In movies such as Sleeper and Cocoon, pods have been associated with space-age breakthroughs and transformation. And with Dermalogica on Montana, the big-screen vision has benefits for your face and body as well. Step into the renowned skincare line’s flagship store in Santa Monica, and you’ll be whisked off to one of three pod treatment rooms (known as Mommy, Daddy, and Baby) for your choice of renewing therapies. Even better, you’ll be in the hands of qualified skincare professionals wielding products from Dermalogica, one of the most respected brands in the field.
Founded in 1986 by Jane Wurwand and other members of the International Dermal Institute, Dermalogica represented a striking departure from the standard practices of the time. By eschewing artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, lanolin, or mineral oil, Dermalogica made clear its commitment to results-driven products over inexpensive ingredients that had known links to skin problems. It would take years for the rest of the industry to follow Dermalogica’s lead.
The beginnings were much more humble. At the early age of 13, while working as a sweeper in the local beauty shop in Bournemouth, England, Wurwand knew that skincare was her calling. Her passion ultimately led her to Los Angeles. There she founded the International Dermal Institute (IDI) in 1983, after observing that continuing education for skin care professionals in the US was often inconsistent and inadequate. Wanting to elevate the profession, she and her husband Raymond opened IDI in a small storefront not far from their apartment, the nearby location chosen because they had no car.
With the addition of the Dermalogica brand three years later, Wurwand set her course for rapid growth. The IDI now sets the worldwide ?gold standard? for professional skin care education, with 36 locations worldwide and additional openings planned for 2006-2007.
Twenty years after the brand launched, the Dermalogica line has grown to include dozens of products in a number of categories. Whether you’re seeking a cleaner, a conditioner, a moisturizer, sunblock, or other skincare aids, Dermalogica has what you need – but without the additives you don’t.
This philosophy is realized at Dermalogica on Montana. Inside its walls, you’ll find a calming, expansive environment. You’ll make your preparations in the sparkling dressing rooms, then don a chic sarong before you enter one of the pods for Dermalogica’s skin treatment, thermal back therapy, or its innovative Face Mapping, which uses ancient Chinese principles to analyze your face.
Within the pod’s cocoon-like atmosphere, you’ll bathe in an array of soothing lights and enjoy your own selection of music while the trained skincare therapist plies her magic. Once your treatment is done, you can relax in the “arrival and departure” areas, where you can browse through a vast selection of coffee table books or drink up Dermalogica’s own caffeine-free tea blend, UnTea. For additional skincare possibilities, you can linger at the unique Skin Bar and try out other Dermalogica products.
The signature, however, is Face Mapping. Practiced exclusively at Dermalogica salons, spas and skin treatment centers, Face Mapping can be a roadmap to get glowing, healthy skin free of breakouts, dehydration and problem areas. Through an extensive skin analysis that involves feeling the skin, client Q&A, and their own advanced skin knowledge, a trained Dermalogica skin therapist can provide a deeper view into the ?why? behind your most perplexing skin concerns. The face is divided into 14 different zones, so that the therapist can decipher the skin?s current state of health in the most minute detail. Post analysis, the therapist prescribes a customized product regimen for healthy skin, meaning each individual is assured of getting the right products for their particular needs and concerns.
They also offer a range of Specialty products. Unlike the other formulas in the Dermalogica retail line, Specialty products are designed to zone-in on specific areas of the face, rather than focus on overall conditions. They are each highly individualized in their application ? your skin care therapist can help you determine which Specialties will target your skin concerns. With this, along with Face Mapping, Dermalogica is taking the trail and error out of skincare.
Just don’t call it a spa. Skincare is Dermalogica’s only concern, so you won’t find waxing, manicure, pedicure, or body massage services here. And though you’ll feel that you’ve been pampered within the pod, Dermalogica on Montana provides treatments grounded in proven techniques and science, not miracle cures. As if that weren’t enough, all Dermalogica skincare professionals must meet strict training requirements so that they can dispense only the best-informed advice to clients.
With Dermalogica on Montana, add another reason to that long list of envy-inducing gems why it’s great to live in L.A. This flagship treatment center, based on the celebrated Dermalogica skincare philosophy, and its otherworldly treatment pods are a Southern California exclusive. Mommy, Daddy, and Baby are waiting to treat you right.
Dermalogica on Montana (310) 260-8682
