LIVE LOVE SPA

I recently had the privilege of getting a sneak peek into the world of spas. And now I know why some have better treatments and products than others—they discover them at Live Love Spa!!!

Before I give you some specifics, here’s the backstory. My wonderful LA aesthetician, Marc Edward, told me about a fabulous event he always attends, Live Love Spa, which is for spa professionals only. (But many of the products I discovered there are for everyone.) It travels to several cities over the course of the year, and when I found-out that it was arriving in New York City the very same day as yours truly, you just know that I begged to see what it was all about. And I can attest to the fact that Marc was indeed correct about its fabulous factor!!!

I do have to stress that it is not open to the public. But if you are a spa professional, who is in or can get to one of the major cities that Live Love Spa visits, you’d be a fool to miss it! (The link to learn more is at the bottom of this article.)

In New York, it was held in Fifth Avenue’s Mynd Spa, which itself blew my, well, mind. The door to the street makes it seem like it will be tiny, but it’s actually gigantic. And gorgeous! What an optical illusion the exterior is.

There wasn’t one sponsor at Live Love Spa with whom I was not impressed. The products themselves were all marvelous, of course, (some I was familiar with, but most were new to me,) and the reps were upbeat and knowledgable. Even the attendees made it feel like we were all in something together. [Note: I was the only interloper, yet the entire assemblage was welcoming, from Marisol, who’s the lovely lady who helped me from the get-go to good-bye, down to even the locker room personnel, to whom I was a total stranger!]

I believe that each city’s Live Love Spa is a two-day happening, which includes lunch, dinner, a humongous goodie bag filled with all the sponsors’ products, and a couple of spa treatments; there’s an entire menu of creative choices! That way, the spa professionals in attendance can best decide which ones to feature at their own spas. Who knew that there is such a science to being pampered?!

I arrived just in time for lunch, (which I promise you was not by design, even though you all think that it was,) which was a very smart make-your-own-salad bar. It was exactly the kind of meal that everyone needed at the time. And then a couple of hours later, just as my strength was beginning to wane and I was craving something sweet, Marisol brought out a jumbo arrangement of all kinds of unbelievably delicious dessert treats. What an incredibly perfect surprise!

I cannot portray enough just how convivial the entire event was. But here’s one little tale of the day to help convey it. I felt like Cinderella going to the ball, with all her mice pals pitching-in to make it perfect for her. Here’s what happened:

Since this was my first day in New York in three years, and it was raining, to boot, I hadn’t portioned my time right to go all the way back to where I was staying to get ready for a Gala that night, which was being held right in the same neighborhood as Mynd Spa. And believe me when I tell you that I was far from camera-ready. So Amy, a lovely woman who works at Live Love Spa, (and whose title on their website is the very correct “Instant Bestie,”) not only told me to go shopping, which I had not thought of for myself, but helped me find a very affordable place close by. (And she is not from New York, either! How did she know so much more than moi?!) And then several of the sponsors came to my rescue in the beauty category. Jennifer Faucet from Elemis did an oxygen treatment around my eyes; Eminence gave me eye cream to keep that freshness going; Adele from Bee Pampered henna-ed my eyebrows; Shelly from Au Naturale helped me do eye make-up with their products and even gave me a lipstick; and the founder of Kindred, Frances Thrasher, doled-out a scoop of one of their cream blushes (that come in a myriad of skin tones) to put the icing on my face cake! To help me calm down about my time-management snafu, I received a relaxing and luxurious hand treatment from Spa Revolutions, and the girls from Santa Cruz’s now Vital Body rubbed their CBD pain cream into my by-then aching back, while I used Cause + Medic pain relief cream on my too-used knees. Whew. And absolutely everyone gave me all-around encouragement. Despite the dreariest of days in New York, I left Live Love Spa absolutely glowing.

Some of the other worthwhile brands I discovered that day are Faith Cosmetics America, Province Apothecary, Spa Technologies, Beauty Prophet, Mindful Luxury, Marcy Snodgrass, Priori Skin, Retail Therapy, Lucky Owl, Nelly De Vuyst, PCA Skin, CryoTone, Epicuren, and Sothys. I hope to tell you more about all of them down the line.

And here’s the great news for licensed professionals in this line of work—Live Love Spa is now moving on to Napa and Maui, before starting all over again around the whole country in 2020. If you are in the spa industry, I suggest you mark it down on your calendars this very minute! And then I’ll know that you’re qualified to work on my being!

For all the real details, (such as that you must be a spa owner, director, manager, or lead with buying power, or you influence the buying for the spa, and come from a spa with more than three treatment rooms that offer facials and massages,) please visit www.livelovespa.com. I may just buy a spa so that I can attend it again!