This is a scenario I put together from the many different clients that have come to me with this typical summer skin problem. The answer is skin treatments and nutrition. I’ve done a lot of research pertaining to irritated skin and I can tell you with great certainty that the Pevonia RS2 Facial Treatment will calm down, sooth and cool off your hot, swollen, aching, acne skin. I’ve seen it a hundred times! This treatment really excites me because you can see the difference in just one treatment. So imagine what regular treatments every 2 to 3 weeks could do!

We’ll make sure you’re facial bed is comfortable, the music is soothing and you’ll realize that this treatment isn’t about putting “stuff” on your skin. Your esthetician’s excellently trained hands will help transform your skin and calm your mind. We have some sensible Pevonia Skincare products that are completely botanically derived and are of the highest quality to help facilitate a quicker recovery. Your skin health will be in caring, knowledgeable hands. Caring because we hear the pain in your voice. Knowledgeable because we care and want to help!

In my next blog, I’ll tell you how nutrition can really make a difference to those with this condition.

What is your summer skin complaint?

Most of us don’t have a handy assistant ready to give us our daily intake of vitamins, and prepare our well-balanced meals for the day.  It’s easy to forget about putting proper nutrition and vitamins in our bodies to fuel us for our busy lives, and treat our bodies well.

Good nutrition is key in having healthy and glowing skin.  If you want a beautiful garden, you fertilize the soil to make it rich and ready to grow big beautiful plants.  Well, your skin is the plant and vitamins are the fertilizer!  We are all really good at applying our anti-aging creams and getting our facials every month, but we forget about what goes in must come out. 

Pevonia Botanica has really addressed this with their Pevo-Vital drink mixes that are full of complexion boosting anti-oxidants.  They remind us of taking the fruity vitamins as a kid, only they are perfect for on the go moms, dads, professionals, and hectic men and women.  You simply add the powder pouch to your water bottle, shake and enjoy!  Yum!

Some vitamins are effective for skin both internally and externally.  Vitamin A can help fight wrinkles and even acne when it is applied externally to skin.  Vitamin C is fantastic for skin when consumed, and the benefits are best when it is in it’s purest form in skin care products.  This will help with cell regeneration and evening out skin tone.  Vitamin E has been known for years and years to benefit the skin.  Eat foods rich in Vitamin E like nuts and salt-water fish, as well as try it topically with your skin cream.  Kimberly Spa sells Jason Vitamin E Oil in the highest I.U. (Individual Unit) we can find.

For more information on healthy skin from the inside, ask your Kimberly Spa Esthetician for more tips and insight.  We love to help our clients look and feel their best!

Q:  Do you feed your skin the nutrients it needs?

A dream of ours at Kimberly Spa has been to offer an exceptional solution to our clients that want a gorgeous tan without compromising their health and beauty.  We’ve spent two years of research and planning to finally bring you a truly fantastic sunless airbrush tanning system!

St. Tropez is an unparalleled sunless tanning system that can only be found at top salons and spas in Europe and the U.S..  You’ve seen the beautiful results of this system on your favorite celebrities, red carpets, fashion runways, and even on Dancing With the Stars! 

What makes St. Tropez so superior is it’s comfort and quality results.  No more orange and blotchy color.  No more stickey and stinky feeling after.

Our professionaly trained Airbrush Tanning Artisits will customize your tan to perfection and even suggest a home-care regimen to make the most of your results, like exfoliators and optimizers. 

The high-tech St. Tropez Extraction Booth has a built-filtration system that keeps you comfortable, relieving you from breathing in the tan solution.  It’s pod-shaped design also offers clients a “cocoon” feeling for privacy and modesty.

Our Grand Opening for tanning appointments is scheduled for Monday, August 2.  Don’t miss out on what is sure to be Omaha’s premier sunless tanning treatment!

What do you think about sunless tanning?  Take our survey and save $10 on your next appointment! Click HERE!  (Not valid with any other discount, not valid on Gift Certificates, retail items, or Teeth Whitening treatments. One per customer please.)

I had noticed a small brown spot on my right shin that through up a red flag.  Just to get it checked out, I scheduled an appointment with a plastic surgeon that did a scar revision on my arm a few years ago, and I thought he did a great job.  The doctor was flanked by a pretty young lady standing beside him taking notes.  He sat down in front of me and took a brief look at my suspicious spot and said, “This is nothing, is there anything else I can do for you?”  Immediately my over-active imagination kicked in!  Uh yeah, tummy tuck, liposuction, a million dollars, world peace! Come on Kimberly, you have this guy’s attention, now use it!  

