At the beginning of every new year, we all put a little extra effort into to looking and feeling our best, and every year a variety of new products, procedures and services hit the market. From spas and salons to physicians, clinics and personal trainers, local health and beauty experts offers a variety of solutions for improving your health and your appearance in 2015.
Beauty Products & Procedures
Cindy Cocke and Sandy Blum, co-owners of Shine Spa + Specialties, have been in the spa business since 1996. They developed an identity with Spa Aria in the Hotel Monteleone, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary this past November. After years of delays brought on by Hurricane Katrina, their newest venture, Shine, has now reopened in Mid-City Market, bringing numerous lines of relaxation and rejuvenation products and services to the bustling neighborhood.
Elemental Herbology, the main skincare line at Shine, is used in every treatment offered – facials, massages, manicures and pedicures. The products are 100 percent free from synthetic fragrance, color, mineral oils, sulphates, parabens and preservatives, yet they are packed with nutrients and patented natural actives at therapeutic levels.
The Himalayan Crystal Salt Sole Bar is also a hit. “These special salts, both ancient and modern, combat the stresses of modern life with time tested and ancient therapies. We consider ‘sole’ to be an essential part of one’s wellness regime,” says Cocke, “and love sharing the benefits with our clients.”
In addition to their sought-after blowouts, updos and makeup applications, BLEU: A Blowdry Bar has added a new and noteworthy “add on” menu item. BLEU’s “Hair Chaser” is a rich, restoring and intensive hair mask that quickly repairs dry, overstressed hair. Created by Living Proof, the restoring mask treatment is silicone-, oil- and sulfate-free. This treatment may be added to your blowout for $25 and is also available for retail purchase at $42 for 8 ounces.
“The ever-changing temperature and humidity coupled with damage caused by chemical services can wreak havoc on your hair,” says Owner Emily LaBorde Cheramie. “This treatment restores your hair’s moisture level to that of undamaged hair – 20 times stronger with 95 percent less breakage after just one use,” she says.
Dr. Sean R. Weiss, a member of the Dr. Khoobehi & Associates team, is a leading facial plastic surgeon who works locally alongside Dr. Kamran Khoobehi and Dr. Jules Walters. For patients looking for facial rejuvenation, Dr. Weiss recommends the LA Facelift (Local Anesthesia Facelift), a quicker and more affordable alternative to a traditional facelift.
“The LA Facelift is the best solution for facial rejuvenation without the need for general anesthesia. The LA Facelift is the same procedure as that performed under general anesthesia; however, specialized techniques for a pain-free experience with mild sedation are used,” says Dr. Weiss. “The procedure is affordable, easy on the patient and the patient is able to return home the same day. Most importantly,” he says, “it’s safe and the results are outstanding.”
Recently called “the quintessential plastic surgeon of New Orleans,” by Vogue, Dr. Calvin Johnson stands by a tried and true approach to facial cosmetic surgery. Dr. Johnson has practiced facial plastic surgery since 1975, and his private practice offers exclusively that.
Focused on natural results, Dr. Johnson believes the best cosmetic surgery doesn’t draw attention to itself. According to Dr. Johnson, one colleague remarks, “You pay as much for what he doesn’t do as for what he does do.” In addition to the face and neck lift, Dr. Johnson offers eyelid surgery, forehead lifts, rhinoplasty, cheek and chin implants, otoplasty and lip enhancement.
Glenn Michael Milliet, Master Designer at Glenn Michael Salons, believes that hair is a woman’s most versatile fashion accessory and that it can be the difference between her self-confidence and her self-consciousness. Glenn Michael Salons offers the celebrated new Evolve Volumizer system, a wearable solution for women with fine or thinning hair, whatever the cause.
“All other options for volumizing are ineffective,” says Milliet, who highlights the problems with shampoos, pharmaceutical and chemical products, transplants, surgeries and wigs. What makes Evolve the best?
“No. 1, it’s human hair. I can cut it, color it, curl it, tuck it, braid it – I can style it like normal,” says Milliet. Milliet also notes a wait time of only three days and an affordable price point that breaks down (on average) to about $2.78 a day, a small price to pay for a full head of hair.
