'Ahhhh' Is for Aromatherapy
A winter-weary columnist discovers head-to-toe pampering at Royal Oak’s Douglas J Institute.
When my elderly mother suffered a health crisis in January, I suddenly found myself in the role of part-time caregiver. Since then, the spaces in my day planner have been crammed with Mom’s doctor appointments, follow-up visits to her pacemaker clinic and interviews with visiting nurses.
These days, it's tough to schedule time for my own dental appointments, not to mention the guilty pleasure of a manicure.
Like most women I know, I've never felt comfortable putting self-care at the top of my to-do list. But this month, my husband insisted that I book an appointment for some pampering.
“It’s time to take care of the caregiver,” he said, reminding me that he’d purchased a Groupon discount for Royal Oak’s Douglas J Aveda Institute last year. He also reminded me that the Groupon had an expiration date – just like I did. Wise husband that he is, he stopped short of pointing out the dark circles forming under my eyes.
That's how I ended up happily cocooned in a terrycloth bathrobe in one of Douglas J’s sage-green treatment rooms.
The sensory journey begins
The Douglas J Aveda Institute is a cosmetology school offering a full menu of discounted beauty and spa services, from on-trend hair styling to body waxing. For my visit two weeks ago, I chose the Elemental Nature facial and pedicure, both of which employ heady doses of Aveda’s legendary aromatherapy.
Jessica Busuito, the student assigned to give my facial and pedicure, invited me to take a seat in her treatment room while she filled a metal bowl with water for my feet. (I was surprised to learn that a foot soak and massage are also included with the facial.)
A scented candle flickered on a nearby table stacked with thick white towels. Meanwhile, the obligatory spa music – Native American flute and new-age piano – wafted through the hallway beyond my curtained treatment room. It occurred to me that the modern Asian ambiance of Royal Oak’s Douglas J could easily hold a candle to some of the pricier professional spas I’ve sampled on vacations.
Better yet, this escape was less than a 10-minute drive from my house.
While my feet soaked in the sudsy water, Busuito, who will graduate from the institute this spring, asked a few questions about my medical history and skin-care concerns. The information I shared would be used to help her prepare the products for my facial, she explained.
Once I was comfortably positioned on the massage table, Busuito began what the Aveda folks call “a sensory journey.” Waving a variety of essential oil samples under my nose, one at a time, she asked which scent I preferred. I didn’t care much for the heavier aromas of patchouli or ylang-ylang.
But at the first whiff of tangerine, I felt the stress of the previous week begin to lift. “The oil that appeals to you today will be used in some of the preparations for your facial,” Busuito added. “Next time, you might choose a different fragrance.”
My hourlong facial also included a hand massage as well as special attention to my neck and chest.
Though Busuito performed all of the spa services by herself – and did a very professional job – her support instructors periodically stopped by to check her progress. This is standard procedure at all Douglas J Institutes, which are part of a statewide Academy of Cosmetology founded by Douglas and Sharon Weaver in 1986. The academy partnered with Aveda in 1993.
“Our students are very enthused about what they’ve learned, so they’re motivated to do their best,” explained Catherine Bronson, Busuito’s esthiology instructor.
A holistic experience
During my session, I got a short course in aromatherapy and Aveda’s holistic approach to skin care. As Bronson pointed out, the spa treatments at Douglas J combine physiological and psychological benefits – and nothing synthetic is used in the treatments.
"We're high touch versus high tech," Bronson said, noting that each essential oil has a different function, from stress-relief to rejuvenation.
Bronson also explained why the Elemental Nature facial always begins with a foot soak and peppermint scrub.
“The two universal stress points are the head and the feet,” she said. “Feet take the most abuse, so treating your feet first is a way of grounding you so that you’ll begin to relax for the rest of the facial.”
The Elemental Nature pedicure, which was done in the nail salon next to the spa rooms, was equally refreshing. I kicked back in a reclining chair with a cinnamon-scented neck pillow while Busuito filed and polished my toes to sandal-worthy perfection. Joseph Moraniec, another support educator, checked my pedicure and refilled my tea.
My Elemental Nature facial and pedicure – priced at $37 and $35, respectively – were a bargain. (Gratuities are not accepted.) I ended up with a fresher complexion, smoother feet and a much brighter outlook on life.
Best of all, for two blissful hours, I hadn’t given a thought to cardiologists or pacemaker clinics or anything else on my to-do list.
Chances are, if you’re raising children or caring for an elderly parent, you’re also finding it hard to carve out time for self-care and pampering. So I’m here to assist if you need someone to sign your permission slip.
As author and therapist Brene Brown advised in one of her motivational talks: “We can’t practice compassion with others if we can’t treat ourselves kindly.” Copy that in your day planner.
