The Beauty of Mobile Spas…

Recently, one of my spa party guests asked me, “Are you the spa on wheels?” and while I’ve never thought of Serve the Goddess® Mobile Spa Services in quite those terms before, I said, “Yes, yes, yes we are.”

There’s a certain beauty about mobile spas because we can travel anywhere. You can choose to have us come to your backyard garden, or to your hotel room, or to a more exotic location like the beach or a vineyard.

We can travel to the city, country or suburbs, in the morning, afternoon or the evening, on a weekday or on the weekend and we can cater to individuals, couples and groups.

In Southern California, poolside spa parties that include mani’s, pedi’s and massages are popular year round. If you have a pool and an upcoming special occasion to celebrate, then a spa party is just a phone call away.

We can also provide neck and shoulder massages to large groups as we did for an employee appreciation event in Paradise Cove, Malibu.

Of course bridal showers are a perfect pairing with mobile spas. We've done a bridal shower spa party right on the ocean at the Terrenea resort. This resort has a beautiful spa on the premises but these guests all wanted to be together in the same room and visit with each other while being pampered so they called Serve The Goddess®. As we gave each of the guests their massages, we were able to hear relaxing sound of the ocean waves rolling toward the shore.

The Langham Hotel in Pasadena was also a lovely location for a bridal shower. For this spa party, the guests wanted late appointments in their suite but the hotel spa was closed at that time. As a mobile spa, we were able to accommodate their needs.

Sometimes, the theme of the party is more exotic than the location and we've done Hawaiian theme spa parties where guests are served Hawaiian food while we give the guests lomi lomi massages.

My theme for Serve the Goddess® is Grecian and my inspiration Greek Goddesses. We drape everything in white sheets and all of the spa therapists wear white. Guests can pick from several Goddess Spa Packages and become a Goddess for the day!

Mobile spas are so flexible and versatile and we can go wherever your imagination takes us. The Beauty of Mobile Spas…

Is there really a National Relaxation Day?

In recognition of National Relaxation Day we just got booked to do neck and shoulder massages for Tommy Bahamas at The Grove Los Angeles for their customer appreciation.  Yes they'll be a lot of relaxed shoppers that day! Imagine that; we do need it don’t you think?

We live in stressful times. Everyone is always so crazy busy! August 15th is National Relaxation Day, which is a great opportunity to take a break from our hectic lives to relax and regroup. It is important for your overall well-being to take time to de-stress and give your body and mind time to rejuvenate.

Healthy relaxation habits can help to ease the stress of everyday life. They are very important to prevent you from overwhelm and burn-out.
Relaxation can reduce the levels of toxins that contribute to many major diseases. Practicing how to relax is really easy. Just incorporate a few simple changes into your daily routine and create habits to relieve stress. Read on how to make relaxation a habit.

Breathe. Take a deep breath! Breathing relaxes the mind and body. Sit quietly in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and relax all of your muscles starting with your feet and slowly moving to each area until you reach your face. Slowly inhale and exhale deeply through your nose. Start with five minutes and build up to ten.

Listen to calming sounds. Do you listen to relaxing music to de-stress? Choose music or sounds that are relaxing and reduce stress. Once your work day is over listen to this relaxing spa music, close your eyes and breathe to unwind from the day's activities. You'll feel the serenity right away...

Get a massage in the comfort of your home. Enjoy the benefits of de-stressing massage. A massage provides many benefits, including relieving stress, relaxing tense muscles, and relaxing the mind. One of the best ways to achieve this state of true relaxation is getting a massage in the comfort of your home. No need to drive and get stressed out by traffic or worry about finding a parking space.

Spend time with family. When was the last time you spent some quality time with your partner? Combine time with your hubby with a relaxing couples massage to increase your relaxation. Indulge in blissful aromatherapy massages side by side for you and your beloved, in the comfort of your home.

Let us know if you have anything planned and happy relaxing!

Treat Yourself Like the First Olympians with an Aromatherapy Massage

I love watching the Olympics especially when my home country England is hosting! So with all the awe and wonder of the Olympians I thought it fitting to discuss how the ancient Olympians looked after their bodies.

