Re-examining an old blog

I've been on a break from this blog. Every since I changed my spa booking database and changed my website that now includes it's own blog.

Since then this blog has sat quietly, waiting for me to revisit it. And here I am.

I've been wondering what to with this blog. I've proud of the work I put into it. Watching it become a more consistent work. But I don't need to use this as a business blog - since I have one connected to the biz site at www.tuscanyskinspa.com.  Wondering what to do with this one.

I've decided it's a great place to test out my ideas. Share ideas that aren't fully formed. Test out new styles. Or more importantly, a place to challenge myself to write daily. And to put it out in the universe.

What's going on today?

My staff and clients are still giving my side-eye glances when asking about my Christmas decorations. In the middle of a hot July day. It amuses me that we're celebrating Christmas in July just like our Australia friends. We've certainly gotten attention. But it makes me chuckle. And I'm not taking it down until the 30th.

So while I'm on vacation next week my spa team has to field the questions "why is your spa decorated for Christmas?" and "did you forget to take your decorations down?"

I'm off to my annual Comic Con San Diego trip with my hubby. Have been looking at the schedule of panels. Marking my choices. Fighting with the comic-con app...again. And writing up our shopping list.

We've learned from previous cons that a meal made up of water, beef jerky, cheese sticks and goldfish crackers is equivalent to injesting a cork. And it took another week to sort the body out.

Now we bring sliced apples, carrots, instant oatmeal (for early morning or late evening hunger pangs) and peanut butter sandwiches. A better balance when combined with the above "cork diet".

Haven't yet gone through my clothing. But Monday is set aside for that. And getting a body dip waxing  - full leg, high bikini and underarm, to be summer time smooth.

This year also going in for a lash lift and tint. The lift gives the lashes a longer, more dramatic look. The tint means I don't need mascara to make the eyes stand out. And as I've gotten older I'm finding *gasp* white lashes.

Already have by new running shoes - purchased and broken in. Nope, not running anywhere. I have no need to run. I have no natural predators. But running shoes are the right foot gear when you may do 20,000 steps in one day. (My feet were bruised the year I did THAT much walking. Going to plan better this year.)

This was a ramble. True. But I've gotta start somewhere. So I'm starting my old biz blog with my plans for vacation.


I see my client down the street. Gotta run and get back to work. Good thing I love my job. Makes the day go by faster. Have a lovely week.

Michelle of Tuscany Spa

Cheers

 

Warning: Sunscreen you love actually caused painful chemical burns

Drugstore spf leaves kid with chemical burns

An article told the story of a toddler that suffered red blistered skin due to a chemical burn. Her mom had applied a common sunscreen to protect the girls skin while at the beach. What happened?

The article tried to blame ingredients that were "not-natural". But the reality is that kids are more likely to have allergies and skin reactions. Most will grow out of it as adults.

Truth is we can be allergic to ANYTHING.

I've had clients allergic to lavender, eucalyptus, and flax seed. A natural skincare preservative is also starting a round of new skin allegies. So allergies are not about "natural" or "not-natural" ingredients.

What can you do?

1. Patch test.

This is easy. At least 1 to 2 days before using a product apply it on a patch of skin. We recommend by the ear since it is easy to cover up. Leave it on all day. Check it at the end of the day. If there is no reaction then it should be ok to apply all over the face.

2. Mechanical vs Chemical Sunscreen

We identify sunscreens by how they act on the skin. A mechanical sunscreen sits on the surface and works like a shield to stop the sun from hitting the skin.

Pro: Great for sensitive skin, Better UVA/Cloudy day protection. Con: Rinses off easily so it's not water resistant; some leave a white film on skin.

A chemical suncreen absorbs into the skin. When the sun hits the skin it's captured by chemical suncreen, stopping it from entering the skin. Then its transformed into heat and released from the skin.

Pro: Lighter texture, can be very water resistant. Con: Irritating to skin that can't deal with heat, eg: Rosacea, sensitive, post surgery.

When choosing an Spf you'll usually find a mix of mechanical and chemical sunscreens. Mechanical sunscreens are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. Chemical sunscreens inclued octinoxinate (derived from cinnamon), octisalicate (derived from willow bark). Mexoryl SX is a chemical sunscreen with some UVA protection.
Note: Zinc Oxide is still our best SPF protection. But no sunscreen can offer 100% sun block. So layer your sun protection with hats, clothing, shade and reapplying spf every 2 hours.

3. Start now before summer hits.

Now is the right time to start testing out sunscreens on your kids. You need to find the right texture, sunscreen ingrediet and protection. And your child will have a more sensitive skin than you. So patch testing sunscreens now will give you options that are safe your you and your family.

