photo credit: Courtesy of Fairmont Spa Century Plaza
The winddown of Summer is a contradictory time for skin. On the one hand, it’s still warm enough that you show a fair amount of it, and as such, want it to look bright, smooth, and healthy. On the other, the past season puts some limitations on your beautifying efforts. This short bridge of time, when you’re coming off of hot and humid weather, is not the moment for harsh ingredients and exfoliants that aggravate any sensitivity and damage accrued from the sun’s rays, pool chemicals, and sticky pollution. Because keeping your skin in top condition is important always, right now, that means opting for remedies that heal, restore, and exfoliate gently. Here, three skin-nurturing, glow-getting spa treatments that are perfect for the immediate aftermath of post-scorching months. And by the way, they’re great all year round too.
At the Elemara Spa, the long-awaited, newly launched spa at the renown La Concha resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico, they know how to deal skin that’s been confronted with blazing weather. Island life means taking care of skin in the midst of intense heat, harsh rays, salt water, and high humidity. The Life-Force Oxygen Face Treatment energizes your complexion, while keeping it protected and luminous. This is a high-tech facial that uses a specially-designed device to infuse pure medical-grade oxygen into your skin to improve circulation and repair damage from outside stressors. Oxygen also sooths inflammation, speeds cell turnover, reduces redness and stimulates collagen production for a plumper, firmer face. But, and this is key, the infusion process is not aggressive to the skin barrier, so you end with an afterglow that’s very real, but you’re not raw. To top it off, your skin is treated to Luzern products from botanicals grown in the harsh conditions of the Swiss Alps to produce powerful actives for significant results that you can truly see.
The Moonflower Body Polish and Glow experience at the Fairmont Spa in the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles is designed perfectly for this tricky in-between beauty time span. The treatment relies on organic flowers and a little muscle, beginning with a blissful head-to-toe rubdown using Red Flower’s natural, hand-blended Islas Das Rocas sea salt scrub to exfoliate (not too intensely—but with just the right rigor to make you smooth and glowy) and deliver skin-smoothing moisture from its deep sea algae and aloe. Next, a blend of shea butter, organic botanical extracts, and replenishing plant oils are applied to protect and heal the dermis. A hot stone therapeutic massage warms things up to help it all penetrate, and gets you in a relaxed, skin-healing headspace. And finally, facial and scalp acupressure aids cell recovery, prompts renewal, and thoroughly sooths your soul. You are now officially walking on air, and supremely soft.
The Spa Sunset Marquis, in the cool rock&roll-themed Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, offers their Revival Facial that does just what it says—revives, restores, and reinvests your belief in the power of extreme pampering. It’s a botanically infused facial using all-natural Privai skincare that begins with a Sweet Orange cleanser to prep the stage for a gentle Rice Flower polish that instantly livens up a dull, dry complexion without stripping it bare. Next, the Aqua Gel Masque, with chamomile flower, azulene, and green tea, is slathered on to hydrate and illuminate. After that, an antioxidant-packed serum goes to work on fine lines (the application process is a relaxing, feel-good treat), and the Skin-Brightening Serum deals with hyper-pigmentation. Lastly, A stress-melting facial massage with 100% clean rose, ylang ylang, and carrot carrier oil boosts circulation and cellular renewal, and puts you in a calm, skin-beautifying state that radiates.