What was I thinking?!

Out here in the rain and the cold at the Santa Clara Farmers market and wondering what was I thinking?! There was hardly anyone out today even though the weather looked promising when I woke up. The sun was shining and while it was a bit chilly the skies were clear. So clear, you could see the snow kissed mountain peaks of the Diablo foothills. A rare sight for the normally warmer temperatures for the Bay Area. All in all I thought it might work out to be a nice day.


So I set out to the market hoping the rains would hold off for a while. I needed to be at the market today because I had promised one of my regular customers I would be there. No sooner had I set up then the weather changed. In came the big rain clouds and the mist began to change to full on rain as the clouds began to pile on top of each other. No wonder my other artist friends decided not to show up today! I think they must have checked the weather channel first.

Ah well. I’m here so might as well make the best of it! Still, there are many other things I could be doing and doing them in much warmer places that are dry. But then, just when I was in the middle of this mental dialog, two ladies walk into my booth. They were happily chatting with each other and then one turned to me and greeted me warmly. While I don’t see her often, she announced that she is one of my customers. Normally she is orders on line. She wanted to thank me for the little surprise gift I gave her in her last web order. Then she went on to tell her friend how much she loves Très Spa products and how she stays connected on the Très Spa news letter and told her friend that Très Spa also has a fan page on Facebook.

On they went chatting with each other and with me and walking around sampling and smelling and selecting the treasures for the day. I tell you the two of them were like little rays of sunshine for me. They also gave me tips and told me of places they had been and thought I should go too because they thought Très Spa would be wonderful for the people at the event. No sooner had they left, then one of my other regular customers had shown up. The one I promised I would be here for. We had a nice chat as well.

Rain? What rain? Cold? Really, I didn’t notice! It was a perfect day to be at the market after all. Now I know why I was out here in the cold wet weather, it’s a perfect time for me to visit with customers who mean so much to me. Thank you for making a difference and brining the sunshine with you. For your kind words of encouragement and for your inspiration.

P.S. The shower curtain side walls work perfectly!

To learn more about Très Spa or to shop our on-line store, visit us at http://www.tresspa.com/

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Lessons I learned from being a Marathon Runner : 2 Learn to read the signals and trust your instinct

The other day I was feeling just a bit sad. I had finally ended a business relationship that had been going on for over a year. Now don’t get me wrong, I was glad to have closure. I had never wanted to relationship in the first place and had only acquiesced to enter into it because a friend of a friend wanted me to. Yes, I went against my instinct and said OK.
From day one, it had always felt a bit un-natural and awkward and it was always disjointed from the rest of my business. For a small company just starting up, disjointed fractions can easily become neglected relationships or at worst drains on resources. No matter how you slice it, the cards showed an ill fate from the start. But I trudged ahead and we both tried for over a year, but in the end it wasn’t working for either one. So we broke up. On Valentines of all days!

So what do you do when you’re feeling sad, lonely, or depressed? I found myself reaching for my running shoes. It is as if they were calling to me (a fact I find amazing). I have not been running for years! Actually my last Marathon was the San Francisco Marathon in 2008 and my last Half was Disney World shortly after. I have no real good excuses as to why I stopped, I just did. But on this day, for some reason buried in my subconscious, I knew I needed my running shoes and I needed to spend time with the road outside my door.

So I followed my instinct and donned my running shoes and headed out the back door. The air was crisp and fresh from the rain that had fallen earlier in the day. The sun was just beginning to set so the lighting was perfect. As I began my walk, my mind began to wander and with each foot fall it became clearer and clearer that my instinct was right. This is where I needed to be.

It did not take long for the old rhythm to set in (at least the power walking rhythm). Fast, well placed steps and cool crisp air whipping my face. Instead of focusing on the severed relationship, my mind went to a meditative state. I began to become keenly aware of my surroundings and most importantly, my direct sensations. I was aware of the sinews as they extended for every stride, the impact as the heel of the foot hit the ground. The feel of the shoes (well worn now) that wrapped around to cradle the foot at every angle. The rolling action as the weight shifted from heel to rounding the toe to push off for the next stride. The gluts liberating release as the toe lifts off the ground preparing for the next swing and contact. The feel of the muscles tightening in the torso to help absorb and support as the waves of shock traveled from ground to head. Attention to posture: Head held high and eyes gazing forward with my shoulders back. Perfect. Now it’s time to check the breathing. Is it deep and steady? Am I gasping? Is the air labored? Are my lungs filling with a “belly breath” or is it shallow? Do I need to slow down? Speed up? Can I push harder? How does my heart feel? Working too hard or ready for more?

