This post was sponsored by The Skin Boutique but all opinions and words are mine alone! Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep Go French Yourself creating.

If you meet me in person, you’ll realize just how much of a skin fanatic I am. For me, good skin isn’t about vanity; it’s about confidence, because when you feel good in your skin it shows through and I think we can all agree on that one! Am I right??!

If you follow me on Instagram and watch my stories, you’ll know that I have regularly go for facials - at least once every month or once every 6 weeks! An indulgent treat for sure but also facials are given by professionals who really know skin and can advise on what your skin really needs. The therapists that really know their stuff and the facials that work their magic are invaluable as you can see results from one facial alone. I often get asked which is the best facial I’ve had and it’s difficult in some ways to say as not all facials are the same or intend to give the same result. One that offers a peel isn’t comparable to one that offers lymphatic drainage for example as the goals they set out to achieve are completely different. I always say it depends what you’re after from a facial as to which facial you should go for.

I have also wanted to incorporate more massages and treatments into my monthly regimen too to help with anxiety and relaxation. For me…these things are far more important than new shoes or a luxurious dinner date!!! I think the older we get…our priorities change and we quickly realize that we have to take care of our bodies from the inside out.

So when Cady Pryse from The Skin Boutique here in Tulsa reached out to me inviting me in for some treatments, I stalked their website and social accounts and booked my afternoon there! Cady herself is a testament to slow living — her natural beauty is truly radiant. I were so inspired by her graceful energy even before meeting her. I knew that she was someone I wanted to get to know and have heal me! She is an Ayurvedic Bodyworker and I have heard of the fascinating benefits of Ayurveda so I am intrigued.

Here are the three services I was treated to…

THAI YOGA MASSAGE

WHY YOU NEED IT:

This is a therapeutic style of massage combining compression technique, gentle stretching, breathing and meditation to bring the body into a state of deep relaxation. Thai yoga massage incorporates many yoga postures like: forward bends, back bends, spinal twists, cobra, locust and more. This dynamic therapy offers many benefits: Helps detoxify the body and boosts the immune system. Increases blood circulation and lowers blood pressure. It mobilizes your joints and if you are not flexible like me, well I need all the help I can get! Most of us have limited movement in our joints which cause us to have some functional limitation during physical exercise. The Thai Massage focuses on treating your joints in a way that their movement is a lot more fluid.Thai massage could be exceptionally helpful to people with joint conditions like arthritis. This massage will help you relax! It releases all the pent-up tension in your body and helps you become calm. This, in turn, prevents anxiety and depression attacks from taking over your body. Recent scientific studies have shown that the Thai massage is really helpful in balancing serotonin and cortisol in your body. Serotonin is the hormone that induces happiness and cortisol is the hormone that induces stress. The balance between the two hormones will help you think clearer and not be stressed out. This is another reason how the Thai Yoga massage keeps you from being depressed and anxious.

THE PROCESS:

The treatment consists of rhythmic compression with gentle rocking motion, deep therapeutic stretching, breath work, prayer and meditation. To allow for ease of movement, both the practitioner and receiver wear loose, comfortable cloths. (anything you would do yoga in) All of the work is done on a mat on the floor. Some traditional massage techniques, such as acupressure, compression and joint mobilization, are also used, but lotions are not applied so you could return to regular life right after this one without a shower. Sessions are generally 1.5 – 2 hours long. Practitioners may use their hands, feet, knees, elbows and forearms and are trained to work in a state of mindful awareness. In addition to deeply relaxing, many people report feeling energetic and light after a session.( and I would say I definitely can agree with that! I was a little sore the day after but this is not uncommon)

Immediate Results:

Increased energy and mental stimulation…such a lovely energy boost for me in the middle of a stormy dark day. My sinus headache also disappeared. And I noticed an improved range of motion. I slept incredibly well that night too.

