The Steamy Side of Vegas

Living The Spa Life

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So Many Topics, So Little Time

Starting a Dialogue—This blog already has a life of its own. I chase one story only to come up with five others. I literally have hundreds of ideas for posts and the list grows every day. Since this is a lifestyle blog, the possibilities are endless. Here is just a tiny sample of my “formal” list that is broken down into specific areas:

  • Bathroom
    • Create Your Own Spa-like Bathroom! Here’s How
    • Change the Lighting, Change the Mood
    • Create a Spa-like Countertop
  • Beginner’s guide
    • Never Been To a Spa? We’re Going To Change That!
    • Choosing the Facial that is Right for You
    • What Kind of Massage Do You Want?
    • A Scrub? Do I Really Need a Scrub?
    • What is a Wrap Supposed to Accomplish Anyway?
    • Service Charges, Tips, Resort Fees — What is All of this About?
    • Your Spa Voice
    • Five Surprising Items I Always Have in My Spa Tote
  • Books
    • Five Hot and Steamy Reads for Summer
    • Five Books You’ll Want on Your Coffee Table
    • A Spa-based Mystery — Hot Tub Anyone?
    • The Spa Philosophy — Three Books You’ll Want to Ponder
    • Pack Your Bags — There’s Spas to Visit!

Now, when you remember that many of the items in the list can have multiple sub-topics, you see where this is going. But in spite of all of my ideas, I still want to know what you would like to hear about. What are your suggestions for post topics. Are you interested in trending treatments? Do you want interviews with cosmetic developers? Do you have a spa experience you’d like to share (guest blogger)? Just let me know!

Also, I want this to be an interactive in-person experience. Are you interested in meetups? Do you want classes (in flower arranging, crafts, DYI creams and masks)? What about spa parties? All of these are possible.

You may even be a professional in the industry — an aesthetician, stylist, nail artist, or others — who wants to occasionally share hot tips with Steamy Side Readers. I also hope to connect with people to interview in relation to specific topics.

Something else, is the sharing of ideas. I have to admit, I very seldom comment on even a Facebook post. But I do comment if I feel like I have something of value to add. I hope you know that your comments are valued and valuable. I look forward to hearing from you — together we can make The Steamy Side of Vegas really fun!

It is good to rub, and polish our brain against that of others.
Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 – 1592, French Renaissance philosopher and writer)

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A Commitment to Ethics

Trying to Do it Right—There is much more to doing a blog than writing and taking pictures.  There are ethical decisions to be made regarding sponsors, reader comments, comped services and products, and reviews, among other things.

For example, any time I post an actual review of a spa, and give it a Towel Rating and designate whether it is a Yogini or Martini space, I will pay for my services at the spa (using my locals discount of course) and will go as anonymously as possible. I don’t want there to ever be questions as to whose opinions are being printed.

Eventually I hope to have many, many readers for this blog — not only because I want as many people as possible to be exposed to the information, but because I also hope to have sponsors who want to purchase ad space (all current advertisers are my friends and have been given complementary ads). So, in light of the above commitment, no spa, product manufacturer or service provider will be officially reviewed while they are sponsors of On the Steamy Side (or OSS as I fondly think of it).

Another commitment is to always talk from personal experience if possible. One of the future posts I’m working on covers far infared therapy. That post will be written from personal experience and will include interviews with technicians offering the service, and interviews with one or more physicians as to the safety and effectiveness of the treatment. However, there are many things I need to include  because they’re of current interest, that I”m probably not going to want to experience personally — perhaps microdermabrasion, cosmetic surgery, eyelash extensions, or permanent makeup among them. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t find people to interview (or that I won’t change my mind!).

In relation to comped products or services — I will always let you know if a product or service was given to me when it is mentioned in a post.

As to comments for each post. I want this to be an interactive experience and I encourage everyone to share their ideas, experiences and opinions. I am not thin-skinned and look at all personal criticism as an opportunity to grow, learn, and change. However, each comment will be moderated before it becomes public. Those comments will only be deleted based on bad language or any unkindness toward anyone.

When you sign up for my blog, in my world, you are entering in to an important agreement. You agree to receive an announcement of each post; I agree to write posts and send you notices AND I agree to not share your information with anyone. That doesn’t mean there won’t be advertising on the website (as mentioned above),  possibly in an email, but no one will be using my contact list but me.