Health News & Services
New to New Orleans, the In & Out Urgent Care provides convenient urgent care to patients with non-life-threatening conditions, which, according to CEO Billy Coleman, has been a much-needed service in the Uptown, university area. Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends, In & Out Urgent Care treats a variety of illnesses and injuries such as colds, earaches, sore throats, sprains, strains and minor cuts. They also offer physicals, EKGs, X-rays and other services.
One popular service now offered is HYDRATE HERE. According to Coleman, the service “is ideal for bouncing back after running in the Louisiana heat, playing sports or after a hard night out. Sometimes you can’t afford to waste the day away with a painful hangover, so you can visit HYDRATE HERE to mitigate some of that discomfort,” he says.
Southeast Louisiana is home to one of the nation’s leading clinics specializing in new infertility treatment. Employing traditional treatments and the latest advances in reproductive technology, including IVF, ICSI and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), the Fertility Institute now offers the Endometrial Receptivity Assay, a molecular-based test that evaluates the receptivity of the uterine cavity to embryo implantation. According to Dr. Sissy Sartor, Fertility Specialist, this test is beneficial in evaluating and defining the reasons for repeat failure of implantation in couples utilizing the advanced reproductive technologies.
In addition to its Metairie, Mandeville, and Baton Rouge offices, the Fertility Institute has just opened a New Orleans office at 3525 Prytania St., Suite 220.
Improved fitness and weight loss are among the most common New Year’s resolutions, and SMX (Slow Motion Exercise) Personal Training aims to help people produce results without spending hours in the gym. Not your typical health club, SMX is a studio that prides itself on a specialization in personal training. According to Owner Emile Tujague III, the exercise protocol that SMX utilizes was designed to produce maximum results in less time than “traditional” exercise protocols.
“What we offer is a smarter way to train. We do a very specific form of high intensity interval resistance training that’s safe, effective and efficient,” says Tujague. “Most clients only need to train an average of two sessions per week,” he says, “never lasting more than 30 minutes per workout.”
Along with a team of fellowship-trained pain physicians, neurologists, psychiatrists and physician acupuncturists, Dr. Eric Royster has brought modern pain management to the Gulf Region with Integrated Pain & Neuroscience (IPN). IPN is a comprehensive program that employs effective medical, interventional and holistic approaches to solve patients’ most complicated problems.
“The question is not ‘What is the most effective treatment for this type of pain?’ The real question is ‘What is the most effective treatment for this patient?’” he says. “That’s the IPN difference.”
This year, IPN launches its “Pathways to Pain Relief” Program, an evidence-based, outcome-focused program that changes the way chronic pain is treated.
In November, Touro made news with the acquisition of a da Vinci robotic surgical tool for use in removing cancerous lung tumors in patients with lung cancer. Touro is currently the only area hospital offering the Robotic Pulmonary Lobectomy. Using a few small incisions and a 3D high-definition visual system, da Vinci allows surgeons to better access the problem area, lending itself to a cleaner tumor dissection and more accurate technique.
“[The Robotic Pulmonary Lobectomy] allows for less invasive and less painful surgery and quicker recovery for the patient, while providing better visualization of anatomy and better control of the surgical instruments for the surgeon during the procedure,” says Dr. Eugene Kukuy, who spearheaded the hospital’s acquisition.
Shine Spa + Specialties
421 N. Carrollton Ave., Suite A-4
486-0999 • ShineDaySpa.com
BLEU: A Blowdry Bar
701 Metairie Road, Suite 112-2A
Metairie
309-5999 • BleuABlowdryBar.com
Dr. Khoobehi & Associates
4500 Magazine St., Suite 1
304-1248 • Khoobehi.com
Dr. Calvin Johnson / Hedgewood Surgical Center
2427 St. Charles Ave.
895-7642 • DrCalvinJohnson.com
Glenn Michael Salons
1623 Metairie Road, Metairie
828-6848 • GlennMichaelSalon.com
In & Out Urgent Care
6225 S. Claiborne Ave.
864-8080 • InAndOutCare.com
Fertility Institute
3525 Prytania St.
962-7798 • FertilityInstitute.com
SMX Personal Training
735 Octavia St.
236-4121 • SMXTraining.com
Integrated Pain & Neuroscience
2801 Napoleon Ave.
300-9020 • PainIsAPuzzle.com
Touro/Crescent City Physicians
1401 Foucher St.
897-7197 • CrescentCityPhysicians.com
