SPA-cially for you

We’re lucky in this day and age when we can combine treatments (which may even be thousands of years old!) with the best and newest that cosmetology has to offer. Now, we no longer have to resign ourselves to sallow skin, tiredness and mental fatigue. A hop, skip or jump away is a treatment designed especially for your body and skin’s needs which will boost your mind, body and total well-being.

Indian Ayurvedic Body Treatment

The Spa on Jupiter Street in Bel-Air offers the Indian Ayurvedic body treatment – an exotic way to relax and rejuvenate. Ayurveda is an intricate system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. It is a system that helps maintain good health. Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words: Ayu, which means life and Veda which means the knowledge of. "Ayu" is comprised of four essential parts of the mind, body, senses and the soul. An Ayurvedic treatment, therefore does not deal with just the physical body but with our mental well-being as well.

The spa treatment begins with a warm coconut oil massage to stimulate the body followed by a polishing ritual using powdered chickpea to exfoliate dead skin and give it a healthy glow. The best part of the treatment is when warm oil is rhythmically poured over your forehead, particularly over where your "third eye" is situated. The oil is then combed through your hair. The process relieves you of tension and stress, putting you in a complete state of relaxation. A 10-minute steam bath and shower ends your session so that your pores open up to receive further nourish and soften your skin. You emerge from this treatment reinvigorated and feeling soft and feminine.

Lymphatic Drainage Massage

The Neo Holistic Center on Wilson Street in Greenhills, San Juan is probably the only place where you can get a complete lymphatic drainage massage. While lymphatic drainage is nothing new to the world of facials, this is the first time that lymphatic drainage is used on the whole body. This gentle form of massage stimulates the lymphatic system which aids the removal of toxins. With the removal of toxins, the body is left healthier and its immune system more efficient.

Lymphatic fluid bathes all the cells and acts as a medium of exchange, trading food for the cells for the waste products like micro-organisms, damaged cells and protein molecules that are too large or too toxic to go directly into the blood stream through the capillary walls. When the lymphatic system slows down, the waste products accumulate and stagnate. This causes a heavy feeling in your limbs and overall fatigue.

A special oil is used for the lymphatic drainage massage. A blend of lavender, juniper, rosemary, frankincense and cypress essential oil is used to maintain the body’s balance, help detoxify and improve the blood circulation. The oils also act as a diuretic, purging out the toxins and excess water retention in the body.

The massage is performed with light circular motions and rhythmic pumping actions to calm the nervous system and relieve the stress and tension of the body. The lymphatic drainage massage not only detoxifies and improves the response of our immune system, but it also reduces swelling, cellulite, general pain relief and gives an all around calming effect. This massage is also greatly beneficial for post-operatives, persons suffering from edema, recurrent sinusitis, allergies or seasonal stuffiness.

Dermalogica Skin Health System

Essenses at Rustan’s has recently expanded its services to bring in Essenses Aesthetics. An entire space on the sixth floor of Rustan’s Makati that provides facial treatments for different skin care needs, be it getting back the raidiance to dull sensitive skin to fighting the effects of everyday pollution.

Using only the best products, Essenses Aesthetics uses only Dermalogica, a brand trusted by skin care professionals worldwide. A no-frills brand, Dermalogica positions itself as a line that provides effective products free of common irritants while addressing different skin care needs from environmentally sensitized skin to mature sun-damaged skin and skin conditions that require professional treatment.

Dermalogica sees beyond your skin’s surface by its expert face mapping analysis which gives targeted results to specific areas of your face. Based on ancient Chinese diagnosis, the treatment "divides" the face into 14 zones that correspond to particular organs of the body, much like foot reflexology. This helps the therapist relate to what is happening to your body and effectively treat its effects on your skin.

Each visit to Essenses Aesthetics begins with face mapping. Even if it is your second, third or fourth time in, face mapping is a vital part of the treatment since our skin can change from dry to oily or problem areas can shift. For example, coming in from a vacation at the beach, your skin is in a much different form than when you were simply in the city. Environment changes our skin’s well-being because of the larger or lesser content of UV rays and free radicals that you are exposed to.

To introduce the public to the benefits of Dermalogica, a special promotion will be going on till Aug. 31. Prices will range from P195 for a short pick-me-up facial to P995 for a full treatment.