cost?
A facial usually starts around $80 at a U.S. day spa. Prices will be
higher at destination spas, resort and hotel spas.
At VivaMex Spa our deluxe facials are $39.
for 30 minutes and $59. for 60 minutes.
How Often Should I
Get A Facial?
Ideally, get a facial every four to six weeks because that's how long it
takes the skin to regenerate. Try to have a facial at least four times a
year, as the season changes. You may need it more frequently if you are
trying to clear up a case of acne, especially at the beginning.
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Manicures & Pedicures
Manicures
A manicure is a cosmetic beauty treatment for the fingernails and hands. A
manicure treatment can be just for the hands or nails, or can be for both.
A common manicure found is the filing, shaping of the nails and the
application of polish. The soaking of a softening substance and the
application of a lotion is a common specialty. The word "manicure" derives
from Latin: manus for hand, cura for "care".
Pedicure
A pedicure is a way to improve the appearance of the feet, and
their nails. It provides a similar service as a manicure.
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Body Treatments
Scrubs
Wraps
Body
treatments are essentially a facial for your whole body. It is just as
important to cleanse, exfoliate, and hydrate the skin on your body as it
is the skin of your face.
The most popular body treatment is a salt
glow or sea-salt scrub. This is an exfoliating treatment that takes place
on a massage table covered with a sheet and a large, thin piece of
plastic.
As you lay on your stomach, the massage
therapist rubs a mixture of sea salt, oil, and aromatics like lemon into
your skin. This exfoliates the skin and leaves it feeling velvety soft.
Once your whole body is scrubbed, which
takes maybe ten or fifteen minutes, you shower it all off without soap,
leaving a nice coating of oil. It's an invigorating treatment, and it's a
good idea to get your scrub before your massage if you're having both.
A body mask and body wrap often takes place
after a scrub. After you rinse off the salt you return to the treatment
table. If you're slathered with mud, algae, or seaweed and wrapped in a
thermal blanket, it's a "detoxifying" treatment that stimulates your
metabolic system, speeding its ability to carry away waste products. If
the product is cream or lotion, it's a "hydrating" treatment.
A body wrap can also be a wrapping
treatment used to treat cellulite. It sometimes has a diuretic effect that
aids in temporary weight reduction.
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Spa
Terms
Term: Exfoliation
Spas are always
talking about exfoliation. But what is it? Why is it important? And can
you overdo it?
Exfoliation is the removal of the oldest
dead skin cells that cling to the skin's outermost surface. When done
correctly, exfoliation leaves the skin smoother and fresher looking. It
also makes penetration easier for products like serums that nourish the
skin.
Exfoliation is an important part of facials
and body treatments.
There are two forms of exfoliation:
Mechanical
Exfoliation The dead skin cells are
physically rubbed off with an abrasive. Examples of mechanical exfoliation
include a salt glow, a body scrub that might use sugar or coffee grounds,
or skin brushing. Products for the face should use small, round, gentle
abrasives like jojoba beads.
Chemical
Exfoliation Enzymes, alphahydroxy acids (AHAs)
or betahydroxy acids (BHAS) loosen the glue-like substance that holds the
cells together, allowing them to slough away. Facial peels are a form of
chemical exfoliation. They can either be very gentle or very aggressive,
depending on how the strong the product is.
Why Is Exfoliation
Important?
The skin is constantly generating new skin
cells at the lower layer (the dermis) and sending them to the surface (the
epidermis). As the cells rise to the surface they gradually die and become
filled with keratin.
The keratinized skin cells are essential.
They give our skin its protective quality. But they are constantly
sloughing off to make way for younger cells.
As we age the process of cell turnover
slows down. Cells start to pile up unevenly on the skin's surface, giving
it a dry, rough, dull appearance. Exfoliation is beneficial because it
removes those cells that are clinging on, revealing the fresher, younger
skin cells below.
It is possible, however, to overexfoliate,
especially on the delicate skin of the face. Overexfoliating will dry and
irritate the skin.
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Term:
Salt Glow
A salt glow (also known
as a salt scrub or sea salt scrub) is the most popular body treatment at
the spa. The primary purpose of a salt glow is to exfoliate your skin.
A salt glow also hydrates your skin because
the salt is combined with oil and usually some aromatic like lemon,
lavender, or even figs. (Spas can get very creative here.) The salt glow
is followed by a shower and an application of body lotion, and leaves your
skin feeling very soft and fragrant.
What Happens During
a Salt Glow?
A salt glow usually takes place in a wet
room. Depending on the spa, you might be laying on a massage table covered
with a towel or sheet or a thin piece of plastic, or you might be lying on
a wet table. You might be offered a pair of disposable underwear.
As you lay on your stomach, the therapist
rubs a mixture of sea salt, oil, and aromatics like lemon or lavender into
your skin. Then you turn over and she does the other side. Usually, you
are draped with a towel, and only the part she is working on is exposed.
When she’s finished, you’ll step into a
shower to rinse off all the salt. Don’t use shower gel – it’s good to keep
the oil and aromatics on your skin.
You can get a salt glow on its own, but
often it’s the first step in a body wrap , often a seaweed or mud wrap.
That’s because exfoliation prepares the skin for products like seaweed or
algae that detoxify the body by stimulating circulation through
vasodilation of blood capillaries.
You can also combine a salt glow with a
massage. I recommend getting the salt glow first because it is
stimulating, whereas the massage calms you down. Sometimes spas have
signature treatments that combine both services – salt glow and massage.
Sea salt is fairly abrasive, and some
therapists have a heavier hand than others. Individuals also differ in
their skin sensitivity. If it feels too harsh, be sure and speak up.
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Body Wrap
The herbal body wrap is one of the
most popular and comforting of spa treatments available at the modern day
and health spa.
Detoxifying the
system and relaxing the muscles, resulting in a sense of deep relaxation.
The weight loss that can be achieved is a bonus. A pure spa
classic.
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