The Roman Baths in Bath, England

As many of you know, I am a big proponent of taking a little time for yourself to decompress and to heal. As a spa owner, I frequent my own spa to attain much needed escape from my daily routine. One thing that I do for myself at home is take a bath with hydrotherapy jets at least once a week if not more frequently. I have some sea salts that I bought but ideally I try to sneak into my spa and mix Epsom salts with Dead Sea salts along with various other Chinese herbs to help my skin, muscles, and nervous system.

For time immemorial, hot baths and springs have served as a vehicle for healing and renewal. I remember fondly the time that I spent in the natural onsen (Japanese hot springs) outside of Tokyo. German studies have shown that high magnesium content found in the Dead Sea can help enhance one’s skin barrier and also reduce skin inflammation. Other studies have shown improvement in psoriasis as well as helping deepen one’s sleep. Minerals are absorbed during bathing that can lead to increased blood circulation to aid in minimizing different types of arthritic conditions. Skin aging can be improved with some studies showing a 40% reduction in wrinking. Certain acne conditions can be ameliorated as well. Bromides and magnesium can serve to control allergies and detoxify and cleanse the skin. Epsom salts, which have been widely studied, have been shown to heal a damaged muscular and nervous system. I always try to mix some Epsom salts in with my Dead Sea salts after a hard day or after a massage session. Bath salts can also minimize the pruning effect otherwise typically observed following prolonged water immersion because it maintains a better osmotic pressure gradient across the skin. Phosphates can help to soften calloused skin and to aid in exfoliation. These salts can also act to enhance the effect of soaps to clean one’s skin.

All in all, even if these touted benefits do not hold 100% true, the ritualistic bath can serve as a much needed time to heal one’s mind and soul as well as one’s body. I use it as a time not to think of anything or at times to enter a quiet time of deep reflection. I truly enjoy my bath time even without the rubber duckie.

For fans of the television comedy show (a Brit export or adaption should I say) the Office, you may recall a couple of weeks ago they had a Moroccan-themed Christmas party. Along those lines, LFP combined our holiday festivities with the Spa at Willow Bend to have a Brazilian-themed party. Fortunately, no one caught on fire unlike the TV show. That would have probably made it more interesting. Fortunately, we had Donna’s husband Mike, a fireman, present to control the festivities.

We all really had such a fun time, and the experience that my extended extended family shared was deeply enriching. I would also like to thank Waleska, from my spa, who is Brazilian for connecting us with Mario, a real-life gaucho. Interestingly, he is Japanese, as there is a huge Japanese community in Brazil. He cooked a wonderful assortment of meats including picanha (which is really the best piece of meat for all you churrascaria-rodizio fans out there), sirloin with garlic, beef ribs, bacon-wrapped chicken, whole chicken, and chicken hearts. (Make sure you offer a wish before you have the latter. They actually are delicious). I would like to say muito obrigado (Portuguese = thanks so much!) and gochiso-sama (Japanese = thank you for the great food) to Mario and his teammate Max. Waleska also created the famed Brazilian cocktail caipirinha for us. That was a real treat.

By combining the spa and LFP into one holiday event, I think we really all shared how much WBW is a single extended family. I get a tremendous kick seeing everyone in my building every day, and I am really happy we could have such a massive party together. Unfortunately, the cold breeze outside made it impossible to light the fire pit, but we all stayed warm inside. I hope all of you are having a fun time at your holiday events for the office or with your family and friends this season. I hope you enjoy our little video and photos of our holiday event!

Our spa event last night was tremendously well attended (with over 200 people) and was truly a success. Watch the video of the event. In order to enhance your experience with our spa, I have spent the past 2 weeks tirelessly expanding and creating an improved website for my spa (www.spawb.com). I put together 21 Quicktime Virtual 360 tours that I think you will enjoy perusing. I also put together a single 18 minute video tour of the spa that I segmented into 11 shorter clips that highlight each of our wonderful services. I expanded and updated our team section so that you can get to know our wonderful team, and I took the promotional photographs for our spa as well (since the photographer we hired did not live up to the expectations I had). I also just started putting together a new section entitled, “Spa Video Demos/Tutorials” in which the members and my team discuss with you our unique services (including one video of my taking a hydrotherapy bath!) I hope you can come to our premier spa and enjoy a non-virtual experience. We look forward to serving you.