NANO NEEDLING WITH XO8 STEMCELL

WHY YOU NEED IT:

This treatment is highly effective if you’re hoping to reduce the appearance of fine lines (especially around the eyes and lips), improve the tone and texture of your skin, shrink pore size, reduce pigmentation or lift and firm the skin. First things first though because I know you are going to ask…What is the difference between micro-needling and nano-needling?
Nano-needling Therapy is very similar to micro-needling and both treatments address many of the same skincare concerns. Both treatments utilize a needling device that punctures the skin, which helps products fully absorb and encourages rejuvenation. The main difference is the depth that the needles penetrate the skin. Micro-needling penetrates the deep dermis whereas nano-needling only reaches the upper layer of the epidermis. Micro-needling is preferred if your skincare concerns are deep acne scars, deep wrinkles, stretch marks and hypo-pigmentation. Nano-needling is preferred if you’re concerned about fine lines and wrinkles, sagging skin, swelling or dark areas.

Nano-needling Therapy is an infusion treatment that sends a serum, customized for your skincare concerns, directly into the upper layer of the epidermis. Delivering serum into the skin this way helps to increase the effectiveness and absorption of the product. Nano-needling Therapy also uses radio frequency and LED Light Therapy to push products even deep into the skin for maximum results. This treatment helps to boost the production of collagen and elastin. It also lifts, sculpts, and tightens the skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Bottom line - it’ll take years off your face especially if you commit to doing this service every 4 weeks. The Skin Boutique incorporates infusions of a (cruelty free) ovine placenta peptide complex and 24K nano gold to promote long-term youthful skin results into their Nano-Needling Treatment! Ovine sheep placenta stem cell extract contains bioactive stem cells, which restore the growth layer function that slows down as we age. The messenger molecules (known as growth factors and cytokines) in our extract wake our own dormant stem cells in the skin’s basal layer, restoring your skin’s normal function to repair and rejuvenate, leaving you with a healthy, youthful appearance.You even get to take the 24K nano gold masque home with you to use it a few more times!!!

THE PROCESS:

The nano infusion process is done with a handheld device or "pen" that moves the nano cartridge up and down onto the surface of the skin. You feel a vibration and sensation much like a cat licking you with its rough tongue. There is no pain or discomfort.The nano cartridge contains a disc of "needles", each having a diameter equal to about 1/3 of a human hair, which is almost invisible to the naked eye. When these pins gently touch the skin, they form up to 200,000 invisible nano channels. These micro channels in the skin are a direct line to deliver products (nourishing serums) below the skin barrier and stimulate the regenerative processes and collagen production in the skin. The skin cells rearrange themselves to allow nutrition to pass through the skin barrier in order to help the absorption of skin care products and to effectively feed the skin and stimulate collagen & elastin production.There is no pain, inflammation, bleeding, or discomfort. I was so worried because I had an event 48 hours after the treatment and needed to look wonderful!! (remember last year when I couldn’t leave the house for 4 days?!) This service actually helped my skin look even better for my event! You could get it done the same day as your event even!!! Cassi Butler is the esthetician and you are going to love her!!

The results:

My skin instantly felt firmer, hydrated, lifted, tightened and brightened!

SHIRODHARA

WHY YOU NEED IT:

This was such a mind blowing service! I had never had anything like this before. Cady likes to say Shirodhara is like Xanax but without the loopy side effects! Shirodhara is a form of Ayurveda therapy that involves gently pouring liquids over the forehead (the third eye) and can be one of the steps involved in Panchakarma. The name comes from the Sanskrit words shiro (head) and dhara (flow).

