Balance and Beauty at Petite Spa Santa Monica

Since moving back to LA and realizing that I might be in this city for a little while, I've yet to find a spa that I could regularly run to for a day of soothing T.L.C... Until now! Thanks to a promo from FreshGuide (a site run by PopSugar), I spent my Sunday getting pampered by the sweet Yvonne at Petite Spa in Santa Monica. Located at the corner of Broadway and Lincoln, the spa is easy to spot on Broadway and free street parking was a breeze to find on a quiet Sunday morning. I was happy to walk in and discover right away that the spa itself was welcomingly cozy. One of the key things I look for is ambiance and it was nice to see that although the spa really is "petite" in size, there was no lack of comfort and attention. The spa features a small waiting area and four private rooms. Unfortunately, there is no separate locker/changing room, but the treatment room was more than enough for me with its soft bed, heating pad, and plush blanket.

View of the waiting area, complete with plush chairs and pretty lavender walls.

I was welcomed with a warm cup of Yogi Chai Tea. Yum.

So let's get to the real stuff. The spa's mission statement reads: Petite Spa's concept is to bring balance and beauty through nature and good intentions to all! I was excited to see what the spa's line of Eminence, Epicuren, and Dr. Alkaitis products had to offer. Thankfully, the FreshGuide promo I purchased gave me the freedom to choose up to $120 worth of spa services so there was no skimping on the treatments I received! My esthetician, Yvonne, was so easy to talk to and had some very helpful suggestions to my current skincare routine. I picked the Organic Skin Food Facial as a base starter since it was recommended for sensitive skin and aimed at delivering "vibrant, hydrated, purified and glowing sking." Ummm, yes pleaseeee. 

My skin has been going crazy lately due to the weather change and newbie work stresses so Yvonne really honed in on clearing up the congestion via some oh so painful (but satisfying) extractions. Although not the most fun part of facials, I am in the group of people that believes that it is an essential way of really getting a clean face... and clean face I got from it! After attacking my pores, she then spread on an enzyme mask for some extra cleaning, an AHA treatment for extra exfoliation, and paprika mask to soothe the redness. The best part of all this was the arm, shoulder, and foot massages--pure, enjoyable bliss as the products worked on my face. Although my skin was pretty red from the extractions, Yvonne helped me apply some light mineral make-up so that I could actually still go out for the rest of the day. My favorite part of the visit besides the obvious glowing and smooth skin? How completely sweet and non-pushy Yvonne (and everyone else was). I'm guilty of being easily swayed into buying one too many products after salon/spa visits and it was such a relief that aside from some genuine recommendations for products based on my skin issues, she didn't guilt me into actually buying any of them. In fact, I voluntarily requested the moisturizer she used on me because the consistency and texture were exactly what I've been looking for. There have definitely been times where I've been completely turned off from a good spa experience due to the aftermath of pushy sales so I was very happy to find that this was not the case at Petite Spa!

I purchased the Acne Cleanser ($19) and Propolis Lotion ($35) after experiencing how gentle and light the formulations are.

The Epicuren Discovery line has been featured in a variety of press as a celeb favorite (Kate Bosworth credits it as the secret to her perfect skin in this month's Lucky). Centered around an enzyme activated technology, the line is only sold in approved salons and cannot be ordered online. Since the products are not quite widely available, it was hard to find some real customer reviews, but Makeupalley does have a few for the cleanser I purchased. I thought the $19 for a little pricey for a small 2 oz. bottle of cleanser, but figured it was worth a shot. The consistency is a thickish gel that suds up with some water (and smells amazing). The Propolis Lotion was a must for me because it feels just like a smooth gel (similar to the Clinique Dramatically Different Gel that I really like). Plus at $35, I thought this was pretty comparable to the price I've paid in the past for 1.7 oz. facial moisturizers. I will be sure to give an update on how these products work out for me!

