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February 2010
Invest in the future of your skin with new treatments
In the market for a wise investment with instant gratification?
You can invest in your skin portfolio at Lake Austin Spa Resort (1705 S. Quinlan Park Road. 372-7300), where 15 new results-driven spa treatments have recently been added to the menu of services.
Rejuvenating treatments such as the Advanced AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) Anti-Aging Body Treatment, which delivers multilayer skin renewal for dry, sun-damaged or devitalized skin and works to restore essential vitamins to the skin, reducing signs of aging.
From corrective facials to antioxidant peels, you’re just a spa day away from seeing your personal stock skyrocket.
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Rocked by South by Southwest? Roll out to the Watermark
We Austinites love our live music, and this is the month when we celebrate it most as South by Southwest comes to town.
As William Congreve famously said, ‘Music has charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.’ But a lot of standing and arm-waving at music venues is anything but soothing to the savage muscles. When I feel like I have rocks in my rolls, I have to get away and get a massage.
Where to go? Away from all the madness, to San Antonio — really, it’s just a bit more than an hour away — to Watermark Spa, one of the few in Texas to have earned the Forbes (formerly Mobil) four-star rating in 2009. The spa is at the Watermark Hotel, right on the River Walk.
I’m getting the spa’s signature Restoration Treatment, a massage that aims to soothe aching muscles. Its key element is arnica, a flower used centuries ago by Native Americans and by Europeans to reduce inflammation and heal wounds. It has a faintly sweet scent with a slightly spicy-minty undertone, but it doesn’t have a really big aroma. That’s good news for my husband, who hates when I come home smelling like I should be surrounded by bees.
The other key factor in this treatment is hot towels, applied to each area after it is massaged to further relieve achy muscles.
Massage therapist Jessica Wilson rubs me with the arnica-infused oil, working on my back with strong, broad strokes. It sort of reminds me of the way my mother used to flatten out homemade peanut brittle, flattening it with her hands, stretching it a little, shaking it to loosen it.
Wilson finds the knots in my back and works them, gently shaking my arm and putting steady, firm pressure around my shoulder blades. She massages the rest of my back, including the sides, areas that rarely get much attention. Then she puts hot towels on my shoulders and back and moves to my legs. My leg muscles have the best tone of any of my muscles, but they do love being massaged. Again, she places hot towels on them after the massage.
She moves to my arms and hands - kneading, shaking, applying towels. At this point, my mind is a blank, and if any part of me really needs relaxing, that’s it. What I love about a really good massage is that it banishes my mental to-do list. No matter what I’m doing, I’m typically also adding to this mental list. This afternoon, I forget all about that and just relax into the massage.
When Wilson turns me to work on my neck, I’m able to get a stronger scent of the oil, and, coupled with Wilson’s massage of my neck area, it seems to soothe my cedar-plagued sinuses.
I leave breathing easily, and with my muscle stress eased, I’m ready to go home and face the music.
Afterglow
I can’t enter the Watermark Hotel and not have some of the tasty East Coast oysters at Pesca on the River, its restaurant. I perch at the oyster bar and order half a dozen for $18. Here’s to self-indulgence.
Watermark Spa
212 W. Crockett St., San Antonio
800-830-1500
Watermark Restoration Treatment: $190
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Love your skin
Dr. Ted Lain is offering special Valentine’s Day packages for those looking to add a little extra to their look.
The Love Your Face package (valued at $900) offers one area of Botox, one area of Juvederm and one treatment of microdermabrasion for $695.
Another special Dr. Lain is offering is a free Juvederm with booking of a LuxLift treatment. The Luxlift treatment involves the use of three separate lasers, each targeting one of the three layers of skin: the LuxG laser (for the top layer of skin to minimize brown spots and broken capillaries and evens out skin tone), the Lux1540 laser (for the skin’s second layer which decreases fine lines, wrinkles and acne scars) and the DeepIR laser for the deepest layer to tighten and lift the skin - perfect for cheek sagging, jowls and the neck “waddle.”
Specials must be booked with a deposit during the month of February.
If you want clear skin without the cost, Dr. Lain also offers some DIY tips at home:
Tips for acne
Wash with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide cleanser.
You can use daily or weekly “peel pads” which have higher concentration of the acids to help with exfoliation.
Do not pick at acne, as this can cause scarring and more infection.
Consider a sulfur-based mask or OTC cream since these have good antibacterial effects.
If skin is not too irritated from the cleanser or pads, try nighttime products with Retinol.
To reduce brown spots
Sunscreen and a hat are mandatory since any sunlight hitting the brown spots will make them darker.
Apply products with Retinol and Vitamin C, as these will work together to lighten the spots and help with wrinkles.
The best brightening agents will have Hydroquinone (2 percent is available over the counter). Apply this cream to the brown spot twice daily.
For more information or to book an appointment, call Steiner Ranch Dermatology at 623-7067 or visit www.steinerranchdermatology.com.
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Treat your sweetie (and maybe yourself, too) to a day at the spa
Valentine’s Day is slowly approaching. It’s a day we either love … or love to hate.
For those of you looking for the perfect gift for yourself (or your beau), Spa Reveil, located in the Domain, is offering two Valentine’s Day specials.
The Valentine’s Bliss package ($195) offers a full-body Swedish massage, Pure Results facial, spa pedicure and tea service.
For those looking for a retreat together, the Couples Escape ($190/person) includes a couples hydrotub, Swedish massage, Pure Results facial and tea service.
These specials are available through Feb. 28.
Spa Reveil is truly an escape from everyday stresses. Nestled on the second floor, the spa is serene and tranquil. I rushed over after work to give it a try. I’ve driven by numerous times on my way to shop or eat and always wondered how relaxing it would be in such a busy area. I was pleasantly surprised.
I walked up the stairs and entered through the glass doors. Aromatherapy filled my nose as I was greeted by their friendly staff. I was taken to the women’s locker room, where I received my own locker, slippers and robe. Then I was offered tea as I relaxed and waited for my massage therapist, Melissa Mizner.
She greeted me and took me back for my little escape from a busy Monday. I was given the option of which oils she would use — lavender for relaxation, Arnica as an anti-inflammatory, or lemongrass as a detoxifier. Lemongrass it was. Then I laid down on a heated table that made me feel like I was melting.
Mizner started with a foot massage and worked her way to my scalp and face. She did not miss a muscle — everything from my pinky toe to my collarbone. I’ve had many massages before, but Mizner was much more in tune with my body and was able to really work out every stress knot that had built up. Her gentle-yet-firm pressure was calming as I drifted away.
I could tell she really enjoyed her work by the way she took her time to on each muscle. She ended by wrapping my feet in warm towels, which slowly brought me back to reality. I felt like jelly as I walked to the locker room and took my time getting back into my jeans and T-shirt. I thought twice about stepping into the steam room, but I had too much to do — back to everyday stresses!
Spa Reveil was immaculate, relaxing and very impressive — a treatment there would be a great gift for anyone looking to unwind. They also offer exotic Moroccan baths, hydrotherapy, PCA facials, waxing and more. For a full list of their offerings, visit www.spareveil.com or call 339-7000.
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