Hot stone massage therapy is not a new modality anymore. Although some massage therapists and clients may consider this to be a trend, the use of stones and gemstones for healing purposes dates back thousands of years.
Both verbal and written history confirms that the Chinese used heated stones more than 2,000 years ago as a means of improving the function of internal organs. Stones were also used for healing work in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Egypt and India. These traditions included laying stones in patterns on the body, carrying or wearing stones for health and protection, using stones for the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as well as for ceremonial purposes, such as sweat lodges and medicine wheels.

The energy behind going green is growing and more of our clients are connecting with the idea that our good green earth is indeed the source of an infinite means to restore and maintain lasting beauty and radiant health. More than ever there is recognition that fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and organic meat and dairy products provide the range of nutrients to support a youthful complexion. Beauty from inside out is fast moving toward becoming an accepted norm. As a nation, we are turning in ever greater numbers toward herbal remedies and natural skin care products too. As a result, some of the biggest professional lines are racing to use organic ingredients in their new product lines.

The dangers Ultraviolet rays (UV rays) impose on skin are well known. They are the primary external cause of skin aging. Not only does UV radiation found in sunlight reduce the youthful appearance of the skin, but it is also an environmental human carcinogen. Society is more aware of the damage caused by UV rays, yet the occurrence of skin cancer is on the rise. Fifty percent of all cancer in the U.S. is skin cancer. The toxic effects of UV rays from the sun and tanning beds are a major health care concern. The effects of UV irradiation include photoaging, immuno-suppression and ultimately... photo-carcinogenesis.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. with more than two million Americans diagnosed annually. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma make up the majority of these cases. The third type, melanoma, arises from pigment producing cells called melanocytes. The ability to spread widely to other parts of the body is a unique characteristic of melanoma that the other skin cancers do not readily possess. This characteristic makes melanoma the deadliest, accounting for only four percent of skin cancers but 80 percent of skin cancer-related deaths. The number of new cases of melanoma is increasing steadily and dramatically. In the U.S. alone, the incidence of melanoma has tripled over the past three decades. In 2010, approximately 70,000 new cases were diagnosed.

Whether you work with a company or for yourself, it is important to understand the value of you as the professional. Your client looks to you for advice, suggestions and result-oriented treatments. I think first and foremost you should ask yourself if you truly enjoy servicing others and providing solutions to their unwanted body hair and skin concerns. Passion is something that is lived! It reveals itself through your eyes, your smile and your energy. Here are the tools that I feel you will need to fully impact your suggestions.

Since arriving on the scene in the late 1990s, the laser hair removal industry has gone through a metamorphosis. The technology has changed, the accessibility has changed, and in many states, the regulations have changed. While it can be tough to keep up with all of the regulatory changes, emerging laws, statutes and regulations are helping to strengthen our business and improve the overall client experience.
I know this from my own experience in the industry. I opened my first medical spa in 2003 in Scottsdale, Arizona with my business partner Matthew Gould. Immediately we noticed a problem.

All of these phrases contain a modicum of reality. However, in our clinic, we give a small amount of credence to all the above. Our focus has always been "root/cause" medicine and "root/cause" skin care. And when it comes to "root/cause" of any system or organ of the human body (including the skin), it is our opinion that nothing makes a more frequent, more meaningful, more accurate difference in the growth and maintenance of each and every organ than one determining factor … lifestyle. I like one particular dictionary definition for the word lifestyle, more than any other … "the way you live your life." Of course, this factor is really about the all-encompassing; it peels away the layers of speculation about the on-going existence of the human body.

Despite such an advanced beauty culture, it is disappointing that a majority of the skin analysis conducted in aesthetics and skin care clinics is still to insufficient to be useful. The main reason for this is that in many clinics, detailed consultations and skin diagnostic tools are not being used. So with this utilization of old-fashioned terminology, diagnostic language and procedures (which are often no better than what a client could get at a department store) is it any wonder we have not grown past the five percent market share of the personal care industry?

