Fox News Magazine featured Shizuka!

Shizuka’s Tips

Read more:  http://magazine.foxnews.com/style-beauty/spring-cleaning-your-skin#ixzz2O5R3trfr

Botox for Migraines

Popularly, Botox is known to temporarily improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the face and neck, as well as contribute to pore and sweat reduction.

But did you know, Botox is also a widespread solution for treating headache pain for chronic migraine sufferers? This FDA approved procedure works to block or lessen the irritation across nerve endings that lead to migraine pain.

Injection sites vary from person to person, but are primarily located around the face, forehead, and back of head and neck.

Although its true cause remains a mystery, chronic migraines are usually the byproduct of genetics, environmental or hormonal triggers. Botox treatment can significantly lessen the need for and/or dosage of oral medication or other therapies. But please note, Botox is merely a pain management option and not a cure.

Learn more about Botox for migraines by setting up a consultation with one of our doctors at our Medical Spa >>

Shizuka featured on Limoneira.com!

Shizuka was featured in the New York Beauty section of the Limoneira Company’s website. Limoneira, founded in 1893, is an agricultural company in California with nearly 8,000 acres of land dedicated to the production of lemons, avocados, and other specialty crops.

Play the video to hear Shizuka’s lemon juice recipe for dull or damaged hair.

The recipe is also included below:

You’ll Need:

¾ cup olive oil

½ cup raw honey

3 tbsp lemon juice

Combine all three ingredients and set it aside. After shampooing hair, towel dry and apply lemon juice mixture evenly throughout hair. Cover with plastic cap for ½ hour, then shampoo and rinse hair slowly.

Easy Fixes for Dry or Damaged Hair

Cold air can really stress out hair, regardless of your hair type. Consider the following easy fixes to keep your locks moisturized throughout the winter months:

• Styling break: The heat from blow dryers, curling irons and flat irons can leave hair looking dry and brittle. Apply a styling cream while your hair is still damp and lower the heat level on your styling tools. Also, consider letting your hair air dry once in a while to give it a day off from the heat.

• Brush before bed: Brushing hair helps spread out oils from your scalp.

• Lessen shampoo: Too much shampooing can dry out the scalp and hair. When you shampoo, rub just the scalp allowing the lather to run down hair. When using conditioner, apply only to ends, not the scalp.

• Fatty treatment: Hair loves the fatty acids found in foods like avocado, salmon and olive oil. These natural oils can help moisturize a dry scalp.

Green Tea Eye De-Puffer

You may remember our blog post earlier this year about the many health benefits of green tea, but did you know green tea can also help soothe puffy eyes– fast?

After steeping two bags of green tea, let them cool (or stick them in the refrigerator), then place over eyes for 5 minutes. The Vitamin C, antioxidants and tannin from the green tea will help reduce swelling and tighten skin around the eyes.

Tips for Instant Neck and Shoulder Relief

We’ve all heard the benefits of having good posture, but we may be doing more damage to our posture than we know, especially when sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end each day.

The neck and shoulders are most vulnerable to stress, and when these muscles tighten, other muscles throughout the body weaken leaving the body tired and sore.

Here are a few tips to help relieve neck and shoulder pain before it becomes chronic:

1. Take short break every 30 minutes to stretch your neck and shoulders. This will help keep your body limber.

2. Position your monitor so the top of the screen is at eye level. This way you won’t have to twist and crane your neck as much while typing.

3. Check your posture regularly. Roll your shoulders back, and sit in such a way where your knees are at right angles with both feet comfortably resting flat on the floor.

Need a little help limbering up? Come in during your lunch break for a half hour Head and Shoulder Massage. This spa special combines soothing and healing elements of Shiatsu and Swedish Massage techniques that will leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated! >>

Miso Soup for Healthy Skin

Miso soup, a traditional food staple in Japanese cuisine made from fermented soybeans, while delicious and wholesome, is also great for the skin.

Some benefits include:

- Strengthens immune system
- Prevents aging: high in antioxidants and protects from free radicals
- Provides protein, vitamins B12, B2, E, K.  Miso is also a good source of iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and helps facilitate the body’s absorption of calcium and magnesium
- Promotes supple skin: miso contains linoleic acid which helps your skin stay soft and pigment free

Even today, in some parts of China and Japan drinking miso soup every day is associated with a long, healthy life.

This soup is so versatile you can add your favorite veggies for added flavor and nutrition.

Top Summer Skin Mistake

One of the top summer skin mistakes is incorrectly applying sunscreen. Most sunscreen wearers apply it only once a day but in reality most sunscreens should be reapplied every two hours, or every hour if swimming or sweating. For each application, apply the sunscreen and/or sunblock at least 30 minutes prior to sun exposure and use enough to generously coat any area of the skin not covered by clothing.

