With its sun-filled days and ocean-filled fun, summer is a true beauty. Staying beautiful in the summer, however, can be a totally different story. For starters, this area’s guaranteed humidity often not only leads to major frizz but blemished complexions many of us haven’t experienced since our days spent in high school athletics—and now’s the time we all must dare to bare. Yet it is possible to make the season as dreamy as our dreams. This summer, save face, banish bacne, bronze in your abode and say sayonara to cellulite with the help of some of NoVA’s premier spas.
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By Angela Bobo, Tasnim Eboo,
Arienne Gascon & Skylar Korby
Backne Busters
✤ Bella Donna Spa [Alexandria, belladonnaspa.net]
Signature Facial-Back ($90) – Get radiant, healthy skin with personalized masquing, extractions and toning using specialty dermatologist-recommended products.
✤ Lorien Hotel & Spa [Alexandria, lorienhotelandspa.com]
Cleansing Back Treatment ($105) – Exfoliation and extractions remove dead skin cells and blackheads, while a cleansing mask and warm towels draw out impurities.
✤ Saks Fifth Avenue Salon & Spa [McLean, halcyondayspa.com]
Acne Recovery Facial-Back ($150) – Submerge your back in BHAs and probiotics for a 75-minute detoxification. This glycolic/lactic peel, steam and mask are proven to control acne and normalize skin.
Clarifying Back Treatment ($120) – Delight your senses with a 75-minute treatment that is the perfect de-stressor. Experience a relaxing high-frequency mask, steam application and pore-cleansing skin treatments.
✤ Cloud Nine Salon [Leesburg, cloudninesalon.com]
Back Facial (price upon request) – The use of high-frequency light to kill bacteria, in addition to cleansing, exfoliation and extracting, make this facial the ultimate in bacne blasting.
✤ The Day Spa at The Ritz-Carlton [McLean, ritzcarlton.com]
Back Facial ($140) – Experience this unique 50-minute customized citrus exfoliating wash, combining a fragrant cucumber mint soufflé that leaves skin softened and completely moisturized.
✤ The Spa @ Equinox [Vienna, equinox.com]
Purifying Back Treatment ($110) – Tame dry, irritated, blemish-prone skin with this 45-minute deep-cleansing treatment, including an exfoliating lactic acid peel, a relaxing skin-softening steam treatment and a rebalancing mask.
✤ Bellezza Spa [Centreville, bellezzaspava.com]
Back Facial ($100) – Each facial is tailor-made with a mask to suit the customer’s skin-care needs.
Banishing Bacne 
Phil Date/shutterstock.com
With temperatures skyrocketing, now is the time, if never before, to shed a few layers and show serious skin. If you’re like many women dealing with back acne, however, the thought of sporting a simple tank top—let’s not even mention a swimsuit—can be tremendously intimidating. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with this embarrassing and sometimes painful problem any longer. This summer, find soaking up the sun enjoyable again, thanks to some sound spa solutions for banishing bacne and getting you beach beautiful in no time.
To help you achieve that smooth glowing skin you had in those dreamy days before hormones wreaked their havoc, we’ve uncovered top spas throughout Northern Virginia that specialize in treating the skin of the back and the problems that plague it. With the help of a trained specialist, you can not only combat the problem with proven defensive tactics but discover the key ways to prevent outbreaks in the future.
Besides, the reasons to avoid going it alone are numerous. In fact, one of the few prso of self-care is the privacy it provides. First, there’s the difficulty of reaching your own back. And depending on the extent of your condition, exfoliating at home may not be enough. Professionals also point to well-intentioned lay people using unsanitary equipment and incorrect scrubs, both which can exasperate the issue instead of eliminating it. Allow some of NoVA’s finest to introduce you to such remedies as glycolic/lactic acid peels, targeted extractions and more to effectively normalize things and have you baring those shoulders, stat. —Arienne Gascon
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Destinations of Deep Cleansing
✤ Alexandre de Paris [Fairfax, alexandredeparis.com]
Le Grand Classique ($120) – Natural fruit acids, anti-inflammatory plant extracts and essential oils work together to refine skin texture.
✤ Blue Mercury Day Spa [Alexandria, bluemercury.com]
Purifying Facial ($130) – A glycolic peel in addition to their Modern Facial for complete exfoliation, oil-control and deep pore cleansing.
✤ Beauty Bar & Spa [Ashburn, beautybarspava.com]
Signature Facial($95) – Combines double cleansing, exfoliation, extractions and a massage for a gorgeous glow.
