August 2010 Special Offer * Dr. Sam Nechamkin

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August 2010 Special Offer

This week’s special offer comes from Dr. Sam Nechamkin of Premier Periodontics.  When you are a new patient and you mention that you have been referred by Ruth Cox or Bella Fontana Spa you have the opportunity to not only book your dental services with one of the best periodontists with Board Certification in the area, but you can choose to have a free teeth whitening service with a dental cleaning  and exam.

Dr. Sam Nechamkin, DDS, MS is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.  Dr. Sam offers a complete array of dental services including dental hygiene, dental implants, smile makeovers and more and he offers a free cosmetic dentistry consultation for every client.  If you want to know who can improve your smile, just know that Dr. Sam Can!  Click here to visit Dr. Sam’s Website.

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Anytime that you wish to discontinue receiving the Blog updates, just update your subscription on the bottom of the email, or reply or email me at spadiva@bellafontanaspa.com and let me know.

Find more special offers for the spa by booking online.  A complete range of packages are available year round with special discounts and recommended service combinations.  Click here now to see our Spa Packages.  Click here to book any service online.

For those that love to Spa-aaah! Consider our SpaDiva Membership.  The best discounts go to those that frequent Bella Fontana Spa the most, so find out more on our SpaDiva Club page on our website.

Warmest regards,

Ruth Nuckols Cox

What is a Swedish Massage?

Swedish Massage is the most popular form of massage therapy at Spas, Massage Clinics and Resorts.  It is one of the more relaxing massage therapies and involves long stroking movements,  vibration and shaking and techniques such as petrissage, tapotement, and effleurage using the forearm, palm, thumbs and elbows.  Other techniques and deep pressure may be used in our sessions, but are intended to educate our guests and are limited in scope and guests are asked to make their next appointment using a different therapeutic modality.  The main purpose is to increase oxygen flow and release toxins such as lactic acid that accumulates in the muscle tissue. In Sweden this type of massage is known as “classic massage”.

Massage therapy at minimum provides relief from muscular tension or spasm, expresses lymph fluid from tissue, increases circulation to soft tissue and improves the texture and tone of the skin and produces a feeling of relaxation.  Massage Therapy is frequently prescribed for patients concerned about pain management.    Areas to be treated may include scalp, face, neck and/or decollete, arms, legs, upper and lower back in all massage therapy sessions.  Other areas such as hip joints and abdominals are typically addressed in Sports Massage.

Are Pedicures Really Safe? We put our hands in there too!

There are risks inherent in every activity, and for generally healthy clients, the risks associated with a pedicure are very small indeed.  By generally healthy, I am including anyone who’s immune system is functioning normally and your Doctor is the best person to help you assess the status of your health.

At Bella Fontana Spa, we help protect your health by using a special foot soak that is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.  It contains urea, salicylic acid and aloe vera, among other ingredients that cleanse and help soften calluses.  According to the manufacturer, some of the retail products, especially the Anti-Fungal Formula 7, contains 1% Clotrimazole. an anti-fungal agent that relieves itching, scaling, cracking, burning, redness and irritation associated with fungus, including ringworm and athlete’s foot and protects the feet from picking it up in the first place.  The moisturizing and anti-fungal formulas use a dermal integration technology, DIT, that allows the product to penetrate easier and faster into the skin.  The mousse mimics the skins own composition closely and contains CoEnzyme Q10 and urea making it the most effective moisturizer available.  Read more about Footlogix.

Recently, SpaBoom put an entry on their blog about Pedicures, and I commented:

Think about the fungal and bacterial load at the gym, department store carpet in the shoe department, and the parasites in the lake or your own front yard. Our first line of defense, as wonderful as many of the smell and feel good products out there, is a specialty anti-bacterial and anti-fungal foot soak. We also use EPA rated anti-bacterial, anti-tuberculoidal and anti-fungal sanitizer in our pipeless pedicure stations. We have an autoclave, disposable tools and more all to keep our clients safe. Unless a client has a compromised immune system, our pedicures are as safe as any other activity. Sure, there are risks like a nick or cut for both the client and the technician. Take care of the customer and reassure them you are using the best products to protect them. Clients, please ask about the sanitation protocols and take good care of your feet everywhere you go!

