One of my pet peeves about visiting a spa is what I call the “beauty gauntlet”. I know we’re supposed to go there to relax and feel good, but I have built up a resistance to the process of getting there and leaving. Some folks look great after a massage or facial. They have that perfect hair that looks a little sexy when it’s mussed up. But I have the kind of hair that turns to a Brillo pad after an hour or so on the table. And after that awesome head massage…bam…the only glam star I resemble is Side Show Bob from “The Simpsons”.
I dislike that right around the foot massage (my favorite part) I’m distracted by the fact that I’m still trying to plot out my escape route past the product display and the waiting room filled with perfectly “un-mussed” clients.
Going to a spa should be a fully relaxing experience. I don’t want to run through the spa “beauty gauntlet”. I want to enter privately and leave even more privately. I want the experience to be between me and my trusted therapist and perhaps a supportive friend. This was what I envisioned when we were starting “Munjoyous…Your Neighborhood Oasis”. Folks can show up just as they are and have a comfortable experience with just the plain old Pitchers.
The Ayurvedic Face, Scalp and Foot treatment is an experience reflexing to the entire body. It uses the ancient wisdom of Indian healing to help transform the body and mind. After this treatment, clients feel relaxed, not only on a physical level, but on a mental level.
At Munjoyous….Your Neighborhood Oasis, we use a series of oils carefully formulated based on ancient Indian wisdom. Our products come from Organic India and Amritapuri Ashram located in Kerala, India.
The treatment begins with a vigorous scalp massage that activates energetic centers on the head, beginning the process of deep relaxation. It also leaves your hair vibrant.
Another warmed oil is massaged up and down the spine and around the sacrum, activating the nervous system (Vata energy). This stroke enhances self-awareness.
Then, an oil formulated with carefully processed herbal extracts known in India for their life giving properties to facial skin and tissue is massaged into the face in a series of very specific strokes that support respiration, mental ease, and lymph movement.
Following the massage, a face wash mask is applied. This mask is made from mineral rich purified clays and other native Indian ingredients. It gently exfoliates, while relaxing facial muscles. Naturally antiseptic herbs work deeply into the skin pores and epidermal layers to remove dirt, toxins and make-up.
While the mask does its magic, you receive another stimulating scalp massage, along with a shoulder, neck and hand massage, designed to deepen your inner peace.
Another carefully formulated mask is applied that is specifically oriented to your individual skin needs. While that mask nourishes and heals, you receive a foot massage using Ayurvedic techniques and carefully formulated traditional Indian oil. The purpose of the foot massage is to stimulate nerve and energy centers on the feet. The massage is invigorating and stimulating.
Once the final mask is removed, the face is massaged again with particular attention to massaging specific energy points on the face known as marma points. These points are believed to be “the subtle junctions between consciousness and matter”, thus helping to bring you to a level of deeper, more profound consciousness.
A sweet and satisfying mist of rose essential oil completes this amazing treatment that you can receive now at Munjoyous…Your Neighborhood Oasis. Call now for an appointment or email us at [email protected]
My clients frequently ask me how often they should get a facial. My answer always varies based on their individual skincare needs, but generally, it is certainly okay to get a facial once a month. If you are doing a series, like micro current or LED light, you can come even more frequently.
I also realize many of my clients don’t have the financial luxury for such frequent facials. For that situation, I suggest a facial at the end of each season.
At the end of autumn, facials are awesome to add vitality and glow for the holidays. At the end of winter, it’s great to get a facial to renew skin that has been battered by cold and dryness. After spring, it’s great to prep skin for summer with a facial before the sun gets so high and hot.
But the absolute best time to get a facial is in the fall. A deep cleanse will strip away all that build up of sunscreen and sweat and a peel will stimulate cell renewal for increased collagen and elastin..
A Munjoyous facial always includes peel, a mask and three massages. Call today 207-956-7780 or email us at [email protected]
When I ask clients about their skincare routine, I frequently get a sinking response. “Oh, I just use the soap I use on my body.” or “I never wash my face at night.” So often, I can see in their responses that they’re not really satisfied with their routine.
When I was first asked that question by my skin school teacher, my answer was pretty much the same, but her concerned reaction helped me to realize that I needed to start taking better care of my face.
I get it! I totally understand the reluctance to splash water on my face and all over my pajamas right before bed. Just keep it simple, right? The end of the day isn’t always the easiest time to practice impeccable skincare.
I’ve got a great little routine. It takes less than five minutes and it actually feels good. First, I squeeze just a dab of Munjoyous Foaming Aloe and Soapberry Face Wash onto my fingertips. Add a dash of water and foam it all up on just my fingertips. I wash and while the delightful scents of rose, lavender, ylang-ylang and chamomile suffuse my face, I rub it all over in little massaging circles. While I’m doing the massaging, I’m heating up the hot water. I have a bunch of little face sized wash cloths. I get one wet and m-m-m-m-m (We call this the love-love towel). Then a spritz of Munjoyous Rose toner and a little Munjoyous Hydra Boost Face Cream with healing calendula and I’m ready for bed….free of guilt!
I’ve got great face wash, face scrub, toners and moisturizers at Munjoyous…Your Neighborhood Oasis. Check out our price list at Munjoyous.com.
I really love non-invasive skin care treatments like microcurrent. LED light is another treatment that gives your skin new energy and promotes cell renewal.
