“People are becoming more concerned about the toxins they are exposing themselves to, and our skin and nail products offer an organic, natural alternative to the chemical-filled products used in most salons and spas,” said licensed massage practitioner Cathy Stacy, owner of Chandler’s Retreat, Body & Skin Care Spa, 16545 NE 80th St. in Redmond.
Stacy took over the former Ostara Center for Wellness in April, from Catherine Bradford, a registered nurse who still works part-time at Chandler’s as an esthetician and also hosts a show on Contact Radio.
Chandler is another of Stacy’s family names and she added the word “retreat” to signify a “get-away” from cares and worries.
“What I like about this place and why I bought it is the nice healthy ambiance,” Stacy explained. “I didn’t decorate it, but people say this is not what they expected from the street.”
The home-like spa is decorated in rich earth and jewel tones and features soothing music and water features, a welcome distraction from the sometimes noisy traffic outside.
Chandler’s Retreat offers standard Swedish and Deep Tissue massage modalities, as well as an Ayurvedic massage.
They use Sparitual nail care products, the first vegan family of DBP-free nail lacquers. DBP is a plasticizing ingredient that has been banned for use in cosmetic products in the European Union because it may cause birth defects. Therefore, said Stacy, these products “are safe even for expectant mothers.”
Due to sanitation concerns, foot soaks at Chandler’s Retreat are done in a Footsie Bath with individual, disposable liners.
Also, she said, “Our skin care products, Uspa, are based on the therapeutic benefits of herbs and plants. Although Uspa products are used in many high end spas around the world, we are one of the few who carry it on the Eastside.”
Stacy worked in the corporate world for 28 years before her job was eliminated.
“I decided ‘It’s time for me to do what I want’ — I did a lot of soul-searching,” she said, before she went to an introductory massage therapy class and discovered that she “liked to be able to do something that makes people feel good. It’s very gratifying to relieve people’s pain or stress.”
She lives in Issaquah but doesn’t mind her 20-minute commute to downtown Redmond because, “I had a vision of what I wanted, a little house, not a strip mall. I wanted something small, friendly and cozy.”
Chandler’s Retreat participates in the Microsoft employees’ Passport program and offers discounts to members of the Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce. Stacy and staff members will also be exhibitors at the Body Mind Spirit Expo (www.bmse.net), Oct. 11-12 at the Seattle Center.
For appointments or information about Chandler’s Retreat, call (425) 885-5581 or visit www.chandlersretreat.com.