A few weeks ago, I was reading a post in a spa group on LinkedIn by the owner of a well known architectural firm that specializes in the spa industry; in this posting, he stated that when designing the floor plan of a spa, the best ratio was 1,000 square foot surface for each treatment room. This does not mean that the room dimension should be 1,000 square feet, but that if you want to have a spa with six treatment rooms, your spa must be a 6,000 square foot spa! No wonder such spas do not make a profit!

Whether you are just graduating from aesthetic school or have been in practice a number of years, almost all skin care professionals dream of one day operating their own independent business. By nature we are creative beings; we envision the freedom and income that only a private practice seems capable of providing us. The envisioned benefits are convincing enough: working our own hours, charging what we want for our services, being our own boss and having total control over our professional life. What's not to like? Many aestheticians choose to begin by working with an established spa or salon with the idea of going independent as soon as they have gathered enough knowledge (and loyal clients) to break away and set up a private studio.

While clinicians and patients alike await the day when one topical ingredient arrives on the market that can produce cutaneous miracles, the likelihood of such a day arriving is a myth at best. Each person's skin is a complex combination of needs and challenges, making multiple ingredients and formulations necessary to achieve truly healthy skin. Rather than seeking out that one miracle product, well-rounded formulations comprised of a variety of stabilized and scientifically proven ingredients provide the skin health professional with best and most efficacious options for their patients.

Each season presents an opportunity to modify your client's makeup look. It is not necessary to toss products season to season, but there are important guidelines to follow in order to achieve a look that is most appropriate for the current season. Throughout the last 15 years as a makeup artist, I have noticed that over time, most women develop a makeup routine – they use the same color(s) almost every day – this habit often leads to a feeling of complacency.As we age the skin loses warmth and radiance, so it is important to update foundation, concealer and color palettes along the way.

Compliment traditional aesthetic services with quick and easy add-on treatments. By doing this, you can show your clients new treatments they might not have experienced before - all while adding a few extra bucks to your day's progress. Below are a few examples for you to try in your practice!

Natural beauty remains the most timeless and sought after look of all. Women want makeup that enhances their own beauty without looking overdone. Makeup trends would not gain popularity unless the woman underneath has what it takes to motivate other women to copy the look. As a girl who has been in front of the camera and behind the scenes in the pageant and modeling world, I can attest to the fact that stunning transformations are made possible by healthy and nourishing skin care products that prime the skin. These are the steps to creating a strong foundation for beauty, starting with the skin on your face and enhancing eyes and lips…whether your aesthetic ideal is a flawless canvas for the latest makeup look or to go fresh-faced with confidence.

Inflammation – What Does It Mean?
Let us begin by exploring the meaning of the word and what is implied when we speak about the effects of inflammation in the body. Inflammation can be a temporary response to a minor infliction to the skin or it can be a major response to systemic infection or other key assault on the body. This short article is but a portal into a greater exploration that requires further reading and study.

They are the chemical messengers that control nearly every aspect of the human body. Without hormones, growth and development, metabolism, reproduction, mood control, digestion and other necessary functions would not be possible.Small changes in hormones can cause big changes within the bodyand the skin. Hormonally induced skin conditions, like acne and melasmacan be frustrating, asfluctuations in hormones are unpredictable and often not easily detected, even with medical testing. Knowing the pivotal times in life when hormonal fluctuations are most likely to occur and becoming familiar with the skin conditions influenced by hormonal changes are crucial to successfully controlling hormonally induced skin concerns.

Understanding hormones and their effect on the skin, from the teenage years to perimenopause and menopause, is challenging for many skin care specialists. Journeying through the roller coaster with many clients can be rough sailing. Understanding the prominent hormones in the body is essential in order to correctly diagnose, treat and prevent hormone related skin conditions. Estrogen and progesterone are the main partners in this delicate balancing act. Designed to work together as a team, when that balance leans more to one direction than the other, a whole host of problems occur.

Imagine entering a private sanctuary just for you. Greeted by a potpourri of natural aromas, you breathe deeply to smell a hint of sage, rosemary and lavender. The energy is sublime and you immediately feel welcomed. Safe and secure, you sink into the facial chair and feel like you are floating on a cloud. The lighting is soft but not dark. You hear a hint of music with a rhythm that calls to your soul. Who is that artist, you wonder. The therapist is warm and professional as she asks a series of questions to discover your needs and purpose for your visit.

