Spring time is here and it’s time to break out those skirts!  It’s also the beginning of vacation season which means high hopes for bathing suit weather!

Kelly comes to us from Sunnyvale and pampers the clients at Burke William’s Spa when she’s not at Skin and Tonic.

Book your appointment for the month of April and receive 10% off your service with Kelly!

Our rosemary bush is abundant and overflowing so I’ll be bringing in bundles to share with you all!

After reading about the health benefits of rosemary, I think I’ll be using it more in my food as well as for therapeutic and medicinal purposes.

Studies suggest that  carnosic acid, which is found in rosemary, may shield the brain from free radicals, lowering the risk of strokes and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s.  It’s also great for the digestive system.

It is also an anti-inflammatory and a mild diuretic.  It can be used to draw water from the skin for puffy eyes or cellulite treatment.

Rosemary is a wonderful acne remedy to detoxify and treat inflammation.

Great topical uses:

Wrap several sprigs in cheese cloth and soak it in a hot bath with epson salts for tired, achy muscles.

Soak it in a spray bottle with purified water and use it as a spritz for the face.  Perfect for those who suffer from acne inflammation, rosacea and eczema.

Grind it with raw almonds and mix with olive oil to form into a paste and use as a scrub!

Not only is it refreshing and delicious in food, it makes your skin happy as well!

Jeska and I decided to try out a very intense peel treatment by Rhonda Allison.  After our facials we compared notes and were quite surprised at how different our reactions were to the peels.  My skin responded very well and I had amazing skin for weeks to come.  I had some minor flaking around the cheeks and chin for maybe one day, otherwise, my skin glowed and had zero issues.

Jeska’s reaction ended up with positive results but went through a serious purge.  Her skin broke out around the jawline and peeled as if she was recovering from a serious sun burn.  After nearly 2 weeks of intense peeling and flaking, her skin looked amazing.

Keep in mind, we did the exact, same facial treatment.

I, too, have had the same reaction as Jeska and it is normal.  The skin will react based on many different factors such as what you ate, drank, hormones, sleeping habits and stress.  For instance, the skin will be way more sensitive if you had a few drinks the night before and didn’t properly hydrate the next day.  Hormones, especially when premenstrual, can also affect the skin.

Waxing can also be the same.  Ever wonder why your friend had such an amazing experience with her waxing, never mentioning swelling or bleeding?  And your experience left you feeling cheated and lied to.  She may not have thick roots and this is one of the main culprits of pain, bleeding and swelling from waxing.  Plus, you must remember the unfortunate fact, that hair was meant to be there.

I don’t want to scare anyone away from these services, but keep in mind that everyone’s experience is different.  Never be afraid to ask questions!  This is your face and body, after all, and it is you want to be good to it!

Massage increases circulation, bringing fresh oxygen to the skin.  It’s almost like giving your skin a work out.  It stimulates the muscles, opens the pores and allows those serums and oils to penetrate and absorb.

And not only does massage feel absolutely wonderful and relaxing but it also stimulates the flow of lymph that helps to deliver toxins out through the skin.

It’s also a great idea to massage your skin at home while cleansing or applying your serums and moisturizers.  Treat yourself at night to relax and always use upward strokes to lift the skin and muscles.

So before you decide to forfeit your massage, think again because it does have amazing benefits!

I love the Rhonda Allison line and I was browsing around their eye creams to see if I should add any to the current retail line we carry.  I was excited to see that this cream contained a natural bleach ingredient to lighten discoloration and that it would minimize UV damage as well as reflect UV rays.

I was very disappointed with this eye cream.  Not only was it pasty white after I applied it, it also felt pasty.  When I applied make up over the top, it looked horrible.  It thickened and clotted up, making it look as though I had applied some bad concealer.

Sorry ladies and gents but I just can’t get behind the Day Light Eye Parfait, but that doesn’t mean I won’t stop trying!

When Dave and Andrea invite me to dinner, I will drop everything to go.  Heck, it’s a quick walk up Santa Clara Ave!  But seriously, I know it will always be delicious and my belly will be happy and full.  Dave knows food.

Over the past few months, he’s been making bacon and I recently purchased a pack from him.  I have never tasted bacon this delicious.  Now, when Dave heads down to Farmer’s market on Saturdays, he stops in to see if I need bacon.  Yes, I NEED this bacon.

So when something this good has come to the neighborhood, I have to share this information with you, my neighbors, friends and clients.  You must try this bacon!  I’m happy to be the go between on this.  If you’d like to try Dave’s bacon and want to pick it up on Saturdays, I have a fridge and will happily store it and collect your money.

To become Dave’s loyal bacon follower, you can link to Twitter/houseofsticks.  A package of bacon is $12 and worth every penny.

This is the before shot of the space.  This is the view from the front door.

This is the view now.  Our reception/waiting room!  You can see that we added a wall and behind that wall is treatment room number 1!  Huge thanks to my Dad and Tackett for helping Joe with the framing!

Also, this beautiful desk was custom made by my Dad, who delivered it from the Pacific Northwest after the holidays.  I am still amazed at how awesome it turned out and how perfect it is in our space!

This is the view from the stairs in the back looking towards the front.  Here’s what it used to look like:

Below is the treatment room that is downstairs.  It’s tiny but well insulated, warm and soothing.

And now for the upstairs.  This is what the upstairs used to look like:

Here’s what it looks like now:

this was right after we completed it so there are more pieces of fabulous art, the skylight (yes!  we have a skylight!) is now decorated and the bedding has become full of pillows!

I want to say huge thanks to Mithra, Jori and Garin for showing up to clean.  You saved me about 3 hours of work and I was able to get this room put together in a day.

Thanks to my parents, who were visiting when I got the keys to the place.  They turned their vacation into a week of work to help paint and frame the downstairs.

Thanks to Trina, Izzy and Garin who showed up to do some dirty work and painting.

Big love to my Dad who custom made me a beautiful reception desk.  It’s absolutely stunning.  I’m a very lucky daughter to have you.  Thanks for saving me always.

Tackett and Russ, thanks for helping out.  It saved Joe a few hours of frustration.

And big, huge thanks to my fiance’, Joe.  If it wasn’t for you, this place couldn’t exist.  Everything you’ve done for me was done to perfection and you gave up every bit of time you had, making long drives and putting in long hours after work and on weekends.  I can’t thank you enough.  You gave me a very beautiful space.  Your support has been so awesome.

If you can’t make it in on those days to purchase products, then we are happy to mail out for a small shipping fee!

This is the view from the hallway looking towards the front of the building!

our waiting area!

downstairs treatment room

the view heading back to the treatment room.