It is important to me that you feel safe and know that I am doing everything I can to take care of your health and well being.  In my judgment, pedicures are safe in an environment that is conscientious about cleaning their equipment and implements, or uses disposables, and uses products that facilitate protecting and caring for your skin.  There are risks, but the risks under these conditions are typically a nick or cut that can become infected without care, abrasions or infection or other injury that is no greater than what you might expect at your local gym, on the beach, in your backyard or medical office.  Remember, we put our hands on your feet and in those bowls too!

Dermaplaning rejuvenates skin while removing hair.

A superior form of manual exofoliation, this treatment removes the outermost layers of dead skin cells leaving the skin immediately smooth, supple and vibrant.  Derma planing is another non-traumatic, non-invasive method of skin rejuvenation with the benefit of hair removal.  Your skin will be renewed and your topical treatments will be more effective as they will penetrate more deeply since the layers of dead skin cells will be removed.

For more information call us at 903.893.6222 or book online.

How does the Technician perform this treatment?

Our certified technician will use a #10 blade, a type of scalpel.  The blade is held against the skin at a 45 degree angle and stroked along the skin just like shaving.  However, the practitioner is doing the stroking while holding the area of skin taut.  At Bella Fontana Spa, your skin will be cleansed and prepared in advance and a treatment cream will follow so your skin will be smooth and moisturized.

Is this Derma Planing Treatment Safe?

This treatment is performed by a professionally trained technician with extensive skin type knowledge.  It is very safe and there is no more risk to the skin than when a barber shaves a face the old fashioned way.  However, we will prepare the skin in advance and will not be using shaving cream.

Doesn’t Hair grow back thicker and/or darker when shaved?

This is a common myth.  What actually happens with terminal hair (that that grows under and on the arms, legs, beards, etc.) is that when cut it has a blunt edge.  The blunt edge starts just at the skin level and feels sharp and can be seen through the skin if there is enough contrast between the skin color and hair color.  At Bella Fontana Spa, we recommend laser hair reduction or waxing for this type of hair.  Vellous hair, or the fine blonde hairs often found on the face will not be physiologically affected by cutting.  It will remain soft because the structure of the hair, and its root is undamaged and unaltered.  Terminal hair is coarse, and vellous hair is soft and each will retain the original structure after cutting.

Why do dark, or Terminal Hairs, suddenly appear?

Typically the sudden change in the thickness, texture of hair or the appearance of dark and/or coarse hair appearing where it has never been before is the result of hormonal changes, puberty, menopause or chemotherapy, thyroid disease or other hormonal changes.  Consult your physician if you are concerned about the changes in your hair.

What about Waxing?

We are waxing or depilatory experts at Bella Fontana Spa.  Waxing makes the hair appear thinner for one of two reasons.  First, waxing pulls the hair from its roots effectively restarting the dormancy and growth cycle.  The new hair will grow in with the small pointed tip making it appear thinner and feel softer.  But the structure of the hair remains the same, and if grown long enough or cut will conform to the description above about terminal vs. vellous hair.  Secondly, if you interrupt the hair growth cycle enough, there is a chance that the hair regrowth cycle will slow, or the root becomes damaged and the hair will not grow back, or finally, aging, hypothyroidism or some other factor will affect the growth cycle.

Will I bleed?

Probably not, but I must say this is one of the risks of using an open blade on the skin.  This can happen with waxing or laser hair removal as well.  Or, if you are on blood thinners, or have used certain medications, your propensity to bleed will be increased.  We do not recommend waxing, for example, for those actively using Accutane, Retinols or other treatments that thin the skin and increase the occurrence of peeling or bleeding.  The incidence of an accidental cut is slim, but about the same as shaving even with safety blades.  We have all nicked our knees and ankles, chin or other places with shaving.

What areas can be treated?

Blading the skin is performed on the face only at Bella Fontana Spa.  We recommend body waxing for arms, legs, underarms for temporary hair removal, and laser hair reduction for permanent hair removal.

Can I combine a chemical peel?

We recommend combining the derma planing procedure with our gel peel, a light salicylic or glycolic acid peel.  This peel requires no preparation and you can expect good results and a peel over a three or four day period.

Please contact us if you have any questions at 903.893.6222 or for more information about Bella Fontana Spa or book online.

Detoxifying treatments cater to guests that want to shape up body and mind

I find that our guests are becoming increasingly aware of what goes into and onto their bodies.  In response, I have begun requiring our product lines to be more earth and body friendly and many are organic, vegan, gluten and paraben free and do not test on animals.  Medical grade skin care lines such as SkinCeuticals are primarily  botanical while utilizing the best and most effective medical grade components available on the market at a price point suitable for our market.