After getting the chance to visit Petite Spa, the number of 5-star reviews on Citysearch and Yelp doesn't surprise me one bit. If you're looking for a comfortable and intimate spa with targeted skincare and attention, check out Petite Spa. They're open 7 days a week and offer all the right amenities for a relaxing visit. New clients receive 10% off. Facials are an expensive beauty upkeep (60 minute base facials at Petite Spa start at $90), but are definitely worth the results for those with more troubled skin. I will definitely be back and highly recommend anyone else looking for an esthetician to stop by!

Fresh Espace Review

Last Saturday, I took a trip down to the beautiful South Coast Plaza with my two best friends and had an AH-mazing time. Not only is the mall as gorgeous and wallet-emptying as I imagined (never have I wanted to buy, buy, buy as much as I did there), but we were pampered with refreshing facials at the Fresh store as part of Spa Week.

Fresh is a fun and "refreshing" beauty line and I was super excited to try out their (pricey) products! I loved the clean, simple feel of the store. It reminds me a lot of Kiehl's actually, but with a fun touch of girliness.  Unfortunately, since this was a retail location, there wasn't too much of a "spa" feel to the process. For our facials, we were set-up in a small room partitioned in the back. Although a little cramped, it was clean and relaxing. It was a little odd to be able to hear the hustle and bustle of the store outside the door, but the soothing products and facial immediately put me at ease. I was given the Purify and Control facial for my problematic skin. Unlike other facials I've had, this didn't mean extractions! Instead, my facialist, Maria cleansed my skin with the Soy Cleanser mixed with a bit of Umbrian Clay Mask. After I was set with the Umbrian Clay Mask for 5 minutes before she topped it off with the Rose Face Mask for additional hydration and calming. It was fun to see how all the products could work well alone and even better together! The best part was that everything smelled amazing. I wanted to take all the products home with me, but I resisted and stuck to just the clay mask. My girl friends both agreed that the Sugar Lip Treatment is the top must have, but I had to skip on it for now as my lip balm & gloss collection is getting embarrassingly too large! It is next on my list though!

Overall, the Fresh girls were sweet and fun to spend the day with and were great about not pushing us to buy products. Aside from these great products, however, the overall facial experience was pretty basic compared to others I've had. My favorite part was the luxurious feather brush with which Maria used to apply the treatments, but I'm convinced that the $125 price tag is more for the products than the experience (no hydrating gloves for my dry hands?). Since Fresh offers store credit equal to the amount of their facial services, it's hard to resist the deal. However, I'm sad to say that a week later, I don't feel like I have that "glow" that I usually get after my facials. For my lovely friends with better skin than me, this was a great choice for them! We walked out of the store happy and content and wanting to buy the entire store. If Fresh opens up a real spa one day, I will be sure to be one of their most devoted patrons!

For now I will religiously use the Umbrian Clay Mask and hope for the best.

Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

With the rush of work finally starting to settle down, I'm looking forward to picking myself up and having some much needed pampering in the days to come. Luckily, Spa Week is back!

If you're not familiar with Spa Week, let me enlighten you! I first heard of this back in college through my roommate. Twice a year, spas around the country offer up some of their most coveted treatments for only $50! Isn't that amazing?! According to founder, Cheryl Reid, it is her goal to make luxurious pampering available to everyone as well as allow customers to try out new spas without having to pay the high prices. It's a genius marketing plan! The website also clearly organizes the spas by location and labels treatments with Wellness Pick, Eco Friendly, or Stress Busting categories.

Although Spa Week in California is supposed to run April 13-19, I scored a facial appointment at the Fresh spa on April 11 because they were so booked. What's great about this spa is that they also provide complimentary products equal to the price of your treatment. Their products have gotten great reviews so it's awesome that I will be getting to try out some of them for free! The spa is offering its Balance and Nourish, Purify and Control, and Age-Defy (for men) facials (regular price $125). Maybe I'll like it enough to become a regular customer since I'll be getting products each time I go as well.

I hope everyone gets the chance to check out the site and book yourself some time to relax and refresh those heads and shoulders, knees and toes. We deserve it!