A massaging chair leans into a full recline. In the room surrounding, there are breaths of the relief:
Eucalyptus for headaches. Lavender for depression. Lemon grass for arthritis. Almond to suppress appetite. Vanilla for nerves.
The atmosphere ushers clients into a world of tranquility, where they can indulge in red-light treatments to restore skin elasticity and tan to their heart”s content.
Its setting is the fruits of one woman”s search for the fountain of youth.
In a quest that has escaped both the adventurer and the affluent for centuries, Valerie Sheffield has at least come close.
Unlike Ponce de Leon, who found Florida in search of waters thought to preserve youth, Sheffield sought youth in technology and natural products with healing properties.
Aptly named, Rejuvenation tanning salon and oxygen bar in the Brickerton shopping center, is more of a “haven” than a store.
In her travels across the U.S., Britain and Germany, Sheffield has always been in search of new ways to defy age and relieve stress.
And after 24 years in the child-care industry, serving overworked moms, Sheffield knows the look of stress.
“We live very hectic, stressful lives,” she said. “I wanted to create a safe haven. I myself have found I”m stressed … and when you”re a mom, you tend to let yourself go.”
The years pass effortlessly; children grow up, and instead of living life, people find themselves remembering it and wondering where the time went, Sheffield said.
At Rejuvenation, in addition to tanning and oxygen treatments, Sheffield offers the Beauty Angel, a whole-body anti-aging treatment.
Clients stand in the Beauty Angel “bed” to receive red-light therapy and gentle vibrations to help soften the look of scarring and reduce cellulite.
Products from Europe, Asia and Africa include Sprayology, a line of vitamin sprays, and Bella Lucce, a line of spa products for face and body.
Of Sprayology, Sheffield explained, “You spray it on your tongue, and it is immediately absorbed into the blood stream,” Sheffield said. Sprayology offers vitamin supplements for weight loss, sleep, hangovers and stress.
For part of the day, Sheffield escapes to Rejuvenation, her self-created haven. The rest of the day, she returns to Tomorrow”s Pride Early Learning day care and leaves Rejuvenation to her daughters, Brittany, the shop”s manager, and Madison, who also works as an aesthetician and cosmetologist. (Sheffield”s third daughter, Whitney, lives away from the area.)
“This is something she”s always dreamed about doing,” Brittany said,
Eventually, Sheffield hopes to add Mystic Tan, a spray tan, and a calorie-burning body wrap, to her store, offering more methods of relaxation and peace.
“I hope that”s what this place will bring, is a lot of peace,” she said.
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