Let’s get Physical

for Beautiful Skin

It’s been a long time but I have lots of news from Korean Body scrubs to future postings on Traditional Chinese Medicine Facials to Floatation Therapy.

Why Korean Body Scrubs?

Korean Body Scrubs will give you silky smooth skin and contribute much to your overall health. It exposes you to a holistic bath culture that incorporates the power of nature on your wellbeing with materials like Jade, Crystal and ice in your sauna. I love the simplicity of a therapist, two exfoliating mitts and hot water and you will be surprised at the results.

But at this moment in time it can also test your tolerance in customer service, of sanitary practices and your sense of aesthetics. Your modesty will also be tested as your therapist will be scrubbing and massaging you places you never thought of. Since English is usually barely understood you will need to have the sense of adventure for the unexpected both wonderful and not so wonderful.

You can also extend your adventure by experiencing Korean cuisine at its most authentic and wholesome with authenic Zen vegetarian to its most unhealthy with the inexpensive barbeques. And the best place for the choice is New York City where the spa services are next door to a myriad of Korean restaurants.

I have become addicted to Korean Body Scrub ever since I saw buckets of my dead skin on white ceramic tiles of the Tribeca Spa of Tranquility (http://www.tribecaspaoftranquility.com/) in New York City,

I would never dream of spending good money on a boring body scrub when I have exotic choices like chocolate body wraps, Jamu and raindrop body massage. But a persuasive spa receptionist talked into this “scrub like no other I have experienced” when the cellulite treatment I had my heart set on was not available.

The treatment began with a hot steam to help removed remove dead skin more effectively. Then off to a wet room with a vinyl covered bed and shower where a muscular Korean woman energetically polished by skin until it looked young and smooth. -Oh- did I mention that she is probably going to be” traditionally” garbed in lacy black bra and undies.- no, you will not get the feeling she is either delicate or appealing - Then a relaxing aromatherapy massage can follow if you choose.

If you are in NYC and are adventurous go to Yi Pak (http://yipakspa.com/). You can save about $100.00 but you are entering an “alternative” environment without the funky charm. You are entering into a world of mack tack wood grain, questionable sanitation practices and communicating through sign language and feeling misunderstood and tolerated.

Or you can spoil yourself at the Aura Spa (http://www.spaaura.com/). This is miniature version of a Korean Bath House where you can choose to enter a jade steam or dry sauna or an ice room ---all beautifully constructed stone domes. You are pampered with all the usual spa amenities and great friendly staff.

After the spa there are good restaurants in the area. After a detoxifying and energizing treatment it makes great sense to eat a healthy meal in a tranquil environment. The natural choice then would be Han Gawi, (http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/). This beautifully designed vegetarian restaurant transports you out of the hustle bustle of NYC into the harmonious space of an old Zen temple. Your meal is a healthy balance of root vegetables, sprouts, nuts and fruits. Try the fresh fruit juices – I really loved my pear juice so much I repeated it in place of dessert. Or if you are in a celebratory mood try the exotic Asian cocktails with Sojuto (Korean liquor ) with green Tea and fresh fruit juices. The meals are so well prepared and delicious, no carnivore will miss the meat.

If your healthy meal must have meat or on a budget you can dine a couple of blocks away at Shanghai Mong (http://newyork.timeout.com/restaurants/midtown-west/1364/shanghai-mong ) where you can dine on deliciously prepared vegetables, wild rice and seafood for an average $12.00 a person.

When you are in Toronto your choices range from limited to challenging (scary to some). The least challenging place is Seoul Zimzilbang (http://ilovesauna.com/about-us.html). You will get a one hour scrub and massage for $100.00. Arrive an hour before your appointment and do the sauna circuit. Your therapist will insist you get in the hot tub for 15 minutes (expressed in smiling sign language) to prepare your skin. Be prepared to be misunderstood and to have errors in your appointment time/date and the added frustration of a stream of new inexperience receptionists. But the therapist (even though I have become a regular, we have never really spoken to each other so I don’t know her name, nor she mine) is excellent at scrubbing and massage that you don’t even feel cheated by the short half hour of massage.