So let us get started with an apology. If you are like me, your aesthetic schooling never educated you on cells. Mine did not either. Your on-going training has led you more into product knowledge and equipment tools-of-the-trade than pure, raw, deep-down at the root skin chemistry. Imagine applying topical products and using equipment that can electrify, scrape, burn, disintegrate and otherwise damage the cellular structure of the largest organ of the body – the skin. Therefore, I have to assume that the majority of aestheticians have no idea at all about what they are really doing to the skin. So let us change all that starting right now.

Have you ever asked your clients what it is that keeps them purchasing their favorite skin care product? Do so and you will hear everything from “It reduces the fine lines on my face” to “It feels great on my skin” and “I love the smell.” These answers, and others, speak to the art that is skin care product formulation. Through a delicate balance of ingredients, chemists create products that cleanse, moisturize, lighten, protect, or reduce the signs of aging, with features such as pleasing consistency and pleasant fragrance, characteristics that appeal to consumers’ senses.

A Lomi Lomi massage to the sound of the waves of the Polynesian sea; sitar music playing Raga during a soothing Shirodhara head massage; and the classical music of a Beethoven’s Symphony as you slip into a deep slumber.  Music healing has been a part of human civilization for thousands of years.
Many cultures have recognized the importance of music and sound as a healing power. In the ancient civilizations of India, Africa, Europe, Australian aborigines, and American Indians, the practice of using sound to heal and achieve balance from within was a central part of living.

OK, let’s get right down to it – your skin care products may contain ingredients that are actually classified as OTC’s. OTC stands for “over-the-counter” and refers specifically to non-prescription drugs. This isn’t necessarily a problem, although any skin care product containing an over-the-counter drug needs to be labeled as such. This may be a bit of a “gray area”, as you’ll see.

As a spa professional, you want to provide the best possible treatment for your clients. Providing the best treatment is reliant on 50 percent technique and 50 percent product. In aesthetic or massage therapy school, often the emphasis is put more on learning the right technique and less about teaching the basics of natural ingredients and how to select quality products for your business. In turn, once you complete your studies you are left to learn about products from independent research and through suppliers. Unfortunately, the information skin care companies provide to you can in some cases be based on false claims the company is making to sell their product.

What is Thalasso therapy and how can it be used by aestheticians, doctors, cosmetologists, and nail technicians to improve the look and feel of their client's face and body while promoting psychological well-being?

The world of professional skin care provides aestheticians numerous tools to assist in the management of photo aging, acne, pigmentation, dry skin, and other epidermal challenges to improve the quality and preserve the integrity of this very complicated immune organ. The cleanser, serums, creams, peels, microdermabrasion, LED, ultrasound, etc., directly impacts the complex and central world of the Stratum Corneum (SC).
How well do you really understand the intricate work of the SC? After all, this is the layer of skin all states in the U.S. use as the measuring stick for our scope of practice licensing. 

Now is the perfect time to promote romantic salon and spa retreats. Create promotions and salon service menu packages that will make it fun for friends and couples to visit your skin care clinic or day spa! Clients won't know that you offer special service packages for couples unless you actively promote them in your skin care center or spa service menus. Get ready to take advantage of the annualized special events, holidays, and seasons, while offering exciting new spa gift packages. Birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, bridal season, and year-end holidays are terrific for couples promotions.

If ever there was a difficult decision for the aesthetician or spa owner to make, it is in choosing professional and retail products for treatments and home care. Just look in any spa or skin care trade publication (even this one!) and the number of available lines in just one issue alone is daunting – and confusing! So many things to consider: price, packaging, training, profit, ease of use… oh, and efficacy! Every offering seems to have its own distinct claim about quality, performance, and degree of penetration, purity, and so forth. Most, if not all, tout cutting-edge technology, proprietary ingredients, and results, results, results!

