Community Corner

Patch Passport: A Little Bit of Paradise

The Thursday Patch Passport takes you to a local spa where you can feel like you are a million miles away from the daily stress of life. Come along and relax...

Ladies, do you ever just want to get away from it all? Of course you do. And the best news is, you don’t have to go far away to feel like you’ve gone a million miles away from the stress of daily life.

As soon as I walked through the doors of Elite Laser & Skin Spa, 1482 Merchant Drive, behind Montarra Grill, I knew I would be in good hands.

My first impression was that the spa was clean and professional. Allie, the assistant manager and a licensed esthetician who would be performing my spa treatments, immediately greeted me with a smile. She made me feel comfortable and relaxed, which was important to me, since this was my first visit to a medical spa.

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Allie directed me into the waiting area, which looks like it could be your best friend’s comfy living room, replete with an oversized couch, coffee table, lamp and plants. She handed me a client history form and ask me what I wanted to drink. She left and returned a few minutes later with a wine glass of lemon water.

As soon as I was done completing my forms, she led me back to the treatment room that was lit only by candlelight.

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I changed into a towel robe and lay under the covers on the warm bed. A suggestion for you: If you are coming from work, bring a pair of yoga pants to change into so you can get completely comfortable. I was wearing jeans, which I found didn’t allow me to check out of reality totally.

I received two treatments during my visit to Elite Laser & Skin Spa – a 60-minute organic oxygenating facial and a microdermabrasion treatment.

My overall experience, in a nutshell, was amazing.

Allie started the facial by applying several creams meant to restore the “vital energy” to my skin. Since at that point, I was in deep relaxation mode, all I can remember is that the products smelled citrusy and that at no point did I think about work. It was wonderful to feel all of my stress melting away.

She explained to me that all of the skincare products used at Elite are organic and are made by the French company, PHYTS. I later learned from the spa’s owner, DeAnna Kell, that her spa is the only one in the Midwest that carries that skincare line. The other spas that use it are on the West and East coasts.

Eventually, Allie told me she was going to start the microdermabrasion. I did not really know what to expect. The easiest way to describe what happened is that there were tiny crystals sprayed on my face while a mini-vacuum simultaneously sucked up dead skin cells. The feeling was sensational. It tingled from head to toe.

Once I was done having my microdermabrasion, she put a steamer over my face for 10 minutes.

A hand and foot scrub, which, again, removed dead skin cells and rough spots, completed my pampering for the day.

My sister told me that she could not see the results of her facial until she had four or five of them. But I swear that I saw results right away. It is hard to explain what it did for me – it just made my face look fresh and re-energized. One week later, my skin still feels smoother and looks healthier.

I would definitely go back again. Since it is a medical spa, Elite has so many different services ranging from laser hair removal to Botox treatments to chemical peels. And it is not just for women. In fact, the owner, DeAnna, told me that 30 percent of her clients are men. Who knew?!

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