Detoxifying wraps and body treatments cater to this trend by allowing guests to shed toxins while firming and toning the skin in the areas that need it the most.  Special products are applied that increase circulation and are steam infused to accelerate the detoxifying effect through the largest organ in the body.  What a facial does for facial skin, and a pedicure does for the skin on the feet and lower legs, a body treatment is the most effective skin care treatment for the entire body.  With the additional benefit of the Hydro3 vichy shower and steam infusion, the treatments are intensified and more effective while reducing claustrophobia and increasing the detoxification effect in a more comfortable setting.  There is less mess too!

European spa-goers begin body treatments at a young age, and guests in our areas are taking increased advantage of the services and equipment offered here at Bella Fontana Spa.  Benefits include stress relief, increased tone and firmness to the skin, temporary inch loss and stimulation of the metabolism.  To reach your goals while dieting and exercise try two or three sauna sessions and body treatments each week for inch loss and a better appearance in those critical body areas.  Add on a Lift and Tone Facial Massage or 45 Minute Therapeutic Massage and you will truly feel renewed and energized by the results you can see.

On Customer Service and Stewardship

In my business, I occasionally find myself in the middle!  There are a few occasions where things do not go as planned.  I find that someone’s expectations are not being met and usually it is due to circumstances beyond my personal control.  This doesn’t just apply to our guests, sometimes it is between employees.  For example, an employee has an urgent matter arise, but not one that might be considered an emergency.  My policy is to ensure that our guests needs are met by the team with the consideration that leaves open a smooth exit for the employee that wants to leave to take care of personal business.  Is there another employee willing to give of themselves and “pay it forward” as it were, so that they can receive the same in return on another day?  Everything we do impacts someone else, but  let it be a positive experience for everyone involved.  Our attitudes and our moods affect everyone!  It is my intention that the ‘mood’ remain positive for everyone’s benefit.  Word to wise, make every reasonable effort to make the best of any interaction and make it positive.

When I find myself in the middle, I look for opportunities for everyone to win!  The guest or customer benefits from their service, the employee performs their job and receives their hourly pay and tips,  and the business earns an income.  In most business models, including mine, the employee is going to be paid their current compensation rate for being on the job, but the real rewards come from exceeding customer expectations and growing guest relationships and with excellent performance increased compensation based on merit.  All three stakeholders then, the employee, the guest or client and the business should benefit each time a service or job is performed.  After all, that is what we are all present to do.  More than ‘being present’ the best attribute or skill to employ every minute of each day to perform well is maintaining a positive attitude and mood.  Determination and persistence to do well and do good on this earth for all involved is the winning combination.

A great book to read on the market about Customer Service is Who’s Your Gladys?. Click on this link for more information after reading the excerpt below from a recent newsletter.

MOODS ARE CONTAGIOUS – DON’T CATCH A BAD ONE!

Imagine you have a throbbing toothache. You sit down in the dentist’s chair in pain. The dentist enters the room in a cheerful mood. If you catch the dentist’s mood, you relax a bit and she breezes through the procedure. If the dentist catches your mood, what would happen? She’d wince when you winced. As your knuckles turn white grabbing the arms of the chair, her knuckles turn white grabbing her instruments. As your panic grows, her panic grows. You would probably never go back to that dentist again.People in helping professions meet others sadness, anger, and pain with an attitude of acceptance and a belief in their ability to make a difference. Imagine meeting your customer’s hostile moods with acceptance and a belief in your ability to help them feel better. To respond helpfully, start by understanding that it is okay for customers to feel what they feel. It’s okay for a customer to feel disappointed about a purchase. It’s okay for a customer to feel angry about delivery When you’re comfortable with their upset, it’s easier for them to switch gears, cope with their frustrations and move forward. To keep a customer’s hostile mood from spreading to you, take a moment to challenge yourself to choose your mood. If a customer shows anger and you reflect irritation or defensiveness, their anger grows. If you respond with compassion, it changes the dynamic. Try it – your customers will thank you!

Reprinted from the ‘Who’s Your Gladys?’ newsletter, published by Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest, a free e-zine that offers tips and tools to help readers create extraordinary customer relationships.  Subscribe at www.whosyourgladys.com.”

