PHAT FEM

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Developing a skin-care routine can be tedious if you don’t know where to begin. My suggestion of one way to get started is to visit a licensed esthetician. I took a trip to Absolutely Beautiful Day Spa here in Orlando to get some tips and TLC. First of all, the ambiance created by Sharon Sumner, the owner, is incredible. Strolling up to the facility, you can’t help but notice the beautiful lakefront, a peaceful retreat setting. The aura of peace and serenity engulfs you as open the door, with a touch of tranquil music to ease your mind, spirit and soul. Sharon has a full staff, including licensed nail technicians, hair stylists, and massage therapists. It’s a one-stop shop for pampering. As Sharon escorts me back for my facial, she schools me on the reasons why we (both women and men) need to implement this beauty necessity into our skin care routine. "Coming in once a month is all it takes to detoxify your skin. Facials are anti-aging - they cleanse your pores from the environment, hydrate and keep the bacteria down," she explains.

After preparing for my facial, I lie back onto the table already prepared for me. Steam gushes over my face, with every thought slowly disappearing as the vapors begin working. The steam unclogs the pores, also opening your mind for complete relaxation traveling through into your spirit for dissolution from this world. Sharon cleanses my face with a product from France Laure – an all-natural hypoallergenic line that doesn’t clog pores. It’s strong control for acne-prone clients. Her own line will be hitting the shelves very soon as well.

With gentle strokes, my face and neck are massaged using essential oils, relieving all the toxicity brought on from the day. Most people aren’t aware that massaging the face is part of a facial. Having your temples stroked is very relaxing to your entire body as well as your sinus cavities, which can help with sinus allergies. The steam is turned back on as Sharon applies a mask to my face. No matter what your skin type happens to be, Sharon has something suitable. You can’t help but drift into a heavenly state of mind, with the divine atmosphere created by a presence unlike any other.

I can’t forget about the hand mitts. While you’re enjoying your massage, a soft hand treatment is rubbed on your hands, which are then slid into toasty hand mitts placed at your side. Before you realize it, you’re called back to reality by Sharon placing a tepid towel around your face, soothingly removing the mask. Toner, Vitamin C, and moisturizer are gently rubbed onto my face, to which I attribute the beautiful glow I woke up with. Speaking of beautiful glows – Sharon has the most beautiful skin I’ve ever seen – flawless and smooth, basically what we all want.

A licensed esthetician or skin specialist will help you determine what products are best for your particular skin type. All their products are approved by the FDA with chemicals that cannot be purchased over the counter. The first thing people notice about you is your face and teeth, among other things. With about 1200 clients within the past 2 years, and seeing Sharon’s face glowing – I was intrigued to find out more about all the services she offers. Electrolysis is one service offered at the spa. There was a time I would have frowned at the thought, until Sharon told me about waxing and tweezing hair removal methods. When you remove hair from lip or chin, you are stimulating the hair follicle under the skin, and you’ll have to wax or tweeze more often. There are no cells in the eyebrow area to produce growing hairs - it is mainly from across the bridge of the nose and down. Electrolysis is not permanent, but after a few treatments you need fewer and fewer. Ladies, don’t sleep on getting that peach fuzz removed – and some of you know you have a hair or two on the chin. Whether it’s electrolysis, wax or tweeze – get rid of it!

A gycolic peel is for people with acne-prone skin. It is not for anyone with skin sensitivity, because gycloic is an acid which eats the skin. Your estician will do a regular facial to determine your skin type to see if the procedure is right for you. The first treatment only takes 3-4 minutes, and within one minute, your skin begins to burn. Only six treatments are necessary. Don’t let the acid burning scare you, because if you have bad acne scars, you might want to try it. It doesn’t provide you with instant results, however.

Lastly, Absolutely Beautiful offers spa packages that condense a little bit of everything (facial, body treatment, manicure & pedicure with paraffin dip, and lunch depending on the package selected) with affordable prices. Located in Orlando at 1910 Alden Road, call 407-896-1119 to make an appointment or visit them on the web at www.absolutelybeautifuldayspa.com  - Kerri