Spa at Willow Bend Blog

Anderson & Sheppard Saville Row

I just got back from the London hotel in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. During a shower, I thought about how boutique-y and unique my hotel experience was both in terms of service and physical outlay of the space. I could see that a lot of thought and effort had been made to creating a very interesting, modern and invigorating environment. That led me to think about how our spa fulfills many of those criteria.

Most high-end spas are part of a larger chain so that you don’t attain a very unique experience when you go there. Ours is truly one of a kind with every little nuance that was built out, customized for our place. In fact, we gutted every single wall from the old spa (which I did not own or manage) leaving only the men’s sauna fully intact from the old experience. This attention to detail to create the ultimate in a boutique experience was intended to offer our clients a purposefully unique time when they come to visit us.

As much effort as I have put into this website over the past two weeks, I have done so with a singular purpose in mind: make this website the best spa website on the planet. Obviously, the essence of a spa must be experienced by coming to the spa. However, this website is intended to fulfill two important objectives: creating a virtual experience and providing extensive education. As far as the former goal in mind, I created 12 video tours of the spa so that I could literally hand walk you through the space to show you both the physical environment as well as the wonderful and unique services that are available. Second, I created 21 virtual Quicktime 360 degree tours that allow you to immerse yourself in each room and experience it as a preview before coming.

With the second goal in mind, I have focused on one of our primary missions, which is to educate the public on the uniqueness of our services and what those services can provide for you at every level, including aesthetic improvements, relaxation, rejuvenation, and detoxification. It is very hard to enter our spa environment and be educated in a short timeframe, i.e., during your visit. Some preparatory planning by reviewing our blogs and our demos/tutorials will help in providing a foundation of knowledge to make your choices of what services would be best for you even before you come through our doors. That way you can discuss with your service providers more in depth about what they have to offer. I also think being educated can be an entertaining experience, as I have tried to do when making the videos. I hope you enjoy and also attain some valuable information from this website, and my spa staff and I look forward to visiting with you and taking care of you the next time you are in our spa!

Plano Spa Event

I just got around to adding photos that I took from our event last Thursday for those who are interested. Here is a link to the photos. Hope you like my amateur shots.

Best,
Samuel M. Lam, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Spa Owner

Plano Spa Event

We had a remarkable turnout on Thursday night at our Sip and See Infomart. I would like to thank in particular Linda Youngblood, our spa director, for her diligent and tireless work to make the event a successful one. I know many individuals from our spa and outside of it also contributed their expertise, time, and talent to make the event a truly memorable one. I felt the time just flew by, as I had a blast myself. For a video of our event, please click here.

Thanks to all,
Samuel M. Lam, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Spa Owner

Spa Owner

Meditation at the Spa at Willow Bend

I felt after writing yesterday’s blog on “The Issue is in the Tissue” I did not want to give short shrift to the effect that our wellness spa treatments can have on our inner mind, soul, and spirit more directly. Many times, spa services are looked at as an extravagance rather than as a necessity. Sure, we could live without them unlike food, water, and air. However, as much as sleep recharges us, spa therapies are precisely that, therapies to recharge us. I have made it a point to have at least a spa treatment once a week if not more often to get my brain in alignment.

In our workaday society and with the current stresses in the economy, we tend not to have a constructive outlet for our concerns. We do not have an oasis to put our worries. As mentioned yesterday, those worries lie embedded in your tissues. However, beyond those constraints, they also rest in your mind and spirit. We oftentimes also rush in to have a spa therapy then rush out. That is fine if that is all the time you have but that is not how I designed our spa. You can spend a luxurious time (without extra cost) in our sauna, showers, relaxation room, etc. so that your mind can more easily transition to our core spa therapies. You can also work with adjunctive therapies: a foot detox, an oxygen facial, an oxygen inhalation treatment, a body wrap, hydrotherapy, etc.