One must have a framework for working within. I will eventually be adding to these commitments as new questions of ethical proportions arise.

The source of all abundance is not outside you. It is part of who you are.
Eckhart Tolle

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A Quick Note On Dressing

Making the Perfect Salad Dressing (for the bath)—What’s in the perfect salad dressing? Many would salt, vinegar, herbs of some sort, and oil.

One Sunday morning, there were several things I wanted to accomplish with my bath besides the obvious. I wanted to refresh my skin and hair and I didn’t want to come out all dry and pruney.  Plus, I was feeling a bit negative and wanted to wash all of that negativity down the drain.

Reading, shaving, soaking — I planned to be in there awhile.

The Salt

First, I added a cup of coarse-ground Himalayan sea salt to warm/hot running water. Sea salt does a number of things… it helps balance and tone the skin, it can be used as a body scrub — sloughing off dead skin, and metaphysically it is used to help eliminate negative energy. I buy my sea salt in the food sections of stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Home Goods. In these stores, you can buy a pound or more for about $3.50, whereas at a health food store, that same pound could easily cost up to $9 or $10 with sea salt running at about $ .55 an ounce.

The Vinegar

Second, two cups of apple cider vinegar were added to the water. Vinegar is truly amazing, and it will be mentioned in many posts to come (as will sea salt). Vinegar helps balance the pH levels of skin, plus it can unclog pores, fight acne, help smooth wrinkles, and calm red skin. It is good for you internally also, but that is a separate post. Always be sure to buy apple cider vinegar with “the mother.” It is this dingy cloud at the bottom of the bottle that contains the enzymes and trace minerals that makes it so effective (remember to shake the container to get a good mix).

The Herb of Some Sort

Third, I tossed in several sprigs of rosemary from the garden, running them through my fingers several times to release the oils and accompanying fragrance. Rosemary is a very stimulating herb whose fragrance will wake you up and help you stay alert. I use it in the car for long trips. You can place several drops of rosemary essential oil on a cotton ball and put that in a small bottle with a tight lid. That way the driver can use it as a “sniffer” and everyone else in the car can still nap and relax (you can give them lavender “sniffers” to help them chill).

I’ll share a quick story here — its thanks to rosemary that I really started to believe in — and understand — the incredible powers of essential oils. It was more than 40 years ago, and I had just started to learn about and use aromatherapy. It was fairly late evening and I took a wonderfully hot bath with a few drops of rosemary oil thrown in. Now, you don’t know me yet, I’m an early to bed kind of person, but I got out of that tub ready to accomplish something. I was up till after midnight, sweeping, putting away clothes, dusting (all totally out of character). My suggestion is that you only use rosemary in the bath in the morning — definitely not at night.

The Oil

So all bath projects completed, I then added about an eighth of a cup of safflower oil. I add the oil at the end of my bath, even after washing off, because I wanted the oil to trap the moisture on my skin so it leaves me feeling soft and smooth.  Also, I have a Jacuzzi tub, and I’m very careful what I pump through the system — no bubble bath, no oils.   It stays much cleaner this way!

So after I got out of the tub, I realized the bath ingredients were worthy of a salad.

Tossing it All Together

In light of that I want you to remember the famous words from Pretty Woman. You may recall that Vivian wanted Edward to hang out and probably get cuddly and he went downstairs to play the piano (crazy man):

Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts): Let’s watch old movies all night… we’ll just veg out in front of the TV.
Edward Lewis (Richard Gere): Veg out?
Vivian: Yeah. Be still like vegetables. Lay like broccoli.
Edward Lewis: Look, I’ll tell ya what. I’ll be back. We’ll do broccoli tomorrow.

I’m asking you to put yourself in Vivian’s shoes and pretend to be the salad vegetable of your choice, because soon you will be immersing yourself in the perfect dressing in your bathtub. I hope you have fun with the salad bath theme and pretend to be a head of romaine or a stalk of celery.

And what can you add? Perhaps cucumbers for your eyes? A different herb — thyme for example or even the spice turmeric (although you may come out a bit yellow). Sliced tomatoes on your face as a mask (yes they’re good for you)? Oh avocado! I just thought of avocado with its magnificent oils that are good for face and hair! You might want to use avocado.

Change up the oil, add Epsom salts… let me know your recipe for bath salad dressing!

