Oxygen-Enriched Spa Manicures
It’s the middle of summer and as always, I’m on a quest for a more potent anti-aging treatment for my hands. To counter the sun’s scorching rays and heat-induced dryness, I always protect my hands with sun gloves and moisturize about 20 times a day. Even with such scrupulous care, a little extra TLC, which I sought in the form of an ultra-luxurious spa manicure with added anti-aging benefits, is sometimes required.
I headed straight to Luigi Parasmo Salon Spa in Georgetown, which boasts an unparalleled selection of specialized, high-end spa manicure/pedicure treatments.
When I booked my first appointment, I had to make the difficult choice among their most popular spa manicures: the oxygen-enriched spa manicure, Moor mud manicure, collagen crystal manicure or the hand cocooning manicure. You can learn about each here. I decided to try all of them, starting with the oxygen-enriched spa manicure, which intrigued me the most. I love the skin rejuvenating effects of oxygen facials and wanted my hands to receive the same benefits.
Oxygen facials have enjoyed widespread popularity in the past decade. During a typical treatment, pressurized oxygen is applied to the skin, followed by exfoliating acid and hydrating serum. Oxygen gently resurfaces the skin, enlivens a dull complexion by promoting skin cell turnover and boosts collagen and elastin production for increased firmness and restored youthful radiance. This is indubitably wonderful for one’s face, but let’s not forget the hands where the signs of aging are often most apparent.
Manicurist Marcela Ponce explained each step of the process to me as she expertly performed oxygen-enriched spa manicure, which combines a basic manicure with extra, ultra-luxe treatments. The hands are slathered with cream mixed with an oxygen ampoule, wrapped in warm mitts for 10-15 minutes. The steps were as follows:
- Cleanse hands, remove polish.
- Deep cuticle nail treatment and nail soak with vitamin-enriched cuticle oil. Ponce then pushed back my cuticles, carefully trimmed any hangnails and filed my nails. This is the standard manicure part.
- Oxygen exfoliation scrub masque. This left my skin feeling super smooth.
- Hand and arm massage with rich, vitamin and botanical extract-infused oil. Ponce deftly massaged acupressure points for extra relaxation and rejuvenation.
- Application of oxygen ampoule masque for 15 minutes, followed by another massage. The cream was not removed, but allowed to soak in for continued anti-aging benefits.
- Finally, Ponce applied the nail color of my choice. I brought Mischo Beauty Lacquer of Love, which received numerous compliments at the spa.
My hands were picture perfect at the end of this spa treatment, and my skin felt fantastic. The combination of the manual massage and the oxygenated cream masque increased circulation and toned the skin, and the thorough exfoliation allowed the nourishing masques to penetrate deeper into the epidermis — my hands have never felt smoother. Before leaving I booked my next appointment for the collagen crystal manicure, which, dear reader, you must wait until next month to read about.
A native Washingtonian, Beauty Blogger Lia Phipps is an interior designer with an irrepressible, life-long fascination with health and beauty. When she is not selecting fabrics and paint colors for clients, she occupies herself with trying new products and dispensing beauty advice to friends, acquaintances and anyone who is willing to listen to “Tips from Phipps”.