Dry skin

Olive oil body glow at Red Door Spa
The first part of this service was so basic, so obvious that I’m embarrassed I never thought to do it to myself. My therapist rubbed a mixture of olive oil and salt into my scaly skin, paying particular attention to the superdry areas—namely the elbows, knees and feet. The salt acts as an exfoliant, rubbing away dry skin cells, while the olive oil seeps into the fresh layer of skin. But just when I was ready to slap myself for paying so much, my therapist warned me not to attempt it at home—apparently she’s heard about people overdoing it with the olive oil and becoming a slippery mess. After I was all oiled up, I hit the shower to wash it off. Then my therapist wiped me down with a towel and applied a layer of cucumber lotion to perk me up and seal in the oils. When I left the spa, my skin felt so smooth and hydrated, it somehow seemed thicker. 50 minutes for $95.
—Danielle Braff

Hydrating herbal body wrap at Chicago Male
My skin gets dry and itchy in the winter, and lotion doesn’t seem to help. Aesthetician Matt Leyes wasn’t surprised. He said I could slather myself with a whole bottle of Jergens, but without exfoliating first I’m just moisturizing dead skin cells. I lay on the table as he rubbed down my entire body with exfoliating gloves, then drizzled on a mixture of sesame and jojoba oils (he said they’re closest to the skin’s natural oils). Once I was fully saturated, he wrapped me in cotton sheets; while I was cocooned, he gave me a lymphatic-drainage facial massage, focusing on the lymph vessels to help push toxins down toward my lymph nodes (and out of my face). Leyes told me this detox would help lessen the dark circles under my eyes. It was the most relaxing hour I’d had in weeks, and my skin was in mint condition for days. 60 minutes for $80.
—Kris Vire

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