Next thing you know, I’m asking him about the hollows under my eyes.  He lightly pulls and stretches out the skin around my eyes and proceeded to say, “We rate the severity of needing surgical procedures on a scale of one to four, four being the worst.”  And without even taking a breath the words came flowing out of his mouth, “and you are a four.”  Aaaaggghhh!  What?!  My heart rate jumped 10 levels, my emotions took over, my thoughts went from, “Would a daytime soap-slap be appropriate right about now?” to “Tell me how to fix this!  I can’t possibly be seen with these four-rated eyes!” 

I was escorted by his pretty young assistant to an equipment filled room to deliver me the dirty ugly truth.  I stood against a wall posing for pictures that I felt would surely be sent to the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s worst eyes.  Next thing I knew, bing, bang, boom, there I was on Miss Perfect’s computer screen, ready to be Photoshopped from my four-rating to a zero!  

This is where my brain finally overcame my 50 year old, four-rated eye emotions.  My rational conclusion… anyone can look good on a computer after the pictures are photo shopped!  Not only did she photo shop my eyes, but she continued to “improve” my whole face!  I kept having her switch back and forth from the original pictures to her revised pictures.  I finally gave a huge sigh of relief.  The revised photos did look “younger,”  but only slightly.  As it turns out, I’ll live to see another day with my four-rated eyes!  I’ve decided to rate myself a one. 

I read this quote and realized how appropriate it is …”Plastic surgeons are always making mountains out of molehills.”  — Dolly Parton

The miracle anti-aging product that most of us already have on hand is…. You guessed it, sunscreen. Sun damage, or Photo Damage, is the #1 cause of the appearance of aged skin. It breaks down your collagen and elastin production causing skin to sag, droop, and wrinkle. Sun damage also causes dark spots, freckling and uneven skin tone, or “hyperpigmentation” that can be buried deep within your skin layers and show up years later. Of course there is always the looming dark cloud of skin cancer that can pop up on you.

Using SPF, or skin care products containing SPF, is really the best way to insure your beautiful skin to stay fit for longer. There are 365 days in a year, and whether you realize it or not, your skin is penetrated by UV rays every single day of the year. So it only makes sense to wear a sunscreen every day of the year! We recommend using an SPF of 30 or higher depending on your activities and your lifestyle.

Our Pevonia skin care products all include SPF in every skin cream so there is a sun protection given to you every day. You can add more protection to a water activity day, by using a layer of Fallene Cotz Water Resistant SPF 58. Remember to reapply sunscreen every few hours especially when in the water or sweating.

How about your makeup? Put it to work! Buy makeup with built in SPF to give you added protection daily. Our Youngblood Mineral Makeup line is made with Titanium Dioxide which is quite simply, sunscreen! The heavier the coverage you apply the more you’re SPF covered!

Keep your skin as youthful as possible for as long as possible! It’s so easy to add a little SPF to your life. If you already have sun damage you would like to correct, we have experienced Estheticians that will get you results. Give us a call at 402-614-8400 or book online for a First Time Stress Relief Facial for a full skin care consultation.

If you’d like to book a “spa day,” here are some great things to consider:

1. What is your budget? We offer a number of packages that range from about $70 for a Foot Detox Package, all the way up to $845 Day Spa Retreat including Teeth Whitening. We have many packages in between that will fit your budget plan.
2. How long would you or the gift recipient like to be here? If you want to buy yourself or a loved one a spa treat, but sure that the amount of time spent in the spa works into their schedule. Some of our packages can take hours and not everyone is willing to part with that much of their personal time.
3. What kinds of spa treatments will fit into these parameters? Keeping in mind your budget and time limitations, you can now narrow down the packages that are right for you. You can also hand pick the spa treatments you’d like, or give us an idea of what you’re expecting so that we can guide you through it. We are here to help!
4. How far in advance can you book your appointment? If you are trying to book a package on a Saturday afternoon the week-of, chances are, we won’t be able to fit in a very large package. Saturdays are the spa’s busiest days and it’s best to book far in advance if this day works best for you.
5. Will you be expecting another spa guest to come with you? This can be a very strenuous task of coordinating your personal schedule with someone else’s and hoping that those schedules fit into the Kimberly Spa appointment schedule! Keep in mind that our spa is set up for individuals with private treatment rooms, so lining up all of your bridesmaids for pedicures is not something we can do. If you need to book multiple people for an event, we can stagger your appointments so that you are all here together getting personal attention. We love to be part of special days! Please let us know as soon as possible if your event falls on a weekend so that we can bring in staff for you. These types of events will require a 50% deposit at the time of booking that is refundable up to 2 weeks before your appointments.

With all the wonderful treatment options we offer, we are sure to find a great spa package perfect for you or your loved one. See our complete spa package menu at http://kimberlyspaomaha.com/spa-packages/, or call us at 402-614-8400 and one of our professionals will help you custom fit a spa package to your needs.