What stimulated this blog was reading Chopra’s book Why God is Laughing that I mentioned stimulated yesterday’s blog. I realized by just covering the issue in the tissue that I failed to really focus on a core element to our spiritual and mental path toward a newfound freedom from life’s fears and struggles, that is quiet meditation. During your treatment, try as I have mentioned not to talk (too much) but try to focus and open your mind. As Chopra says, this is not just entering a negative space but truly a time for focus and renewal. I hope you can enjoy this wonderful time and get yourself renewed so that you can plunge ahead with life’s challenges with more vigor, vim, and fortitude.

Best wishes,
Samuel M. Lam, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Deepak Chopra

I just finished reading Deepak Chopra’s book, Why is God Laughing?, and I like what he had to say about our path to spiritual enlightenment and to rid ourselves of the shackles of fear. He talked about not only letting your spirit and mind go through a process of purification but also your body. Anger, fear, and resentment can be literally stored in the body. We tend to focus on allowing our minds to be clear but oftentimes we hold a trembling and stiff fear in our body muscles and body tissues. As Chopra says, “The Issue is in the Tissue”. When you have a massage, a body wrap, a shirodhara treatment, Japanese foot detox, etc., your body can be released of the toxins that are stored there. I know that besides my reflexology treatment on Saturday, my hydrotherapy bath was unique and wonderful in terms of its relaxing properties. I slept better that night than I have in a long time. Come to our spa and remove the “issue in your tissue.”

Best wishes,
Samuel M. Lam, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Spa Owner

Our Relaxation Room

I have spent the past two weeks vigorously and tirelessly updating this spa site to the level that I wanted it to be but did not have the time to execute on given my time constraints over the summer.  We still have a few more things that I want to do but the bulk of what I wanted done has been accomplished.  I put together a single 18-minute video tour of the spa facility and services, which i then broke into 11 separate mini videos for those whose attention span may be a bit truncated or who desire to focus only on the services that interest them.  Here is the direct link to the spa video tours for easy access.

As most of you know, I believe that the quality of a spa experience lies in as much as the services provided as the physical quality of the space. The Ritz Carlton is known for its premier services but if it did not look like the Ritz Carlton but instead the Holiday Inn, I am afraid that it would only qualify as the Holiday Inn. I have put together 21 separate Quicktime virtual tours (sorry you will have to download Quicktime to view them) in which you can pan 360 degrees around each and every room and hallway in our spa so that you can preview your experience or share your experience with your friend before your friend comes in. Because I have a lot of out-of-town patients who come in to use my spa, I think the virtual tours can be particularly helpful to get them to be better acquainted with what we have to offer. Here is a link to my virtual tours of our plano spa.

Also, I hired a photographer (several, actually) who could not convey the warmth and feeling that I wanted so, guess what, I shot the spa myself. I worked to convey some drama with my lighting and models as well as capture the ambience that our spa experience offers, which is nirvana (no, not the Seattle band) but the feeling of enlightenment, peace, relaxation, and revitalization. For a view of the photos that I shot, here is the link to my plano spa photographs. I hope you like them.

Lastly, but certainly not leastly, I would like to welcome to the helm of our wellness spa ship, Linda Youngblood, who has courageously and diligently taken over this new and exciting venture. Our team continues to expand and grow in many exciting ways. For new changes to our team, including an incredible aesthetician and permanent-makeup artist, visit back frequently to check out the updates to our plano spa team.

What is a Sudatonic Body Wrap?

The French Sudatonic System is the most advanced body wrap available in the Spa Industry. Not only does it provide the relaxing benefits of FAR Infrared heat, but it also targets a universal problem for women…cellulite.  But as you know, most clients are looking for more than just losing a few dimples, and the Sudatonic System helps deliver those desired results! 

The Sudatonic System is known for it’s 3 step program:  1)  Proprietary Blended Creams, 2) Advanced Cellulite Massage Technique combined with our unique lymphatic drainage and  3)  FAR Infrared Heat (FIR).  The combination of these 3 steps enable the Sudatonic System to stand out among other body treatments available.  The Sudatonic System has been called an Advanced Body Wrap or Cellulite Massage by technicians… and Heaven on Earth by clients.  So, whatever you need to call it, it is amazing!

