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.

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.