How to get the most out of Yoga??

#1. You should wear loose clothing, (not loose like if you stand on your head, your shirt will fall over your head)- Loose as in not too tight. No shoes or socks, so you must have pretty toes, and no cracked heels.

#2. It is important to breathe. Don’t hold your breathe, but breathe in and breathe out with conviction…like you really mean it. It will start to make a difference in how your body responds. With every exhale, you get to stretch just a little further and just a little further. Inhale through the nose and exaggerate your exhale through your mouth.

#3. It helps to have eaten at least 4 hours before a session of yoga, so that you have strength and energy to last the hour or so. You would think that all of that stretching and posing would not require so much energy, but it does…it will wear you out and change how your body looks.

#4. Do you ever hear people say…oh I couldn’t go to the gym, because I’m not in great shape. Ha, you will never hear that in yoga. It doesn’t matter whether you are 15 or 95, pencil-thin or robustly rotunda, limber like a ballerina or stiff as ladder-backed chair…it just doesn’t matter. Anyone can take yoga…I mean anyone.

#5. As the weeks go by, feel your body respond to the movement, the poses…the muscles change..you start to become aware of your breathing, your posture…and for 1 hour…your mind takes a backseat to your body. It’s hard to think about something, when you have one leg in the air, one arm in front of you, one shoulder turned to the sky.

Yoga isn’t a religion, it was ancient wisdom telling us to take time for us!

Having the fabulous outfit to wear, plus the right shoes means you must complete the look with a flawless face. The principles for the flawless face (evening makeup) are not to pile on the makeup, but to switch to more dramatic tones to enhance the face. There is nothing worse than a gorgeous dress and really bad makeup or no makeup at all. If this little tutorial becomes too technical for the makeup novice (you can be 16 or 80), please don’t hesitate to come by the spa for your free makeup application and lesson.

Evening makeup allows you to experiment and have fun. Not only are your features more defined, but the color can be more expressive and darker. Remember the following tutorial is not your everyday makeup application, it is evening makeup for special parties, weddings, or that romantic dinner.

No matter what your age (our oldest makeup student is 85), remember to take care of your skin first. Makeup application to clean, exfoliated skin makes a world of difference. If you see a women with makeup that looks clumpy, it’s not her makeup, it it’s her skin care regimen. So start with exfoliated and moisturized skin and your makeup will look fabulous. Let’s begin.

Eye shadow primer is to keep the eye shadow from creasing and to help the eye makeup last longer. Apply over the entire eye area from the base of the lashes up to the brow.
Smooth concealer to mask imperfections: blemishes, dark circles, red capillaries, etc. Dark hides and light draws attention. Opposite colors cover. For example, green covers red.
Apply foundation with a sponge using outward, sweeping strokes, carefully blending along jaw line and hairline. Always match the color by testing on the jaw line.
Powder sets the foundation, absorbs excess oil and gives the skin a flawless finish. Use a loose mineral powder to set makeup by applying over face using light downward strokes with a large brush in the direction of the facial hair.
Apply a medium to dark shade of powder blush under cheek bone. Apply a lighter shade over the darker shade on the ball of the cheek. If you dare gold dust or silver dust creates a playful evening look on the cheeks.
Pencil in brows with 1/2 to 1 shade darker than natural color. Apply with small short strokes to naturally shape and define brows or use a brow powder. Apply brow gel to set the brows in place.
Eyes. Apply light shade of eye color from lash line to brow. Apply a darker shade of eye color in a thin line in the crease of the eye. This will make the eyelid look larger and the brow bone stronger. Apply a medium shade of eye color over the darker shade in the crease. Blend into brow bone. This will make the structure of the eye appear stronger. Apply black eyeliner to upper lashes. Start at the inner corner of the eye with a thin line, creating a thicker line along the iris. Extend line diagonally upward past outer corner of the eye. Line lower lashes with eye liner. Blend. Do not close line at the outer corner since this will make the eye appear smaller. Apply two coats of mascara on upper and lower lashes.
Lips. Use short, feather-like strokes to line toward each corner. Line center of lower lip and then apply from corners of the lip toward the center to connect the lines. Stroke color from center to corners of upper lip and from corner to corner of lower lip. Use a lip brush to blend with lip liner pencil. Apply a very light color to the center of the bottom lip and then apply gloss.

Beautiful!

Heart to heart conversations happen in the spa.  Why, you ask? Because you have created an environment where people tell all.  You have created a place where people can exhale.

They will open up their hearts and tell you every little detail.  Knowing that Mrs. Jones wears only black is a fact, because you have always seen Mrs. Jones in black.  Knowing WHY Mrs. Jones wears black is because you have created an environment where people tell it all.  It is good and bad.  Good, becaue you have created a safety net and a cocoon, where people can exhale and have private conversations.  Bad, because you know a lot about people, their personal life, their dreams, their needs and desires and YOU must keep secrets.  If you tell, you will put a hole in the safety net.

