BIG EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING at Unwind Massage and...SPA! - Introducing Unwind Spa Facials - May 2018

We are so excited to announce the arrival of... 

Unwind Therapeutic Massage & Spa! 
Bringing my love of essential oils and holistic spa therapies into our massage practice is something I’ve been marinating on for my entire career as a massage therapist, maybe longer.
​- Rebecca, LMT and co-owner


Spa Therapies are some of the most ancient forms of human ritual still alive, and thriving, today. Healing rituals from ancient cultures and and traditional European Spas have always held a sort of mysticism for me, and I practice different forms of ‘spa therapy’ as part of my self care - treating myself to a ‘spa day’ any chance I get. A day or even an afternoon spent purly on myself is a truly rejuvenating “mini-vacation”.

 A ‘Spa Day’ – as many of you know for yourselves – is simply time and care put exclusively toward lovingly grooming oneself.  It’s a form of Self Care, Self Therapy, and practical Self Love that can be enjoyed alone as well as with the camaraderie of a good friend or two.  My special days of face masks and trading manicures date back to grade school.

 When you think of a Spa, what comes to mind?

 Plush terry robes, cucumber eye pads, hot stone massage, steam baths, manicures and pedicures, a mud bath, a new hairdo? Spas can vary greatly in the services they provide, but every spa is designed to engage and delight the senses, to transport you into a true sanctuary of bliss and beauty.

 At Unwind, we pride ourselves on excellent service and skilled therapeutic massage, so integrating Spa esthetics and effective skin care therapies into our existing massage practice was an important concept to consider carefully.
 
The word ‘Spa’ loosely translates to “therapy with water”, and, as such, encompasses a wide range of possibility.
We wanted to offer products and services that adhere to Unwind’s core values of:

• Holistic and Therapeutic approach to Massage and Bodywork
• Self Care is Health Care,
• An Organic, GMO-free, chemical-free Lifestyle,
• ‘Food as Medicine’ mentality,
• Therapeutic-Grade Plant Oils for Health and Healing,
• A Deep Honoring of the Earth and Our Place in the Universe.

 We have been working for months building our spa concepts and bringing them to life.
 
Many of our spa therapies are still in development, and we will roll them out as they are ready; but, first and foremost - Unwind Spa Facials!!

 I know that you have your DIY tips to take care of your skin at home, but a professional can help you truly understand your skin. And, not to mention, an amazing facial and facial massage not only makes your skin glow but also relieves stress and helps you relax.
 

Top 10 Benefits of Facials:

Reduce stress and relieve psychological distress. I am not claiming this  - According to a study published in the journal Biomedical Research, facial massage activates your sympathetic nervous system. This reduces your anxiety levels and uplifts your mood.

Open all pores and deep cleanse your skin.

Prevent aging. Regular facials and facial massage boosts cell regeneration and promotes collagen development, which makes you look younger.

Facials and Facial Massage promote blood circulation and rejuvenates the vitality and tone of your skin.

Detoxify the skin from daily pollutants in the air and indoor environments.

Treat acne and acne marks.

Eliminate whiteheads and blackheads. A skilled person uses the extraction tool to extract all the whiteheads and blackheads without hurting your skin. This is not possible at home.

Exfoliate dead skin cells which can clog pores and cause acne and other skin conditions.

Eliminate under eye bags and dark circles.

Firm facial skin and even out skin tone.
 

-----

Debi and I searched for months to find the very BEST organic and pure skin care line, and what we discovered exceeded our - ahem, very high expectations.

 Those of you who know our other company, Sweetbody Laboratories, know that we do not compromise on quality of ingredients, and we intentionally formulate our products with a keen sense of synergy - simply, the dynamics of our ingredients come together as a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

 We’ve discovered an organic skincare line that is perfectly in line with our own standards of product making. Basically, if we had another 20 years of experience and a couple clones of ourselves (hypothetically), this is the product line we would develop.