Counteracts the Effects of Stress

The benefits of shirodhara kick off as an ideal treatment for reducing high levels of mental stress. It induces calmness, promotes tranquility, and facilitates relaxation. The steady pour of warm oil encourages a relaxation response. As your body enters deep relaxation, stress hormones decline while hyper-alert brain patterns (beta waves) transition into relaxed-alert ones (alpha waves). As brainwaves have been shown to synchronize with external stimuli, the gentle, repetitive stimulation to the center of the forehead is the likely mechanism by which the shirodhara treatment reduces anxiety. As the warm oil streams onto the center of the forehead, it activates a powerful Ayurvedic energy point known as ajna marma. This same physical point is known in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as yin tang and belongs to a category of acupuncture points termed extraordinary points, or those which stand on their own. In both the Ayurvedic and TCM models, activation of the point between the eyebrows is said to relieve anxiety and agitation. Fortunately, in this case, no needles are required! The shirodhara stimulates the powerful energy point in the forehead, thus working to dispel anxiety.

Awakens Intuition

The point between the eyebrows is known in many spiritual traditions as the “third eye.” Buddhists consider the third eye to be the seat of spiritual awakening. Hindus call it the sixth chakra, home of intuition. Taoists think of it as the “heavenly eye.” Regardless of the name by which it is referred to, stimulation of the point between the eyebrows has a long history of association with accessing subtler realms. As the third eye opens, life force—or prana—begins to flow freely. As the prana flows throughout the energy channels, known as srotas, these channels are cleaned and blockages removed. Just as flushing long stagnant water pipes in a home would push out debris, as the energetic pipes are flushed, physical and emotional blockages are removed.

Improves Sleep Quality

The shirodhara treatment has been shown to reduce brain waves to the more relaxed alpha state. It thus stands to reason that this treatment could have a beneficial impact on sleep quality.

The Process:

Shirodhara provides optimum results when it is done in the morning or in the evening. Shirodhara may begin with Ayurvedic body massage or abhyangam after a person lies down with his/her eyes closed. After this, the procedure involves the pouring of about 2 liters of luke-warm oil over the forehead. The oil is poured continuously as a stream and in an oscillating manner. Care should be taken to ensure that the oil does not enter the eyes or ears. The entire procedure may last for 30 to 60 minutes depending on the condition of the patient. A therapist may also give a patient a light head massage before or during the procedure.

Oil is poured over the forehead as this area has a large number of nerve endings and therefore is highly sensitive. Vibrations are created on the forehead by the pressure of the oil. The oil penetrates into the nervous system after saturating the forehead and scalp. The oils used in this procedure improve blood circulation to the brain by vasodilating all the channels. It also helps to reduce the level of stress hormones like adrenaline and nor adrenaline and therefore provides respite from anxiety and related disorders. The entire procedure enables the body, mind and nervous system to experience a state of deep rest, similar to the state a person arrives at after meditation.

The Results:

I felt so much less anxiety and stress. This service gave me so much clarity and allowed me to even release some emotional things I was hanging onto and struggling with! I was a bit emotional that night but Cady explained that it’s possible to feel all sorts of emotions and to just be super kind to myself. I slept incredibly well and look forward to adding this to my self care plan!! It was almost like a silent therapy for me in a lot of ways. You will leave in a bit of a quasi-meditative state but relax..go with it! And you will need to shower because you will need to shampoo the oil out of your hair!

It’s really hard for me to relax…but Cady and Cassi did the job! I slowly fell into an ocean of well-being. My life was perfect, right then in that moment. Power of Now, love and light! And I didn’t have a care in the world. My life was perfect, everything was as it should be. Suddenly, all the love and perfection of the moment hit me at once. And I then realized that I think Cady was put into my life for a reason which I am still figuring out but I do not think that this was a coincidence. The universe is funny like that my friends!!!!

So local loves…check out The Skin Boutique. It’s located at Harvard and 15th! And enjoy 15% off your first service in the month of June and July!!! (they do so many cool things..even waxing) Let them know Go French Yourself sent you! And head on over to Instagram for the giveaway I am hosting. The Skin Boutique is graciously giving away a SHIRODHARA treatment to one lucky local winner!!

Be sure to check out their retail lines too! They have some great skin care items and boutique gift items available!!!!! Cady makes some beautiful products too. I am personally loving my lavender spray!

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