Holly Tanella

Holly Tanella

Spa Sensations: Creating a Relaxing Spa Environment

In this day in age, everyone is running around with barely anytime to relax. Going to the spa is a perfect way for someone who is on the go to finally stop and relax. Relaxation should be a part of the client experience from beginning to end.

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LIGHTING 

Lighting is a big part of creating a relaxing environment. Choosing the right light bulb is just as important as the warmth of the lighting. Fluorescent lights are the worst thing any spa can have. Fluorescent lights flicker at a rate that stresses out the brain and will zap employees’ energies. Never use those spiral, compact fluorescent bulbs because they are filled with mercury, and if they break, mercury dust is in the air for days, wreaking havoc on all the lungs that pass through. The best lighting for the brain and health is incandescent. LED is also a way to go, especially when the brightness and warmth can be controlled. The biggest mistake to make is using the whitest light possible. Yes, it makes an all-white spa look pretty, but it’s the blue spectrum of light that makes the light so white. Constant blue light hurts the brain and will force the eye to elongate to diminish the blue light coming in, causing changes in vision. 4,000 Kelvin is the perfect setting to have white light set at to make the spa look beautiful. The treatment room is meant to have less brightness, creating a relaxing warm sunset light. This should be done with a warm, halogen bulb around 3,000 Kelvin.

ESSENTIAL OILS 

Essential oils are a powerful tool to help with mood. Lavender in the treatment room is great for relaxation. You can diffuse this oil or apply topically to the chest and back of the neck. Orange is energizing and creates happiness. Orange essential oil is great to diffuse at the front desk or apply to the temples at the end of a treatment. 

GEMSTONES 

 Having gemstones in the treatment rooms provides a gentle, non-invasive form of healing that cooperates with the body’s inner healer – a repair mechanism that brings things back into balance. Working through vibration, crystals are electromagnetic energies that realign the bio-magnetic sheath or aura that surrounds the physical body and chakras. 

Aquamarine brings a calm, quiet clarity to an overactive mental body. Malachite is grounding, while smokey quartz is calming and grounding. A spa water hack is to put gemstones with frequencies of relaxation in the water given to clients. Amethyst gives the frequency for relaxing. When the body is relaxed, it can repair. That’s one reason why amethyst is known as the healing stone. Rose quartz is used for healing to support healthy, radiant skin. 

MEDITATION 

Meditation is all about breath and being present in the moment. It helps draw awareness to areas that a client is holding tension to release. Breath has power and is often underutilized. Guided meditation is perfect while the client is masking. Adding a massage is a perfect way to put the client in a calm relaxed state. You can perform the mediation, or there are apps with pre-recorded mediation.

ENERGY VIBES 

Have you ever walked into a room and felt tension? If so, you are feeling the energy and vibrations felt by everyone on some level. People can take on that energy. If a client walks in and the spa is running around panicked, the client will feel panic too. If the front desk or service provider is upset for whatever reason, the client will feel the disturbance too. The same thing goes for if the staff is happy and calm – clients will leave happy and calm. Having the right energy in the spa is vital.

MUSIC

The right music is very important for the atmosphere of the spa. Two things to consider are what clients like to hear and the speed of the tempo. Let’s talk about tempo first; obviously, spas don’t want the music in their treatment rooms to be the same as when they are in the lobby making a purchase. Don’t make clients too relaxed that they don’t want to think about adding to their skin care regimen. So, rooms should have melodious music at 60-beats-per-minute. Research confirms that music at this beat will cause the brain to synchronize to the rhythm causing alpha brainwaves. This alpha brainwave puts the client into a relaxed yet conscious state.

 Second, the lobby atmosphere is where clients will start the process of getting away from this crazy 2020 reality so give them an escape. One option is to play throwback hits of the past. Studies show that when someone listens to music they heard when they were younger, it increased their energy, zest for life, and reduced the symptoms of health conditions. It was like their bodies became younger. This will create an environment that will make any Gen Xer experience nostalgia and look forward to their next appointment because they just love coming to the spa. A relaxed world is a happier world.

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Holly Tanella

 

Holly Tanella is an international award-winning aesthetician and business owner with over 10 years of experience in the aesthetics industry. She was named the 2019 Top International Holistic Esthetician at the Skin Games and has owned BOHO Alternative Med Spa in Allen, Texas since 2015. Tanella is a wife, mother of five, and a skin fanatic whose personal mission is to help her clients create healthy, glowing skin through alternative methods.

Pigmentation Protocol: From Treatment to Prevention & Everything In-Between

One of the most asked questions from clients is, “How do I treat discoloration?” From freckles to dark spots, sun damage, and more, practitioners have seen it all and that is because pigmentation is one of the most common skin conditions in the world. 

 

 

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Holly Tanella

 

 

 

 

Holly Tanella is an international award-winning aesthetician and business owner with over 10 years of experience in the aesthetics industry. She was named the 2019 Top International Holistic Esthetician at the Skin Games and has owned BOHO Alternative Med Spa in Allen, Texas since 2015. Tanella is a wife, mother of five, and a skin fanatic whose personal mission is to help her clients create healthy, glowing skin through alternative methods.