Apply sunscreen to children and babies as well, however, babies under 6 months should not be exposed to the sun at all.

Sun protection is serious business–it’s common that most sun-related skin damage occurs by the time we reach 18 years of age.

“Hair is Life”

A recent article featuring Shizuka and our Revage cool laser treatment appeared in Weekly NY Japion Newspaper!

Here are some highlights:

In Japan there’s a saying, Kami wa onna no inochi, which means ‘Hair is Life’. In Japanese culture beautiful hair is an essential part of women’s beauty. So naturally women may become worried if their hair begins to thin or fall out.

In our medical spa we offer a treatment called Revage 670 Laser Hair Rejuvenation which helps hair grow back over the course of a series of treatments and works for both men and women. Doubling this treatment with medicines like Rogaine or Propecia may help hair grow faster, however, this regimen isn’t appropriate for everyone. Consultations with Shizuka are free and are required before this treatment can be administered.

Learn more about Revage 670 here>>

Reflexology for Happy Feet

Has the long winter left your feet tired and achey? Try a little reflexology foot massage to revitalize your tootsies before sandal season hits!

Reflexology is a practice that targets certain areas of the feet and hands with specialized pressure to increase circulation, relieve tension and improve organ function.

A good foot massage will help stimulate the thousands of nerve endings in your feet—keeping your feet (and body) happy and healthy!

Sweeten any spa pedicure by adding 10 extra minutes reflexology for only $20! >>

Stop Water from Running Down Your Arms!

Ever get annoyed when water runs down your arms when washing your face, doing the dishes or cleaning the shower? Well never fear, we’ve got the perfect product here at SHIZUKA NY!

It comes with a FREE custom made “T” stand to keep your cuffs clean and dry. The 4 pair pack is ideal for keeping cuffs at the bathroom sink, kitchen sink and even an extra pair for when you travel!

To use: Simply place cuffs around each wrist, then wash your face, dishes, etc. as usual.

After use: Place cuffs on “T” stand to keep clean and dry.

Product Highlight: Naturopathica’s Rose Geranium Soothing Mist

From IN TOUCH Magazine:
“While Naturopathica’s East Hampton boutique spa pampers the likes of Liv Tyler, Julianne Moore and Meg Ryan, anyone can indulge in their holistic products.”

We use Naturopathica’s Rose Geranium soothing mist in most of our facials here at SHIZUKA NY. This mist helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while it moisturizes, soothes, and enhances skin radiance. The uplifting scent will leave your senses feeling balanced, refreshed and wanting more!

Featured ingredients are: Rose Geranium Flower Water, Geranium Flower Oil, Galactoarabinan (for fine lines and wrinkles).

Order now from our online store >>

How Prioritizing Self Care Can Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

So you’ve made a fabulous list of resolutions this year– GREAT! but some may be asking, “How do I actually make it happen?” The USC School of Social Work explains that most don’t follow through with their plans after three months (see infographic below).

Mari Miyoshi, an occupational therapist and director of the Brain Gym Learning Center NYC, shares how prioritizing self-care can propel you to accomplish more things faster:
“Ensure you participate in activities weekly that bring you ease, and help you relax. By making this a priority, your brain’s electro-chemical activity enhances, allowing you to release stress, rest better and have more energy left over to take on new challenges.

Prioritizing self-care means ensuring you are taking necessary steps to limit the amount of stress (whether it’s emotional, mental, physical, etc.) you feel on a daily basis. As you take conscious steps towards fulfilling your resolutions, the fear of change will quickly turn into the exhilaration you feel after you’ve tried something new.“

How do you plan to keep your resolutions this year? We’d love to hear from you!

Fat Burning Power of Green Tea

The secret of green tea’s health benefits lies in the fact that it’s rich in catechin polyphenols, a powerful anti-oxidant that’s known to (and these are just a few):

1) Inhibit cancer cell growth

2) lower total cholesterol level

3) Slow down the aging process

4) have bacteria-destroying properties that can help prevent food poisoning, dental plaque and promotes odor elimination.

5) be rich in Vitamin C

Green tea also contains caffeine, which gives you a boost and helps burn fat. However, excessive caffeine consumption can cause insomnia or headaches. At Shizuka NY, we serve either green tea or houji tea (roasted green tea) per our clients’ request. Houji tea contains significantly less caffeine, so we recommend choosing this tea for a reduced caffeine option.