Keep in mind that which serves everyone best interests and intent  whether you are the customer, the employee or the manager or business owner in this scenario.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  Most business owners I know very much want to please every customer, while ensuring the integrity and operational soundness of their business. Business owners also want to have happy employees.  Finally, business owners want to have a profitable business and a balanced and happy life as well.  I just had someone in the plumbing business say to me today, “not every customer can be pleased, even if I fired the employee that made the mistake and gave their money back it just isn’t enough”. Everyone involved has a stake in achieving the best outcome.  Bring your best attitude to everything you do and serve well.

Art and the Mind Body Connection

Process painting, zentangle, drumming, expressive and interpretive movement, dance and other visual and performing arts are increasingly becoming part of the spa culture as we recognize their value to the mind body connection.  These activities are thought to cause the brain to release neurotransmitters that affect our mood.  These neurotransmitters affect various functions, including the regulation of mood, appetite, sleep, muscle contraction, and some cognitive functions including memory and learning.

We have recently added SpaDoodle as a class to provide a space, the materials and the guidance to participate in a little mind body connection right here in Sherman, Tx.  Check out my spadoodle I made in class in June 2010.

What to expect?  The SpaDoodle class takes place in either the Pat Nuckols Community Room or in the relaxation area with a quiet and meditative atmosphere.  You will be provided some basic materials including sketch paper, doodle square, and a variety of charcoal, india ink pens, markers, crayons and pencils to work your doodle while you calm your mind.  This class is not art instruction, but brain restoration!

Take some time in your day to participate in our classes and events, whether or not you engage in other spa services that day, to improve your mood, concentration and other functions.

View our classes through this link!

Questions about Hair Removal and Hair Reduction?

We are the experts in hair removal and reduction in North Central Texas and South Central Oklahoma.  Our employees have been waxing and using lasers to reduce hair growth and visibility for years.  Both waxing and laser hair reduction treatments require a 4 to 6 week interval between treatments.  I get a lot of questions about hair removal, so to make it easier for you to decide what to do where, here are some of those more frequently asked questions:

What happens when Waxing?

At Bella Fontana Spa we use warm soft wax with strips or hard wax depending on the area to be treated.  The wax will feel warm, but is not typically described as hot, even though the term hot wax may be used.  The wax locks onto the hair shaft and the hair is pulled from the skin interrupting the growth pattern and often putting the root of the hair removed into a dormant stage.  Hair must begin a new growth cycle.

What happens with the Laser?

The laser is a light that operates at a wavelength designed to be absorbed only by dark pigment or melanin.  Therefore, it is the hair that absorbs the laser energy.  The laser energy then travels down the hair shaft to the follicle (root) where it heats and destroys the hair follicle.  This is why the hair must be there and be actively growing to be treated.  The laser energy is not absorbed by the skin.

Does it hurt?

The perception of pain is unique to each individual.  Laser hair reduction feels similar to a rubber band snap, sometimes you feel a little heat. Once we have used the laser in the area to be treated, ice can be used to both numb and cool during or immediately after the service.  Most people tolerate the sensation easily and we can work at their pace during the scheduled time of the service.  Waxing pulls the hair and it may break at the skin, below the skin or optimally by the root.  The more hairs pulled by the root the longer it takes to grow back, but it does produce a little more discomfort over a larger area.  We can adjust the size of the area to be waxed in order to adjust to your comfort level.  Many people prefer it to be completed quickly, rather than more times however.

Is is permanent?

Laser is permanent, but only the hair in the active growth cycle will be killed.  Once the laser kills the root of the hair, it will not grow back. You have 500-1000 hair follicles for both terminal and vellus hair per square ince of your body and only a fraction of those hairs are actively growing.  The rest are dormant/inactive follicles.  Changes in your body due to stress, diet, normal aging processes, hormonal changes in pregnancy or menopause, etc. can cause dormant follicles to become active follicles.  Waxing is not permanent, but the hair may go through a dormant phase and new growth cycle prolonging the time before the new hair appears.

Shaving makes hair grow thicker, and waxing makes it thin out, right?

Not exactly! The reason shaved hair appears to be coarser and more dense is because the hairs are being cut at the skin level and are in an active growth phase.  As hairs grow, they start out with a slimmer tip and widen toward the base.  Hairs grow every day, so the longer the hair remains the thicker it seems and cutting it produces a sharp edge.  Waxing and other hair removal processes interrupt the growth cycle, causing the hair to go dormant, and the new hair has a slipper tip as it emerges and thickens as it grows to its preprogrammed full length.  Then it is shed and goes dormant again.  Over time waxing may damage the root and cause the hair to become more like vellus hair, those thin and lighter colored hairs that cover our body.  Alternatively vellus hair can become terminal or the thicker hairs on our heads, beards and other parts of the body.