The only other place I know of for Korean Body Scrub in Toronto is L & S Health Care Centre (http://koreanbodyscrub.com/lshealthcare/index.php). The neighbourhood is one of the oldest but also probably one of the scariest in Toronto without the charm of the same downtown. Be prepared to have panic attacks about the facilities but once your service begins, you will relax. I found Susan, my therapist, great at her work and very warm and friendly. A great deal, as you get sauna (only a steam sauna here), scrub and one full hour of massage for $120.00.

I have no recommendations for Korean dining in Toronto except maybe to head over to Bloor and Christie or to Yonge and Finch where the better Korean Restaurants are. I would love your recommendations here. But sorry, you will not find any Han Gawi here.

I am happy to answer any of your questions so contact me here or through Pure + simple website at http://www.pureandsimple.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=75&Itemid=53 .

Help for Chronic Sensitive Skin

Get Negative for Sensitive Skin

Lovers of great art know that it is the negative space that is the key to a masterpiece. So it is that it is the ability to relax the key to healthy skin and overall health.

Sensitive skin resulting in skin redness can result in dehydrated skin, rosacea or acne. At Pure + simple (http://www.pureandsimple.ca/ ), we have had much success in improving these skin conditions with hydrating skin with a natural collagen serum and a protecting it with a natural moisturizer. For even better results, clients follow a Pitta diet (see http://our-metamorphosis.blogspot.com/2009/06/foods-for-pitta.html ) that cooled their bodies with a higher ratio of vegetables. A Raw food diet is great way to balance Pittas with cooling foods and a vegetable based diet.

Lately I have been challenged by some clients who had very sensitive, very dehydrated and acneic skin. These cases were not responding to the good skincare and since the clients were already eating a great diet similar to the Pitta diet, I empathized with their frustrations.

As I traveled from the Scientific Seminars in Chicago to the Cosmetic Ingredients Show in Munich, I kept these special clients in mind. But anti-aging was the buzz so there was no new information to help.

But serendipity occurred. I found a skincare and supplements line that touted the benefits of alkalizing to improve sensitive skin. I immediately bought the face cream, body lotion and the alkalizing supplement and tea. This serendipitous discovery spurred me to re-read “Alkalize or Die” by Dr Theodore A Baroody. You can buy the book at http://www.amazon.com/Alkalize-Die-Theodore-Baroody/dp/0961959533

My skin had suffered from acne, skin sensitivity and with all the healthy diets and skincare, I still live with dehydrated skin with hyper-pigmentation. Even when I followed a vegetarian diet, I found that my ph constantly tested acidic.

So perhaps alkalizing was the key to help these very sensitive and inflamed skin clients’ get healthier and get more beautiful skin.

I tested the products I bought and followed the alkalizing diet. I found I was feeling better and my Pre-menstrual Syndrome was less severe. Yes I know, it’s about time for menstrual periods to abandon me.

I contacted some of those clients and offered them a sample of the face cream and suggested they follow the diet.

These clients couldn’t understand why they were afflicted with problem skin when they were disciplined with their diet, lifestyle and exercise. If these clients find success then the stubborn skin problems are a warning of declining health due to their body’s acidic ph and diet is only a component.

Could the other part be an over disciplined stressed life. These clients did not give themselves timeout from stress. Stress creates acidic ph levels. This over acidity leads to allergic reactions like eczema, heat and dehydration skin redness inflammation. As it becomes more chronic it can lead to poor digestion, arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.

So how does one better help to alkalize one’s body? Meditation is that negative space that alkalizes our system to neutralize the acid that is the result of stress or negate ve emotions.

For those of us who find diet can only help so much, meditation is may help to successfully balance our body’s ph. Some of my clients are so driven that when I suggest meditation, they respond they already do Yoga. And they are not the referring to the most relaxing Yoga, Hatha Yoga but the more athletic ones of Moksha and Ashtanga.

Meditation is freedom from physical and mental effort. For you those of who need something to keep you focused in meditation try Chi Kung. For information on Chi Kung and classes go to http://www.shaolinwahnamcanada.com/classes.htm.


The general rules for an alkalizing diet are vegetable and fruits are highly alkaline while vegetable proteins are neutral and simple carbohydrates and meat are highly acidic. For more information go to http://www.sethigherstandards.com/energize-your-life-by-alkalizing-your-body/

Please let me know if this helped you fel and look better.