Also, we’ve been asked what gives our green tea its rich green color? Well, our tea is a special mixture of finely chopped green tea leaves and matcha. Matcha is powdered tea often used for tea ceremony in Japan (it looks like finely ground coffee beans). Matcha immediately gives the tea an extraordinary bright green color.

On your next visit, please enjoy our tasty teas with rice crackers at Shizuka!

Maintaining Healthy Hair and Scalp

Sometimes we forget that the skin on our scalp needs our love and attention just as much as the skin on our face and bodies — in fact, a healthy scalp means healthy hair!

A scalp massage with nutrient rich scalp serum will nourish your scalp evenly and fully. It may even prove a great way to wind down and relax.

At SHIZUKA NY we incorporate head and scalp massages into most of our facials including: Signature Micro Facial, Classic Facial, Geisha Facial®, Lifting Facial, Lightening Facial, Microcurrent Facial, Ionizing Facial, and Omedeta Maternity Facial.

Request a facial appointment with head and scalp massage here >>

Check out the WebMD Slide show about hair health here >>

Beautiful skin this winter? No sweat!

We all know that a good workout is healthy for our bodies, but did you know a good sweat is just as good for the health of your skin? When you sweat, your pores open up allowing the sweat to carry impurities like bacteria, dead skin cells and toxins from environmental pollution up and out of your pores. One way to give your skin an intense “sweat cleanse” is through hot yoga. Classes are usually 90 minutes long and take place in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, so your pores get a good cleansing (while you simultaneously work on increasing flexibility and muscular strength, of course).

If you want to sweat without the physical activity, check out far infrared saunas. Unlike traditional steam saunas, infrared saunas use the same rays that come from the sun, with the UV rays filtered out. The infrared light heats you up from the inside out, leading you to sweat out impurities while you relax and decompress. We offer 1 hour private infrared sauna sessions that include a steam shower at your perusal. When you purchase 10 sessions up front, you get the 11^th on us.

Check out more information about our Far Infrared Sauna here >>

Request a Sauna appointment here >>

Melt Away the Cold with Paraffin Wax

Skin conditioning during the cold winter months can be an ongoing task, so we like to encourage our clients to try different treatments to find out which works best.

A Paraffin Wax treatment for your hands and feet is an inexpensive, speedy, yet luxurious way to warm and hydrate your skin while relaxing stiff muscles and joints. The wax contains paraffin oil making it softer than, for example, wax used for hair removal. Because it’s softer, the wax melts at lower temperatures, so it won’t burn or blister your skin. Add a Paraffin Wax treatment to your favorite manicure or pedicure or get it on its own for a quick and soothing treatment for your hard-working extremities!

Here’s what our Paraffin Wax treatment entails:

• First our estheticians lightly massage your hands or feet using SpaRitual Organic Moisturizing lotion, with Geranium essential oil.
• Then you will submerge your hands or feet into melted paraffin wax until your skin is generously coated (for feet, the process is slightly different to ensure that hands and feet aren’t dipped into the same wax).
• Your hands or feet are then covered with plastic and then slid into terry cloth mitts to keep the wax warm.
• After about 5 minutes, the process is complete and the wax is removed all at once.

Your skin will feel deeply moisturized and softened without being oily or greasy.

Paraffin Wax treatment by itself:

Aromatherapy Tuesday anyone?

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday and all the days from now til the new year, there’s bound to be some hullabaloo in store for all. We figure there’s always ying and yang right? To temper your holiday excitement, try relaxing your nerves with some aromatherapy. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy says, “Aromatherapy can be defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit.” Some holistic health specialists claim that aromatherapy can help transform anxiety or even depression.

At Shizuka NY we offer an aromatherapy treatment called AromaScape Massage, with three themed options to choose from: Center, Glow and Inspire. Our massage therapists create a wholly calming and intricately crafted experience, combined with massage, to take you away on a journey through your senses. You can also create your own aromatherapy experience wherever you are. Use your favorite essential oils in a diffuser, in the bath, or even throughout the day as perfume.

Here’s a quick list of some more popular scents and their uses (from Oprah.com’s Dr.Oz):

Lemon
Uplifting and relaxing, it can be used as a purification agent in skin cleansing, taken internally to soothe indigestion or as a home deodorizer.

Clary Sage
For pain and insomnia relief, and it can be helpful for balancing hormones. Should be used topically on the skin.

Roman Chamomile
Relaxing, soothing to muscle aches. People often drink chamomile tea for the same reason, but you can drop this essential oil in a cup of hot water or apply it topically to your skin.

Rosemary
Stimulating and uplifting. Taken internally, it helps to promote good digestion and immune health.