There’s a spa scene in Homer's The Odyssey, one of the first stories ever recorded. It's true. You remember Odysseus, the Greek guy who spent much of his life sailing around the world trying to make his way back home. Well, when he arrives on Circe's island, she gives him an incredible spa treatment that he wouldn't soon forget:

“When the bright copper [cauldron] was boiling, she sat me down in a bath and washed me with water...mixed with cold to a comfortable heat, sluicing my head and shoulders till all the painful weariness was gone from my limbs. My bath done, she rubbed me in olive oil, and clothed me in a fine tunic…”

See, I told you. Ancient Greeks and Romans used massage and aromatherapy to keep their Olympic athletes and VIP’s in top form.

 

If you’re looking for an Olympic treat, try a massage that uses aromatic oils from ancient Greece. 

Here’s a list of essential oils and their healing properties that may have been used in the ancient Greece that still can be found in spa, beauty and massage treatments today.

Basil: Add to massage oil to relax, encourage a good night’s sleep, lift depression, help digestion, calm nausea, and tame cold symptoms.

Bay Laurel: Add sparingly to massage oil to relax muscles, reverse insomnia, soothe muscle aches and pains, strengthen breathing, smooth cellulite, and improve digestion.

Black Pepper: Add to massage oil to relax, inspire romance, soothe muscle pain, detoxify, aid digestion, bring heat, reduce arthritic pain, and calm muscle cramps.

Chamomile: Add to massage oil to relax, get to sleep, prevent nightmares, lift depression, soothe muscle pain, and strengthen breathing.

Clove: Add sparingly to massage oil to relax, inspire romance, soothe muscle pain, lift depression, relieve headaches, add heat, add scent and for antioxidant and anti-fungal properties.

Doesn't this just make you want to schedule an aromatherapy massage right now?

Hydrate in style during your summer spa party

While I know it's tempting to sip wine during your Spa Party, why not save the wine and champagne for a toast at the end and hydrate in style with some healthy, fruity Spa Water drinks? Spa Water is delicious, fruit-infused water. And of course you can use your wine glasses for Spa Water – everything tastes better in a wine glass!

Drinking water infused with fruit or herbs is a stylish and tasty way to hydrate without sugar and calorie overload. Depending on the ingredients you infuse, your Spa Water drink also offers tons of great health benefits. Did you know that raspberries and blueberries are both very high in antioxidants? Or that the kiwi is considered one of the world's most nutritious fruits and is teeming with nutrients that help ward off diseases? Adding health benefits to your nutrition has never been so delicious!

 

Cucumber Watermelon Strawberry Mint Infusion

Ingredients:

1 half English cucumber diced
1 half English cucumber julienne sliced
2 cups cubed watermelon
6 to eight strawberries cut in half
1 bunch mint
3 to 4 cups of ice
3 to 4 cups of cold water

Combine ingredients and allow 20 to 30 minutes for flavors to infuse. Use julienne cuts for garnish.

Cucumbers are known to enhance skin tone and its texture. Watermelon can give you substantial energy, is a natural source of nature's most powerful antioxidants and can help reduce the risk of colon cancer, asthma, heart disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and prostate cancer. Strawberries are said to be in the top 8 foods which are known to lower the risk of cancer. And mint is known to help with headaches, nervous strain, fatigue, and stress.

 

Sip and enjoy natural flavor combined with health benefits!

Recipe courtesy of Pam Wenzel, Author of The Spa Water Book – A Guide to Creating World Class Spa Water at Home which features 22 creative water recipes  from some of the top spas throughout the world. Pam Wenzel is a forty-eight-year-old mother of two. As a nineteen-year breast cancer survivor, she has made it her goal to help the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation’s Army of Women initiative reaches their target of recruiting one million women to help determine the cause of breast cancer. Her book offers a huge variety of recipes with items that can easily be found anywhere.

Summer Beauty Tips for Hair

By Maria Koropecky, guest writer and esthetician

After a long day at the beach, the sunlight, salty ocean water and the sand may leave your hair looking frazzled. To keep your hair from falling flat or frizzing up this summer, here’s a home spa recipe for an After-Sun Hair Mask. Not only will this hair mask condition your hair and make it feel softer, it will also protect the color and repair some damage. Apply this messy but fun treatment to hair once every two weeks in the summer months in addition to your regular shampoo, conditioner and styling products.
 

 Your self care ritual : After sun hair mask.

Hopefully, you’re growing these herbs and flowers in your garden and have the rest of the ingredients stocked in your kitchen pantry. If not make a trip to your local farmer's market!

