Pampering relieves daily stresses
by Rhonda Cookus
reporter

Feelings of stress and aggravation are typical for college students, and in today’s world, stress and aggravation seem worse.

Teachers are pushing for students to do better and shoving a lot of information in students’ head during the few remaining weeks of school.

Spending a day or even an hour pampering and relaxing at a day spa could be the answer to relieving stress.

Day spas have gained widespread popularity within the last few years and are popping up everywhere.

Ellen Hollenstein, a 22-year-old esthetician student at Ogle School of Hair, Skin and Nails, said this new craze is because women ages 45 to 55 want to savor their youth.

Every spa offers a wide variety of treatments to aid in relaxation and enhance a woman’s natural beauty.

Facials can improve the skin’s texture and tone and help those who are acne-prone. They exfoliate and detoxify to cleanse and hydrate, and the treatment includes numerous masks to suit every skin’s need.

Certain spas will add a skin peel to a facial to remove the top layer of skin, which contains wrinkles and dry skin, to help reduce the aging process and remove some sun damage.

All day spas offer massage therapy; however, some offer more than just a regular massage.

Essentials, located on Boat Club Road in Fort Worth, has riverstone therapy, a new hot stone treatment that is said to be the ultimate in relaxation and well-being.

Amanda Peterson, an esthetician at Essentials, said the experience will captivate, exhilarate and restore the mind, body and spirit.

The day spa offers eight different types of massages from 30 minutes to 90 minutes for Swedish or deep tissue or a 30-minute reflexology session for feet.

“ Massage therapy helps to promote energy levels, detoxification, weight loss, skin tone, stress management and concentration levels if you receive it on a regular basis,” Peterson said.

For every treatment, all clients can count on lit candles, New Age music and a splashing fountain to help with the relaxation process.

Some spas offer hair care services and nail services for those with dry cuticles or less-than-perfect hair.

Shelton’s Salon and Day Spa in Bedford, Arlington and the Hulen area has miracle-working stylists who will offer the clients water or soft drinks then send them off for a manicure.

With every pedicure or manicure, the technicians at Shelton’s also include a soothing paraffin hand or foot treatment that softens hands or feet and helps to remove dead skin.

For each appointment, the receptionist plans the whole day for the client so there is no boring waiting time between activities.

Serenity Springs Salon and Day Resort on Green Oaks Road in Fort Worth offers four types of massages and will do house calls for $70.

A client can buy a package that includes a relaxing full body massage and a sea salt glow, a treatment that helps to exfoliate and brighten skin, and a spa manicure and pedicure for $174.

Since Ponce de Leon set out to find the fountain of eternal youth, people have been obsessed with youth.

The work of day spas has attracted numerous men and women of all ages to delay the aging process. Every, day new skin peels or miracle anti-aging creams are created that promise to take 10 years away.

Many women no longer accept their wrinkles; now they believe they should look half their age or younger.

Although no day spa treatment is permanent, except with the removal of moles or skin tags, the methods estheticians use have shown promising and positive results.

Now the gym is not the only place people go to lose weight. Day spas also aid in weight loss.

Parafango body wraps help with cellulite reduction, body firming and skin reconditioning.

Some spas claim that a client can lose up to 900 calories with every session.

The parafango body wrap is a combination of paraffin wax and fango mud. The warm wax-based wrap is painted on a client’s body and then peeled away.

The wrap can be applied all over the body or on certain parts to suit a client’s comfort and specific needs.

Now that the business of day spas is thriving, even in a slumping economy, the number of future estheticians is growing.

One can obtain a certificate of completion from Ogle for this future career in four months, which is 600 hours. However, in August, this certification will increase to 750 hours or six months.

For more information on this school, go to www.ogleschool.com, or to find a day spa, visit www.spafinder.com.

For information on any of these day spas contact: Essentials at 817-236-1171, Serenity Springs Salon and Day Resort at 817-731-1454 and Shelton’s Salon and Day Spa: Bedford at 817-283-8000, Arlington at 817-283-6339 and Hulen at 817-921-1744.

Last Updated: 4/21/2004
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