With all of the miles I shared with these shoes on the road training and running in Marathons, this was the meditation that is practiced the most. It is amazing how fast the body and mind remember and fall right back into sync. Even if the mind wanders from time to time, this is always playing in the background and focus comes back to it regularly. Constantly checking in with my sensation and intuition then following the direction it gave me.

This is the most important tool in training, learn to listen to your internal guidance and heed the signals. You will know when to push and when to pull back by listening to your internal guidance. I like the way Shakespeare had Polonius explain it to his son as he was imparting training to him before he left home;

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 78–82

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe firmly in learning from others that have gone before you and I hold in very high esteem those who are trainers and teachers. I talked with many experts and read lots of articles and even joined a running group (although I never ran with them, but I loved the e-mails). In some way, they too were there with every foot fall. But, when the rubber hits the road, you must know how to take all of that mentoring and put it in proper perspective. It can influence you and help to shape you, but in the end, you must stand on your own, listen to your internal signals, and make the call. You must be true to yourself.

By the end of my quick 2 miles I felt like a new person. A smile on my face and my heart felt ready for more!

Soap without Lye?!

I spend a good deal of time in front of customers. I do this because I genuinely really like people. I enjoy interactions and exchanging ideas. Many of my customers are a great source of inspiration and seeds of current and future products have come from our conversations. These public events are also a great place for me to interact with those who are not currently customers of Très Spa. They too are a great source of inspiration. It was a recent event that gave me the inspiration for this post. But then it really doesn’t take much of a nudge to get me to talk about soap! If you have seen my soap, I think it is easy to see that it is one of my passions.

A curious browser came by to sniff and sample some of the delicious Très Spa products. While she was visiting we struck up a conversation. She was looking for soap that had not been made using lye of any kind. Her search was genuine and she wanted to understand how soap is made. Well, give me half a chance and I am happy to share what I know.

Of course with my background and schooling in Engineering partnered with my background and schooling in Psychology scientific explanations take on a whole new color. I tend to tell stories and paint pictures for people. Molecules have personalities and reactions can have emotional significance. It’s been that way for me all my life. For as long as I can remember I had always seen a psychology in science. So we talked about NaOH and the excitement that happens when it’s awash with water and then how the lye meets the fat molecules and they join to create something wondrous, something neither could do without the other, something that was a true gift = Saponification. To the best of my knowledge this is the only way it could ever happen, the only way to create Soap.

Fascinated, I asked her where she had ever seen such a soap? Can it be done? Can true soap be created without lye? Had this passer-by found a soap that had never met NaOH (sodium hydroxide)or KOH (potassium hydroxide)? Inquiring minds want to know! So I asked. She told me the name of this natural cosmetic company and said she wasn’t sure if it was bar soap or liquid soap. No problem, I’ll search for both! I could not wait to look at this wondrous product! I searched the web and was genuinely pleased to see they are public with their list of ingredients (a key trust factor for me). But then my excitement faded as I read the list of ingredients. Toping the list of ingredients: Sodium cocoate, Sodium palmate, and Sodium kernalate. Well some may list this as Saponified coconut and Palm or Palm Kernal oils and others of use simply spell it out in the full list as sodium hydroxide (common in bar soap) or potassium hydroxide (common in liquid soaps). All of the variations are allowed for correct product labeling, just seems that one is more plain than the others. They all started the same way, Oil mixed with water and either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

Not stopping there, I took a gander at the liquid soap. Topping the list in this product; Soap. OK and we know where soap comes from so…..

Now there well may be a way to make soap without using the ingredients I know. But how that is done and what is used? I have not discovered yet but I’ll be sure to keep looking. If you know of soap, real soap, that is made differently, I would love to hear from you!

