We walk on its beaches, we dive and swim in its waters, we sail on its surface, we sustain ourselves with its bounty, we marvel at its majesty, mystery, power and beauty. The sea is all these things and more. Perhaps more than you realize!
Responsible and sustainable sea farming has been done in other parts of the world for ages, but is relatively new to our area. Currently, only one lease for farming seaweed exists in California’s coastal waters. It belongs to Daniel and Antoinette Marquez and their cosmetics company PharmerSea. Their 25-acre site off the coast of Goleta officially anoints Daniel and Antoinette as local sea farming pioneers/visionaries.
As a result, you get to reap some of the benefit. We now have some amazing products available thanks to Antoinette and her brainchild Ama Sea Beauty. Not only is this line luxurious – it is also aesthetically pleasing and ecologically sound.
Inspired by the Ama (Asia’s deep sea free-divers — mermaids), Antoinette took great care while creating her thalassotherapy skin treatment (thalassotherapy being any cosmetic and health treatment that uses seawater). The result is an array of fabulously healing and rejuvenating products.
I was so enthralled with Ama lineup, Antoinette and I joined forces to develop a luxurious facial called Endless Summer designed to revitalize, relax and refresh.
Because Ann Dougan and I are always happy to “dive” into anything we are thinking about offering to our clients here at Skin Essentials, we took one for the team – an Endless Summer facial, that is – and wanted to share the experience with you.
If you love the smell of the sea, this one’s for you. In addition to the products from the Ama collection, we used three tools new to Skin Essentials:
• The Gua Sha tool, which is used for myofascial release and to relax contracted muscles, as well as improving blood flow and lymphatic circulation. Both Ann and I loved how this made our skin feel incredibly alive and vibrant.
• Chilled jade rollers to cool and calm the skin.
• A vibrating gold bar for facial massage that is both soothing and stimulating all at once. This bar aids in the absorption of the nutrients we are using, as well as improving blood flow.
We also used a sea kelp wash cloth to aid in exfoliation, and a sea sponge to help clean the skin. Ann and I thought our skin looked amazingly radiant when the facial was completed.
Both of these items will be sent home with you after your facial. You will also receive an Ama Sea Tea as an additional take home treat. This bouquet of potent sea vegetables is hand harvested off our California coast, providing a way to naturally cleanse, moisturize and revitalize your entire dermal system. We encourage our client to schedule their facial later in the day, so they can go home and further experience these gifts from the sea.
Ready to take the plunge? During the month of September you can experience a one-hour Endless Summer facial for just $150 (regularly $200). Give us a call today to book your very own September sea spa-cation 805.695.8699.