There's nothing nicer for a customer or employees than visiting a new spa. Everything about it says "new". It's exciting. There is shiny new equipment that works. Freshly painted walls and new floor coverings. Unstained linens and robes. Its clean and neat with everything in place. But just like people, spas age. And many times as spa owners or managers the daily tasks of running the business gets in the way of paying real attention to maintenance, upkeep, and in general, the spa's image. In fact, when we're busy working and in the trenches every day, we sometimes lose perspective and get used to things, accepting things the way they are—same ol', same ol'.

When and how to perform exfoliation treatments on ethnic skin has been complicated by history, and lack of training, in spite of new advances in technologies. Ethnic skin has a propensity to develop hyperpigmentation when overly traumatized, or hyperpigmentation, a lighter discoloration of the skin when the appropriate products or treatments are not utilized. How and why this happens will be explained as it relates to the exfoliation treatments available to most skin care professionals.

How is today's consumer defined? They are educated, experienced, confident and affluent – yet cost-conscious and increasingly multicultural. They are concerned about social and environmental issues and want to know that the companies they do business with are concerned as well. They also want to know that the companies that they do business with really care about who they are and their specific needs. According to a study from Packaged Facts, ethnic women have been projected to have more than one trillion dollars in buying power this year. It has also been pointed out that the 36 million African American, Hispanic and Asian women in the United States have different attitudes than Caucasian women about health and dieting, shopping behavior, and use of personal care products.

In the professional skin care industry, people are modifying and changing treatments every day to improve the benefits and lessen the contraindications. All over the world, visitors go to spas and request "your most popular treatment." But have you ever wondered what all the other spa's most popular treatments are? Have you ever compared the others to your own? When deciding the theme for this month's special section, treatments around the world deemed appropriate. When reading about ethnic skin and how to effectively treat different skin types, you should also be thinking about the treatments your spa currently offers.

My interest and passion for aromatherapy goes as far as I can remember. I fondly recall one summer my family and I spent in Italy when I was a child. The beautiful countryside, delicious cuisine, and fabulous weather were only secondary compared to the fresh scent of lavender that lingered in the air long into the evening. The fields of lavender were not just extraordinarily beautiful, but seemed to have the uncanny ability to lift my spirits and stimulate my senses. It was not until some years later when I began to study the art and science behind aromatherapy that I realized the scent of pure lavender flowers were the essential oils contained within the petals and that these oils had tremendous healing powers. 

In an ever changing profession, each day brings a new type of product, service, and treatment protocol. Body services have grown with increasing popularity, and not just for simple relaxation purposes, but for overall health and wellness benefits as well. Body services include: Wraps for detoxification, firming, and toning; Exfoliation; Cellulite reduction; Skin smoothing and softening; Scrubs; salts, sugars, loofahs, brushes, and shells; and massages - generally limited in the aesthetics profession to the application of beneficial ingredients to the body in order to improve the condition and beautify the skin.
All of this is information that you already know…

A holistic approach to wellness includes regular visits to the spa for body therapy. Holistic wellness can be achieved through a balanced life that includes taking care of oneself physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Body therapy treatments address the physical and emotional needs of your client. In essence, you become more than your clients’ aesthetician or massage therapist; you become their holistic body therapist and address the needs of their mind, body, and soul.
Spa treatments have been around since the Roman Empire with bath treatments called “Sanus Per Aquam” meaning health through water.

Direct mail has become one of the most effective strategies to market your aesthetic business. Whether your skin care center, dermatology clinic, day spa, or medical spa is known for signature facial treatments, specialized massage therapies, or day of beauty packages, there will always be some new service that you should promote to build your skin care business.
Many aestheticians wish that some of their specialized spa, wellness, and beauty care services were not the best kept secrets in town. Whether you operate independently or you own a large skin care facility, direct mail will help to draw attention to your business, while effectively promoting what you privately do behind closed doors.

While in school most aesthetic and massage students learn to lose their inhibition of seeing other people’s bodies. They soon realize that clients come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. There is no doubt that there has to be some nudity with certain services such as a body wrap, massage, and bikini waxing. Even the most modest student understands that it is a necessity to be professional while verbalizing to the client how to undress, remove certain clothing, get into a robe, wrap, or putting on disposable undergarments; and it is a very important step towards the success of the treatment.