3 fresh sage leaves – treat normal or damaged hair and give it extra shine.
3 fresh basil leaves – detangle, strengthen and condition hair.
1 TB lavender flowers – renew hair's silkiness, shine and tone scalp.
½ ripe avocado – conditions scalp and hair.
2 TB coconut oil, melted – cleans, revitalizes, protects and conditions dry or damaged hair.
2 TB apple cider vinegar – controls dandruff, balances pH, conditions hair.
½ cup powdered eggs – increase hair’s manageability, volume, and shine.
2 TB olive oil – cleans, conditions, moisturizes, repairs damage, adds shine, and stimulates scalp.

Method:
1)   Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize the basil, sage, and lavender into a paste. Smell the aroma.
2)   Add the avocado, coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar and mix well.
3)   Then mix in the powdered eggs (which you can find at a health food store). The mixture should be the consistency of scrambled eggs.

Manner:
1)   Make a batch of the After-Sun Hair Mask.
2)   Brush your dry hair to stimulate your scalp, loosen dead skin cells, and to spread the natural oils down the shafts.
3)   Moisten your hair with warm water.
4)   Bending over the sink, grab a scoop of your hair mask and apply it to your wet hair in a nice, thick and even layer. Have towels handy as this will get messy. If any drops of the mask fall into the sink, may sure to throw them away rather than wash them down the drain to keep your drain from clogging.
5)   Massage the mask into your hair and cover each strand from root to tip. Remember to work the mask into your scalp as well. You can also comb the mask through your hair with a wide-toothed comb.
6)   Arrange your hair on the top of your head and leave the mask on your hair for about 10 to 15 minutes. Wear a plastic shower cap, if you’d like.
7)   Rinse out the hair mask with warm water, preferably over a sink with a garbage disposal. Use the olive oil to help rinse the mask out of your hair.
8)   Towel dry the excess water from your hair.
9)   Shampoo and condition your hair as usual
10)  Towel dry your hair and then let your hair air dry.

Storage:
Do not store this recipe for future use. Make a fresh batch as you need it.
 
Let us know if you feel a difference in the condition of your hair the next day. We'd love to hear from you.

In home spa tip : Cooling lavender compress.

A lot of us are experiencing extremely high temperatures right now so here's an aromatherapy recipe to help you cool down.
 

Cooling Lavender Compress

Ingredients:
4 cups of cool water
12 drops lavender essential oil
9 drops peppermint essential oil
3 drops grapefruit essential oil
1 soft facial cloth

Directions: Combine water and oils in a small basin or bowl. Swish with cloth, ring out excess, and alternate placement on neck and forehead.

Tips: Refresh the cloth often, and add a few ice cubes to water to boost the cooling effect. Avoid getting in your eyes.

When you try this leave a comment to let us know how it worked for you!

Summer Beauty Tips

By Maria Koropecky, guest writer and esthetician

Summer is the time to go to the beach, invite people over for a barbeque, pack a picnic lunch for a concert in the park, dance at a wedding, sip a cool drink on the patio, lounge by the pool, head out to the cottage by lake, sleep under the stars, and enjoy the fireworks.

Here are some summer beauty tips to help keep you looking your best in a relaxed and casual way all season long while you’re out enjoying yourself with friends and family.

Hair: Put the blow dryers and flat irons away and keep your hair style naturally wavy this season. Also, apply a hair mask made with avocadoes as a conditioning treatment to keep your hair looking and feeling healthy.

Makeup: Replace your foundation with a lighter-in-feel, tinted moisturizer. Also, consider having your lashes tinted instead of using mascara.

Nails: Get a manicure and a pedicure and choose fun-in-the-sun nail polish colors like bright orange and hot pink to really highlight your summer tan.

Skin care: Apply a sunscreen with at least an SPF 15 on your face and body. Also, exfoliating body scrubs are a good idea because they will keep your skin feeling smooth and they will create a more even tan, whether you use a self-tanner or sit out in the sun. Remember to also moisturize your skin daily and apply aloe vera in case of sunburn.

Accessories: Use a refillable water bottle and drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Also, add some flair to your summer wardrobe with wide-rimmed hats, sunglasses, and shirts and pants that are made sun protective fabric.

Enjoy your summer from Serve The  Goddess!