We offer a variety of excellent quality sunscreens at Tuscany Spa

From water-resistent to sensitive skin options. Sunscreens that blend the best of Chemical and Mechanical ingredients. Ultra Sensitive skin suncreens with only Mechanical spf ingredients. We have a suncreens with dna repair ingredients, antioxidants and healing green tea. Try them out. You'll find the right one for both your skin and your precious little one.

Visit us at Tuscany Spa Skin & Body Clinic, 2210 Florencita Drive West, Montrose CA 91020. Purchase online at TuscanySkinSpa.com

What is your favorite sunscreen? Do you have any sun protection questions? Leave me a comment below.

Here's to a great, safe summer,

Michelle of Tuscany Spa

Fantastic Black Friday Savings you can get right Now!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Can you believe it's already Thanksgiving week?

My nephews and I spent today making Christmas gifts for the family. Every year we try something different. This year - coloring books. They drew out the few designs, I'll print the books. And Voila! Instant relaxation.

What are your holiday traditions? Do you join the crowds like my friend Monica and brave the Black Friday shopping queues? She loves it,  has her own system and is done by midday. It's also a good time for her to get an afternoon upper body massage at Tuscany Spa to counteract all that heavy lifting.

I spend the day at the Spa enjoying a more relaxed atmosphere. We get our own version of Black Friday crowds and this year will be no different. We have great sales going on all week long. So you don't have to wait until Friday.

Our Tuscany Spa's Black Friday Deals fall into three categories:

1. Spa Deals for You. 

2. Great Gifts for Them. 

3. It's a STEAL - get it while it lasts.

Spa Deals for You

1. Add a Microdermabrasion Resurfacing to ANY facial for only $25.
2. Get a quick Lunchtime Brightening & Back-to-Work Peel for only $45* (Save up to 50%)
3. Enjoy a refreshing Targeted Facial for $90 

Gifts for Them

1. Be a SuperStar this holiday and give a YEAR of Relaxation and Beauty with a Massage and Facial Double Membership.  Plus save over $600 on your gift AND pay in installments. 
2. Get them relaxing SPA DAY for less than $300 
3. Pick up a gift card for any amount to be used towards a service or spa product.

It's A STEAL! Get it while it lasts

1. During Thanksgiving WEEK only Save 10% on SpaBlends Natural Aromatherapy Bodycare
2.  OR Buy any 4 SpaBlends Natural Aromatheraoy and save 20%.
3. Unique gifts and stocking stuffers are 5% to 15% off. Check out our gift table.

Stop by Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm or our week-long Black Friday Deals. (closed on Thanksgiving Thursday). Be inspired by unique spa gift ideas. Check out our deals. Get FREE Gift Wrapping with your Gift Cards Purchases.

And this is just the start of the holiday rush. So take time out for yourself - schedule your facial and massage, fine tune your brows, work out the knots with acupuncture and cupping.

This Thanksgiving it's important for all of us to relax, recharge and remember the reason for the season - great food, great friends and family, and a great time to count our many blessings.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving,
Michelle

*One week only deals.

Quickly calm sunburns this time, in 3 simple steps

 Soothe the burn! Your 3 quick and easy steps. 

Spring in California is not an uncommon time to get a surprise sunburn. Of course being California, and due to our temperate weather, suprise sunburns can also appear in the middle of Summer, Fall and Winter. As a now native Californian (how many years need to transpire before YOU would cout a transplant as native?) sunburns are  an ongoing concern.

 

The biggest concern with a sunburn is not just the peeling but the DNA damage that leads to hyperpigmentation (fancy word for dark spots) and pre-mature aging (fancy word for "OMG, why do I look like crap?")  Did you know there is a way to reverse and prevent the DNA damage caused by sunburns? 

Here is how to save your skin and soothe the burn!

1. Gentle AntiOxidant Cleansing

Skip any foaming, exfoliating or scrubbing cleansers. Use a non-foaming, milky cleanser or a mildly foaming lotion-texture cleanser preferably containing anti-oxidants like green tea, reservatrol or vitamin e.

Do NOT use a washcloth or rub hard. Keep it light and gentle. If it still doesn't feel clean enough to you, go ahead and wash with the same cleanser twice.

Pelasante Gentle Soothing Cleanser contains a high concentration of green tea. The cleanser is a nice cross between a foaming and milky cleanser so it lightly froths and rinses clean. Great for daily use.

2. Immediately apply topical Vitamin C

One of the great secrets is that Vitamin C is extremely healing when applied immediately after a superficial burn including sunburns and stove top burns. It will speed up the healing, often preventing a blister and repairing damaged DNA.