Reflexology Foot Chart

As a western trained physician who is very methodical in his scientific thinking, I have always been skeptical of “Oriental medicine”. Now that I have opened a spa that focuses on marrying the best from the East and the West, I have gradually loosened my narrow grip on my perceived reality. I have tried in the past to view my wellness concept to be broader than what we know in the West. However, naturopathic doctors and holistic doctors shun coming anywhere near an Occidental physician and vice versa. Fortunately, I was able to find the best of both worlds by having western-trained M.D.s who embrace naturopathic components in my anti-aging and vitality center.

As part of my weekly spa ritual, I really have been exploring the best of what the East has to offer. The thing that I really love now is reflexology. The idea of reflexology for the uninitiate is using pressure points on the foot to relieve bodily ailments that corresponds to nerves that are across the foot. Whenever I get a certain area touched that hurts on my foot, I start to realize how accurate the correlation is to the body part that aches for me. If anything, I get a great foot massage in the process! Even when I was in a hurry at the airport, I got a reflexology treatment over my standard shoulder and hand massage (which is part of reflexology too since the hands and ears can represent part of the body as well.)

I think it could be dangerous to substitute reflexology for treating serious medical conditions but I think it is a great stress reliever and I do believe that it is helping me balance out parts of my body that are not in alignment. I also tried a Shirodhara treatment which is part of Ayurvedic therapy in my spa, which involves dripping oil in different patterns across your forehead to open your “third eye”. Although I don’t know if the touted medicinal values can be of certain benefit to you, I do enjoy the treatment as a relaxing part of a spa experience. Okay, so I don’t believe everything just yet.

As you know, I have dedicated tremendous time in educating my prospective patients about my services. I really have a passion to do so. Obviously, this website only provides guidelines for what you might benefit from. That is what a personalized consultation process affords, a personalized and customized treatment plan. I spent part of yesterday adding descriptions to all of my primary (non-corrective) facial fat transfer before and after images in my new flash-based gallery to match those in the corrective section. I think if you spend some time to look at my descriptions, you will see how customized the treatment plan was for each particular individual and how I created the right mix of treatments for that person but also how I fashioned an artistic strategy based on that individual’s facial shape and desires. I think any of you coming to my office will feel the sense of how “special” you are and how not like a number you are by the way my staff treats you. That is part of our customized approach.

The idea of “functional medicine” which is practiced upstairs in my anti-aging center describes how an individual is completely unique and how a treatment protocol is completely designed based on that individual’s unique attributes. Traditional medicine says here are the parameters of “normal”. Let’s see if you fit those parameters. That is why I love how my building completely focuses on the individual rather than treating you like a statistic or a number.

Now, here comes the core of this blog that I have been leading up to. As you guys know, I have written all the blogs last week for my spa site, www.spawb.com, until my staff now is taking over that assignment. In the spirit of still having something more to say about my new spa, I want to get to how the spa services offered truly focus on and celebrate the individual differences for each customer. Let me explain by telling you about my Friday’s services. Waleska, the body wellness expert at the Spa at Willow Bend, started by asking me what symptoms I was having and what types of aromatherapy I would like to experience. I told her that it had been a long week and that I also just loved the smell of peppermint (I guess that’s the kid in me.) So she created a special treatment plan for me (as she does for every client there), which is then programmed into our computer system and remembered.

I started with a relaxing 10 minutes in our sauna. The great thing is our sauna starts at about 80 degrees F, then the attendant comes in with a specially mixed Japanese aromatherapy basin that is customized for you. As the aromatherapy bath is applied to the hot rocks, the sauna temperature gradually ascends to a sweltering 110 degrees all the while you can smell the wonderful aromatherapy that you requested or needed. I think I had a combination of Tea Tree and Peppermint. Then I received a small wooden bowl with ice in it containing two perfectly wrapped towels. I was asked to put a towel on my forehead and lie back. The towel was filled with peppermint which smelled great right next to my nose but also started to soak into my forehead creating a nice refreshingly tingling sensation. After a few minutes when the towel warmed up, I received the second towel. The combination of hot steam and a cold towel was incredible. I then went in for my body treatment that was also lovingly prepared with all the aromatherapy scents that I had requested. It was the most amazing experience that I have ever had. I showered and changed in the lounge. When I came out, I was greeted by a tray containing refreshing sorbet, spears of frozen grapes, and infused water. Boy, I was ready for my weekend!

