Terrace Retreat Salon & Spa's Blog

Getting your Skin and Body Ready for Spring

April 15th, 2011 • Posted by Anne Marie Adams • Permalink

Getting your Skin and Body ready for Spring
Spring is here and winter has left our skin feeling a little dry all over.
It is important to prepare the skin during Spring as the skin adjusts for warmer weather climate. There are a variety of Spa Treatments to enjoy at the spa that will help you get ready to bare your skin and to ensure healthy attractive skin.

The exfoliating process is an important process in both facial and body skin care regiment. A soothing facial that is customized for your individual skin care needs will help remove dull surface skin cells. A nourishing mask and a light moisturizer are applied, leaving your skin renewed.

Another type of facial during this time would be Aveda’s Tourmaline Facial
A new anti-aging facial that uses non acid plant technology combined with powdered tourmaline, a naturally energizing mineral, to boost the skin's exfoliation process, while leaving your skin feeling renewed and radiant.
During the warmer weather consider using a lighter foundation. Try a mineral based powder or foundation with a SPF and adjust to using a lighter moisturizer. Remember to use a SPF moisturizer for your lips as well to protect them.
To help exfoliate your body there are a couple of body treatments to help smooth and silken the entire body. A body polish or sea salt scrub body treatment helps to remove dead skin cells. A sea salt scrub will uses sea salts and a blend of aromatherapy oils that are worked into the skin. The body polish uses a specialized gel or creamy body polish with essential oils that both exfoliates your skin and are followed a light application of body lotion, leaving the skin soft, smooth and polished.
Body bronzing treatments are great to get you body bathing suit ready is a
safe and unique way of getting and keeping a healthy looking tan instantly while moisturizing and protecting skin from harmful rays. An exfoliation treatment prior is usually best to prepare the skin before applying the self tanning body bronze.
Let’s not forget the feet, treat them to a pedicure. A hydrating and gentle exfoliation will smoothen and nurture your feet. A pedicure includes nail shaping and cuticle care plus a soothing foot massage with a replenishing moisturizer. Nails are then polished or buffed for a finished look to put you feet back in those glamorous sandals.
AT HOME CARE: If you want to duplicate and keep your self maintained in between spa treatments. Keep on hand some sea salts, body polishes and body moisturizers for your skin care regiment at home. Try using sea salts in a relaxing bath and the body polishes with a sea sponge or bath towel to help exfoliate in the shower; remembering to follow with an all over body lotion to soften the body. For your hands try a sugar scrub followed by hand lotion to keep them soft.


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For that Summer Glow and Fresh Look

May 23rd, 2010 • Posted by Anne Marie Adams • Permalink

Look and feel great first of all by staying hydrated, drinking plenty of water, for a cool taste add lemons or cucumbers to your water.
To prolong your makeup and shadow and avoid that heavy creasing and smudging apply a face or eye primer to help minimize the creasing. Jane Iredale makes an oil control primer with a SPF 15 that works great.
For your eyeliner, use pencil eyeliner and also try them in different colors besides black. This summer go with blue, green and turquoise. If you are going to be out in the water, be sure to use water proof mascara, just remember you will need an oil base eye make up remover. If you find you don’t have one, a quick fix is use a little olive oil to gently remove the water proof mascara.

During this season go a little lighter with your make up foundation. Try a lighter tinted make up or a tinted moisturizer. If you have a foundation you already use and it is a great shade for you mix 1 part foundation to 2 parts moisturizer for your very own custom tinted moisturizer. There are several options to get that sun kissed glow. Bronzers give a quick healthy glow. You can use a powder bronzer by applying with a big powder brush; emphasize the higher points of the face. Apply to the top of the forehead, cheeks top of nose, basically your T zone area where the sun would naturally bronze you.
If you need to deepen your foundation you can add a little bronzer to your foundation. Most foundations have a SPF in them if you need more protection or if you are just going to wear a little moisturizer add a little of your sunscreen in your moisturizer.

Lip glosses go for the high shine in a subtle neutral in peach or a pale flirty pink.
For your cheeks use the same tone or shade as your lips a peach or baby pink.

Self tanners work great to give your body an all over tan. Be sure to exfoliate prior to applying a self tanner for an even and smooth application. Safe tan, a self tan product is great. It’s worth getting it professionally done the first time then you can touch up at home or purchase it and apply yourself with a light sponge.