✤ Sugar House Day Spa & Salon [Alexandria, sugarhousedayspa.com
European Deep Cleansing Facial ($95) - A mild exfoliating peel, extractions, deep cleansing mask and massage rejuvenate dull skin cells and nourish with botanical oils.
✤ Dansk Day Spa [Occoquan, danskdayspa.com]
Signature le Grand ($125) – A sequence of five gentle cleansing steps to clean deep and calm the skin.
✤ Aida Spa [Alexandria, aidaoldtown.com]
Basic Organic Facial($95) – The luxe French Sothys products make this deep cleansing facial with extractions and massage the top pick for smooth skin.
✤ Sana Day Spa [Chantilly, sanadayspa.com]
Dermalogica Deep Pore Cleansing Facial ($70) – Removes the dull outer layer of cells to increase blood circulation for faster renewal of more even, radiant skin.
✤ Sesen Spa [Vienna, sesenspa.com]
Timless Facial ($150) – A Thermo- Sculpting mask of essential oils detoxifies and purifies the skin while 3-D technology provides targeted action on fine lines for a more vibrant complexion immediately.
✤ Skintelligence [Vienna, skintelligencepartners.com]
Signature Facial ($120-$200) – This facial treatment also includes hand, eye and lip treatments for 90 minutes of all-over pampering.
✤ Solace Day Spa [Chantilly, solace-dayspa.com]
Deep Pore Cleansing Facial ($95) – The 55-minute facial draws out impurities and provides hydration without adding extra shine.
✤ Spa Noa [Reston, spanoa.com]
Alpha Hydroxy Facial ($110-$150) – This treatment provides a great opportunity to start a new skincare regimen, because you’re beginning with a fresh palette and a healthy, youthful appearance.
✤ The Fountains Day Spa [Alexandria, fountainsdayspa.com]
Hydraclean Facial ($60) – The Thermoclean Electrode generates hyper-secretion of the sebaceous glands to rid the pores of oil and toxins.
✤ The Medical Spa at NOVA [novamedspa.com]
Ashburn, Deep Pore Cleansing Facial ($100) – The 50-minute treatment provides balanced hydration and reduces oil production without over-drying.
Save Face
Long days full of fun in the sun can lead to a face full of fresh freckles and beaming cheeks, but they can also leave you with an oil slick across the forehead and a burnt, peeling nose that screams anything but Sun Goddess.
“Living in the Washington D.C. area, especially during the late spring and summer months when the weather is hot and humid outside, it’s very difficult to prevent our skin from becoming oily or keeping our skin pores from getting clogged,” esthetician Mali Amini from Skintelligence in Vienna says.
Valua Vitaly/Shutterstock.com
How do you save your skin and go from mask of shine to enviable glow? Deep-cleansing facials are the perfect remedy. Some of the top spas in the area offer treatments that revive the skin with fruit enzymes, gentle chemical exfoliants and breakthrough ingredients like Retinaldehyde that bring about natural normalization. The glossy, hyper-hydrated face that a regular facial can leave you with isn’t exactly appealing during the dog days, and they are often not formulated to combat the intense inflammatory factors that we put our skin through in the summertime. The Organic Osmosis Medi-Facial at Calvert Rejuvenations in Herndon uses a unique combination of Vitamin A derivatives and a liposomal delivery system to stabilize the skin and do away with dewiness, leaving you feeling clean and refreshed. A procedure that detoxifies and calms? You haven’t been out in the sun too long; it’s true!
Forget your shades and squint through these brighter days, and you run the risk of developing fine lines and noticeable wrinkles. Many of these treatments, like the Alpha Hydroxy Facial at Reston’s Spa Noa, combine skin-clearing components with collagen-boosting elements that help with cell turnover and leave you with a smoother appearance. These treatments usually last one-two weeks, with further treatments recommended every six. —Skylar Korby
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Cellulite Solvers
✤ Calvert Rejuvenations [Herndon, calvertrejuvenations.com]
Accent XL Body Sculpting ($200/first session; $400/follow-up session) – Skin is tightened, and unsightly cellulite reduced, by heating the dermal layer of the skin with a powerful radiofrequency machine.
✤ Impressions MediSpa [Vienna, impressionsmedispa.com]
Accent XL Body Contouring ($1,500 face and neck/six treatments; all other areas priced upon request) – The non-invasive procedure uses radiofrequency to smooth and lift areas in as little as a half-hour.
✤ Spa 4109 [Lynchburg, spa4109.com]
Dermosonic Anti-Cellulite Treatment ($96-$150 depending on area) – Ultrasound and vacuum pressure work together to “iron out the wrinkles” of the treatment area.
