Spa-mazing Eco Indulgence

The very thought of a spa treatment conjures alluring images of warm water and soothing touch. There’s nothing like a few blissful hours of nurturing body care for relaxing and nourishing tired muscles, improving skin tone and leaving you feeling healthy and refreshed.

Spas throughout Los Angeles offer wide-ranging menus of facials, massages, scrubs and mani-pedis. But the best of them serve not just spa guests, but Mother Earth as well, offering eco-friendly treatments in a sustainable venue. Here are some of the greenest spots in town for pampering.

The Asian-minimalist design of Dtox Day Spa in Los Feliz feels wholesome and earth friendly from the moment of entry, as a large Buddha welcomes you into a 2000-square-foot atrium and the relaxing thrum of 15-foot waterfalls.

Spa specials include eucalyptus steam room, oxygen facials and hot stone massage, and therapists work with a wide variety of organic and botanical products. Dtox uses Eminence facial products, Soothing Touch and Lotus Touch massage oil and lotion, and Erbaviva Organic Back Rub Oil for prenatal massage. “We want our guests to feel well, be health conscious, and know that we care about their health and that of the environment,” says spa director Karen Lee.

The spa was designed using eco-friendly materials, such as bamboo and recycled glass panels, and has a commitment to sustainable practices.

“We use biodegradable cups and napkins, and train our providers to conserve supplies and water. And we offer a recycling program for our guests, so that if they return product bottles purchased here, they’ll get 10 percent off the next product they buy.

“Our overall mentality is that we want to take care of one another, we want to take care of the earth,” Lee adds. “We believe if we give, the giving will come back.”

Just over the hill from Los Feliz, in Universal City, Purity Organic Spa lives up to its name. This peaceful green oasis works solely with organic products for non-invasive services that include facial waxing and plant-based collagen masks, as well as eyelash extensions. The spa also offers nutritional counseling to help you stay refreshed inside as well.

Owner and aesthetician Carol Zubrin notes, “I was one of the first people who started doing organic facials in Los Angeles. I don’t use electric modalities, just Chinese pressure point therapy and lymphatic drainage massage.”

Zubrin also uses Chinese face mapping. “It accurately correlates what is going on with your face with what is going on inside your body,” she explains. “It’s pretty amazing how you can help your skin with dietary changes and supplements.”

With a strong belief that the body heals naturally, Zubrin sees no reason to traumatize skin with chemical peels or dermabrasion. Rather, she uses eco-friendly products such as a “chaotic cleanser that relies on activated charcoal to kill bacteria” and a “phyto-collagen facial that tightens your skin.” But her most sought-after technique is pressure-point lymphatic drainage. “It clears puffiness that causes wrinkles and detoxifies the skin, preventing breakouts.”

Overall, Zubrin notes, “I use natural, preventative treatments that everyone can benefit from—including the earth.”

Green Bliss Eco Spa owner Randi Ragan brings her mobile spa right to a client’s home, office or other location. Ragan places an emphasis on “what it means to be a conscious consumer of self-care and wellness. I want to educate people about the supply chain of their beauty and self-care consumption,” she says. “Any eco-business worth its salt will have figured out that it’s not just providing ingredients that are organic or ‘clean;’ it’s about people, planet and profits co-existing.”

Ragan and her mobile team carefully research the products they use, asking, “Is it ethically produced, does it leave as small a footprint as possible on the environment, and is it packaged in an earth-friendly way?” Green Bliss offers vegan nail products from Zoya, non-acetone nail polish remover from Tates, and a variety of products that can be used for multiple healing purposes.

Ragan herself grows herbs and flowers used in some spa treatments. “We want to be a part of transforming the way people think about self-care, to help them engage in eco-friendly decision making,” she says.

In Santa Monica, Alchemie organic spa focuses on vegan and cruelty-free products, from skin care to nails and make-up. “Our decor and philosophy attest to our earth-friendly approach,” owner Mary Lee explains. “We chose recycled, renewable and sustainable resources, such as cork, bamboo and 100 percent post-industrial recycled hardwood for our walls and flooring, [and] non-toxic VOC-free interior paint. And, we believe beauty products should contribute to your health, not compromise it.”

Services include such specialties as an Arnica Deep-Tissue Massage, detoxing infrared sauna and lash tinting. Delivering a personalized, organic experience for our guests is our passion,” Lee says. “We use organic handcrafted products made from raw, Fair-Trade ingredients that are not animal tested, such as superfood skincare line Body Deli and our own organic Alchemie Line, formulated by Isun.”

Alchemie uses green-friendly practices in daily operations as well, with a recycling program, emailed receipts and reusable drinking vessels. Carrying the spa’s organic philosophy beyond its doors, Lee donates a monthly tree to L.A. via non-profit organization Tree People.

For all four of these spa-mazing spots, sustainable green living is more than a lifestyle; it’s a way of life. Sustaining the earth and your body was never easier or better than this.

Spa + Healing

Spas are wonderful—what’s not to like?—but at a few special places in L.A. you can get not only a relaxing, nurturing facial treatment, but an energy healing or adjustment as well.

Experienced aesthetician Rosanne Friel offers deep cleansing facials along with intuitive guided healing sessions in an exquisite garden setting in a residential Westside location.

At Angel City healing in Van Nuys, Kirsten Olson offers beauty and cleansing treatments along with reflexology, Reiki and cranial sacral therapy in her backyard studio.