Where have all the PURE spas gone?

Mother’s Day presented me with an interesting and ethical challenge this year. Since I’ve embarked on my Pure Alternatives journey, my mom and mother-in-law along with the rest of my family have had to endure my continual review of their beauty care routines. From the “why are you still using this toxic soap?” questions when I wash my hands to “I hope you’ll be getting rid of that Windex soon” comments.

This year, I thought I’d try and seek out a healthy, natural spa gift. There are several independent small spas in and around our community but my husband suggested I try the spa at Nordstrom department store. Our moms could meet at the mall, spend the day, have lunch and enjoy their spa treatment together. Great idea.

First, I have to say I’m not a mall person so the idea of traipsing off to the mall on a beautiful Saturday afternoon was not my idea of fun. Magda greeted me upon arrival at the Spa Nordstrom. Immediately I noticed each wall filled with products. I couldn’t wait to get my hand on them to see the labels! My challenge: purchase a massage for my mother-in-law and facial for my mom that did not include highly toxic chemical ingredients. It was harder than I thought. First, I looked through the services brochure. The “Cold Marine Facial ($90)” sounded great. Marine. Had to include plant-based products. How about the “Antioxidant Cocktail Facial ($150)” or the “O2 Marine Environmental Facial” (as in oxygen?? $90) That sounds healthy right? These are just three of the 12 facials offered ranging in price from $85 to $150. When I asked Magda if she could show me which products were used in each of the facials and which one used the least topical products, she replied “the best is the Antioxidant Cocktail Facial.” Not surprising, the most expensive.

The product used is from the skin care line mdSkinCare. Supposedly, a luxury spa product where a 6.7oz jar is sold for $120. Is the ‘md’ supposed to make us believe it’s healthy because it’s ‘prescribed’ by a doctor? A quick review revealed a handful of synthetic and highly toxic ingredients including petroleum, polyethylene glycol (frequently listed as PEGs on labels), urea and 63 other ingredients. 63 other ingredients. Anything with that many ingredients is not only unhealthy but worth at best $1.20 rather than $120. My favorite is the “Herbs and Petals Detoxifying Body Ritual” a.k.a “Extreme Chemical Synthetic Toxic Imbalanced Body Booster”, are made to sound cleansing and healthy.

I left without the facial and massage and returned to the spa I’ve previously purchased services. This spa (will go nameless) I’ve also chosen not to frequent as often. They use Aveda products, which are better than others, but still, nothing short of marketing myths that they’re actually pure and natural. This got me thinking. Are there any spas in metro-Detroit that actually use natural, real and pure spa products? The definition of spa(n): A resort providing therapeutic baths. But the consumer is the fool. We keep buying into the idea that spas provide healthy, relaxing environments for us to nourish and rejuvenate our stressed bodies whereas we’re doing just the opposite by exposing ourselves to a melee of toxins and causing great stress on our immune and endocrine systems not to mention the use of synthetic ingredients actually traps toxins in the body rather than release them which many treatments claim to do. How therapeutic is toxic, animal and chemical based products being rubbed into your skin? I have to believe if people knew better, they wouldn’t make that choice.

So, I purchased for the last time two more gift certificates for spa treatments that I cannot say I felt 100% comfortable about. It probably meant more to me than my mom or mother-in-law that I left the Nordstrom Spa and was faced with my own moral challenge within the mall. Afterall, they’re still using Windex so does it matter? Yes. I know what I think is best. I know that ethically I chose not to buy what I thought would harm them (at least to the smaller degree). Now, if everyone could begin to make the small change and shift then we could make significant change and it would make many other mother’s and daughter’s much healthier and happier for it.

"Amazon" John provides insight on natural products

Last weekend I had the chance and fortunate opportunity to meet John Easterling. Dubbed “Amazon John”, he is the compassionate, dynamic and health visionary behind Amazon Herb Company. I've been researching Amazon Herb Company for several months and it's the real thing: a quality product manufactured and distributed by an ethical company in a truly unique and compassionate way. The Amazon people have taken an active role in harvesting and producing the products thereby creating a sustainable economy for themselves, while creating pure and energizing products for others. Amazon produces nutritional and herbal supplements and an amazing skin care line called Lluvia ('rain' in Spanish).

Side Note: I also asked John about the use of Grapefruit Seed extract in some of Lluvia's products. There's conflicting opinions in the industry over the use of this as a preservative and stabilizer. John's opinion is it is safe and effective otherwise he would not use it.

John told a poignant story of how his travels to the Amazon in his early years as a treasure hunter and archiologist and a near death experience changed his life. After coming down with Yellow Fever and other ailments, he was treated with herbs and juices from various barks, berry and rainforest plants that grow throughout the region. He’s convinced the energizing plant remedies saved his life. He then decided to capture the lifeforce of these meganutrients for skin too.

This got me thinking. The Amazon. A remote place without many of the modern day luxuries we think are so great. However, this is a place where cancer, diabetes, arthritis, anxiety, depression, ADD, chronic fatigue, and many other ailments virtually DO NOT EXIST. I echo John's belief that we’ve become so accepting of substandard health; cancer and disease is part of our daily lives and we accept it! The irony is that we place such high value on pampering ourselves, but the products and cheap materials we are using do us more harm them good and are actually contributing to the problems in the first place.

Simple is better. Pure is better. It's that easy.