Review: The Spa at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge

TravelingÂ for me is (for the most part)Â fun, adventurous and exciting…it also unfortunately tends to wreak havoc on my skin.Â I arrivedÂ inÂ Orlando back from Fashion Week and swore that I could see the congestion of New York City and the weird airplane air on my face…IÂ definitely feel it, a facial wasÂ in order…actually it wasÂ a necessity at this point. With the aim of decongesting my face, I headed off to The Spa at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando hoping that if they didn’t decongest my skin then at least they would deep clean it enough to get the airplane out.

The facial I scheduled is called the Force Vitale Hydrating & Revitalizing Treatment, it is an hour long facial that promises skin is, “Freed from stress and fatigue (that would) emerge renewed with freshness and a natural, youthful glow.” WithÂ those promises and a name like that I knew it would either do wonders for my complexion or my face would look like Samantha’s on that episode of Sex And The City when she gets a chemical peel and had to wear a black veil to cover it up…it was too hot in Orlando for black …or a veil. Upon examining my skin (I know it’s necessary but I always feel so judged under those lights and that insane magnifying mirror), my esthetician Hiromi agreed that my skin was indeed very congested, not to mention dehydrated and it would really benefit from the treatment.

From this point on all I remember is her wrapping a towel around my head, then at some point an amazing foot massage followed byÂ my moisturizedÂ feet being placed in warm cocoons…this is all I remember because I fell asleep (she did tell me to try to sleep.)Â I don’t know if it was the way she applied the products, the massaging of the face or her very soothing voice, either way I was out like a light. I woke up to “Miss Lewis how does your skin feel?”Â My skin felt great, my mini nap wasn’t so bad either.Â The treatment delivered everything it promised, the tiny bumps on my face were gone, it was glowing, it did in fact look both renewed and refreshed.Â Hiromi did caution thatÂ it was very important that I applyÂ sunscreen to my face since a part of the facial was a resurfacing treatment (enzyme peel.) Normally, immediately following a facial, the last thing I want to do is to be out in public because I just feel wrong about applying any make up to my skin newly deep cleansed, but with this treatment my skin looked so good I just wanted to show it off .

The next time I’m in Orlando I definitely plan on visiting Hiromi again, hopefully that will be very soon since I noticed for their 50th anniversary they have a Golden Anniversary Package that includes a soothing spa treatment…nap not included.

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Gail Lewis in skin care, Spa, Travel Beauty 3 Comments

Bobbi Brown’s Multi-tasking Lip Crayon

So during my Christmas shopping I may have picked up a necessity (read: impulse buy) or five for myself…oh please I know I am Â not the only one who does the “one big one for you, a teeny lil something for me,” it’s the season of giving and no one said you can’t give to yourself…anyhoo I digress.

One of the “impulse” items I picked up for myself was a Bobbi Brown Lip Crayon, the crayon part just seemed to promise all kinds of fun (I did say impulse buy.)Â I immediately got home, ripped open the package, thought “wow it does look like a huge crayon,” set it down and then the holiday madness of road trips from Santa Rosa Beach to Orlando to Miami and back ensued and my fun new purchase did notÂ receive the attention it deserved,Â until very recently and I have to say it’s awesome!

The color I bought is called “Wild Rose,” it’s sort of a berry pink (my skin tone is caramel so it looks like a light-ish pink on my lips, pretty close to my natural lip color with just a tinge more intensity…sort of like when you’ve just bitten your lips.)Â The texture isÂ really smooth and surprisingly creamy (especially for something called a crayon and that looks like a jumbo lip liner…which it can also be used as) with a matte finish.Â The smooth, creamy texture actually surprised me so much that I thoughtÂ I wouldÂ try it on my cheeks and it works fantastic as a blush…I just applied directly to my cheeks and blended with my fingers.Â Then I thought “well why stop at lips and cheeks!” so I tried it on my lids and it just gave my eyes a really subtle pop of color.Â Besides mascara, it’s been the onlyÂ make upÂ I’ve used since New Year’s Eve because it’s so easy and takes about a minute, and best of all, IÂ canÂ use my fingers to blend.Â Read more

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Gail Lewis in beauty, lipstick, Makeup, Travel Beauty 3 Comments

Travel Beauty: Weekend in Rhode Island

Last weekend I returned to my home state of Rhode Island for a family event. As always I snapped a quick shot of the beauty products that came along for the ride.

