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Coming this Spring: Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine at Apotheca! Our resident Tui Na massage therapist David Lesseps will be offering acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine appointments at Apotheca beginning this Spring. I have long sent my clients to David for his extensive knowledge of herbal remedies and his light (read: painless) touch with needles. Now I won't have to send you very far, since David will be bringing this deeply healing work to our practice. We are thrilled to have him bring this facet of his expertise to you.

My schedule is winding down as I prepare go on maternity leave, date TBA. For now, my schedule is booked through March with some sporadic openings in April. Please be advised that if you book a session with me for any time between now and April there is a good chance that as Birth Day approaches your session may be taken over by Tess.Tess is a talented skincare therapist with a beautiful touch and an easy-going presence that our clients are loving. If you have a session with Tess you will be in excellent hands.

I plan to return after summer and take my place back along with Tess, Eri, Sari and David. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Please Welcome Our New Skincare Therapist: We are excited to introduce you to the newest addition to our team, skincare therapist Tess Lush! Tess is now available for waxing, facial and back skincare treatments on Wednesdays from 9 to 2pm and Saturdays from 3:30 to 8:30pm. Tess is a native of Oahu, and comes to us having been trained by some of the best skincare teachers in the Bay Area. Her beautiful facial massage, gentle extractions and butterfly-light touch will make your skin happy leave you glowing.

New Press: On the Organic Trail in San Francisco: With a wealth of organic-minded businesses, in San Francisco it truly is easy being green. Marlene Goldman, Organic Spa Magazine (Spring 2008)

Apotheca is featured, along with two SF spas and the Zen Center, on page 63! Check it out at Borders, Pharmaca, and Barnes and Noble.

"Specializing in customized skin care and body work, Apotheca reflects more its apothecary roots than a trendy day spa. Set in a downtown office building, individual treatments are crafted in the holistic philosophy based on one-on-one consultations..."

Please note: Our rates will be increasing slightly for all massage appointments booked for April 2008 and later.

New Additions: Please help us welcome a new addition to our wellness team: Tui Na therapist David Lesseps CMT, who comes to us from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. His name will be familiar to many of you to whom I have enthusiastically recommended his work as an acupuncturist. Now we're thrilled that David will be joining Apotheca to bring Tui Na, Chinese Medical Massage, to add to our menu of services.

Those of you who enjoy deep, vigorous work such as shiatsu and Thai massage will love Tui Na. It is particularly effective for treating neck pain and stiffness, back pain, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, and hip, leg and knee pain.

Best of all, Tui Na is done with clothing on, so it is a great option for those of you who can't imagine shedding your clothes for a massage during winter's chilly months.

We have another exciting new addition to our service menu, also great for those of you who prefer to stay clothed for your massage. The amazingly talented Eri Cela is now offering tension-busting chair massage for your back, neck, arms and hands. Eri has been back in grad school studying Somatic Psychology and learning a whole host of new techniques to approach your sports injuries, chronic stress and pain. His chair massage is done through your clothes and without massage oil in a specially-designed massage chair. Sessions are perfect for stressed-out office workers, and will leave you relaxed, refreshed and ready to face the day a new person.

And as ever, the wonderfully gifted Sari Gelzer transports you to another (far less stressful) world with her own flowing approach to Swedish-based massage. Sari will be available throughout December so now is a perfect time to book a session and experience her soothing style.

New Product: Tu'el Hy-drate Moisture Gel. Here is the moisturizer your skin has been thirsty for! Perfect for the helping the skin transition from the ravages to summer to the dehydrating effects of winter's indoor heat. This hydrating liquid gel has Hyaluronic acid to increase surface moisture retention to plump and firm the skin.

Hy-Drate helps prevent chapping, too, so it is excellent for wearing under sunscreen if your winter plans include snowboarding, skiing or other outside sports. It is anti-aging, ideal for all skin types, and wears beautifully alone or under heavier moisturizer. It is particularly great for oily skin that needs surface hydration without added oil. Best of all, it contains no artificial additives, fragrances or colors. Perfect for men or women of any age. $62 for 4oz. If you want to try this great product for yourself, please send an email to kirstenqb@gmail.com to inquire about retail hours.

1. Apotheca's holiday schedule: Sari will be taking off December 26th. Eri will be away from December 17 to January 22. Kirsten is spoken for between December 17th and January 12. David's vacation schedule is TBA.

2. January 2008 schedules will be available in the next few weeks. You will get an email when the schedule goes live.

3. We're on the map! We were surprised to find that we've been featured on Sheckys.com's cool new Beauty Map of San Francisco. And we didn't ask. Thanks! Log onto www.shecky's.com to get your own map.