I would first and foremost like to thank my talented sister, Vina, who really did an outstanding job at designing the site. When I took a stab at designing it, it looked so awful I made myself sick. Everyone says not to hire your relative to design a website. However, that is probably because your relative is second-rate (sorry). My sister is amazing. Her design sense and artistry are truly the very best and matches the demands I put on a first-quality job. I would also like to thank Mike who is my webmaster. Everything I asked of him he completes not within weeks or days but within hours. He is truly an amazing asset. Mike is probably waking up this Monday to about 5 of my emails already. Sorry Mike.

Okay, here is the link to the spawb.com site. I am so very proud of the Spa at Willow Bend for numerous reasons. First, it is simply a gorgeous spa. I put over a million dollars into making this 5,000 square foot spa look absolutely the best. In my opinion it beats the Ritz and Four Seasons and that is only because of Roger Leighton who did a magnificent job of making the interior look like a world-class facility. His partner Shirley Flabbiano did a great job in making sure everything was spot on too. Richard Crawford (see last week’s blog) built everything out and really did not scream at me when I had the entire interior restarted from scratch one week before opening. Yes, I am crazy. But I guess you knew that. Gary Williams has an incredible sense of interior space flow and was the architect on the project. It doesn’t hurt that he built the entire building too. I am waiting for him to win the Pritzker Prize.

Besides the interior design, the team at the Spa is imbued with the same culture that I have established in my space, which is excellent customer service at every level. Beyond that, let’s get to the core of what the spa offers, the best services you will find in Dallas, Plano, and beyond. (Obviously, I have no bias). They offer foot detox, massage, reflexology, facials, oxygen therapies, manicures, pedicures, citrus spray tanning, waxing, laser hair removal, cellulite treatments with Accent XL, chinese medicine and wellness therapies, body wraps, hydroinfusion, Sudatonic body slimming, Shirodhara Ayurvedic treatments…That’s just off the top of my head. I can’t recall if I missed something but I probably did. Just check out the site. Also, we have a relaxation room with homemade tea and infused water, and a full locker room with robes, slippers, sauna, showers, etc. Btw, I still have to add the virtual tours and video tours. I need to finish my book in two weeks first so that video project is put a bit back on my priority list for now.

One thing that I have been trying to do is to experience a spa service myself at least once if not twice a week. I am so very busy that I find that the spa services no matter how small allow me to escape the world for a while and get into good rhythm with myself. I truly believe that spa services go way beyond self-pampering but allow oneself to revitalize, which is an essential component to the overall wellness strategy. I believe that the spa is a core feature of the wellness program offered at my Willow Bend Wellness Center.

At the conclusion of my pedicure (are you sick of my nail and foot fetish already?), i had a really awesome paraffin treatment.  It was to die for.  We use PerfectSense Paraffin Infusions which are the top-grade spa paraffin treatment. The advantages are that the paraffin is individually wrapped in single use, disposable sleeves that are preheated to a safe temperature so that you don’t get burned or feel they are too hot. The conventional wax (WHICH WE DO NOT USE) is melted in a crockpot that is passed around (how nasty!!!) As the paraffin is getting heated in a specialized container, the heat package contains an aromatherapy that is emitted with the heat that simply adds another dimension to the experience. As the wax booties are slipped on you enter a delirious nirvana.

I had a long rhinoplasty case this morning and my feet were really sore. The paraffin felt like heaven. Besides feeling good during the treatment, they look stunning afterward and feel soft as a baby’s butt. The medicinal benefits of paraffin (besides the way they make your feet look and feel. isn’t that enough?) are as follows: it helps with arthritis, increases extensibility of soft tissues, removs toxins from cells, enhances blood flow, increases function of tissue cells, and relaxes stiff and sore muscles (I needed that). Call for your appointment at the Spa at Willow Bend. 972-312-8189.

