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Mpls St Paul Magazine
October 2003
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The New Spas
24 Top spots to rejuvenate, heal, and soothe.
By Jayne Haugen Olson and Rhonda Jackson, Photography by Alli Jagoda
 Not too long ago if you wanted a unique beauty treatment or spa environment, you’d head to the coasts. Spas were places to “getaway.” Today, spa services are a regular part of our health and beauty regimens. National magazine articles still highlight hot spa trends in Miami, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. But there’s no doubt that things have changed in the Twin Cities. And not just from a service standpoint. Spa service has changed because we’ve changed. It’s a mindset too. Before, we perceived a spa as a place for “pampering”—it was about “treating yourself” and indulging. Now it’s about necessity. We’re looking for (wanting!) facial and body treatments that heal, energize, detoxify, and exfoliate for a complete feeling of renewal. Though the experience is pleasurable and could qualify as an indulgence—more and more of us (women and men) are taking a proactive approach, dedicating time and money to caring for our bodies—bodies we intend to keep for a long time.
So what’s happening on the Twin Cities spa scene? We recruited a veteran of the beauty business, Rhonda Jackson, a commercial hair and makeup stylist, to help us navigate the landscape and shed some light on the unique services—and spas—available here. We also asked her to select some of her favorite beauty products available locally so you can follow through on your newfound commitment at home. And while we were out talking to pros, we got a little crazy and decided to untangle the hair salon world and find the answer to our question: Has everyone in this town worked for Horst? (See our chart on page 88.) We also couldn’t ignore the smash success of Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, so we sent our own straight guy Steve Marsh out for a special Schmidty’s vs. Schmidty’s report. There’s no doubt about it—looking good and feeling great is in.
—J. H. O.
The New Spas
See if you can follow us on this one. Yesterday’s beauty salons are today’s spas. Yesterday’s spas are today’s wellness centers. Yesterday’s beauty services are today’s health rituals. The lines have blurred. Spas have become havens for personal renewal, providing a complete wellness experience and offering services that range from oxygen facials that push pure oxygen back into the skin to revive and stimulate to hydro treatments that use the power of H2O to relieve tension, aches, and pains. Our lives and environment are more complicated. We battle hormones, illnesses, stress, sun damage, air pollution, and age. As our needs have changed, so have our health and beauty services. Even something as simple as a spa manicure and pedicure has evolved into a blissful healing experience. Today’s spas push the envelope, offering one-of-a-kind services that go beyond a basic massage or facial. We found a collection of hip, haute, and holistic salons, spas, and boutiques in the Twin Cities that reflect this new aesthetic.
The Salonspa Marriage
The fusion of salon and spa in the Twin Cities began two decades ago when Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Horst salons and AVEDA, decided that every man, woman, and child should experience a scalp, neck, and shoulder massage before his or her hair was shampooed, cut, and styled. Today’s new “not your mother’s beauty parlor” breed of salons not only offers cut and color services, but facials, massage, manicures, pedicures, waxing, and brow and lash tinting—as well as top-shelf beauty products. We say, good. Because who the heck has time to criss-cross our bumper-to-bumper freeways (causing more stress) to get a decent facial? There’s something comforting about one-stop salonspas—your name is known, you’re near home, and the outcome is less intimidating.
Spa treatments fall into a few categories: massage, body, facials, nails, and waxing. Standout salons offer more depth within each of these categories (such as microdermabrasion facials) and have added specialized equipment (such as Vichy showers). On our quest for the standouts—some big, some hidden gems—we were downright impressed by what’s happening in our metro salons. Some offer such a breadth of treatments we didn’t know if we should bump them up to the spa category or keep them here with their snipping siblings.
New Reflections SpaSalon. This is an AVEDA concept spa utilizing AVEDA’s line of skin care products. Treatments here are referred to as “rituals,” and guests select a personalized aroma to add to the sensory experience of each treatment. Besides La Stone massage, lymphatic drainage massage, and Neti (sinus-cleansing) massage, you’ll find AVEDA Hydrotherm ($50–$80), which incorporates warm-water–filled mattresses, an exclusive service offered through AVEDA salonspas. Facial treatments can be customized by adding an AVEDA Eye Zone treatment, reflexology, or warm-oil scalp massage. Body treatments include Vichy hydrotherapies to focus on tension release and aroma steam therapies to focus on detoxification.
New Reflections Salon: 3530 Vicksburg Lane, Plymouth, 763-559-3185, www.newreflectionssalon.com
This feature has not been edited or updated since its original publication. (Ocotber 2003)
Jayne Haugen Olson is a senior editor of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Rhonda Jackson is a Minneapolis-based makeup artist. For more information on Mpls St Paul Magazine visit: www.mspmag.com
Visit:
NEW REFLECTIONS SPA SALON
Plymouth Town Center 3530 Vicksburg Lane
Plymouth Minnesota 55447
NEW REFLECTIONS SPA SALON
Ridgedale Center
12351 Wayzata Blvd.
Minnetonka, MN 55305
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