Settle down guys, women don’t go to their waxing appointments for the sole purpose of your happiness!  Women who wax say they feel more comfortable and clean.  It also beats out the competition for ease and convenience on a daily basis.  You’re not left with sandpaper stubble, nicks and cuts, and you don’t need to worry about it EVERY day!  Waxing is usually done every 4-6 weeks depending on the rate of an individual’s hair growth.  When your re-growth starts to appear, you notice that it’s softer and less noticeable!  Regular waxing clients usually see a gradual regression in the amount of hair they have in the area.  So if you start waxing now, by next summer, you might just see a little “barely-there” hair! 

Ok, so let’s address the “ouch” factor to Brazilian waxing.  Your initial wax will be uncomfortable, we can’t lie.  Here are some tips that will help with your first visit:  

#1 Try to relax.  If you are tense the experience will be made even more uncomfortable.

#2  Make sure you have about 2-3 weeks of hair growth.  You should be able to grab the hair with your fingers.  This helps the wax grab all the hair on the first try, rather than having to wax the same spot over and over.

#3  Exfoliate the area before and after waxing.  This will safe guard against ingrown hairs and wax trauma.

#4  Don’t plan on tanning before or after your appointment.   

#5  Don’t do a vigorous workout right after your first waxing. 

#6  Some clients find it more comfortable to skip the panties after their appointment to avoid rubbing. 

Our service providers are here for you and will be as accommodating as possible to get you through it.  You can always focus on the fact that next time will be MUCH easier! 

It’s important that our clients understand what makes our Brazilian wax better quality than other salons and spas.  The quality waxing treatment we provide is directly related to the comfort of our clients.  We use the most effective hard wax on the market that offers less discomfort during and after the wax treatment.  In fact, all of our professional products used during our waxing treatments are selected because they are the BEST out there, not the most cost effective for our bottom line. 

A huge part of finding a quality Brazilian waxis finding a knowledgeable and professional esthetician.  Our staff is extremely well trained in all aspects of their careers, including waxing.  We believe our estheticians are the most knowledgeable, talented and successful in the industry.  Which is why you can always trust Kimberly Spa to deliver your first, second, third… Brazilian wax comfortably, professionally, and effectively.

It’s a great thing that foot and nail grooming has become so socially standardized, but it causes concern about how quickly these pedicures take place in other salons and spas.  Everyone has heard on the news about nail salons getting sued and shut down over the spread of fungus and disease.  Remember Paula Abdul’s fight against California to toughen up the sanitation regulations of these “quickie” nail spas?

As part of Kimberly Spa’s “quality vs. quantity” mission, we are proud to say we created the Spa Pedicure that is quite worthy of its name.  It just makes more sense to us to follow our pride and integrity in our work—even if that means swimming upstream and away from the crowd.  We went back to the original idea of an hour long relaxing pedicure in a spa environment where a client can feel relaxed and comfortable.  All of our professional pedicure products are clearly marked in their original containers, and our implements are cleaned and sanitized between each appointment. 

Another important part of the pedicure process is cleaning the pedicure chair itself.  There are tons of nooks and crannies where bacteria and dead skin cells can hide if the chair and basin is not cleaned properly.  We use a 2 step sanitation process that insures our client can be confident that their pedicure comes out pretty and painless.

Our personal touch with all our clients is also a huge benefit.  We take the time to consult with you and help you understand how to care for your feet and nails so you can keep your pedicure looking like new.  Come experience the amazing difference a Kimberly Spa Pedicure can make in the way you THOUGHT about caring for your feet.  Book online at http://spa.kimberlyspa.com/envisionnet/

Some spas have crafty schemes to book ‘em, buff ‘em and boot ‘em.  Who wants to be herded in, hardly get a moment to relax and rushed out the door while the next person practically bowls you over on their way in?  We know we don’t like to be treated this way, and we NEVER want to see our clients treated this way!

A great example of our “quality vs. quantity” mission starts with a little history about our now famous Stress Relief Facial.  Kimberly set her wheels in motion trying to find the perfect way to help her client understand that serious skin care starts with a complete skin consultation.  A skin consultation is not like meeting with your interior designer for the first time!  Estheticians need to handle the skin, see the skin through a magnifying lamp, and test different treatment options on the skin.  Not to mention the most important part, ASKING the client about her skin goals and concerns!  With so many treatment options available to help us all get the skin results we are looking for, Kimberly just couldn’t fit all this into a nice and neat 45 minute generic “European Facial” time slot.  Since we believe in first impressions being important ones, Kim decided to stretch the time out, give the client some relaxation, and take her time building a professional/client relationship.