I was having my usual “mani-pedi” the other day (okay, there is the word “man” in mani for goodness sake!!!), and I was learning the difference between a quality job and an average one.  What I found so interesting was that the great majority of how cuticles are removed in nail salons is different from how we do it.  In most nail salons, the cuticle is not just pushed back but trimmed down at the base.  What this does is it frays the area that actually grows the new nail, hurts unnecessarily, can bleed unnecessarily, and also predispose toward infections.  Wow!  What we do is just “push back” the dead layer across the nail so that it actually stimulates healthy growth on the surface and permits a shiny glow WITHOUT the pain and destruction done elsewhere.  The frayed edges of the cuticle along the base and sides of the nail are trimmed but the base of the cuticle is not cut away. OUCH!  This is bad.  

Is a manicure addictive? YES.  Is a pedicure addictive? Even more so.  I know you guys out there were like me about a month ago.  Way too tough to have this done.  Too cool to admit that having nice looking nails would be okay.  Wait until you try it and especially the quality we deliver.

My mom who did the final screen on all our nail specialists was the Simon Cowell of judges.  I have no idea between a good and bad manicure (like the people who have been spoiled by my Botox and have never tried it elsewhere).  She told me that in all her life, she has never experienced as good a nail job as done by these two.  What is amazing is that reportedly their French nails can last weeks instead of 1 to 2 days like elsewhere.  Thanks Victoria and Linh for your dedication to the Spa at Willow Bend, and thanks for making my nails awesome looking!

Also, Victoria informed me that the very rough files that are used in conventional nail salons create breaks in the skin that predispose toward infection (which does not help given their non-pipeless chairs prone to infection as it is! read the difference below between our chairs and standard chairs.) and, get this, conventional filing only serves to TOUGHEN and roughen your skin over time. We use a very gentle process that over a few treatments minimizes the regrowth of the problem but certainly does not worsen the condition. We even sell gentle home kits so that you don’t need as much or our services.

One more thing: all of our pedicure stations are pipeless, meaning besides not looking ugly with pipes hanging out the wall, they also entirely drain downward with no backflow. that means no diseases or contaminants. each bowl is vigorously bleach cleaned too. the nastiness of a lot of cheap pedicure stations is unfathomable. what is very cool is that ours look really cool but also have full tilt, recline, massage, heat, vibration, and rolling so you get a massage too! To schedule your appointment, call 972-312-8189.

All right, I followed my manicure with a pedicure treatment on Friday in my new spa.  I can say this much, any guy out there who is afraid of the pedicure has never had one or would never admit to it.  It is simply amazing.  I resisted all of these years because of the stigma of a “mani-pedi”.  I was talking to this one lady last week and she said guys in particular once they have had a mani-pedi they are so pampered they can’t go back.  As I was having a luxurious back massage with my beautiful pedicure station my feet were cleaned in warm organic seaweed water.  My toes were neatly trimmed, cuticles cleaned and nails buffed.  I got the bottoms of my feet sanded down as Linh put it to as smooth as “a baby’s bottom”, a phrase that I use all the time.  The sea salt scrub followed by foot massage were pure bliss.  There are no words for it.  Linh is awesome (sorry the photo of her is a bit blurry).  She and Victoria (see previous blog) are the two stalwarts in nail care.  My mom is still screaming how after a week her French nails have not been damaged owing to the quality work and quality product we use.  

Linh has written a little bit about herself: Hi, my name is Linh, and I have been a licensed nail technician since 1998.  I attended the Savannah Beauty School in Houston, Texas and have been working in the spa industry ever since.  I am always enhancing my craft through continuing education and attend trade shows every year to learn the latest techniques and products in the nation.  I specialize in all facets of natural nails, manicures and pedicures.  I also have extensive training and experience in Hot Stone Massage, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, and Foot Detox.  If you want to experience the ultimate Day Spa atmosphere, come into The Spa at the Willow Bend, and allow me to create something just for you. For more information, contact our spa at 972-312-8189. You won’t regret it!