Next To Product Heaven

Elements Spa and Salon is part of the Beauty Collection, the cosmetics and skin care product mecca at The Farmers Market. Elements specializes in salon services for men and women, and also offers facials, waxing and body treatments. One benefit of visiting a beauty salon that's attached to a comprehensive upscale beauty supply story is that your aesthetician has a virtually limitless selection of product lines to choose from, making it easy to find the potions best suited to your complexion.

After we had grabbed some water and a decaf vanilla latte from the dizzying array of hot coffee beverages available, Rosalina got us settled in a treatment room. For our customized facial, she used products from several different lines, including Dermalogica and Dr. Brandt, and focused her efforts on hydration. Rosalina started with a very gentle cleanser and exfoliant, and then massaged the face and décolleté with aloe vera gel in preparation for extractions (which were surprisingly painless). Next came a deeply hydrating masque, and then more layers of moisturizer. The entire treatment was quite pleasant; it never felt particularly intense. That's why we were surprised at just how fabulous our skin looked afterward – we had the youthful, radiant glow that we've come to expect from more concentrated anti-aging skin care treatments. The price was right, too: Elements' facials start at just $75 for one hour.

Review originally published 6/5/2008.