Monday, May 25, 2009
As I'm sitting inside on this gorgeous Memorial Day 2009 (having had a procedure that makes it necessary for me to not do anything too physical (boo hoo), I went to one of my new favorite beauty sites: Totalbeauty.com.
Their main topic for today is what cities are best and worst for skin. I was very surprised at the ratings, especially that NYC wasn't one of the worst. Not even LA!!
What were some of the determining factors?
1. Weather - humidity or lack of humidity, how much weather changes
2. General pollution - how polluted is the city you live in can make a difference
3. Tanning salons per capita - the more tanning salons per person the more likely they're being used
4. Smoking - good old smoking, of course it affects your skin
5. Emotional - emotions such as high stress wreak havoc on skin as much as any other factor
I won't go through every city but there were some that really surprised me on both lists.
Bad
#13 Portland, ME You would think that Maine being mostly rural would be better but it has a lot of tanning salons
#12 Tacoma, WA For a state thought mostly of as rainy there are a lot of tanning booths and apparently there's a lot of stress in Tacoma
# 9 Kansas City, MO Not only is smoking a factor here but high pollution and humidity work together to negative effect
Not really surprised at Phoenix (# 5) but a little surprised it isn't higher. Lack of humidity is a factor in addition to the intense sun. Las Vegas, NV, Pittsburgh, PA, Houston, TX and Bakersfield, CA round out the rest of the top five.
Top 10:
10 Cheyenne, WY
9 San Francisco, CA - few sunny days, fewest smokers, fewer tanning bed (and CA regulates tanning beds as well)
8 Washington, DC - the sun shines only 50% of the time and people drink a lot of wine here
7 San Antonio, TX - only 3.4 tanning beds per 100,000 people
6 NYC - few tanning beds, 58% of days are sunny
5 Billings, MT - clean air, moderate humidity and more likely to use spray-on tanning solutions than tanning beds
4 Flagstaff, AZ - moderate humidity, low pollution, be sure to use sunscreen because it's still pretty sunny and a high elevation
3 Honolulu, HI - little weather change, moderate humidity and low pollution help make Honolulu an OK place for skin, but again, use sunscreen since it's still sunny
2 Bismarck, ND - "healthy skin: clean air, moderate sunshine and humidity and it has very low rates of skin cancer"
1 Anchorage, AK - in spite of the cold, there little year-round sun, humidity or pollution
No matter where you live or what you're doing throughout the year, be sure to use sunscreen and eat food that protect your skin against further harm.
I don't go to spas regularly (unfortunately) so I'm not overly familiar with many in the area even though there are quite a few. A few years ago, I went to a spa in New Providence and it was very nice, but I always like trying new things and places. Sean had given me a gift certificate to the spa at the Hilton at Short Hills and. I went there last year and it was nice but it was too "zha" for me and just wasn't comfortable, but it was wonderful to be able to relax by the pool/hot tub for the day.
I checked out spas in Montclair, but even though it's not far, it's a drive to get there and don't want to go anywhere I have to drive too far and lose any of the calming and relaxing effects of the spa.
My friend Diane suggested the Terra Sky Center that I've been eying to visit for a while - Duh! It's close, only 2 miles. It just so happens that last Sunday they had an open house that Dawn & I went to.
The building is a former silk factory that was rehabilitated into a bank downstairs and the wellness center upstairs. It has a very Zen-like quality: falling water, quiet music and not-overwhelming potpourri scent.
It's a small place, but that's good because it means you can't get lost. They also have Pilates and this other machine called a gyrotonic. It's the coolest thing and would love to try it out sometime. It works every part of the body to loosen joints and tendons and everything else that can get "tight" with age or strain.
I've decided on a Pure Results Facial with an Eye Revitalizer Treatment add-on. For the massage I'm getting the Deep Tissue Therapeutic Massage with Hot Steam Packs. It seems to touch on a few different types of massage and love the idea of the hot steam packs, mmmmmmmm.
After the recital and work being crazy and the recent surgery I really need this.
Restorative, rejunenative and addictive...
Will let you know when it happens and how I liked the overall experience. If their complimentary massage last Sunday was any indication, I'll love it!!
Over the next few weeks, I'll review some of the different makeup and beauty sites I like. Also, want to review all the products found on the sink, bathtub and hair area!
Happy Summer, Makeupista!
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