4. Save the date: December 14th at Space Gallery, 1141 Polk Street. Urban art and music featuring artists from Juxtapose Magazine, and Apotheca favorites Mark Brown and James Drason.

I will be taking some modified maternity leave from now until Spring. I won't be booking any new massage sessions but I will keep doing skincare until my burgeoning baby bump grows to the point that I can't reach past it to massage your beautiful faces anymore. So I hope you will come in for a facial treatment with me when the 2008 schedule goes up. And in the meantime, I leave you in the very warm and capable hands of Eri, Sari and David for your massages.

Cast your vote for a more relaxed you! Apotheca declares Wednesday, November 7th and Thursday, November 8th to be Get Relaxed Days.

Bring proof of voting on November 6th to your appointment on Wednesday, November 7th or Thursday, November 8th and you'll receive $10 off your session of 70 minutes or longer. We don't care who you vote for, we just want to reward you for doing the civic thing. Wear Tuesday's "I voted" sticker when you come on November 7th or 8th and enjoy a little discount along with one heck of a good massage.

Appointment times are available between 9am and 7pm, and they are booking fast, so log onto http://www.apothecasf.com and reserve your November 7th or November 8th appointment time today.

Book Apotheca now for your holiday parties. This holiday season, be the host with the most! Treat your guests to a party they'll remember. On-site sessions generally run between 15 and 25 minutes per person, and party organizers receive a free 30-minute chair massage session for every visit of three hours or longer. Our 2007 winter dates dates are booking up fast. Email today to make your reservation.

Tales from the waitlist: It has been an extraordinarily busy year and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down any time soon. Kirsten's schedule is booked completely until the end of 2007, but there are still slots available with the remarkably gifted Eri and Sari, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. If you haven't taken advantage of their excellent massage skills yet, now is a great time to meet them and enjoy their work. To read more about their massage styles and working philosophies, please check our about us page. And on the skincare front, stay tuned to hear more about exciting additions to our team.

2008 Schedule: Our 2008 schedules are not up and available for booking yet, but our regular clients will get an email announcement before the new schedule goes live. As always, we encourage you to get yourself booked for recurring appointments (weekly, monthly, what ever time frame works for you) to be assured that there is always a space for you reserved on our schedules.

Fall services change: To make everyone's life just a wee bit easier, we have streamlined our rates so that all therapists are charging the same per service. Practically, we have adopted a no-tip suggestion across the board. So, from now on, all our rates are stand-alone and no additional gratuity is expected, for all therapists. Easy!

Online scheduler change: We have switched over to a better, easier system. With it you can see all of our extended schedules for the rest of the year, prepay your sessions and even buy and track gift certificates. If you haven't used it yet, you will need to re-enter your name and contact information. A minor inconvenience, but I think you'll enjoy the new system more than our old one.

A lovely feature about Apotheca skincare services came out this week on SFStation: We are flattered! Read the beauty buzz here

Hey, you! Stop licking your face! Fall always feels like back-to-school time for me, even with no classes on the calender. I start thinking fondly of seasonal change, spiffy new school supplies, and fresh starts. To give your tired skin a fresh start after the a summer of damaging sun, sea, sweat and chlorine, I have added an absolutely delicious treatment to my skincare service menu. The Pumpkin Patch Enzyme Peel Facial is just what congested, dehydrated, damaged skin needs to put on a fresh face for fall. A spicy, sweet treatment, it transforms dull, lifeless complexions into more youthful skin-- without the harshness of microderm or glycolic acid peels. 60 minutes, $85.

As the days grow shorter, here's hoping your Indian Summer brings delicious strolls through a farmer's market, long weekend naps in a sunny window, and some simple resolutions to help you take time to stop and smell the roses a bit more this Fall. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

My husband and I have been happy supporters of this amazing non-profit organization that connects people who need micro-loans to start small businesses to people here in the developed world who have the means and the desire to help. I have joined the organization again on Apotheca's behalf and I swear, it is absolutely addictive. Right now your support is allowing me to help fund the dreams of two amazing women: Claudia runs a small door-to-door beauty supply business in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Faamati is a mother of four who is starting up a vegetable garden in Mutiatele, Samoa to raise food and money to support her family. I thank you for supporting Apotheca and allowing me to contribute to such worthy endeavors.

Well, if you hated us we prefer that you send us a note give us a chance to make it up to you. But if you love us, we want to the world to hear about it. To add your voice to the little tribe that sings good things about us, please do so here:

. . .we are incredibly appreciative of your being part of our practice. Your being here means that we can wake up every day to do work we love with people who make us feel lucky. Thank you for being a part of Apotheca's community.

Until next time, here's wishing you happy muscles, healthy skin, and a lovely long weekend sometime in your very near future.