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, blush, brows, concealer, eye shadow, eyeliner, Makeup, makeup remover, mascara, mineral makeup, skin care, teeth whitening, Travel Beauty 2 Comments

Review: Spa Pedicure at The French Manor Inn & Spa

Tucked away in the Pocono Mountains is a small slice of heaven at The French Manor Inn & Spa. Following a twisting and turning road up the mountainside reveals gorgeous stone buildings and a glorious view of the valley. My mouth fell open upon seeing it as I mouthed, “Wow.” There are 3 buildings on the property with Le Spa Foret found below the Spa Suites. Upon entering the spa, you are greeted with the relaxing scents of Danielle & Co. Read more

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, Pocono Spas & Salons, Spa, Travel Beauty Leave a comment

Travel Beauty: New York

Something I firmly believe in is that you drive the course to chart your own destiny. Friday morning I decided I needed a change. Don’t you ever watch those makeover episodes and wish it could happen to you? Well I chose not to wish anymore and decided to MAKE it happen. My hair has grown to about 23 inches long and without a second thought, I decided I wanted to go to New York, make an appointment with Nick Arrojo (yes THAT Nick Arrojo) and put my hair in his hands (literally.) And yes you will hear all about that experience shortly, don’t you worry!

When I wrote Makeup Minute, I used to do a series every time I traveled called “Travel Beauty” (how unique, right?) and now you will see that here on A Girl’s Gotta Spa! when I decide to jet set. Pictured here are the products that made their way to New York with me:

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, Makeup, Travel Beauty 3 Comments

Review: The Lodge At Woodloch Women’s Retreat

Last Christmas my husband gave me a gift certificate to The Lodge at Woodloch. It is listed as one of Forbes Top Ten Most Luxurious Spa’s and it happens to be only about 30 minutes from my house. I finally got to use this gift certificate this weekend and treated myself to a facial and massage.

Before I even get to the review of the treatments, The Lodge at Woodloch has a fabulous Women’s Retreat (and a separate one for men) that is also worthy of a write up. You get a locker to store your clothes, bags etc. which is really not a “locker” at all. It is a gorgeous wood mini storage closet, complete with shelves and a hook to store your things. It has an electronic keypad, where you determine the lock code for safe, secure access to your things. In between storage units are oversized leather ottoman’s. On the other side of the storage units is a room filled with plush comfy seats, leather chairs, an entire glass window wall that looks out to a lake and a roaring fireplace. There is a counter with fresh fruits, nuts and teas available.

There are two hallways that contain 5 private shower rooms each with stone flooring in the glass shower stalls and has Rosemary scented Shampoo, Conditioner, Shower Gel and Lotion. A large vanity room joins both hallways and comes complete with hair dryers, curling irons, hair styling products and everything necessary to freshen up.

The Women’s Retreat also has a whirlpool in a frosted glass enclosed room. The frosted glass gives you small peaks of the outdoors with its fern stenciling. In a separate room in the same area of the whirlpool is a steam room, a sauna that boasts scents of lavender and an enclosed porch with a view of the lake. A pitcher of iced water and fresh slices of lemon await you on a table outside all of the rooms.

Further into the retreat is the Aqua Garden. It has a large indoor pool and a waterfall that cascades in to a multi-level whirlpool (one on an upper level and one below it). The Aqua Garden is surrounding by windows on 3 sides and just outside is the Horizon Whirlpool that is heated enough that it can be used in the winter.

The Women’s Retreat can be used by spa patrons for one hour before treatments and up to one hour after your treatments have completed. The Women’s Retreat alone is worth a visit to The Lodge at Woodloch.