From Travel & Leisure

October 1999

"Serenity Now" by Carol Isaak Barden

Mind/Body Pgs 167-174

"Long the province of the upper crust, day spas have reinvented themselves as oases of the calm for everyone (Yes, guys, you too.)  Here, a coast-to-coast lising of the best...

...Brea Sanctuary d' Sante 3637 W. Alabama Blvd., Suite 235, Houston, Texas; 713-622-7722.  When could I submit to this Houston spa's famed one-hour, 45-minute treatment? 'In two months,' was the receptionist's answer.  Brea Pope built her business around an intoxicating offering called The Cure, and in her funky day spa, men and women fork over $103 for the treatment. When I finally got my turn, I entered a sensual, candlelit room with a waterfall. Brea, who has been in the business for 21 years, whipped a cocktail of seaweed, algae, and spirulina, 'perfect food for the skin,' she says.  She pulverized flaxseed, herbs, and seawater to the concoctions that are manufactured in her husband's lab, then chose a mix of aromatherapy oils to match my mood. 'If you're having a bad day, I use lavender and chamomile.' In addition to a delicious facial, Brea bathes clients' feet in warm water infused with essential oils, then massages legs, feet, hands, arms, and back, rubbing from the scalp all the way to the tailbone. It doesn't get any better than this."