Be sure to keep your hair protected while outdoors by wearing a hat if you can.
Apply a conditioning mask to the hair while playing outdoors. Aveda just launched a new hair care line that makes it easy to protect your hair while in the outdoors and a shampoo to get that chlorine out if you are in the pool excessively.
Apply your sunscreen every day prior to going outside using a full spectrum UVA, UVB sunscreen for maximum protection. Wear a hat and cover up if you are going to be out for prolonged periods.
Enjoy and be safe. Beat the Summer Heat this summer



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The Benefits of Massage

May 23rd, 2010 • Posted by Anne Marie Adams • Permalink

You lay face down as you prepare for your massage. The heated bed feels soothing as you lay your body between the sheets. The scented head rest and the relaxing sounds prepare you for the session that will fade your concerns into 60 minutes of soothing relief. The therapist begins to massage and loosen your tightened muscles and soon your cares fade away as you revel in the calming touch. Experts estimate that 80 percent to 90 percent of disease is stress-related. Massage benefits our bodies to bring about change that helps us to relax. Studies have shown massage may boost immunity. When we are stressed, cortisol is produced in our bodies. Studies have shown massage helps reduce cortisol in the body. Massage also helps to reduce fatigue and gives you more energy to handle stressful situations. Touch is the core ingredient of massage therapy. Therapists learn specific techniques for massage and determine the right amount of pressure to apply to each person and locate areas of tension and other soft-tissue problems. When muscles are overworked, lactic acid can accumulate in the muscle, causing soreness, stiffness, and even muscle spasm. Massage improves circulation, which increases blood flow, bringing fresh oxygen to body tissues. Therapeutic massage can be used to promote general well-being, while boosting the circulatory and immune systems to benefit blood pressure, circulation, muscle tone, digestion, and skin tone. Massage does more than just relax your body and mind - there are physiological and psychological changes that occur with massage. The relaxing feeling that massage brings to your body can have a positive effect in many areas of your life, besides the tranquil feeling you are left with as you leave the massage table to drink the water the therapist hands you. Most Popular Massages Swedish Massage Therapy is the most common. Swedish massage uses long strokes, kneading, and circular movements on superficial layers of muscles. This is a great massage if you have never had one to start first. Aromatherapy Massage adds an essential oil component. Essential oils are used for relaxing, energizing, balancing or stress-reducing. Lavender is used mostly for relaxation. Be sure to let your therapist if you are allergic to any specific oil or ingredient. . Hot Stone Massage uses heated, smooth stones are placed on certain points on the body to warm and loosen tight muscles and balance energy centers in the body. Hot stone massage is good for people who have muscle tension but prefer lighter massage. Deep Tissue Massage applies more pressure. It specifically targets the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. Deep tissue massage is used for chronically tight or painful muscles, repetitive strain, postural problems, or recovery from injury. People often feel sore for one to two days after deep tissue massage. Pregnancy Massage is becoming increasingly popular with expectant mothers. Massage therapists who are certified in pregnancy massage know the proper way to position and support the woman's body during the massage, and how to modify techniques. Pregnancy massage is used to reduce stress, decrease swelling, relieve aches and pains, and reduce anxiety and depression. The massage is customized to a woman's individual needs. Reflexology involves applying pressure to certain points on the foot that correspond to organs and systems in the body. Reflexology is very relaxing, especially for people who stand on their feet all day or just have tired, achy feet. Sports Massage is used by people who are active and work out often. The focus isn't on relaxation but on preventing and treating injury and enhancing athletic performance. A combination of techniques is used. The strokes are generally faster than Swedish massage. Facilitated stretching is a common technique. It helps to loosen muscles and increase flexibility.


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Further Scientific Study Promotes the Benefits of Massage

Exciting news for massage goers and the spa industry!  When the New York Times runs an article about a new study showing that “a single session of massage caused biological changes”.  Recent Studies at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles recruited 53 healthy adults and randomly assigned 29 of them to a 45-minute session of deep-tissue Swedish massage and the other 24 to a session of light massage.

 

Volunteers who received Swedish massage experienced significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol in blood and saliva, and in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. They also had increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.

Volunteers who had the light massage experienced greater increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment, than the Swedish massage group, and bigger decreases in adrenal corticotropin hormone, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release cortisol.

Therapeutic massage was found to promote general well-being, while boosting the circulatory and immune systems to benefit blood pressure, circulation, muscle tone, digestion, and skin tone. Massage now proven to do more than just relax your body and mind - there are physiological and psychological changes that occur with massage. Enjoy the benefits of massage today and de-stress your body while calmness enfolds your body.

 

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