Beauty: Pamper

Every bride wants to feel like a pampered princess on her big day, but the weeks leading up to the wedding
are also an important time to wind down, de-stress and enjoy. Plus, the benefits of pampering are not only for mood; the skin and body will also be grateful for the treat. These insider tips will help the bride (and even the bridal party and groom) rejuvenate and bask in the wedding countdown.

The negative effects of planning-induced stress can be evident in the bride’s complexion. Debbie Williams of Balance Spa & Fitness at the Loews Hotel (300 Poydras St., floor 8, 595-5333) recommends a “very, very gentle
desensitizing facial” to refresh the skin. She says their marine-based facial products “help with agitated skin. You are stressed out, and you might have a breakout where you don’t normally have one. This will help calm down all of those issues with inflammation and redness.”

Fatigue can also be visible in and around the eyes. “We also offer a nice radiant eye treatment that helps with puffiness, so if you’re out and about and you’re having cocktails with friends and your eyes are puffy and a little tired-looking, this will help to rejuvenate that area.”

Stephanie Almendares of Le Visage Day Spa (8110 Hampson St., 265-8018) suggests treating your entire body to some pampering with an hour-long body massage. “Nothing hard, just a therapeutic one for relaxation.” To soothe the wear-and-tear on a bride’s hands, she recommends a manicure and paraffin wax treatment, which “makes them extra moist and nice and soft.” Almendares says that a gentle, “glowing facial” is great the day before the wedding, but not on the wedding day. “Nothing abrasive, no cleansing – just to make your skin glow.”

Kinetix Spa Salon (536 Bienville St., 522-3318) offers a brand-new facial called Absolute Pearl: “The product actually has pearls in it and gives the skin a youthful glow, which is perfect for the big day,” says Michael Mikolajewski, managing owner of Kinetix, which services around 10 to 20 bridal parties per month.

Kinetix offers a range of facial treatments that cater to specific needs: Purify provides a deep cleansing treatment to fight oily skin; Lifting gives younger-looking, compact skin; and Renew stimulates cell regeneration with alpha-hydroxy acids, vitamin C and collagen.

As for the bride’s other half. “For the groom, we offer hot-towel shaves, facials, massages, manicures and pedicures.”

The bridesmaids also often fall victim to stress and anxiety during the wedding planning stage. The bride’s hard-working best friends also deserve some downtime, and Salon Senoj (101 Aris Ave., Metairie; 835-5500) offers packages just for them. “Usually for the bridal parties, we get manicures and pedicures,” says Vanessa Mosca. “And we do offer one of our signature facials, and the products are all vitamin C-based.”

Salon Senoj also offers rejuvenating products for hair, including keratin complex smoothing therapy, which reduces 95 percent of frizz. Results last up to five months.

Whether you choose to soothe your face, eyes, hair, body or soul – or all of the above – it’s always worth it to put the wedding planning on hold in favor of some relaxation and pampering.

 

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