Advance Vitamin C by Pelasante is in soothing and hydrating light serum base. Use it every morning on clean skin to prevent sun DNA damage. Apply it after over-exposure to the sun to repair DNA damage. Immediately apply it to minor sunburn and reddening, up to twice a day. to repair and prevent further damage plus prevent blister and speed up healing.

3. Soothing gentle Moisturizer, at least twice a day

 Keep your skin well hydrated, apply your moisturizer 2 to 3 times a day to prevent it from drying out because the dryness will slow down healing. Avoid any AHA and BHA products like glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid and avoid strong stimulating essential oils.

Stick to soothing anti-oxidants - green tea, reservatrol or soothing plants and herbs like chamomile and aloe vera that also help calm the burn.

Power Hydrator is popular with sensitive skin due to its high concentration of soothing and cooling green tea. This large bottle of moisturizer can be used from face to upper body twice a day to maintain and improve hydration.

4. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen and hats

Keep your damaged skin OUT OF THE SUN. A re-injury is even worse for you. This is vitally important so I "fudged" the 3 step how to and added a 4th.

Apply THICK layer of SPF on all exposed skin, slap on a wide-brim hat and UV protective sunglasses and  AVOID SUN EXPOSURE - both direct and in-direct sun for one to two weeks while your skin heals.

Sensitive skins prefer a mechanical only sunscreen with Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide since they don't penetrate into the skin but place a "shield" over it. Pelasante (insert name of mechanical only spf) will give an SPF 50 protection that is perfect for sensitized or traumatized post-sunburn skin. 

Got Sunburn? Ouch! Here's how to calm it down 

When you use these 3 steps, ... with the 4th step too, you will be amazed how quickly your skin will calm and heal. This is perfect for minor burns, if you have a deep sunburn you must immediately see yor MD. 

These steps also slow the development of hyperpigmentation (those ugly dark splotches) and slow the ravages of pre-mature aging (the "hey, I am looking pretty good" effect). 

How did this work for you? Have you tried this before? Do you have a home remedy that your prefer and can recommend?

I look forward to hearing more from you. Have a great week and take good care of yourself.

Michelle G. Lathe

PS: I made a bunch of simple images that I am just going to post on the bottom for ships and giggles. Which one is your favorite? Can you come up with a better one? Put the image under comments. I will update this blog and post and credit YOUR image.

You need a spa day Now

When was the last time you treated yourself to 

a Spa Day?

The last time you treated yourself to a "take-care-of-myself" ME day?

Take a vacation without every leaving town.

I have a confession to make, my last "me-day" was before the holidays. No, not valentines day. It was before the Christmas Holidays.

Now I have squeezed in a few at-home spa days.

Tried out a new Micro-exfoliation Scrub Gommage (it was so awesome we now offer the treatment at Tuscany Spa.) Even got to enjoy a new soothing hydrating mask. (My cat really liked that one, check out the funny pic.)

But time at the spa, just enjoying the pampering and personal care. (And the blackhead and milia clean sweep). That has been ... months.

Team Tuscany's Spa Day

Until today. I am whipping out this post just an hour before I get to enjoy our spa day. My wonderful Team Tuscany and I  are heading over to Tuscany Spa and being let loose. Just us. Treating ourselves to spa heaven. So excited.

Which is why it occurred to me I need to post about it.

Under the Tuscany Spa Sun

The software/database switch is moving along well. The new website has a couple kinks but we have more to do.  I am even working on a new Logo with an amazing designer that worked on the "Under the Tuscan Sun" graphics and marketing. (Mom was ex static about that. Her favorite film, and her inspiration for Tuscany Spa. Rather fitting.)

My bad...

For those of you that got odd reminder emails that we booked a new appointment, when you had already booked that same time and appointment over a week ago, my apologies. Our new software sends an automatic "new appointment" email. So it was sending those out while we put your info in the new system. Oops. Emails were stopped for the time being until the transfer.

So Team Tuscanys' Spa Day is perfect timing. A quick break between the chaos of change. A refresher before a photo shoot. (We need portraits of everyone for the website).

We felt like dancing after our Spa Day. So much fun!

Update:

We had a great time getting facials and massage. Even blasted our own favorite music. (You wouldn't believe our music choices.) Lunched on fruit, cheese, tea and bagels. And just enjoyed our Team Tuscany Day. 

When was YOUR last "me" day? Aren't you ready for your own trip to the spa? 

We have new treatments being tested and fine tuned as I speak. And promo's spotlighting them coming up.

So check out our existing website at www.TuscanySkinSpa.com And visit our FACEBOOK page for hints, deals and savings on last minute spa treatments.

I look forward to see you at Tuscany Spa.

Now, I gotta run to MY Spa Day.
Michelle