The skin care industry has spent the last 20 years on a mission: to slow/stop the aging process and/or reverse damage that has already occurred. If we polled physicians and aestheticians today on whether or not our mission has been "accomplished," the answer would likely be a near unanimous "no". Regardless, the industry claims from manufacturers include an endless parade of "age-reversing", "ageless", and/or "anti-aging" miracle products. Is there any hope of achieving such lofty claims?

We are bombarded regularly by commercials and advertisements extolling the virtues of exfoliation. Products contain "micro-scrubbers", apricot pit grounds, and other ingredients touted to scrub away the outer layers of dead skin cells while "making skin appear fresh and beautiful." About a decade ago microdermabrasion was introduced, while chemical peels have been used for decades. Yet as exfoliation use is burgeoning, the incidence of skin cancer has continued increasing faster despite the introduction of high potency sunscreens (>SPF 15). Understanding the science behind exfoliation is important for any skin care professional in order to provide the best service to your clients.

The skin care industry has spent the last 20 years on a mission: to slow/stop the aging process and/or reverse damage that has already occurred. If we polled physicians and aestheticians today on whether or not our mission has been "accomplished," the answer would likely be a near unanimous "no". Regardless, the industry claims from manufacturers include an endless parade of "age-reversing", "ageless", and/or "anti-aging" miracle products. Is there any hope of achieving such lofty claims?

In many ways, the skin functions like a shingled roof. Newborn skin works perfectly just like a new roof, but if you add about 20 years of environmental, lifestyle, and stress factors, you’ll find that the stratum corneum will be in need of a little repair. Over time, a roof’s shingles become dry and cracked and need replacing. This is true of skin cells as well, and that’s why exfoliation is necessary. To strengthen a shingled roof, we can add Scotchguard to protect the house beneath it, and we can also glue the shingles together to make the roof stronger.

On the flip side, the ultrasound skin machine is a substantiated, scientifically proven, safe, non-invasive micro-device for the superficial rejuvenation of the face and other regions of the body. Ultrasound is a simple, three-stage system (cavitation, sonophoresis, micro-amp) for a safer mechanical exfoliation - using water, sonophoresis for molecular product penetration, and healing micro-amp therapy. The ultrasonic system utilizes a flat, non-toxic metal blade that delivers high-speed vibrations to the skin for facial rejuvenation in lieu of inorganic, potentially harmful substances.
The ultrasonic system offers several different functions. Specifically, the ultrasonic exfoliation function utilizes the metal blade (wand applicator) to produce a controlled, high-speed mechanical oscillation generating skin peeling.

My journey as a solo aesthetician began four and a half years ago. That time in my career was both scary and exciting. I thought long and hard before I made the leap of faith. However, I felt I wan ready. I look back on it now and realize how naïve I was.
I have learned a lot along the way. I made a lot of foolish mistakes as well as some great decisions that payed off. Luckily, my business has thrived and it continues to grow each year.

Keeping employees happy and productive is no easy task. Either their grout is dirty, their kids are colicky, they missed their morning coffee, or the day just isn’t going their way. However, a spa is sacred space. Unhappy employees make for unhappy clients. This develops into a long term recipe of financial disaster. But don’t lose hope. With a few simple dink dinks to your systems and facility—happy productive angels arise from the dust and a big ka-ching later all is well.

THE EVALUATION
With the client at the epicenter, an aesthetician's job is to become a super sleuth. The body communicates all of its needs; we simply have to be astute enough to listen. The skin evaluation is a narrowing process. As you classify a client's skin type, condition, and consider age, internal issues, emotional state, and lifestyle, you're narrowing down the field so the treatment path will become clearer. To start with, in my opinion, there are only three skin types: dry, normal, and oily.

This past decade has seen an enormous surge in popularity of skin brightening products formulated specifically to treat hyperpigmentation and increase skin luminosity. While traditionally these products were popular in Asian-Pacific and African communities, the demand for brightening products appears to be gaining across the globe. Currently, the Asian market leads the world in the number of products on the market to treat pigmentation issues; Asia alone accounts for 37 percent of the overall worldwide sales in this category.

