Skin 'n Tonic Spa & Salon
in Peddler's Village, Lahaska, Pennsylvania
Julie Register visited this day spa in Lahaska, Pennsylvania in January 2006

What comes to mind when you think of Valentine's Day? February 14? A sentimental card or token of love exchanged with special someone? A romantic candlelit dinner? Tiny candy hearts? A box of chocolates? A side-by-side couple's massage at your favorite spa? Perhaps a spa experience where you indulge in chocolate but don't have to worry about the caloric consequences? That's what spa owner, Kerian Bray, had in mind when she concocted Skin 'n Tonic's two-hour Guiltless Pleasure Valentine’s Package. I had the pleasure of experiencing this chocolaty, great-for-the-skin treat before Valentine's Day. Since Kerian believes valentines should be given all year - not just on February 14, this package is always on the menu.

After checking in at the reception desk, I was introduced to Carolyn Pfleger, my therapist. Carolyn led me through a door that separates the reception and retail area from the spa and salon and into a cozy hub with a bench and fountain. Here I exchanged my shoes for spa sandals.

Carolyn led me down a long ramp to a changing room. She asked me to put on a robe and meet her in the lounge at the end of the hallway. I left my belongings in the large, full length locker and wrapped the soft, light green, chenille robe around me. I settled into one of the comfy chairs in the lounge as Carolyn asked me to make a selection from a tray of Tea forte teas presented in pyramid-shaped silken tea bags. I selected Citrus Mint, an herbal tea with green rooibus and citrus zest. Also available were Forte (a black tea sprinkled with white jasmine flowers), Flora (a ruby red herbal tea that blends crimson flowers with cinnamon sticks), Lemon Ginger (an herbal tea), Chamomile Tisane (a relaxing herbal tea with Egyptian chamomile, orange pieces, and a wonderfully inviting aroma), and Black Currant (a full-bodied black tea infused with black currant, and blended with blackberry leaves). As I sipped on the tea, Carolyn filled a large copper bowl with water and lavender seeds. While my feet soaked, she asked me a few questions about my health. I finished my tea while imagining myself on the pristine spit of sand in Ken Duncan's Daydream, one of many lovely photos of Australia in the spa.

Carolyn escorted me to a treatment room at the end of the hallway. She adjusted the warmth and position of the table for my comfort then began The Guiltless Pleasure with a Chocolate Chip Body Scrub. As Carolyn gently rubbed the cool, lumpy concoction on my skin, the scent of chocolate filled the air. The "chips" gently sloughed away the old skin. I later found out that the chips were actually grape seeds and the scrub was filled with good things for the skin like anti-oxidants and Vitamin E. After the scrub, Carolyn wrapped me in a sheet, covered me with my robe and led me to the locker room. I showered the chips off with the hand-held nozzle, dried off, and returned to the treatment room. Carolyn applied a cool Chocolate Mousse (which looked just like chocolate pudding) with long, relaxing massage strokes. Again, the aroma of chocolate filled the room. On top of the mousse, she drizzled a warm Caramel Glaze that smelled just like caramel. It felt wonderful on my skin. Carolyn wrapped a silver sheet and blankets around me so the shea butter, cocoa butter, honey extract and Vitamin E could soak into my skin. She lowered the lights and massaged my scalp during the entire time I was in the wrap. Heavenly!!! Carolyn unwrapped me and gently wiped of the excess mouse and glaze with warm, moist towels. She finished The Guiltless Pleasure with a massage using a strawberry-scented cream. As I put my robe on, I discovered the glass of water and chocolate truffle Carolyn had left for me. She escorted my back to the Lounge where I enjoyed another cup of Tea forte. While the chocolate theme of The Guiltless Pleasure treatments is a bit whimsical, the restorative and intensely moisturizing results are real. As I write this article four days after my visit to Skin 'n Tonic, my skin is still very soft and very moist. Two of the products are available for home care - the Skin 'n Tonic Chocolate Chip Body Scrub and Skin 'n Tonic Strawberry Body Cream.

The Guiltless Pleasure package makes a lovely Valentine's gift. While Skin n' Tonic doesn't have a treatment room for two, the spa encourages couples to enjoy treatments in adjoining treatment rooms and enjoy time together in the lounge. For those staying at the Golden Plough, which has five guest rooms above spa and over 70 guest rooms total, Skin n' Tonic offers in-room couples treatments. The spa will also help coordinate special packages with Peddler's Village restaurants. It was recently involved in coordinating a spa day and restaurant visit to make the perfect setting for an engagement.

About Skin 'n Tonic Spa & Salon

Skin 'n Tonic Spa & Salon is located in Peddler's Village, a charming collection of unique shops and boutiques, in Lahaska, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It's a place I remember visiting a number of times as a teenager. Of course, there were no spas way back then. Kerian, a native Australian, waited six years from the initial application to place her spa in Peddler's Village to the spa opening in October 2005. It has been a flurry of activity since then - clearly a needed addition to the area.

Skin 'n Tonic is divided into three distinct areas - the boutique, the spa and the salon.

The Boutique

The large boutique is the first area you enter. Kerian has over 20 years of international spa-related experience. A self-described industry expo junky, she has combed these shows for the best products in quality, value and uniqueness to stock the Skin 'n Tonic's shelves. Her expertise ensures her choices are good ones. Included are:

• Jane Iredale Mineral Make Up
• Phytomer
• June Jacobs
• MD Skincare
• Evolu (botanical skincare from New Zealand)
• Trufitt and Hill (a men's shaving line serving England's royal family for 200 years and the inventor of lipstick)
• Perfectsense (individual paraffin hand treatment for home)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge (bath & body, hand & nail and on-the-go beauty products)
  
• Pure Inventions (green teas)
• Tea forte (used in the spa lounge)
• and much, much more.

Also available is the Skin 'n Tonic Chocolate Chip Body Scrub and Skin 'n Tonic Strawberry Body Cream used in the Guiltless Pleasure Valentine’s Package. Kerian worked with a west coast company to develop these products. In the future, she hopes to create products using ingredients from Australia such as wattle seed oil extract (an anti-oxidant containing protien and is very nourishing to the skin), lilly pilly berries (a bush food in Australia full of Vitamin C), rosella (a calming, soothing member of the hibiscus family with lots of protein), pepper berry (an invigorating, stimulating mint native to Australia).

The Spa

The hallway to the left in the hub leads down a long ramp to the Locker Room and Relaxation Lounge. The locker room is equipped with very generous full-length lockers and a shower equipped with an overhead rain shower as well as a hand-held nozzle. The lockers are provisioned with soft chenille robes and extra towels.

The lounge has deep, soft, comfortable chairs, an eating area and a selection of books and magazines. One wall is decorated with a mural of clouds. Others display large photos by Ken Duncan of Kerian's favorite dive sites. For refreshment and relaxation, a selection of Tea forte teas is available.

One of the four multi-purpose treatment rooms is accessed directly from the Lounge. The other three are located off another hallway decorated with the same cloud mural. The treatment tables in the rooms are heated and adjustable.

The Salon

The hallway to the right in the hub leads to the salon with two pedicure stations, two hair-washing stations, three hair design stations and a snack bar.