Myrrh
Used as an antiseptic, this is my family’s secret weapon against canker sores. Simply swill a mouthful of water plus a drop or two of myrrh in your mouth for 30 seconds twice daily and watch them disappear!

Read more of Dr. Oz’s article on Aromatherapy here >>

Find out more about aromatherapy including safety tips from the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy here >>

Check out our other aromatic products, like our Maddison Avenue soy candles or Alora Ambiance 8 oz. Reed Diffusers (diffusers not sold online) here >>

Reminder from Shizuka

Hello Clients,

I would like to remind you that our excellent massage therapist, Gary, is offering his time to SHIZUKA new york.

Experienced massage therapist Gary’s healing hands have been featured in Sports Illustrated for his work on US Open athletes. Gary offers the following specials:

Lunch Time Shiatsu Massage 

Mon – Thurs / 11am – 2pm (this service must be finished by 2pm)

25 Min – $50 (reg. $65)
35 Min – $60 (reg. $85)
50 Min – $80 (reg. $105)
TGIF Swedish Massage /3pm to 8pm on every Friday

25 Min – $50 (reg. $65)
50 Min – $80 (reg. $105)

Please take advantage of this promotion.  More information about our newest promotion, please find at Spa Deal.

From Shizuka

Skin Care, Ins and Outs

Check out the latest mention of our Halloween Week Special – Geisha facial here! There’s still time to take advantage of our exclusive Halloween Week spa deals. So hurry, offers end October 31^st, 2011!

While the idea of a daily facial seems unlikely, especially for those constantly on the go, there are a couple things you can do daily to keep your skin happy and healthy this season.

As the weather gets cooler and the air dryer, it’s important to remain mindful of the foods we eat. It’s difficult to determine the exact correlation certain foods have on skin conditions, but for most, a slight change in the way we eat can bring a drastic improvement to our skin. Samantha Heller, MS, RD, a clinical nutritionist at NYU Medical Center in New York City, says, “Everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well. The healthier the foods are that you consume, the better your skin will look”.

To ensure you’re getting enough essential vitamins to nourish your skin from the inside out, we’ve compiled a list of seasonal winter foods to look out for the next time you go grocery shopping. For ultimate skin protection, we’ve paired them with our vitamin-infused topical serums and potions for a customized mini-facial everyday!

Reduce wrinkles, curb inflammation, improve skin tone, increase collagen levels: Eat foods rich in Vitamin C like sweet potatoes, red peppers, pineapple, oranges, and dark green leafy vegetables. Vitamin C is best known to strengthen your immune system but can also protect your skin’s cells and tissues from premature aging. Apply our C-Mollient Gel for a Vitamin C boost and Beech Tree & Ginseng Daily Moisturizer.

Soft, smooth, radiant skin: Eat foods rich in Vitamin E like fortified cereals, almonds, turnip greens, tomatoes, pine nuts, and avocado. Vitamin E helps fight off toxins in your body and acts as a powerful antioxidant. Apply Shea Butter Ultra-Rich Body Cream to immediately hydrate and sooth any area of your skin, excellent for all skin types.

Build up anti-aging defense mechanisms in your skin, even skin tone, reduce skin irritation and itchiness: Eat foods rich with Beta Carotene like carrots, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli and spinach. Beta Carotene promotes cell growth and increases immunity. Apply Pumpkin Purifying Enzyme Peel to naturally exfoliate dead skin cells, and for mature skin apply Sweet Cherry Brightening Enzyme Peel which is infused with both Beta Carotene and Vitamin C.

Reduce the appearance of dark under eye circles and skin discoloration: Eat foods rich in Vitamin K like olive oil, scallions, Brussels sprouts, kale, asparagus, broccoli, and pears. Vitamin K plays an important role in blood clotting and bone health but also helps heal skin discolorations and scarring. Apply Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum to under eye circles and our RosaGel (also infused with Vitamins C and E) to reduce the appearance of redness and small capillaries.

Smoother, naturally hydrated skin: Eat foods with Hyaluronic Acid like fish and poultry. Hyalauronic Acid helps to hydrate and tightly bond skin cells together. Apply our HydraPeptide Gel for deep skin hydration and Glycolic Purifying Peel for both exfoliation and hydration, for normal to oily skin.

Healthy glowing skin: Eat foods rich in complex B vitamins like whole grains, poultry, fish, and eggs. B vitamins helps build healthy cells and can help even out skin tone. Apply Cassis Ultra Replenishing Cream to protect the skin from noxious chemicals in the air and improve resilience. Its ‘ultra’ components include Vitamin E & Hyaluronic Acid to boot.

Check out our current Spa Deals here>>

Can’t make it to the spa? Check out our online store>>