When you hear your skin referred to as problematic, you immediately equate this with a dilemma, complication, troublesome, distressed, obstacle, an inconvenience. We want it instantaneously fixed! Who wants a problem? In fact when your skin is experiencing a "problem," it is a sign that your body is in a healing phase, which is a good thing. The skin is trying to expel waste, bacteria, toxins, or possible negative emotions as an attempt to return the body and skin back health.

For some time now, the hype in consumer beauty and health magazines has been the medical spa. For seasoned aestheticians and physicians, this concept is nothing new. Unfortunately, what these magazines are not telling consumers is that the term “medical spa” is highly unregulated and there is a great deal of false advertising. Many viable MediSpa’s are not receiving the credibility they so deserve, as anyone advertising a physician and Botox® or filler injections can be a medical spa. This is simply not fair to those facilities that offer more for skin care, hair removal, and body wellness through nutrition, massage therapy, and therapeutic fitness.

When a client visits you, it's important to consider all that you see and do not see. While skin evaluation is essential, the value of this information-gathering process is largely missed. The fact is that very few aestheticians know how to use the data they collect during a skin examination, which really only gives you a third of the story. What's missed is everything that's not seen And this leaves gaps in the reasons why certain skin conditions emerge or re-emerge.

The advent of medical spas has brought forth new issues related to risk management and insurance in general. The usual suspects include property and liability coverage, with the added wrinkle of professional liability or “malpractice” coverage. Further, no two medical spas seem to be quite the same—as such, each spa will need a customized insurance program to ensure that all exposures have been properly covered.
Insuring your new medical spa shouldn’t create a major headache, but there are a number of critical factors to consider. Let’s build an insurance program from the ground up.

As women it may be hard for us to relate to daily shaving of a facial beard but we all know the potential hazards of shaving our legs; be it cuts, nicks, ingrown hairs, or even an angry razor burn, we know the pitfalls associated with the shaving ritual. For men, besides having to deal with daily shaving, consideration for skin condition (i.e. oily or sensitized etc.) and beard type (i.e. coarse, fine etc.) must also be taken into account.

Men must feel a sense of connection with the spa environment being presented to them, so spas must cater their interior décor, marketing, branding, TV programming, choice of aromatherapy fragrances, and spa magazines to their preferences. Additionally, the names of services and types of packages created must focus on men's needs. Male-oriented services should be reminiscent of the old time barbershop featuring services, like expert haircuts, a wet shave with a straight razor, sports manicures, and male-oriented hair removal.

This article will address the development of a man’s coordination of awareness regarding good skin care and the origins of their belief systems. These systems of accumulated experiences, whether internal or external, support or deter a man’s ability to research, seek out, purchase, utilize, and explore advancements that will improve their visual appearance by engaging in a regimen of consistent proper skin care. So as not to generalize all men as the same, the author supports the hypothesis of central tendency or the middle mass of the bell shape curve when describing average findings for men.

When looking at the demographic of your spa, you may quickly come to the conclusion that Ayurveda is just too far out, too foreign, and not something that would appeal to your clientele. We have even come across those that thought it was occult and dangerous in that way.
However, Ayurveda is not defined by cultural and religious trappings. In fact, Ayurveda pre-dates all of the religious traditions of the East as a healing system par excellence. “Ayur” means life and “veda” means knowledge. Ayurveda is about living a powerful, rich, and interesting life in the world.

Many of us dream of writing a book and getting it published. For most, the dream stops there. The process of writing, researching, waiting, and hopefully getting published, is a daunting feat that usually scares us off without even trying. If this is your dream, keep reading. The entire process is a long and emotional one, but with some guidance and perseverance, anything can be accomplished. First, you need a book topic. Think of something that you are passionate about and most importantly have an in-depth knowledge to write about. Then, ask yourself why you are writing.

