Spa owner Yadira Alexander shares her secrets to maintaining healthy skin in between monthly facials.
* Choose a cleanser and moisturizer appropriate for your skin type
* Use a toner that hydrates the skin
* Exfoliate once or twice a week to remove any dead skin cells that have accumulated overnight
* Use an eye cream to replace the loss of moisture around the delicate eye area
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Find local handcrafted skin and body care to nourish throughout winter.
Sustainable skincare from Portsmouth’s Farmaesthetics, available at Harbor Bath & Body | 251 Thames Street #3, Bristol
Salves, soaks, and more from Mosaic Wellness Boutique | 2490 Main Road, Tiverton
Soaps and scrubs from Stella Marie Soap Company | 486 Main Street, Warren
Beauty, body, and wellness products from The Peyton Co. | 7 Child Street, Warren
The month of February is tricky: It’s still colored with excitement for the new year and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but it’s cold and snowy, with so much of winter still ahead. However, it is the perfect time to indulge in a daycation – or even just an hour – of pampering in the comfy, cozy oasis of a spa.
For a small state, Rhode Island is brimming with relaxation stations, especially in the East Bay. Here is a sampling, plus at home tips from a local spa owner and destinations for skin and body care products made right here.
Alayne White is the dynamic powerhouse behind her own beauty business Alayne White Spa, which specializes in an intimate small spa experience that treats clients like guests, not just customers. Her Bristol location is picturesque: a historic home with a baby blue interior, fun prints, and homey atmosphere, plus rocking chairs on the front porch and a garden, where she often hosts workshops. 11 Constitution Street, Bristol
MUST TRY TREATMENT: In February and March, indulge in the Skin and Mind Blast, which includes a Lactic Peel acid exfoliant and It’s All In Your Head face cleansing treatment, nourishing during cold weather.
Newport is a popular destination for unwinding, and there’s no better place than the The Bodhi Spa to do so. The spa offers treatments beyond your typical massage, from mineral baths to infrared saunas and aromatherapy steams. The high-end space is elegant and resembles a luxurious, faraway retreat. 654 Thames Street, Newport
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Water Journey, an experience rooted in the benefits of hydrotherapy, which takes guests through a series of salt pools and saunas, both hot and cold, to stimulate the circulatory system.
You don’t feel like you’re a parking lot away from Target or Kohl’s when you’re at Elizabeth Grady’s Spa: It’s a bright, airy space with all the sleek, shiny surfaces you’d expect in a downtown destination. The spa is just one of 30 locations and has been operating since 1975, with a skin-first mindset. Find a range of services from facials to waxing and threading, alongside a variety of products for sale, like cleansers and body care. 20 Commerce Way #4, Seekonk, MA
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Tropical Fusion Facial is like a vacation for your skin: a warm massage of papaya and pineapple enzymes, plus a massage and hydrating mask.
Find a blend of pampering and clinical care at Glow Face & Body Spa, an oasis in the center of Warren. Owner Cristin creates a peaceful and private space that’s simply decorated, to dedicate her full attention and advice to clients. 585 Main Street, Warren
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Ultimate Body Soothing Session, a multi-step treatment that includes a back exfoliating peel, moisturizing creams, essential oils, gentle face cleanse, a face, neck, and shoulder massage, and finished with warm towels and a treatment cream.
A refurbished historic townhouse on Hope Street is home to Hair, Heart & Soul Spa, a day spa dedicated to treating the soul as much as the body. The setting is coastal and calm, with a Himalayan salt-infused room and a list of Aveda body treatments and rituals, alongside more ancient philosophies. 407 Hope Street, Bristol
MUST TRY TREATMENT: Restore Balance is a multi-faceted spa experience where your dosha (one of three bodily energies, according to Ayurvedic medicine) is determined and aromas selected, followed by an Indian Head Massage and reflexology-based foot massage.
Located on the lower level of an unassuming shingled house, Invidia Salon & Spa is a beautiful, welcoming space staffed by a fun, friendly team – most of whom have been there since it opened in 2006. Their spa services are many and varied, from facials and body care to specialty treatments and a la carte options. 1050 East Main Road, Portsmouth
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Chocolate Wrap Up, a chocolate mint scrub followed by all-over chocolate body butter to moisturize.
Le Spa of Barrington’s philosophy is rooted in both Ancient Chinese practices and modern massage therapy. The setting itself reflects this, blending a clean, minimal aesthetic with Asian influences – bamboo, Chinese characters and imagery, and Buddha statuettes. 334 County Road, Prince’s Hill Plaza, Suite C, Barrington
MUST TRY TREATMENT: Le Classic Tui Na, a range of Traditional Chinese Medicine to relieve pain and stress through acupressure.
New Leaf Hair Studio has all the trimmings of a New York City salon: expansive front windows, bright interior, soaring ceilings, and a sense of style. But downstairs, you’re transported to their spa, a tropical oasis of soft green where their skin specialist and massage therapist are ready to pamper you as readily as the hair stylists upstairs. 18 State Street, Bristol
MUST TRY TREATMENT: Ridiculously Relaxing Rubdown Body Treatment, a 90-minute head-to-toe massage that promises to leave you blissed out and, of course, ridiculously relaxed.
Renewing Touch Massage & Spa is the brainchild of licensed massage therapist Jennifer Paquette and offers everything from holistic remedies to traditional spa treatments. The space is warm and uncluttered, with heated tables, soft lighting, and coastal decorations. 315 Hope Street, Bristol
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Tension Tamer combines a scalp, neck, and shoulders massage, aromatherapy, and hot/cold stones to, as the name suggests, alleviate tension. A bonus? It’s great for sinus and migraine relief, too.
Spa Yadira is the culmination of owner-esthetician Yadira Alexander’s dreams. It’s a luxurious spa in a flipped historic space, featuring shabby chic decor in hues of white and sage. Clients can lounge in the relaxation room complete with snacks, soothing music, aromatherapy, and candles to achieve what Yadira hopes is pure tranquility and bliss. 182 High Street, Bristol
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Organic Microdermabrasion and Lumafirm Facial is the spa’s most requested facial, which features exfoliation with organic flower grains and a renewing facial for dewy, healthy skin.
Sydney’s Salon & Spa feels like home. It’s not just the environment – earth-toned paint, cozy wall hangings, warm lighting – but the staff, who feel like family. The multipurpose salon welcomes clients not only for haircuts and spa treatments, but for manicures, spray tans, ear piercings, and shopping in their clothes and home goods boutique. 2461 East Main Road, Portsmouth
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Bioelements Signature Custom Blend Facial, which is personalized to your needs thanks to a SkinReading to determine skin concerns and goals, and features a cleanse, exfoliation, custom aromatherapy facial massage, plus power treatment and mask.
Nestled in a residential area in a remodeled old house, Tiffany’s Salon & Spa might surprise you: It’s a high-end salon-spa combo with a community feel. Owner Raymond Hennessey purchased the spot over 50 years ago and has been dedicated to the client experience ever since. While Tiffany’s specializes in haircut and styling, it has a full range of spa services provided by talented estheticians. 21 West Street, Barrington
MUST TRY TREATMENT: The Ultimate Facial, a 90-minute experience with an additional mask, plus extended time getting your head, neck, arms, and feet massaged. The extra time also lets the esthetician tailor to your skin’s needs.
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