Receiving LED light treatment is a great add on to a facial at Munjoyous…Your Neighborhood Oasis. It’s a simple process involving shining patches of light on sections of your face It’s painless, but profoundly effective. I brought my light along with me when we were traveling in the car and gave myself daily treatments. I miss those days! My skin was looking awesome.
It’s not laser treatments. LED light uses lower energy and the rays are diffused and unfocused. It’s not sun light. LED light does not have the damaging UV rays that come from sun. LED light works by triggering a cellular response in your skin cells. It’s especially helpful for improving fine lines and sagging that occurs with aging due to the slowed reproduction of elastin and collagen. Did you know that every year after 30, 1% of our elastin and collagen reproduction is diminished? LED red and amber light triggers cell energy that creates elastin and collagen.
Inflammation! There I said it. It’s a chronic problem for us. From eating sugar, exposure to toxins, alcohol, stress…you name it and it probably causes inflammation. Inflammation influences the aging process and skin is affected in several ways by inflammation. But LED light therapy reduces inflammation. Yahoo!
There are some other benefits too.. In addition to reduced inflammation there is improved circulation, which pulls toxins away from the skin and flushes them out in the blood. Accelerated healing too. Blue LED light is antibacterial and is used effectively to treat acne. Red and Amber LED light minimizes the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles immediately by causing a plumping effect in the skin. It also helps to prevent environmental damage and gives your skin radiant glow, Glow is good.
There are lots of things we can do for our complexions that don’t involve painful invasive medical treatments. LED light is a great option in a facial. Call Munjoyous…Your Neighborhood Oasis today and schedule your LED light treatment. Call 207-956-7780
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One of the hardships of being a massage therapist and receiving massages is the difficulty of finding a great therapist. There is a big difference between intentional touch and “just being rubbed”, as one of my massage friends likes to say.
I’m constantly trying to improve my touch awareness. And trying to feel how the muscle, the body and the energy responds to touch.
Practicing intentional touch in my own work, makes me acutely aware of how it feels to have someone not adjust pressure or just endlessly bump over a knot in a muscle.
I’ve received a good share of “being rubbed” in Asia, and in the US. Since Thai massage is very common, (there were literally rows of massage studios on every street we visited) it was not unusual to see a therapist giving a massage while chatting on her phone or talking to another therapist. When deciding on where to go, my trick is usually to selfishly send John first and get a review from him.
After receiving an awesome Thai massage (on John’s recommendation) from Sae at Friends Massage, in Chiang Mai, we decided to take a three day class. We did our research and found a reputable, well reviewed school called, Sabai De Ka.
Our teacher, Na, was delightful and abundant with both humor and knowledge about her craft. The first thing she did was apologize for her English, which I assured her was 99.9% better than my Thai.
Thai massage is performed over loose clothing and involves a lot more stretches and compressions rather than the long strokes of the Swedish technique. It has been used for centuries and was originally taught in the temples. There is no oil used other than the occasional salve for a tight muscle.
The course covered all the techniques for a full Thai Massage, but adapted for a table, since traditionally it is done on a mat on the floor. We wanted to be able to integrate it with our other types of massage, so we opted for the table course.
I really like how Thai massage encourages the therapist to use her whole body to improve stretches. It’s not unusual to use a foot for better leverage for a stretch. Since it uses a lot of stretches, a therapist needs to listen to the body and the client to make sure the stretch is just right. The wonderful massage I received from Sae, at Friends Massage, used experienced intuitive touch to not overstretch my wonky shoulders. Even with a huge language barrier, she was able to feel when a stretch was a little too intense and she easily adapted.
Our teacher, Na, also had to be intuitive about our techniques, constantly helping us to adapt and change for our clients. A phrase that I heard regularly was, “You no flexible. You go like this” and then she would teach us some adaptation to the technique.
Thai massage involves lots of repetition, so we were taught to use 10-30 repetitions of a particular move. Of course, we had limited time, so sometimes, when we worked on each other, we would shorten the repetitions considerably, which was typically accompanied with my favorite line of all time, “Mr. JOHN, your wife have great body, you no cheat her!” I can assure you that John will be hearing that phrase for a long time to come!
All together, we learned enough techniques to give a 4 hour Thai massage. We obviously have many hours of practice ahead to master these new techniques, but we are both excited about integrating lots of these techniques into our practice and offering our most authentic Thai Massage when we return home.
Keep an eye out at our website for this new offering. We hope to be ready to offer full Thai Massage sessions soon.
Tired of puffiness? Wondering what is going on when some days you wake up and your face is dull and puffy and other days you look great?
Lymph is what is going on. Our bodies use lymph to remove waste. Waste products are carried away from the tissues and back to the heart where they are then sent to the kidneys and liver for detoxification.
Lymph doesn’t move by itself. It depends on the movement and contractions of muscles to circulate through the body. That’s why the lymphatic drainage massage in the detoxifying Munjoyous facial is such a rich part of the treatment. This gentle pressure moves lymph toward the lymph nodes so that it can be balanced.
The Detoxifying Munjoyous Facial includes:
- A deep cleanse that includes a facial steam with detoxifying herbs including ginger root, rosemary, allspice, eucalyptus and cloves.
- A gentle enzyme peel.
- A lymphatic neck, shoulder and face massage using a lymphatic detoxifying seaweed gel.
- An acupressure point facial massage using detoxifying ayurvedic oils
- Finally a rich purified clay mask is applied while you receive a mini-reflexology foot massage.
This healing treatment will leave you glowing both inside and out!
BOOK NOW! Or get more details. . [email protected]