This company has been built from scratch by a Naturopathic Doctor / Chiropractor / Acupuncturist / Herbalist / Nutritionist / Massage Therapist who is very passionate about skin care. Her products been around for over a decade and yet they are relatively unknown and not available anywhere else in Portland.
 
Introducing Rosemira Organics skincare,
 Every ingredient is carefully selected and sourced for quality and global sustainability.
 Every product is made to order, by the hands of the woman who created them.
 Every product is based in Pure Essential Oils.
 
You may ask yourself, “What’s so special about essential oils? That lavender vanilla lotion from The Body Shop smells good…”
 
Well, in fact, essential oils are quite special. They have both topical and aromatherapeutic benefits that are impossible to recreate in a lab. They are created by nature, and as humans, so are we. This is why essential oils are MAGIC for your skin care.
 

I’ll break it down for you:
 
A “natural fragrance” or “parfum” is a synthetically created chemical compound intended to mimic the coolness of peppermint, or the floral notes of lavender. These “natural fragrances” are simply extracts, or part of, a true essential oil, and synthetics and stabilizers are added to make the extracted ingredient less volatile (more stable - less prone to evaporation or oxidation). For comparison, a “natural fragrance” is made of about 30-40 chemical compounds, while a pure herbal essential oil contains hundreds - again, it is impossible for man-made fragrances to mimic this wonder of nature.
 

We love to smell herbs, trees, and flowers, right? So why do so many skin care products claiming to be “natural” irritate our skin and cause other types of allergic reactions? Why are so many of us ‘sensitive’ to most every skin care product we get our hands on? It’s because our sense receptors - smell, of course, and also our permeable skin - CANNOT BOND WELL WITH THESE SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES!  

 For centuries, we humans have used plants for food and medicine. Some essential oils even have chemical complexes specifically meant to attract humans to consume them! We think that’s pretty amazing.

 Take a look at the skincare you use currently. Look at the ingredients on the bottle. Some chemicals you can’t pronounce, some alcohols, some water, hey - there’s aloe vera extract! Hey - there’s lavender extract! It’s not all bad, right?
 Well...
 Fun fact - Skincare companies are under no obligation to disclose all ingredients in their products, and many do not.
 More ‘fun facts’ about skin care products (from Rosemira Organics website):

• More than 500 products sold in the US contain ingredients banned in cosmetics in Japan, Canada and the European Union.

• A wide range of nano-sized ingredients with questionable safety are common in skincare products.

• 60% of sunscreens contain the potential hormone disruptor Oxybenzone that readily penetrates the skin and is found in 97% of Americans.

• Most skincare products contain penetration enhancers, added to drive ingredients deeper into the skin. Penetration enhancers are known hormone disruptors . A good moisturizing product with the right ingredients shouldn't need a penetration enhancer. It will get absorbed on its own accord. The body recognizes what is good for it.  You wouldn't want penetration enhancers in your salad or juice, would you? Then why would we put it in our skin juice?

• When products say 'natural' it doesn't mean anything about the quality or purity of the product or the ingredients used.  Make sure the company is transparent, and that you're able to see all the ingredients, not only key ingredients listed on their website and labels.

-----
 We believe you have the right to know exactly what ingredients are used in the skincare products you are using.
 We can’t wait to share more about these amazing facial products and the facial services offered at Unwind Therapeutic Massage & Spa, services beginning this Mother’s Day weekend (a perfect gift, hint-hint)…
 But hold on - you can't book an Unwind Facial just yet.

Stay tuned for a special discounted pre-booking offer to be announced later this week.
 You will have a limited opportunity to get an amazing introductory special on Unwind Facials. This offer will be extended exclusively to you, our honored and treasured clients of Unwind.
 This will be a limited, one-time offer, so please don’t miss out!
 Our own skincare regimen is getting a major overhaul, because we love ourselves and we deserve the best things in and on our bodies - and so do you.
 We can’t wait to tell you more!!! But this is enough for today. Rest well, friends. You’ll be hearing from us again later this week.
 
​Warmly and Sincerely,
Rebecca & Debi, and the team at Unwind Therapeutic Massage (& Spa!!)