The name “Stress Relief Facial” came from Kimberly’s experience seeing and meeting new clients.  She saw new clients coming in wired and having trouble relaxing and enjoying the time to themselves.  She thought telling the client what to expect before ever getting to the appointment was the best solution!  The first time Kimberly or any of our Estheticians sees a new client, her goal is to relax the client, learn the client’s skin care needs and goals, and treat the client’s skin according to those needs and goals.  She found the perfect way to relieve the stress of the mind, body and SKIN!

Q:  “What should I do to prepare for my first facial?”
A:  “If you are coming in the morning, avoid putting any makeup on.  Cleanse and moisturize your skin before leaving home, wear comfortable clothing.  If you are concerned about your hair style, bring a hat or hair band to pull it back after.  We offer a ladies lounge to prepare yourself for the rest of your day, including an available shower, blow dryers, lighted makeup mirrors in a comfortable powder room setting.”

Q:  “What if I don’t know what kind of facial to get?”
A:  “That is where your consultation over the phone should take place.  We do recommend starting out with a Stress Relief Facial, particularly if you’ve never had a facial, or if it’s been longer than 3 months since your last facial.  Within the Stress Relief Facial, it lets us see how your skin reacts, and it gives you an opportunity to get to know the spa and your esthetician.  Usually when you’re coming into a spa for the first time, you are a little nervous.  This facial will relieve the stress of your skin, your body and your mind.”

Q:  “Do you offer Massage?”
A:  “Yes!  We have a beautiful private massage room designed for comfort and relaxation.  We also offer treatments such as the Stress Relief Facial, the Parafango Body Wrap, and Men’s Back Wax Back Facial that incorporate massage techniques.”

Q:  “What should I do to prepare for my first Brazilian Wax?”
A:  “Up to a couple hours before coming in, shower and gently exfoliate the area to be waxed and apply a body moisturizer.  You must make sure that the hair growth is at least ¼ inch long, the wax needs to have something to adhere to, to have an effective waxing.  Everybody has a different rate of hair growth, but the average length of time between shaving is about two weeks.   If your hair is very long, do not trim it.  Your service provider can take care of that for you.”

Q:  “Do men come to the spa often?”
A:  “We actually have a large male clientele!  Men like the privacy of Kimberly Spa, and they appreciate feeling confident with the knowledge our service providers display.  Most males have had a history experienced breakouts not treated with proper treatments the right products, and maybe picking.  Our services cross both genders, and our products are scientifically formulated to help reduce past abuse to facial skin.  Kimberly Spa treats the problems with results oriented services and men should understand and feel comforted in knowing they need hair removal from their nose, ears, and eyebrows to give them a groomed appearance.”

Q:  “Why are there sealed doors to the spa?”
A:  “The doors are sealed to create total privacy for our guests at the time of their treatments.  We have found it to be more convenient for the guests that come in after your first initial visit you know exactly what to do.  This also gives you a sense of privacy when you’re waiting in our comfy lobby.  When you check in to the computer kiosk, this pages your personal service provider that you have arrived for your appointment.  You will be greeted by your own personal service provider, and you end your time at the spa with your service provider.  You are never handed off to a receptionist that can keep you waiting on the phone with other guests, or talking with other guests.  My experience working in spas with receptionists has given me insight to how important it is for our guests deserve to have their service provider’s complete and total attention.  This helps to build a personal relationship with your service provider.   If you need to use the restroom facilities after you have checked in for your appointment check in again that you are “here for other reasons” and a spa coordinator will escort you to the restroom or help with whatever you need.”

Q:  “What makes Kimberly Spa different from getting my pedicure or manicure at a cheaper salon?”
A:  “We use odorless nail enhancement products, sanitation levels are at their highest.  We will never hide sub-standard products in deceiving containers, such as using Windex as a sanitation spray.  Our pedicure chair is completely sanitizable and pipe less.  We take time to thoroughly clean and sanitize our tools and pedicure chair in between clients.  We provide a private tranquil that both men and women will be able to relax with full privacy.”

Q:  “Why are your skin care products better than the products at my local drug store?”
A:  “Through my years of experience with many different skin care products both over the counter and professional cosmesuedical grade I have seen the results that the products we carry produce.  I will only offer the best!  There are literally thousands of different skin care names and I have taken my experience to do the research for you.”

Q:  What if I can’t make it to my scheduled appointment?”
A:  “We do ask for a 24 hour courtesy call to reschedule.  Our service providers get paid only if our guests come in for their appointments.  Just how the guests would feel disappointed in having their appointment canceled, our service providers deserve to have the right to make an income.  Many of our service providers have treatment regimens personally designed for your skincare needs if you don’t follow what is recommended, your service provider cannot guarantee the results you are looking for.  We take your skincare needs very seriously.”