Twenty-five years in the beauty and health industry have made me wary of promises made by manufacturers selling miracle cures for aging. The industry has very little regulation and in our pursuit of youth, we could be harming our skin and our health. At the very least we are wasting time and money. How to be a savvy buyer in an industry that is notorious for potions and lotions promising eternal youth?

These are just some of the things to watch out for when visiting a spa or esthetician.

Myth # 1 You get what you pay for. The more you spend, the better the results. This is simply not true. I have seen vendors come into Spa on the Plaza promising huge results if we buy their $25,000.00 machine. Upon closer inspection it was old technology, repackaged and rebranded at 8 times the cost! The same goes for product. The industry has tiers that have less to do about the product inside than the customer they are targeting. Caviar skincare anyone? Let’s put it in a glass jar and a gold top and charge $150.00 an ounce for the woman who has everything. A good esthetician and spa will steer you towards products that have results and will be considerate of your budget.

Myth # 2 Pigmentation. The promise that product will remove pigmentation spots! After dozens of potions and peels, this is not my experience. In fact many of these treatments make your pigmentation worse. Unless you never let your face see the sun again, those dark spots come back and sometimes worse because the skin has been stripped of protection provided by its natural pigmentation. Instead, I recommend healing the cell with a micro-current treatment, an LED infrared light and an O2 infusion. Peels are over used and can make the skin thin and sensitive. Healing the skin with technological skincare, and healing touch is the focus of our estheticians at Spa on the Plaza.

Myth # 3 Facelifts are your only option. Not true! I recommend a monthly Micro-current Facial, which utilizes an electrical current to regenerate cellular activity. Used in the best spas for decades this is a very simple 5-minute treatment that is easily incorporated into a facial. Also, daily lymphatic drainage massage can make a huge improvement to your appearance. Facial massage is an ancient technique used by women for thousands of years because it works. Every facial at Spa on the Plaza includes lymphatic drainage massage but anybody can easily incorporate this into his or her daily routine. Finally, before you resort to surgery, I recommend Ultherapy. It is half the cost and has no down time. The results are remarkable and it looks more natural than most facelifts.

Myth # 4 Sun is bad for your skin. Not true! Early morning or late afternoon sun is excellent for our skin. It gives us our vitamin K and also a golden glow that signifies health and vibrancy. Get outside, move your body and you will emit a youthful appearance. The sun is good for us on many levels. Do not be afraid of it.

Myth # 5 Because it is natural, it is safe. Natural does not mean organic. Neither does it promise that the ingredients are safe. The ingredients in cosmetics are not regulated in the United States and yes, some are very dangerous for your health. Many ingredients used by the cosmetic industry have been proven to cause cancer and harm  the reproductive and endocrine systems. At Spa on the Plaza we do not sell or use any product unless it has been deemed safe by the highly reputable non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Be educated and informed with a healthy skepticsim and find an establishment you can trust.  We hope to see you soon at                     Spa on the Plaza.

As a young girl I was a voracious reader of historical novels. Gone with the WInd, Michener’s Hawaii,  I could  devour one a week. What came out of this love for epic historical novels was a secret desire to write. In college, after reading and loving Tolstoy’s War and Peace, I shared my dream with Brandon, my best friend and an aspiring writer. As if ashamed by my boldness, I tentatively told him “that someday I would like to write an historical novel but I would wait, until I was older, when I would actually have something to say.” Well, that dream like several others, was pushed aside in the dustbin of forgotten memories. I got on with my life, my career, marriage and motherhood.

Always surround yourself with people who believe in you. I have such an angel in my office at the spa. Alma, my CFO, and brain child read my last blog and told me I should write a book about my life. “No no, I said, I don’t want to write about myself but about one of the most fascinating women in history, Mother Jones.” Alma is from Romania and had never heard of Mother Jones and so I began an impassioned monologue of this great woman’s life. How she lived in the first Gilded Age, this being the second, and how she championed against child labor and for fair labor laws. I spoke of her wit, her charm and her tragic life. “Write the book, Alma exclaimed, it is a great gift if you do. You have the time now.” And she is right; I do!