Living Well Aging Well in Texoma

Mark your calendars and make sure to attend the Living Well Aging Well in Texoma Expo on June 25, 2010 from 9:30 AM – 4:15 PM at the Life Center Hospital on Gallagher Drive in Sherman.

What’s it all about?

* Free Health Screenings and Exhibits * Informative Seminars * Elder Issues * And More!

Presentations include:

9:30 AM Communicating with your Healthcare Provider by Judy Conner or Volunteering, Community and Faith by Jim Pledger or Elderly Safety Issues Inside and Outside the Home by Lisa Dunlop

10:30 AM RX Drug Plans & Qualifying for Medicare/Medicaid by Benelle Fitts or Spend Smart, Live Well by Marian Ross or Saying Goodbye by Vicky Lindsey

11:30 AM Your Health, Your Responsibility by Todd Whitthorne

12:30 PM Exercise for Life! by Todd Whitthorne

1:30 PM Osteoporosis by Colleen Grafa or Keep Your Mind Young as You Age by Debbie Estes or Caregiver Comfort Thyself by Paula Perkins

2:30 PM Sniff, Sniffle, Itch, ACHOO! by Hunter Richmond or Just Say NO! to Fad Diets by Tori Parks or Who Decides? by Karen Miller

3:30 PM Why Obesity Matters by Tori Parks or Cut the Clutter by Joyce White or Transitioning: What are My Options by Ina Miller

Free Health Screenings include skin, “Fall” Testing, Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, Pulse Ox, Hearing, Memory, Muscle Tension, Dental Screening (6 mos. – 20 yrs.) and more!

We’ll be there checking out your skin and alerting you and informing you about fungal infections or skin cancer or other skin disorders.  Take care of your skin, it is your largest organ and is the primary process for detoxification!  Ask us about it at the Living Well Aging Well in Texoma Expo or come in for a free consultation.

Pottsboro and Lake Texoma Area

The Red River in North Texas was known for being wild, dangerous and the area around Sherman, Denison and Pottsboro was known as Helldorado on the Red River.  The River flooded on a regular basis, affecting farmland, livestock and river traffic.   A short history of the Lake Area can be found on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site telling about old Fort Washita, the Overland Butterfield Stagecoach, the Chisholm and Shawnee Trails, and the building of the dam.  From that article is the following description of the dam,

Denison Dam and Lake Texoma were authorized for construction by the Flood Control Act approved June 28, 1938, (public Law No. 761, 75th Congress, 3rd Session) for flood control and generation of hydroelectric power. The dam, spillway and outlet works were started in August 1939, and completed in February 1944 at a cost of $78,307,000. When completed in 1944, Denison Dam was America’s largest rolled, earth-filled dam. The dam is now the 12th largest in volume in the United States. The project was put into operation for flood control in January 1944. The first hydroelectric turbine was placed in operation in March 1945 and a second unit in September 1949. The power-intake structure will permit future installation of three additional power units.
The lake has crested the dam’s spillway at a height of 640 ft (195.07 m) three times: once in 1957, again in 1990, and most recently on July 7, 2007.

Click here to read more.

When you are in historic downtown Sherman, to visit the Spa or eat at one of our wonderful restaurants, please take time to drive down Travis, Crockett and Walnut Streets and view some of our Victorian Homes.  One of the most remarkable is the home of the Sherman Preservation League.  You can find out about the life and times of the Roberts family, as well as this area by visiting during their open hours or one of their events.  To find out more by visiting their website click here.

Within 30 yards of the Spa you will find the Red River Historical Museum.  Take a few minutes or hours to enjoy their exhibits and find out even more about the history of our area.  The website can be found by clicking here.  One of my favorite projects concerns Sophia Suttonfield Aughinbaugh Coffee Butt Porter.  Well known because of the Sophie Porter series with Joanna Clark portraying Sophie and other local players portraying her husbands.  Here is a link to a recent article and information about the series. You can also visit her cabin at the Loy Lake Frontier Village in Denison, Texas.

Always something new to learn about the deep history and characters of the Helldorado on the Red that is now known as Pottsboro, Sherman and Denison, Texas and Calera, Ardmore and Tishomingo, Oklahoma!

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