Ayurveda at Apotheca

I had a lovely conversation with one of my favorite regular clients this morning, about Ayurveda and specifically about Abhyanga massage. Our resident Yoga Teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner Karly offers some amazing work in this discipline and if you haven't yet tried it, now is a perfect time to come in, get warm, and get balanced.

What is Abhyanga? A warm oil massage that nourishes the skin, deeply relaxes the muscles and brings ease to the mind. Abhyanga is a traditional Ayurvedic massage modality designed to relax, rejuvenate and restore balance within the whole person. Tailored to each client's particular dosha, or Ayurvedic constitutional type, this is a wonderful stand-alone treatment everyone should try at least once. Book your session here.

What is Marma Point Massage? A traditional Ayurvedic style of massage which utilizes the body's vital points to promote healing and relaxation. Pressure, massage, and essential oils are used to balance of the flow of energy through the muscles, joints and organs of the body. Customized to each client's particular dosha, it makes an amazing addition at the end of a traditional deep tissue or stress-relieving massage, and is available as an add-on to these sessions for $25.

To make an appointment with Karly or to learn more about her Ayurveda services, visit our booking page here.

Now is a Great Time to Renew Your Skincare Routine

We're in it! The new year. Our fluctuating Bay Area temperatures combined with holiday travel and lots of office time spent with heaters blazing can leave skin crying for attention. As the weather goes crazy (sunny, freezing, foggy, freezing, rainy, sunny? How do we keep up?) it's a great time to check in and review your skincare routine. Today I'll be talking a bit about the skincare step I see most often neglected and also most frequently overdone: Exfoliation.

Like I said, some of us may overdo it and some of us don't exfoliate at all. We all need modest exfoliation to dislodge dead skin cells, remove impurities and help the skin refresh and renew. But too much can not only sensitize the skin, it can also cause what we call "topical addiction." When the skin doesn't have to metabolize and renew by itself, it becomes lazy and reliant on over-use of product. It's a vicious cycle, and best avoided for the long-term health and beauty of your skin.

So how often is often enough? Once to twice a week at the most! No exfoliant is "gentle enough for every day." If your exfoliating product is as gentle as its marketing hype says then it isn't giving you any benefit. And if it is giving your skin cells a good dislodging then more than twice a week is too much.

Start your exfoliation routine with a gentle cleanser without acids (glycolic, salicylic, other AHAs), without granules (such as bits of apricot kernel shell and synthetic "beads"), and finally without synthetic colors, scents, or surfactants. We use 302 around here and we couldn't be more pleased. On opposite ends of the spectrum we have 302 Acne Cleanser ($26.10), a gentle but effective product for breakout-prone skin, and the 302 Sensitive Rx (also $26.10), also gentle enough for even the most sensitive/sensitized skin. We also carry products for oily and combination skins, as well as the more nebulous and highly coveted skin of the "normal" variety.

If you've been following along you get now that everyone with skin should add an exfoliating step to their skincare routine no more than twice a week. If you are using a gentle cleanser like the ones mentioned above, simply add a quarter teaspoon of plain baking soda to it and apply with a circular motion for two minutes. Effective, easy, non-toxic and dead cheap at roughly 3 cents per treatment.

Other effective and gentle exfoliants you may try at home are a weekly or twice-weekly yogurt mask (around $4.). Yogurt has lactic acid, which gently exfoliates as it moisturizes. Always use unsweetened, high-quality yogurt: low-fat for oily skin or full-fat for drier skin types, and add a touch of rice- or oat bran for extra gentle deep cleanse.

Lately my favorite exfoliant is our own Sweet Honey Weekly Mask ($22) from k23 Skincare. Its rich, raw honey base is intensely hydrating and anti-bacterial. Fig extract lends anti-oxidants for healthy aging, and papaya enzyme dissolves dead skin cells gently and effectively. Jojoba meal adds just the right kick for the rosy glow of healthy circulation. Add essential oils for balance and healing and you have the perfect weekly treat for your face.

For some of you, exfoliation will mean using your trusty rotating brush. I have one and I love it but I don't go crazy with it and neither should you. Definitely do not use the stuff that came with it. Invest in some quality skincare products (without synthetic scents, colors, and unnecessary fillers) and your skin will thank you for it.

What about acids? There is a time and a place for acid exfoliation, and unless your skin is quite aged and very hardy (and I am not addressing my 30-something clients here), that time and place is within the context of your monthly professional skincare treatment. More often than not, Apotheca skincare therapists will choose enzyme exfoliation in our professional treatments, since the majority of our clients fall in the 20 to 45-year-old range. If you do opt for acid products they should never constitute a daily part of your skincare regimen.

As with all things, under-doing is usually better than overdoing it. Treat your skin kindly and you will be rewarded with a glowing and healthy complexion, no matter what insanity the Bay Area weather may throw your way.

On Beauty, 1930's Style

I found this gem on Youtube and had to share it. There is a lot that translates to today- keeping it simple is always key.

Where We Are Giving - August 2011

There is so much going on in the world. Along with the usual places we donate on a monthly basis, Apotheca pledges to give a combined 10% of our (admittedly modest) profits in August to two very worthy causes.

5% of our profits will go to Oxfam America to help with their work feeding starving people in drought-stricken East Africa.


5% will go to support Tika Hick, an amazing woman who is going through an incredibly challenging time of home foreclosure, a new baby, a double mastectomy, and recently losing her husband in an accident. Watch below or read her story here, and if you are in San Francisco please think about going to the Michael Franti concert benefiting Tika and baby Indigo at Little Baobab on August 10th.

Every Home Needs a First Aid Kit

Last week I found myself shivering with a 102 fever, a healthy and energetic three year old to mind and a husband out of town on business. Not my happiest hour, and when I put some cold chicken, half-frozen broccoli and a slab of butter on my toddler's plate for dinner at 6pm I knew I had to call on my family for some emergency help. My sister came, made me tea and rescheduled my next day's clients. She also brought me two extra-strength acetaminophen tablets which by 10pm's fit of headachey insomnia had still done nothing to bring my fever down. I wish I had remembered sooner that I have my trusty Urgent Care Kit of 18 different homeopathic remedies for everything from fever to bee stings to food poisoning. I took the recommended dose of Belladonna and by 9am I was still feeling off but was able to walk my kiddo a mile to preschool. Another dose before napping all morning and by 2pm it was as if I had never been sick.


Homeopathy is a fascinating system of medicine that has no side effects and can easily be incorporated into anyone's wellness lifestyle. I'm by no means a trained homeopath but I have successfully used its remedies to treat or support recovery of everything from my own eczema to my son's croup. To learn about this fascinating and safe system of medicine, this web site is a good place to start.

Why it's important to do the research or work with someone you trust

Meet the Therapists: Karly

"As a Licensed Massage Therapist, Registered Yoga Teacher, and student of Ayurveda, I use all three practices to help clients experience a calm and blissful state of balance. Massage sessions blend a variety of modalities and are designed to address each person’s needs and goals. Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue techniques, Swedish & Thai Massage, and Ayurvedic Body Therapies are the guiding influences behind my practice. Any modality can be emphasized if desired."


Karly teaches private yoga sessions and offers Integrated massage sessions at Apotheca. Please read our Yelp.com reviews to find out what her very happy clients have to say about their sessions with her. Here is a sneak peek from one of our favorites:

"Oh man! This cannot wait:

For more than a year I have had a painful problem with my neck and shoulder which has restricted the range of motion I have been able to turn my head. I just got back from my first session with Karly and BAM! I'm moving smooth and easy again! Suffice it to say, I consider myself one lucky chick!"