Decoding the Body’s Red Flags: What Kind of Acne is A Client Dealing With?

Let’s face it, acne can be a real jerk. Not only is it the most frustrating skin condition to deal with because of its many causes, it can also be painful, time-consuming to treat, and can affect self-esteem. However, acne is simply the messenger for the body. Acne is the body’s way of saying, “Hey! There’s something wrong, please help.” If the body did not give warning signs about potential issues, clients could experience more serious problems down the road. Luckily, skin care professionals can map what the body is trying to say by where the client is experiencing acne. So, do not shoot the messenger. Instead, learn the language of the body. What kind of acne does the client have? What is their body trying to reveal?

 

 

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Holly Tanella

 

 

 

 

Holly Tanella is an international award-winning aesthetician and business owner with over 10 years of experience in the aesthetics industry. She was named the 2019 Top International Holistic Esthetician at the Skin Games and has owned BOHO Alternative Med Spa in Allen, Texas since 2015. Tanella is a wife, mother of five, and a skin fanatic whose personal mission is to help her clients create healthy, glowing skin through alternative methods.

Should Clients Perform At-Home Extractions?

Getting a pimple and not popping it right away has got to be one of the biggest tests of

self-discipline for a client. Two major reasons why clients should not pop their own pimples is that it creates post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation –a forever pimple and secondly because it can create even more pimples.

 

POST-INFLAMMATORY PIGMENTATION

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is a pigmentation type that forms discoloration on the skin caused by an inflammatory response to an injury. This process is the skin’s natural response to inflammation. If too much pressure is applied while extracting, it causes a light wound or injury to the skin leaving behind pigmentation where the pimple was. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from pimples can show up as a circular red, pink, or brown spots.

 

SPREADING BACTERIA

Clients should also avoid popping their own pimples, due to the fact that it can create more pimples. If a pimple is not ready to come out and a client starts applying too much pressure, they can cause the pimple to rupture underneath the skin and the bacteria will spread, causing more pimples. It is best to leave it alone and let it naturally go away. If the client wants to speed up their skin’s natural healing process, the professional should recommend using a spot treatment that is designed for healing blemishes.

 

INGREDIENT OPTIONS

Skin care professionals should recommend clients use products that contain salicylic acid, which is great at killing off bacteria and reducing inflammation. Spot treatments for pimples that can be used both morning and evening are very helpful in this situation. Skin care professionals should also recommend serums that contain menthol. Menthol is a known healing agent that can also alleviate the pain associated with cystic acne conditions. To be on the safe side, clients should  always see an aesthetician for proper extractions that will not damage their skin.

 

AT-HOME EXTRACTIONS

Clients should take a steamy shower, as this will soften the skin, making it easier for blackheads and bacteria to come out. If extracting a pimple that it is ready, clients should look for a whitehead on the surface of the pimple. If there is no whitehead, leave it alone. If trying to extract, when a pimple is not ready, the chances of creating a forever pimple increases.

 

dramatically. To extract the pimple or blackhead, the client should make sure their hands and face are clean. Then apply an even amount of pressure to both sides of the pimple or blackhead to extract it. Try three times and if nothing comes out, leave it alone and apply a spot treatment. Consider trying again the next morning. Finally, cleanse the skin and wipe off the extraction area, apply an astringent to disinfect, then apply the selected spot treatment to reduce the inflammation and kill off any remaining bacteria. Cleanse hands to kills off any bacteria that might be left on the fingers.

 

At the end of the day, extractions should be left to the professional and clients should not take matters into their own hands. As a trusted professional, be sure to give clients options on how to effectively prevent and treat pimples from coming back. With the help of solid products, the right technique, and dedication, clients can reduce their pimple count without risking infection, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or damage to their skin.

 

Wrinkles: Is Botox the Best Option?

Most people think that when wrinkles appear, they need Botox to fix it. They typically think it’s their only solution! Botox relaxes the muscles from moving that are causing the wrinkle, but this is just a temporary fix. Botox is a neurotoxin called botulinum toxin that is produced by the bacterium clostridium. Botulinum blocks nerve activity in the muscles. Simply put, it is a brain toxin that paralyzes the injected muscle. Botox does come with risks, so individuals should always research before making any decision.

 

HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVES

For clients looking for a natural alternative, microneedling is a great choice. Microneedling works with the body to treat fine lines and wrinkles by creating a microtrauma to the skin. The body then creates collagen to heal that trauma. When collagen repairs skin, it is repairs wrinkles as well.

 

Homecare products that contain passionflower can be useful, since it is a toxin-free muscle relaxer. Peptides that stimulate collagen and work on repairing the wrinkles caused by muscle contractions are also helpful.

 

By combining microneedling and impressive homecare products, professionals can offer clients a go-to service to achieve younger-looking skin, while getting to the root cause of wrinkles.

February 2024

Skin Care Blogs

Brands of the Month

  • Repechage
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  • DMK Skin Revision Center