Whole Body

Smooth, Even Skin for Summer

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According to Cosmo (a totally legitimate news source), over 20 percent of women are worried about uneven skin tone, especially during bathing suit season. This got me thinking that my skin hadn’t been properly loved in a while. After the weird spring we had, I was lucky if I even thought about shaving on a regular basis, let alone exfoliating and moisturizing. Lucky for me, I had the opportunity to visit Keely at Uptown Salon and Spa in Westerly, where their Intensely Cleansing Salt scrub did all that dirty work for me. 

There are two varieties of the scrub: the coconut oil–based frangipani and ginger-lime. I received the frangipani version, which left my skin with a soft, lingering plumeria scent. The service is about 60 minutes long and includes an exfoliation, moisture treatments and a facial, to make sure every bit of skin from head to toe is covered and to leave you feeling radiant and moisturized – and also smelling really, really good. Keely started off with a dry brushing of my skin, which kind of felt like getting a good scratch. She also let me know that dry brushing has a lot of positive side effects, like improving circulation, which increases elasticity and boosts collagen, and, when done with frequency, promoting the loss of water weight. Duly noted. Next was the moisturizing frangipani oil application, and then the salt-based coconut-oil frangipani scrub. The exfoliation was quite gentle, something anyone could handle, and was applied with a gentle massage that left my skin feeling tingly and refreshed. It even included my feet, which had just finished a camping trip and definitely needed a bit
of attention.

After I flipped over and my other side received the dry brush, oil and scrub combination, Keely applied the oil to my scalp and hair with a massage to promote top-to-bottom moisture. Then I rinsed off the scrub and received the finishing body treatment, a moisturizing milk bath applied with a gentle massage to my freshly scrubbed skin. After the warm, almond-scented eye pillow was removed, I was feeling pretty relaxed.

The last part of the service is a quick facial to make sure your face doesn’t feel left out. The initial application was a mild and calming chamomile cleanser, which is recommended for all skin types, and was applied with gentle strokes and rinsed with a warm towel. Next up was a soothing apricot toner, followed by a pro-collagen marine cream to ensure hydration and encourage collagen production. This particular cream is especially good for older or dry skin, but is always a wise choice in the summertime when you’ve been outdoors, according to Keely. And with that last touch of moisture, I was all done.

Once I dragged myself off the massage table, I glanced at my skin and had to remark out loud: It really was… radiant. I was impressed. And relaxed. And smelled like a dream. No complaints here.

Meghan H. Follett, So Rhode Island, Westerly, Uptown Salon and Spa, body scrub, Cosmo, Keely, skin care

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