Treat yourself!
With kids back in school, rejuvenate with self-care routines
The back-to-school insanity is almost over. Whether or not you have kids, it's an actionpacked time that ultimately ends with a huge sigh of relief. The vacations are over, and everyone's back from their time at the beach. The fall clothes and supplies have been bought, and everyone's getting settled into their routines. That can only mean one thing: Now that everyone else is taken care of, back to school can finally mean back to you. It's time to focus on getting yourself relaxed and groomed with some key treatments and products so you're completely ready for a new season.
I see the need for this constantly in my spas and salons right about now. Take G Spa at Foxwoods Resort and Casino, which just this past week received the “Best Casino” award from Connecticut Magazine. (I'm so proud of them, I couldn't help but give 'em a shout-out!) Last week, the spa was filled to the brim with so many people — couples with young children, grandparents, singles — saying they needed a break. The spa is 21 and over, which for many, already makes it an oasis of adults.
“Some people have come in and told us, `After this summer, I can't hear `Marco Polo' one more time right now,” said spa director Charisse Duroure, chuckling. “They need a little R& R from taking care of everyone else.”
They're also there for practical reasons.
“Often, they've been away from their own usual self-care routines and need to get back on track,” she said. So she fixes them up with treatments like the Ultimate Aromatherapy Ritual. It uses dry exfoliation to slough off the skin that the sun has parched, along with a 50- or 80-minute massage, complete with an essential oil.
“If someone's tired, we go for a peppermint oil. If they're stressed, we use lavender,” she said.
“People at the beginning of fall are suddenly pressed for time, but still trying to find a moment to get themselves together,” said Renee Gwaltney, salon and spa manager at my Gretta Cole Copley location.
Hair often takes the biggest beating over summer. It gets dried out and color fades from being out in the sun. Gwaltney sees so many people coming in for a glaze and to get their hair refreshed.
“We do all kinds of helpful hair masks,” she said. “Kerastase has great ones — whether you need more body or to enrich a color or a moisturizing treatment to prolong the integrity of the hair.”
Now's also an ideal time to improve the color itself.
“Maybe you want to go for a richer color for fall,” she said. “Or if you have highlights, it's time to start thinking about lowlights.”
Duroure points out that all-too-common, post-summer syndrome: the brassy blonde.
“It's about containing the damage of summer,” she said. “Time to tone things down. Put a glaze on there and get my ash back. And while I'm at it, trim it and freshen it up.”
That same renewed freshness goes for our faces, too. After months of using everything from sunscreen to bug spray, our pores simply get clogged up.
“A really good cleansing facial will remove the buildup of products on skin that just don't need to be there,” Gwaltney said. For anyone pressed for time, G Spa offers a 25-minute Hydrafacial as an add-on service. “We all need something to clean out our skin and let it breathe right now,” Duroure said.
For a finishing touch, don't forget to switch color palettes for nails for fall. The extremely chic and clever cosmetics line Smith & Cult has some great colors for the new season.
“I love the new deep green,” Gwaltney said. It's a tiny bit gutsy, “but what better way to get back to taking care of yourself?”