What to look for before picking a Spa

I sat down with Loni Le Van-Etter, Owner and CEO of Glosshouz, a premiere day spa in the Denver Metro area about the spa industry and what treatments are available for looking younger and feeling relaxed. If you've ever thought about how to pick a spa, the difference between a "Day Spa" and a "Med Spa" or what new services are out there, read on! So much goodness and help I for those looking for relaxation is in this article.

Natalie:

What is the difference between a Med Spa and a Day Spa?

Loni:

It depends on your personal concerns. Here at Glosshouz we would be considered both a Med Spa and a Day Spa because of the variety of services we offer. Some people may just be in for the day needing to relieve stress and coming for an experience at the spa. In that case, they would want to book a more relaxing service for overall wellness. They could, for example, book massages or spa packages where you could stay two to eight hours long and just be pampered all day long. They might want to have nice relaxing reflexology on your hands and feet, facial treatments with scalp massages, and really be pampered throughout the day.

When you start talking about Med Spa treatments we get into facials with skincare treatments and those types of services. These lean more towards aesthetics and making a change in your skin for appearance. Facials can be very beneficial. We always recommend one facial per month which is helpful to clear out your skin and exfoliate to help the skin cells turn over every month. In addition, you will want to get extractions to decongest your skin. Some people need help with acneic skin, dark spots or perhaps rosacea or red spots. There are, all kinds of cosmescuetical type of skincare products that have ingredients which really are able to affect a change in your skin. Your aesthetician can recommend a skincare regimen that you would complete each day and night, and then that will help improve your skin and help to keep your skin healthy. Honestly, most people after their teenage years could benefit from a monthly facial.

Natalie:

What about other basic pampering type services, are those typically part of a “spa”?

Loni:

Nail treatments like manicures and pedicures are offered at most spas and we offer them along with all of our other treatments. Some people like doing everything they need at the spa all at once which saves them time visiting over and again. It is always important to take care of calluses on your feet, and cuticles around your nails, on your hands and toes. And it's good to take regular care of your hair which is of course what makes us powerful. Many women love to get their hair done, and we have all types of treatments from just your daily blowout that you could come every few days and have your hair refreshed. You wouldn't even have to wash and style it yourself, or you can just come in for a special day, or before a night out, perhaps for a date night or an important interview. If you have a job interview and you want to feel ready and your most confident, we can do your hair and make-up and have you ready to go!

Natalie:

How often do you recommend hair treatments?

Loni:

You really need a haircut every six weeks or so to keep your ends trimmed and the flyways under control and to keep your hair nice and healthy. If you use a great hair care line then that can also rejuvenate your hair and your follicles. And these days we have products that are bond builders that protect your hair follicles so everyone can benefit from that.

Natalie:

Tell me more about medical treatments and what is available for women wanting to look younger.

Loni:

There are so many different ways that you can take care and reverse the signs of aging these days. There are neurotoxins. And then there are also hyaluronic acid dermal fillers. So neurotoxins are products like Botox and Dysport that are made by two different companies.

These products do similar things. They use medicines with just the tiniest needle injected in spots around your forehead and around your eyes. This product stabilizes the muscle so that it may not contract and create a wrinkle. It lasts three to four months, which means you only have to do it every three or four months to keep it up.

We are seeing younger people come in for that treatment because it is preventative as well. You know, that old saying that your mom used to have, “Don't make that face or it's going to stick that way?” It is absolutely true! So if you have Botox treatments every now and then while you're younger, then you just need less of it as you age and you don't develop those wrinkles.

And then we must discuss the hyaluronic acid, dermal fillers; those are injectable gel-like substances. There are two major brands: those made by the same company that makes Botox which are the Juvederm series of dermal fillers and then there's the Restylane brand of filler products that are made by the same company that makes Dysport, the neurotoxin discipline.

While it’s more complicated than this, an easy way to think of it is that the different hyaluronic acid fillers come in different particle sizes. Then those different types of hyaluronic acid filler gel substances, are used in different areas of the face, depending on the type of aesthetic that you're trying to create. So for example, if you were putting a hyaluronic acid filler under your eyes as opposed to your mid face or mid cheek area, you would want it to be very subtle and soft. Therefore, you would use a type of product that is more viscous and less firm, with smaller particle sizes.

On the other hand, you would use a Voluma, for example, as a dermal filler that is more robust and that can create a real substance and structure over the bones of your face. And so that is a filler that's used to build volume and structure. It is important that you understand and ask these questions of anyone doing these services. Experienced cosmetic nurse injectors should know which products are best used to create different aesthetic changes in your appearance.

Natalie:

How long do fillers last?

Loni:

The dermal fillers that you use can last from six months all the way up to two years and beyond. The latest products that are being developed are longer lasting, so they'll last twelve to eighteen months, sometimes up to 24 months, which is why you see a difference in the prices of the fillers because the ones that last longer, that are the latest technology, those are going be a little bit more expensive.

Natalie:

What questions would you tell people to ask when they're calling to book for the first time so that they know they're getting quality service?

Loni:

I would think that they would want to ask who the providers of the medical treatments are and make sure that those are registered nurses or higher credential individuals. And the reason why is not so much the neurotoxins, but the dermal fillers can be risky to provide if you're not very familiar with the underlying structures of the skin and the facial anatomy.

I suggest they ask how long they have been providing the treatments, are they trained in all the safety protocols in case something happens? There is a small risk of vascular occlusion but there are known safety protocols that can be in place to make sure that everyone has a good outcome.

Natalie:

Do Spas and Med Spas have Doctors in house?

Loni:

The provider needs to be supported by a medical doctor that is the medical director of the spa. The medical doctor is an essential part of the Med Spa team, and their expertise and abilities are necessary under some circumstances. For example, anytime you have injections in the face, it’s possible you could develop an infection anytime you break the skin. That's the same even if you have a scratch or cut on your skin. If someone has an infection, we have a medical doctor who is able to prescribe antibiotics and come up with a treatment plan so that we can make sure that those types of side effects are taken care of in an efficient manner.

Natalie:

Anything else that people should watch out for or flag if they're booking at a spa in a different city or state or even a new doctor’s office or spa in their own city.

Loni:

I think that it's always a great idea to read online reviews and also just notice how the management supports those customers. If you know people that have been to the med spa that are friends of yours or family members, then you could ask them about their experiences and make sure they have good outcomes. Any good aesthetic spa business these days is going to be very active on social media, and so you could always go and look at what they provide and what outcomes people are seeing. Most spas post before and after results of their treatments. Remember, aesthetics can be considered an art form. So it's like following an artist, you want to see their work.

*This is a sponsored post.. The company who sponsored it compensated me with a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to my readers.