Now for the secret.  First, Mrs. Jones is not her real name.  And, she wears black, because she mourns everyday for the loss of her marriage.  I still haven’t connected the dots between law school, marriage, and wearing black, but she has, and as long as she still comes to the spa, I will keep honoring her secrets.  Exhale!

Locker Room and Grooming Areas

•

Benches or Ottomans in locker area

•

Robes & Slippers- In Spa Lockers

•

Towel drop cabinet should be large enough to fit laundry bin on wheels.

•

Towel Racks for clean towel and drop off points for soiled towels

•

Scale

•

Full length mirror

•

Grooming area with:

o

Counter top at 36”

o

Pull up stool under

o

Wall lights

o

Grooming amenities

o

Grooming accessories: sealed combs, brushes…..

o

Tissue dispenser

o

Trash bins

o

Amenity line- private label, brand names or a combination of both.

o

Make-up mirror (for women’s areas)

•

Sink Vanities with:

Free-standing (on counter) soap dispensers

•

Sufficient space for clean/soiled linen; refuse disposal

•

Finishes to be durable, natural materials that are easily cleaned

•

hand soap, sealed brushes, combs in sanitizing solution, Makeup

remover, tissues, trash receptacle

•

Wall mirror

Wall lights

Faucets (on sensors)

Soap dispensers (on sensors)

Amenity trays for cleansers

Consumables: razor, shaving gel, q tips, tooth brush, tooth paste,

mouth wash, paper cups

Trash bins

Tissue dispensers

•

soap, sealed brushes and sanitized combs, disposable razors,

shaving cream, Facial Toner/Splash for after shave, tissues, trash

receptacle

•

Wall mirror

Wall lights

Faucets (on sensors)

Soap dispensers (on sensors or on-counter container > operator)

Amenity trays for cleansers

Consumables: razor, shaving gel, q tips, tooth brush, tooth paste,

mouth wash, paper cups

Trash bins

•

Dry Grooming with:

•

Hairspray, Hair Mousse, Hair gel, Spray Deodorant, Talc, Cotton

Balls, Swabs, tissues, trash receptacle

•

Deodorant, Swabs, Foot spray, Talc, Tissues, trash receptacle

•

Oth

Linen hand towels

As one to always try our spas for new ideas, I decided to try the newest spa in the Bahamas on a recent mini-vacation. The massage sounded nice and they had seven different kinds….ranging from Swedish, to Shiatsu, to Sports to Aromatherapy. In addition they had all kinds of body wraps from a mud wrap to seaweed to salt glows. I was really looking forward to the experience not only to relax, but the holiday was crazy and I really needed a massage. I decided to have a Swedish massage and a seaweed wrap. My friend had never had a massage and opted for the Swedish massage and the mud wrap. I just wanted a nice, relaxing massage, you know the warm, fuzzy kind of massage Little did I know, that we were in for 2 hours of torture.

The massage therapist was a rather large and took me into a very relaxing room, but it was cold. She asked me to get under a skinny towel….it was really cold. She came back in and asked how would I like the pressure….I said deep (before I knew how strong she was). After the first touch, I knew that I was in for a deep massage, but not pain. I told her that the pressure was a little too deep, but I don’t think she understood. The elbow into the shoulder blade should have been my first clue, but I was in total denial.

The agony continued with the slapping of the legs (also know as a percussion stroke in a normal massage and usually reserved for the feet), it felt like she was beating me. The strokes of a massage can include tapotaments, one of which is a tapping stroke, but in this case it felt more like a hammer. The ending was like the grand finale. While lying prone, she asked me to put my arms over my head and clutch my hands around her waist. She said to hold tight while she was going to stretch me. I kindly said, hey I don’t think my arms were meant to stretch this way….she said no problem. Little did I know, she thought otherwise.

Because the massage was so rough, I asked how many years she had trained….the reply was three years. And then I thought maybe it was because she was new….so I asked her how long she had been working….she replied two years at spas throughout the Bahamas. (So as least she spreads her torture around!)

I met my friend in the waiting room and asked her how her massage was….she said, “I feel like someone beat the dickens out of me”. I said, “me too”. They must have both trained in the, “beat the client massage school”. The bruises I had the next day was all the proof I needed to know I had a terrible massage, but what really puzzled me was why I did not stop her from torturing me.

Now for the lesson learned–we are in the spa business and I still did not pipe up and say anything. When you have a massage, yes it can be therapeutic, but it should not be painful. Why is it that when you are on the massage table, you feel powerless to say anything? We feel like the massage therapist is the expert and she should certainly know what she is doing.

If you are having a massage there should be great communication between you and your therapist. They should have communicated clearly the pressure, the touch, and the type of massage you are going to receive. Also, they should clearly know what muscle problems you might have. Massage, if not done correctly, can injure the soft tissue.
Massage is suppose to remove the pain and stiffness from the soft tissue, toning muscles, and relaxing muscle spasms. Skillfully applied, massage directly and indirectly influences the structures and functions of the body. The immediate effects are first noticed on the skin with the secondary results including more active circulation and detoxification. So the next time you have a massage, don’t forget to let them know how you are feeling….if they were fixing your car, wouldn’t you speak up?