I feel a renewal and a quickening in my soul as I write her story. A part of me that lie dormant begins to stir and I am excited by the vastness of life’s possibilities. It is never to late to dust off an old dream.

I love to eat and I love a trim, healthy body. I always thought my regular daily exercise program would keep my weight in check but one day I woke to the hard truth when I saw a photo of me from the back. I was was in a swimsuit and I hardly recognized myself.

I realized that my youthful metabolism was gone and if I wanted to be my ideal weight I’d have to change what I eat.  I started by eliminating all white flour and sugar but the big shift happened when I started to eat more green food. Our energy ultimately comes from the sun. The green in vegetables comes from chlorophyll which absorbs the sunlight that creates energy. The cow eats the grass and when we eat the cow we are two steps from the sun’s energy. When we eat green vegetables we are much closer to the essence of all life. Make this shift  in your diet and you will notice an immediate change in how you feel and what you crave. One day before dinner you’ll find yourself craving a salty carrot instead of crackers and cheese. It’s a food revolution. Join us and feel good!

The much touted nutritional benefits or raw cacao range from reducing cataracts to improving heart function to alleviating stress. Some claim that raw cacao is a mild, non-addictive stimulant that can treat depression. It may cause the brain to produce more of a neurotransmitter called anandamide which would account for the euphoric sensation some feel when indulging in chocolate. Raw Cacao is high in antioxidant flavanoids, sulfur and magnesium. Also the essential fatty acids found in chocolate may help the body to raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.

So lets switch to a raw cacao dessert. Anyone up for
Raw Cacao Bliss Balls?

1 1/2  Cups Almond Meal   If you have a food processor you can make your own.

12  Dates Pitted

2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 Cup Raw Cacao

2 Tbs. Honey

1/2 Avocado

Blend all of the ingredients together and you get a yummy chocolate paste. Roll them in 2 inch balls . They are delicious. Similar to truffles but oh so much better for you. Only 120 calories!

When I was a young girl my father and I would explore the foothills of California. He often gently reminded me to “walk like an indian.” I knew instinctively what he meant. I should walk gently, feeling the earth beneath me by making every step a conscious act. Thich Nhat Hanh,  an internationally famous Buddhist monk and peace activist also teaches conscious walking as a form of meditation.

Somewhere along my adulthood I forgot this pearl of wisdom. Even as a dancer my focus was extension as I reached for the ethers or the collective around me. Until recently I rarely thought about what lie beneath me. It was the teachings of Aletia Alvarez from the Madrona MindBody Institute that reminded me to focus downward. She began her class by identifying the tripod on the sole of the feet. The two opposite points on either side of the ball of the foot and the heel. She had us practice walking as if the earth were a sponge. She cultivated a sensitivity in our step that reminded me of the indian walk my father and I practiced. The effect for me was profound. We are made from the earth and there is a molten fiery energy we can draw from. It gives us power and grounds our actions.

How would the world be different if we all walked more gently on the earth or listened more deeply? I know I will try to do both in my life and in my dance.

One day while visiting my friend Jay Cook, chiropractor and philosopher extraordinaire, I watched fascinated as he cut an apple into small, approximately 1/3 ” cubes and used them as a breakfast cereal. It looked so yummy I went home and tried it myself. My constitution and especially my sensitive stomach loved it.

I embellished Jay’s recipe and created a  Superfood Breakfast. The 3-Seed Granola which is sprinkled on top is full of omega-3 fatty acids. The seeds are loaded with vitamin E, B1 , magnesium, calcium – and tryptophan. Remember tryptophan converts to serotonin and helps elevate mood. The omegas are also anti inflammatory and essential for good bone and heart health. And finally by increasing my raw food intake at breakfast, my body naturally began to crave healthier choices throughout the day. Try Jay’s Superfood Breakfast for 7 days and feel the difference.

Jay’s Superfood Breakfast

1  Apple Cut in 1/3 ” cubes.

1/4  Cup Plain Yogurt

1/4 Cup Water

1  Small handful of raisins

1/2 Tsp Natural Sweetener (I recommend Birch Sugar)

1/4 Cup 3-Seed Granola (link provided)

Cut the apple into approximately 1/3″ cubes. Add yogurt, water, sweetener and stir. Top with raisins, granola and berries.