As a professional aesthetician, you may think your main focus is on providing the best skin care services for your clients. Yet the fact is the more often you see those clients, the better their skin care program will be. In addition to better results in a shorter time for your clients’ skin care regimen, your business will thrive with a committed and loyal client base. You will ensure a win-win situation for everyone by taking some steps to create some new routines – that are habit forming! As a skin care professional, your job is to educate your clients and create a picture for them of the possibilities that you can provide.

Times change, and the world population is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of ethnic identity. This is especially true in the U.S., where people of many ethnicities and the merging of ethnic identities challenge old concepts of classification. Grasping the commonalities and differences between skin conditions common to specific ethnicities is absolutely critical to treating skin in an effective and truly modern way.
But here's the problem: it's difficult to even discuss the ethnicity of skin in correct, appropriately sensitive, and politically correct terms. The traditional language still applied to race — and in fact, the term "race" itself — is deeply rooted in Victorian and colonial social systems. In many cases, these concepts are no longer applicable.

Treatments in the Spa
Clients look to their technician as the authority they should be on how to keep their hands, nails, and cuticles looking their best before and after the spa service. Nail technicians across the country have various tricks up their sleeves and use a diverse list of favored ingredients and recipes to keep clients happy and coming back for more. Many make use of local or specialty ingredients and offer nail services that speak to their region or to seasons or holidays.

How does an aesthetician or therapist determine a recommendation for a body treatment for their guest? Which one works best: Body scrubs, polish, glow, gommage, or chemical peels therapies for an exfoliation treatment that will also soothe, nourish, protocols… how is one to choose? Salt or sugar?  Mud or seaweed? The good news is there is not really a wrong choice – just a more qualified choice for the client Spa guests need education on the value of the services offered, for them to know the importance of each. Most spas fail to promote the only body treatment. While massage is an important aspect or body treatment, there are so many opportunities to treat, heal, spoil, pampers and give the client a wonderful experience with a body treatment.

Most aestheticians, day spa owners, and massage therapists will agree that finding a treatment that creates a new vein of profit all on its own is a difficult task. The investment has to be realistic in these economic times and the results have to be effective for the therapist to gain high client retention. Today, clients are more discriminating with their money. It is the “look good, feel good” services that sell in our modern times of Dr. 90210. I personally stumbled upon such a treatment and now educate and teach therapists how to incorporate it into their business. It is the Infrared Body Treatment. No messy Bandages, no wet rooms or showers no tape measures… all you need is a treatment table.

Everyone knows that to keep a car running well, it needs to be filled with quality gas and oil, kept topped up with water, run regularly, and be taken in for a tune up each year. Why then is it when it comes to our own bodies we are so easily tempted to pay little attention until we experience a total breakdown? We all know we should eat well, drink plenty of water, exercise often, adequately rest, and go for annual checkups. Yet, somehow with the high pace and general stress of modern living, we forget these basics.

It is a well known fact in the health care industry that the herbal supplement and vitamin market are multi-billion dollar industries. In the stressful environments and circumstances of modern living, we need some extra support than nature can provide from highly concentrated nutrients. Pollution, over-crowding, demanding work lives, economic concerns, family responsibilities, and compromised, depleted food supplies all contribute in varying degrees to depressed immune systems, stress-related disease, and chronic conditions that are so costly to health, happiness, productivity, and prosperity, that the American government finds itself embroiled in a debate over what clearly is a health care crisis.

I deeply believe that organic skin care products can deliver dramatic and long lasting results. What we put on our faces should be as safe and pure as the food we eat. It should be like a fresh meal for your face! During my educational seminars for aestheticians, I like to swallow a spoonful of one of my masks or creams to make this point. After all, if a lotion isn’t safe to eat – why would we think it is safe to put on our skin?

The world of skin care is an ever-evolving market with the latest and greatest ingredients continually being touted by countless individuals and media outlets. While organic and natural formulas are growing in popularity (I know I like it when I can recognize and pronounce all the ingredients on the labels of my skin care items), there will always be customers looking for the newest chemical formulas to combat their skin care complaints. This article examines what the coming year could bring in the way of innovative skin care ingredients and how they fit into the growing skin care products market. 

