There are simple ways to unwind, like watching a favorite show or grabbing food with a friend. While these are fun ways to decompress and ease the mind, taking care of the mind and body is equally as important.
Here are a few spa-inspired self-care tips to consider in the Auburn area.
At Shine Facial Bar, a skin care clinic located on S College St. in Auburn, there is an array of choices to indulge in. Emily Thornton, manager at Shine Facial Bar, shared plenty of tips and information about self-care.
Beginning with treatments, they offer quick express facials and the Shine Signature facial, along with medical-grade services like a Hydrafacial and a DiamondGlow facial. They just recently added massage therapy to their list of services. The price range for the services offered is between $45 and $150, whereas the time duration is typically between 30 and 45 minutes.
Memberships for Auburn students are available for $45 a month. Shine Facial Bar operates with medical-grade skincare lines like Epionce, Skinbetter and EltaMD.
Some perks of being a member are membership facials where students can add on a dermaplane for free, as well as 10% off any products they sell, as well as any service, like LED light therapy.
Encouraging Auburn students to stop by Shine Facial Bar, Thornton shared the importance of self-care.
"Everyone needs self-care in their life, and skincare is a form of self-care, so we offer affordable memberships and services for everyone to take care of their skin with our medical-grade products," Thornton said.
While they do accept walk-ins when they have availability, appointments are encouraged. Shine Facial Bar's hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday - Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Some final tips Thornton wanted to recommend include ways to practice self-care at home.
"Keep up with your skin on a daily basis, make sure you're cleaning your skin each morning and night, wear sunscreen when you walk outside and treat yourself to a facial once or twice a month," Thornton said.
At The Laurel Spa and Hotel, spa director, Chandra Perry shared some information about the spa, located in Auburn on E Thach Ave.
Massages and facials average from $180 to $230 and can go up to $275. While there are no special discounts specifically for Auburn students, Monday - Thursday they offer 10% off all treatments.
"I suggest people receive massages at least once a month. You wouldn't go too long without getting an oil change because you know eventually that engine is going to lock up, that's what happens to people's bodies," Perry said.
Giving some self-care tips for at-home, Perry shared some simple at-home practices.
"Drink plenty of water, always drink at least half your body weight in ounces, stretch and be linked to some type of wellness professional," Perry said.
The Laurel Hotel and Spa is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. As they are open to the general public, students can schedule an appointment on their website, call the front desk or simply walk in.
At Better Bodies Massage Institute and Clinic, Leigh Anne Clark, licensed massage therapist, also discussed ways to practice self-care. Leigh Anne Clark LMT, and the founder and director of education, shared how they are the only licensed massage school in the area, keeping up with her program since 2013.
Located in Opelika on Executive Park Dr., Better Bodies Massage Institute and Clinic offers both a professional and student clinic.
One of their most popular treatments is the integrative massage, which is an outcome-based massage that gives relaxation. It can focus on an outcome of a student's choosing, problems like making a frozen shoulder feel better or focusing on anxiety or trauma recovery.
Hot stones, salt stones and scrubs are around $100 for the professional clinic.
"We are unusual though, I wouldn't necessarily say we are a spa because we're more of a massage clinic," Clark said.
Clark explained how they provide most of the massage therapists in the area. Specifically in the student massage clinic, they offer the exact same thing that the professionals do, but students offer it from $40 to $50.
"We have a massage here for everybody and every budget," Clark said.
The clinic side of Better Bodies Massage Institute, is a 950-hour, 36 weeks state-licensed massage program with a 95% pass rate on the national exam.
At the Better Bodies Massage Institute, many of their therapists are former nurses, resulting in a great deal of medical or outcome-based massage work other than spa, relaxation work.
Luckily for Auburn students and faculty, a 15% discount is offered and is a part of the Tiger Club Program.
Inspiring students to partake in the services they offer, Clark brought an analytical perspective.
"A regular massage not only makes you feel good, it increases brain function. People who are more relaxed have less cortisol, stress hormone, and typically our cognitive function is a little faster," Clark said.
Pulling on the heartstrings, Clark talked about the physical aspect of a massage.
"After Covid, so many people don't get the same hugs and touch that they used to. If you're a college student, if you're with a good, professional, licensed massage therapist, that's good touch," Clark said.
While they are open 7 days a week 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., an appointment is encouraged.
A few examples she gave for self-care were taking a walk in nature, deep breathing, meditation, and focusing on things that don't cost a lot of money.
"The more aware you are of your own body, the better you can take care of things in your life, and other people, too," Clark said.
While she encouraged the practices of self-care, Clark also spoke on checking in with people.
"Take care of each other, look out for each other and when you see somebody you know is struggling, ask them if they've taken care of themselves lately," Clark said.
So, it is important to take time to step away from the things that might consume student's attention on a daily basis and focus that attention and care on how they are actually doing.
With several options and ways to better spend that time, Auburn students have various resources that can lead them to indulge in self-care in an affordable way.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
