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By Kate Hanley

If you have already cut back on lattes, shopped your closet, and started that home yoga practice, all in an effort to trim your budget, monthly spa treatments will hardly enjoy top billing on your necessary-expenses list. Still, if you can possibly swing it, a well-chosen spa treatment can provide irreplaceable benefits to your body and your mind. “A professional facial, even once a season, makes a huge difference in your skin,” says Pamela Clum, founder of Plum Botanicals and Kisu Skincare. “It helps correct any damage, feeds the skin much-needed nutrients, and provides profound relaxation.”

The rub? An older woman’s requisite microdermabrasion could be a younger woman’s recipe for irritation. So if you’re watching your pennies, you’ll want to make sure you get what your face needs—not your daughter’s or your mother’s. To help you get the most out of your time at the spa, we consulted several holistic beauty professionals to develop a guide to spa treatments by age group—including some you can do at home for a fraction of the cost.

The carefree years: 25 to 35
With a busy work, family, and social schedule, you most likely skimp on your self-care: You pack as much as possible into your day, eat whatever you can get your hands on, and then forget to wash your face before falling into bed. Because so much of your skin’s future vitality depends on how you treat it now, you should focus on establishing a skincare regimen that emphasizes daily sun protection and regular spa treatments that favor deep cleaning.

At the spa: Deep-cleaning facial treatments can make up for any lapses in your home skincare routine—and keep your skin vibrant—by using mild enzyme peels made of acids from berries, pumpkin, and papaya. “The enzymes break down the outermost layer of dead skin so that it sloughs off, unclogging pores and revealing the new skin beneath,” Clum explains. If you have very sensitive skin, she says, skip the peel in favor of soothing masks of chamomile, rose, and aloe vera that calm the skin.
Try this at home: A combination of Dead Sea salts (to slough off dry skin and stimulate circulation) and organic chamomile (to soothe your nervous system) makes The Body Deli’s Island Ginger Body Scrub ($28, 16 oz; thebodydeli.com ) a particularly delicious whole-body exfoliator. If you are prone to redness or have sensitive skin, Julie Gabriel, author of The Green Beauty Guide (HCI, 2008), suggests making a gentler, all-over body scrub out of quick-cook oats, warm filtered water, and a dollop of honey to exfoliate and moisturize. “You can use this scrub on your face as well, including around the eye area,” she says.

The emotional roller coaster years: 35 to 45
The hormonal changes associated with menstruation, pregnancy, and birth control can trigger breakouts; previous sun damage can manifest as spots of hyperpigmentation; and the stress of working, raising kids, or both can aggravate inflammatory skin conditions such...

Author: Kate Hanley

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