The 21st century has presented us with skin conditions that reflect challenging times. Practicing aestheticians are caring for skin conditions that are far more complex than oily, dry, and combination.
Physical, chemical, and biological application has reduced skin flora and vitality. The reduction in skin depth has eroded, alternating the skin’s ecology. The excessive treatment of skin has depleted nutrients, reduced skin’s ability to regenerate, increased temperature, discharge, and surface crusting.
Nutritional value of skin care is not just declining, but collapsing. Skin care products are chemically bloated.

This informative and timely editorial was written in the spirit of education to provide a basic understanding of AHA acids and for all skin care specialists to use this information as a scientific guide. As a result of this article, information is presented that also represents the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA), the CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel), and the skin care industry’s current philosophy on this topic. It is not my intent to act as a representative for the FDA, CIR, or the public.

Alcohol, medications, and drugs can affect the skin and create a challenge when an aesthetician is trying to figure out how to treat the client. In aesthetic school, students are taught to always have the client fill out a history sheet for contraindications – especially with hair removal. It is imperative to know if the client is on certain medications such as Retina-A®, Accutane®, Renova™, Tazorac®, Differin®, Azelex®, blood-thinning medications, and recent injectables such as Botox®. Some clients will openly share which medications they are taking on their client history. Other clients may feel embarrassed to reveal their consumption of alcohol or will not be honest about their use of illegal drugs. How can an aesthetician encourage a client to be honest? After all, it is for their own safety and well-being.

One of the most interesting ways of ascertaining the value of a promotional gift is by thinking about all of those promotional gifts that you yourself have received. Can you remember the name of the company that presented you with the promotional items? Did you tell your friends and relative about the promotional gift that you received? These are some of the questions that will really help you in deciding on the value of a promotional item.
Everyone likes to be acknowledged and appreciated; what better way to achieve this than by giving a gift where no reciprocation is required or expected; with that goodwill intent, trust and loyalty are more likely to be established.

Every spa has them — those treatment products and gift items that seemed like such a good idea when you added them to your inventory. Trouble is they’re sticking around like in-laws that have overstayed their welcome. It’s costing you money to keep them hanging around… money you need. Not to mention the space they take up that you’d like to dedicate to something more productive. By now your employees have soured on trying to sell the old stock, and customers never did seem to pay attention to it. What to do?
Before hauling out the old wicker sale basket and filling it with those seemingly dead items, consider an easy option that will not only get the items into shoppers’ bags but at full price too! This isn’t trickery we’re suggesting here; just the application of a little bit of human psychology. How can you go wrong?

Our bodies are incredibly complex, with each system intricately woven together in a brilliant web that keeps us functioning. It is often so easy to forget how interconnected the elements of our bodies really are. Even though the skin is the largest organ of the body and provides the first two lines of defense as the skin barrier and our immune system, it also can provide the first external sign that there may be something wrong internally. Over 80 percent of the 800+ skin diseases are a manifestation of an internal malfunction.

There is an ancient Biblical passage that states life and death are set before us, but we must choose what we want. The ancient writer recommends we should choose life. In the 21^st century, we are again told we must choose life, but in a very different way. More and more people are now learning that to choose life, is to choose to detoxify. When you discuss detoxification, most people think you are talking about someone else’s problem, not their own. They think you are talking about drug users or the alcoholics needing to detox.

We live in challenging times and our health and well-being is dependent on our ability to not react to what is happening around us and to focus on what we can do to improve our lives without getting caught up with fear, anxiety, stress and now, the economy. There is a saying that we cannot control what is happening to us from the outside; we can only control how we respond. The more out of balance we are the more our relationships, careers, finances, emotions, and health will suffer. Chinese medicine believes that 90 percent of disease has its source in emotional imbalances.

As a practicing aesthetician, how do you determine the need for a light to mid-depth peel like trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or Jessner solutions? In some states, these peel treatments may not be permitted by stand-alone aestheticians – even then, it may not be the State, but an insurance carrier preventing the treatment in a facility. Once eligibility is determined, there is the wide-ranging availability of the peel in many solutions, protocols to be followed per the manufacturer, and training that may be required.