Youngsters of the age of two and three are endowed with extraordinary strength.
They can lift a dog twice their own weight and dump him into the bathtub.
Erma Bombeck

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Take a Walk on the Steamy Side

Living the Spa LifeMy First Post—Writing your first blog post is like being alone in a chat room (it’s sorta weird). But there are so many things I can’t wait to share with you…

Spas are water and bubbles and parties and laughter. Spas are beauty and tanning and makeovers and comfy robes. Spas are yoga and healthful eating and solitary reflection; treatments and exercise and healing.  Spas give us a space for beauty, peace and wellness.

“Living the Spa Life” is about embracing all of these things in your day-to-day, creating a balance among all of the areas of your life. It is about living full out. To me, it is about living what I call a “curated life.” I want you to have a life that is rich with meaning, color, texture, smells, joy, healthy food, and happiness.

It is about learning to make choices that bring you joy. A curated life is simply a result of being mindful of your choices. Clothes. Friends. Spending money. Travel. Work. Creative pursuits. Drink. Décor. Rituals. Sleeping/waking (even dreaming).

Living the Spa Life

So many people have urged me to write about my experiences and what I’ve learned from visiting spas — how to create quiet sacred spaces in my home; how to surround myself with beauty; how to make choices about the world I live in. I will share this and more as we move through this journey.

This blog has been more than six years in the making. I woke up one morning with the idea (and name) for “The Steamy Side of Vegas, Living the Spa Life” in my head. That was 2013. Then came a lot of living, and moving, and growing, and loving. And now, I’m ready to do this!

We’ll celebrate holidays together, make homemade beauty treatments, and even travel. You’ll find reviews of spas in Las Vegas and around the world as I travel and explore new places. We’ll look at products and what’s hot in skin care, makeup and nails. There will be guest writers, videos and interviews. We’ll have meetups throughout the year at various locations and other opportunities to get together to celebrate the spa life.

There’s so much to explore: Perfume! Textures! Home decor! Beauty treatments! Aromatherapy! Books! Scarves! Sunglasses! Elephants? (well maybe).  I’m excited about finally getting started!

Living the Spa Life

Let’s walk on the steamy side!

One’s destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.
Henry Miller

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Five Towels and a Martini


Yep, That’s What You’re Looking For—That is, if you want a fantastic party spa. If you’re looking for peace, quiet and relaxation, it’s more than likely that you want Five Towels and a Yogini. It’s all in the ratings.

Who wouldn’t want five towels? I know I would…

The Five Towel ratings are based on a spa’s ambience, decor, level of service, functionality of the facility (all systems are working), and quality of the treatments. When rating a spa, I try to be very honest about what I experienced. For example, were any of the wet room amenities not working, perhaps a steam room or deluge waterfall shower? This might warrant only Four Towels if everything else was of high quality. Was the spa host gracious and generous with her time on the tour of the facility upon my arrival? Did I feel pampered when leaving? If so, those experiences contribute to a Five Towel rating for sure.

But what is the martini for, besides drinking…

The Martini or Yogini rating is pretty simple. Does the spa have amenities and an ambience that lends itself to a loud party with drinking, giggling and occasional shouts and silliness? If so, that is definitely a Martini spa. Examples of Martini Spas in town are the Qua Baths and Spa at Caesars Palace and Costa Del Sur at South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa.

At a Yogini spa, the ambience is more low key, and the facility itself is more intimate and quiet. Two good examples of Yogini spas are Spa Mio at The M, and The Spa at Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa & Casino.

Can a spa be both?

Now, no spa is totally a Martini or a Yogini. There are certainly celebrations at Yogini spas, and rejuvenating, serene moments—and services—available at Martini spas. This rating was adopted to give you a quick peek into a spa’s personality when choosing a spa to visit.

One spa that is truly a Martini/Yogini hybrid is Spa Aquae at JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort on Rampart. It has a huge wet space and a dedicated outdoor pool for use by both male and female guests alike. This is a place where the bachelors could join the bachelorette party for spa treatments followed by drinks and food outside. And yet, the surroundings are peaceful, the treatments have been nothing but top notch, and I’ve left feeling not only pampered but serene. (Look for a full review in the coming weeks.)

Please see A Commitment to Ethics for information on the personal rules I follow when doing a spa review.
Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” –
Robert Fulgham