✤ Comfort & Joy Wellness Spa [Fairfax, comfortjoy.com]
Cellulite Reduction Treatment ($685/six treatments) – The hour-long sessions combine a sea enzyme mask containing stimulating herbal extracts, an infrared sauna and contouring oil to firm skin and reduce appearance of cellulite.
✤ Piedmont Massage Spa [Dale City, piedmontmassage.com]
Anti-Cellulite Treatment ($540/10 treatments) – This 45-minute vigorous massage helps loosen cellulite.
Say So Long to Cellulite
Beach season is meant to be relaxing, so don’t carry unnecessary stress as baggage on your next getaway. Stubborn bikini bulge can get in the way of your fun in the sun, but thanks to these top treatments you can say so long to cellulite swiftly!
The Accent XL Body Contouring treatment uses radiofrequency technology to heat the inner layer of the skin to contract fat cells and boost collagen for an overall slimming of the treatment area. This non-invasive and painless procedure takes as little as a half hour and boasts serious results after just three treatments with no recovery time. Clients are encouraged to have at least six treatments, at three-week intervals, in order to see optimal results. The total cost of the procedures ranges from $1,500-$2,400, but with minimal upkeep of about one treatment from year to year, it is a viable alternative to other pricier methods.
The Dermosonic Anti-Cellulite Treatment is another non-invasive alternative that combines an ultrasound and vacuum pressure to smooth the skin. It can take as long as 90 minutes, and most clients are encouraged to have between six-10 treatments for desired results. Advantages of this procedure include little to no down time, and minimal upkeep. With six sessions costing a total of $700, it’s a great option for those who are looking for something less expensive than Accent XL.
Looking for a more holistic approach? Try a detoxifying body mask with calcium and sea enzymes designed to reduce the bloating in fat cells and firm skin. The hour-long treatments come in a series of six for $685, with an additional $95 for a take-home kit. A vigorous 45-minute massage also helps loosen cellulite and smooth the appearance of the area. —Angela Bobo
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Bronzing Bests
✤ Bronzed Berry Organic Mobile Spray Tanning [based in Stafford, bronzedberry.com]
Classic Glow ($44), Signature Glow or Rapid Glow ($54), Party Tan ($25-$38) – This company’s organically made solutions are perfect for sensitive skin.
✤ Bella Airbrush Tans [based in Reston, bellabrushings.com]
Spray Tan ($50) – Offering three levels of color that can be used on their own or mixed together to create the perfect color combination for your skin tone.
✤ Kelly’s Mobile Tan [based in McLean, kellysmobiletan.com]
Full Body Session ($60) – Perfect for the fair skinned, custom-color tans are made to fit your skin tone with solutions from around the globe.
✤ Mobile Sunless Tanning of Virginia [based in Manassas, mobilesunlesstans.com]
Spray Tan ($25-50) – Fast, quick and easy spray tans with no streaks and no mess.
Bronze in Your Abode
Courtesy of Bronzer Berry
As tempting as it may be to spend hours upon hours out baking in the sun for that color we’ve craved all winter, we all know it’s not what’s best for us; however, unlike celebrities we don’t exactly have a personal spray tanning tech on speed dial—but, wait, we could. According to Amie Burkholder of Bronzed Berry Organic Mobile Spray Tanning, switching from traditional tanning to mobile spray tanning in the convenience of your own home is “a safe alternative where you won’t have to sacrifice on style or break the bank.”
Numerous companies like Burkholder’s, including salons that used to only offer spray tanning at their brick and mortar stores, are offering mobile tanning services to keep the customer happy, comfortable and confident in the courtesy of their own home. Offering faux glows that last anywhere from one to two weeks, with prices starting at $25 per session, many mobile tanning companies pride themselves on having the perfect combination of color for every skin type.
Services vary from business to business, but the majority of mobile tanning companies have a similar five-12 minute process. Some, such as Mobile Tanning of Virginia, offer the option to add a scent booster as well if you want to cover up the very distinct and well-hated tanning scent until you shower. Kelly Lovallo from Kelly’s Mobile Tan, with fans including “Real Housewives of D.C.” star Mary Amons, even brings her own pop-up tent to avoid any messes. Obviously, extras aside, the biggest bonuses with such services are the convenience and privacy that only in-home tanning affords.
Sounds like you should be out of excuses. Give yourself a healthy glow this summer sans guilt; bronze in your abode. —Tasnim Eboo