CONTEST: Win a FREE Candy Cane Facial!

What is the best gift you’ve ever given someone for the holidays? Or what is the best gift you’ve ever received? Spread some holiday cheer and tell us your best story for a chance to win a FREE Candy Cane Facial valued at $125!

Our invigorating 60-minute Candy Cane Facial will awaken your senses with aromas of warm cinnamon spice and cool peppermint. This facial rapidly resurfaces your skin and reduces fine lines to reveal a brighter, smoother complexion.

Email your submissions to candice.bulda@zenzi.com with SKINSATIONAL HOLIDAY CONTEST in the title by January 1, 2010, or submit your story and email address in the comment section below (stories and emails cannot be viewed by the public).

Good luck!

Tips for a Safe & Healthy Spa Experience

With holiday parties marked on everyone's social calendar, salons are sure to see a surge of women getting beautified for a big night out, but sometimes what they see at certain salons isn't so pretty. Here at Skinsational, we are dedicated to our clients' safety and comfort and therefore adhere to the highest standards of cleanliness that comply with the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.

Check out some of these tips and guidelines for top salon practices from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology that all of our customers are sure to experience at Skinsational this holiday season and all year round!

Take a Look Around

Look for the license. Manicurists, who give pedicures as well as manicures, must have a license from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, and it must be visible to customers. The license is your assurance that the manicurist has passed an examination and understands the techniques for each procedure, as well as how to properly clean and disinfect instruments and foot spas.

Next, look at the general cleanliness of the place. If the place doesn't look clean, leave. After all, a messy shop may indicate that critical cleaning steps are not being taken, either.

Foot Spa Cleanliness

While waiting for your turn, watch the foot spas. By law, foot spas have to be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Cleaning and disinfecting basins thoroughly is a must-do, or you could run the risk of infection from Mycobacterium fortuitum, a bacterium that can grow in the warm water of a foot spa that hasn't been properly disinfected. Mycobacterium can cause painful skin boils.

Foot Care Do's and Don'ts

Once your feet have been soaked, it's time to smooth them. No razor-edged tools, such as "Credo" blades, should be used to remove calluses or rough skin. Sharp instruments can cut the skin, allowing bacteria to invade the cut. For the same reason, don't shave or wax your legs 24 hours before your pedicure. Cuts on your skin from shaving or waxing can get infected during the foot soak.

When shaping the nails, buffers or emery boards must be new, used only on you and then thrown out. If an instrument cannot be properly disinfected, it must be disposed of after the pedicure. Metal nail files and cuticle pushers must be completely immersed in disinfectant between uses.

Don't Cut Corners to Save $$

If you find a shop that charges considerably less than other nail shops in the area, you should question whether all the necessary cleaning steps are being taken. The equipment used to properly clean and disinfect nail implements and foot spas are an expense, and sometimes to cut costs, a shop will add water to the disinfectants. The problem is, the disinfectant is no longer potent enough to do the job.

At Skinsational, we thouroughly clean and sanitize each pedicure spa before and after each client using approved undiluted disinfectant solution, scrubbing the entire surface, jets and screens. We also use clean and santized implements for manicures and pedicures, and use brand new emery boards, buffers and foot scrubbers on each client.You can feel confident that all of your spa services are delivered under the highest standards of safety and sanitation here at Skinsational. Check out our Holiday Specials HERE, and know that you can relax and enjoy our Mistletoe Pedicure!

Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

The holidays are just around the corner and along with holiday cheer, one can sometimes feel holiday stress. Skinsational Skin and Body Spa has discovered some great de-stressing tips from Dr. Eva Selhub, author of The Love Response and instructor at the Harvard Medical School, that are sure to leave you as jolly as one of Santa's elves.

Tips for managing stress:
1. Focus on an image of something that gives you the experience of awe: Imagine a sunset, picture the face of someone you love, recall watching your child walk for the first time. Hold this image for as long as you wish.

2. Close your eyes or gaze at your hands on your lap and inhale while you count silently to four. Take a little pause and then exhale, counting down from four. Do this at least 10 times.

3. Imagine the sun is shining golden light upon you, creating a glowing shield that holds you and comforts you. You can imagine the faces of people whom you love as your shield. Hold this image as long as you wish.

4. With any of the above exercises, you can repeat these words silently as often as you wish: "The support I need is here. I am loved and valued."

5. Imagine support is coming up from the earth, in through your feet, and up through your body and arms as you rise from your chair and stretch for the sky. As you stretch, inhale and exhale deeply, repeating the phrase above.

6. Call or plan to meet someone who cares about you for support. Make sure you let them know that you do not want advice (unless you do)-you just want support and someone who will listen.

7. Think of something funny or watch something funny on the Internet. Allow yourself to laugh for several minutes. It always helps when you take life less seriously, even if only for a moment.

Take advantage of our Thai's the Season to De-Stress winter special to have an even more stress-free holiday season! This soothing massage is a combination of muscle stretches, acupressure, and deep breathing. A Thai Massage is like receiving a thorough physical workout while you relax and do nothing! This treatment is done on a floor mat without the use of oils, and please make sure to wear comfortable clothing. It's the ultimate massage for increasing flexibility and releasing tension, and we are offering it at a special price of $125 for 60 minutes of pure relaxation!

Call 760.434.8118 to book an appointment, or email info@skinsationalspa.com

November and December Specials!