There really is a great deal of science that goes into soap making and if you are really interested in the subject, I highly recommend my favorite soap scientist Kevin Dunn. You can purchase his book, The Science of Soap Making. He often is a presenter at the HSMG conferences and has always been my favorite. But I am goofy that way. I see the art and beauty in the science of nature. I would never profess to know it all. In fact, I like to think my gift is making the complex simple and the complicated easier to understand.

To learn more about Très Spa Products, visit us on-line at www.tresspa.com

What's a fizzie bath bomb for?

Nothing quite like a bath to help you feel completely relaxed and at ease. Once you lay back in the tub and allow the warm waters to support you, you find your tension begins to melt away and your mind begins to relax into peaceful day dreams. II also find a good soak in a warm bath to be the perfect time to think through issues or solve problems. I don't know about you, but I find I can think much clearer when I am relaxed.


Baths are also the perfect time to gently nourish your skin and relieve achy muscles. Très Spa features several products to support you during tub time. You can find our amazing Royal Silk Milk Bath and our gentle Tub Teas and our mineral rich Naked Spa Bath Salts along with Fizzie Bath Bombs on our on-line store. You can use any one of these products on thier own or combine them for an even more potent treat. My personal favorite is the Royal Silk Milk Bath combined with a Fizzie Bomb. Try it and you will understand.

Each one of the products brings their own unique benefits to your skin care regime but for today, let’s just talk about the Fizzie Bath Bomb. What are fizzies for? First and foremost, they are for fun. You drop them in the water and watch them fizzle and twirl around. It brings out the kid in all of us. But don’t be fooled by the simple pleasure, these fun treats for the bath have more to offer. They also have the effect of softening the water and can also help to soften your skin. For the Très Spa bather, it's a way to bring the aroma therapy aspects into the tub with them as the fizz releases the pure essential oils into the bath water and the scent fills the air around you.

I have no idea where the first fizzie came from. I have heard it said that Lush, a UK based company, was the first to create and popularize the fizz but I have no idea if that is the true origin. But regardless of who was first, there is no doubt that these fun little treats have become quit the hit amongst bathers everywhere.

While we all share the same basic recipes, we set ourselves apart in how we customize them for our customers. There all kinds of deviations on the same theme. Some make these fun cupcakes that are absolutely amazing. They look so incredible, you want to eat them! Others make these massive 8 oz balls with various vibrant colors. I have also seen them so small they are designed like little tiny truffles in a box. Some have sparkly glitter, some have dried flowers or other herbs. Some use fragrances like mango and strawberries while others use only pure essential oils. Some add a bit of oil to help moisturize the skin as well. Some have vibrant colors and others are white as snow.
I have even seen some are a tablet that you drop in the corner of your shower. This one has always perplexed me though. I have no idea what the benefit is of that. I suppose some would say it’s for the scenting of the shower, but then that is the side benefit of soaps and shampoos and hair rinses scented with pure essential oils! Seems like a waste to lose the effervescent fizzie to the drain.

For Très Spa, when I was designing the products, I wanted to focus more on our customer needs and demands. With our customers, this is what they said they wanted:

1) Good quality base ingredients
2) Natural! Only use pure essential oils
3) Family friendly – good for the grown-ups in the house.
4) Don’t stain my tub or make it hard for me to clean up
5) Don’t leave behind floaty bits. I don’t need to glitter my bath water
6) I want to use it, not admire it’s looks.

So you will find that the Très Spa fizzies are a no fluff let’s get to business fizzie that delivers all the benefits with none of the drawbacks. Look for our new line of fizzies this summer that will feature essential oil blends designed from the principles of the metaphysics of scent.

No matter what your age or your preference there is a fizzie out there for you. If you have never tried one before, I highly recommend you do as soon as possible. While I would love for you to buy the Très Spa Fizzie Bath Bombs, I understand that I cannot be all things to all people so you can find other great creators of fizzies here at the HSMG, http://www.soapguild.org/ or you may find one of my peers here at the Indie Beauty Network, http://www.indiebeautynetwork.com/directory/index.asp

If you would like to learn more about the products created by Très Spa, please visit us on line at http://www.tressspa.com/