How does FAR Infrared Heat benefit us?

As the body temperature rises by infrared heat, perspiration occurs and blood circulation increases. The muscles and organs are stimulated and toxic waste (fat, heavy metals and other toxic materials) is removed from your body through perspiration.

One of Far Infrared light’s characteristics is the ability to easily penetrate human tissue. When this happens, it creates a natural resonance, which has many beneficial properties.  Do you remember the last time you were out in the sun and applied sunscreen?  Were you still hot?   Of course you were because the sunscreen only stops the UV (Ultraviolet) light from hitting your skin.

You can be exposed to Far Infrared heat for hours and it will never cause your skin to burn. Far Infrared heat is completely healthy and safe for all living things

How Sudatonic Body Wrap Works?

As the body heats up it tires to sweat in order to cool itself. The creams form a second skin, making the process more difficult and requiring more energy.

Shirodhara – “shiro” head “dhara” flow

Shirodhara is a form of  Ayurveda medicine that involves gently pouring liquids over the forehead-the thrid eye. It was developed by vaidyas -practitionars of Ayurveda – in India, for use in restorative therapy and can be one of the steps involved in Panchakarma.The name comes from the Sanskrit words shiras ‘head’ and dhara ‘flow’. The liquids used in shirodhara depend on what is being treated, but can include oil, milk, buttermilk, coconut water, or even plain water.

Shirodhara has been used to treat a variety of conditions including eye diseases, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, greying of hair, neurological disorders, memory loss, insomnia, hearing impairment, vertigo, and certain types of skin diseases like psoriasis. It is also used non-medicinally at spas for its relaxing properties.

Here at the Spa at Willow Bend we go through all the Shirodhara steps, including reflexology, scalp massage and hot stones taking our clients to a new dimension in relaxation and well-being.

Speaking to men now, the rules and steps for cleansing and every other aspects of your skin-care regime are exactly the same as they are for a woman; the only difference is the shaving foam, cream, or gel used. As is true for every skin-care step, gentle is the supreme rule. A gentle shave product is one that contains no skin irritants of any kind; preferably, it is fragrance-free and does not contain any menthol, peppermint, alcohol, lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, eucalyptus, camphor, or mint. Your skin will feel and look better once you keep away from ingredients that can hurt and damage your skin.

Along with the need to use a gentle shaving foam, cream, or gel, it is equally essential to use a gentle aftershave. At the point when you’re finished shaving, it’s even more important to avoid the same ingredients listed above (and in the blog “How to Be Gentle”). Now that the skin has been abraded with a razor it is critical to not cause further irritation. The entire concept of razor burn is actually a misnomer, the burn does not come from the razor, but rather from the skin-care routine most men use on a daily basis.

What is a gentle aftershave? The bad news is that there are virtually no men’s aftershave products that are free of irritants. They are all filled to the brim with fragrance, alcohol, and almost every other irritating ingredient you can think of. To that end, the best aftershave product a man can use (and this may surprise you) is a traditional irritant-free toner. Look for a toner that is well formulated that has a supply of antioxidants, water binding agents and/or cell communicating ingredients.  All these elements help create and maintain healthy radiant skin.

After you are done shaving, it is best to follow the general guidelines for the skin-care routine for your skin type. However, as a basic routine, regardless of skin type, everyone needs a gentle, water-soluble cleanser, a gentle shave product (foam, cream, or gel) followed by a gentle toner). Then, during the day, use a well-formulated sunscreen with an SPF 15 or greater that contains the UVA-protecting ingredients of avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide, and at night use a lightweight moisturizer wherever you have dry skin.

So gents, book your appointment or simply drop by at The Spa at Willow Bend and don’t worry about the rest. We are here to cater to all of your skin-care needs.

Live with Passion!

Esthetically yours,

Connie & Rania