holiday gifts – East Village Spa Blog

5 tips when shopping for vegan and environmentally friendly lifestyles

Show you care, with gifts that honor a vegan lifestyle and sustainability preferences. Here are 5 tips

vegan and sustainable gifts from East Village Spa including chocolate, jewelry, body care, nail polish. — Pictured clockwise from top left: Farmhouse Fresh Hello Yello Shea Butter Lotion, Morphew Designs Earrings, Farmhouse Fresh Coconut Cream Shea Butter Soap, Zoya Nail Polish, Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate.

1. Packaging matters: avoid plastic if you can. Look for glass bottles or paper packaging. FarmHouse Fresh Goods has great glass packaging for many items.

2. Bar soaps wrapped in paper are low waste and our Shea butter soaps are richly hydrating.

3. Look for local and handmade over mass-produced and shipped from overseas. The further a product travels, the bigger the environmental footprint. We carry beautiful Morphew Designs made right here in central Iowa!

4. Check labels to see if products are vegan. Common animal ingredients in skincare include milk or whey, beeswax, lanolin, or keratin. Zoya Nail Polish and Treatments is totally vegan as are many Farmhouse Fresh lotions!

5. Some dark chocolate is vegan. When purchasing chocolate, know the source. Chocolate is often sourced in ways that violate ethical human labor standards. Equal Exchange chocolates use fair labor, fair trade, and their dark chocolate flavors are vegan (they’re also kosher!)

This is just a small assortment of our vegan and sustainable collection of items available at www.shopeastvillagespa.com or in our brick and mortar store in Des Moines, IA. We’re always happy to help with suggestions and read some labels for you over the phone if you have questions about whether an ingredient is appropriate for a vegan lifestyle!

Top Holiday Gift Picks-2018

I’ll admit it, my family and friends can always expect gifts from East Village Spa for special occasions. Some of our team members shared their top gift picks for family and friends. If your loved one works at the spa consider this your spoiler alert before you read further!

Custom blended essential oil lotion, body scrub, bath soak or hydrating mists are a gift that shows you put a bit of extra thought and effort in. After making a few choices on our Body Bliss Aromatherapy app, we’ll develop a custom recipe for whatever you can think of: pain relief for athletes, “love potions,” stress relief for expectant mothers, TLC for people undergoing chemotherapy treatments…you name it!

Our Licensed Massage Therapist Becky suggests our EuroSpa Eucalyptus Shower Mists. “My entire family and my fiancé have terrible sinus issues and the smell is very cleansing, invigorating and yet simultaneously calming. I’ve even sprayed it in my car and room, not just the shower or diffuser! The variety of different aromas blended with the eucalyptus are pretty great too! Something for everyone!”

Kelly, our spa director, is constantly replenishing our Zoya limited edition holiday sets. These are our best gifting value. Zoya nail polish is normally $10/bottle but these 4 packs sell for just $15! They are perfect to separate for little value-priced stocking stuffers or creating gift sets for a group. Zoya polishes are salon quality, vegan, and made with safe ingredients.

Both our Guest Experience Manager (and esthetician) Molly and Licensed Massage Therapist Hannah plan to gift Thistle Farms items. This organization provides programming and employment to women who have survived sex trafficking, drug addiction, and abuse. Plus, their essential-oil based candles, room sprays, and oil rollers are beautiful gifts. Molly loves tucking some literature about the organization into the gift bag to let the recipient know how their gift makes a difference.

Rhonda Allison IllumiColour lip glosses are a very popular gift this year. Conny said that her mom and sister who never wear make-up love them. Our esthetician, Cammie, said that she loves sharing these lip glosses because they look great, but also feel great because they contain nourishing, pro youth ingredients.

ALL of our Farmhouse Fresh products make beautiful gifts. Plus, this line supports animal rescue. Their headquarters is even on a farm animal sanctuary! Jamee is giving the mini-sets like this face mask trio. Cassandra suggests Farmhouse Fresh Sweet Cream scented lotion because everyone appreciates lotion in the winter and it is a perfect light scent. Kristiana’s mom loves their Caramel Coffee Shea Butter Scrub.

Licensed Massage Therapist, Brandi, said her family is getting Kneipp Bath Salts because they need to chill out! The arnica Joint and Muscle salts are great for relatives dealing with pain and inflammation. Many of our team members regularly give the gift of a relaxing aromatherapy salt bath to ourselves.

We have a huge selection of beautifully locally crafted earrings by designer Heather Morphew Nelson, from tiny studs to drop earrings, necklaces, and more. She has a huge fan club among our clients. Stop in to browse her ever-changing selection!

Need help with gift ideas? Stop in! We can help you shop and we’ll even wrap your gift while you enjoy a complimentary chocolate. East Village Spa is open Monday 10a-7p, Tuesday 9a-7p, Wednesday 10a-7p, Thursday 9a-7p, Friday 10a-6p, Saturday 10a-5p, and we’re closed Sundays. We will close at 2pm on Christmas Eve. Learn more at www.EVDaySpa.com!

Our favorite holiday gifts at all prices

It was hard to narrow down our favorite gift choices at the spa, but we certainly have noticed trends in what clients are wanting for themselves…and picking up to give to others. Here are our favorites!

$10 and Under

Kneipp travel baths and travel massage oils are just $5.50 each!

Zoya nail polishes are just $9 each and Vinylux Polishes and their awesome fast dry top coat are just $9.95 each

$20 and Under

Farmhouse Fresh Hand Cream comes in a variety of delightful scents and whimsical packaging. This is a perfect gift for teachers, coaches, day care providers and anyone that deserves a fun pampering treat at just $14 each.

Zoya Color Lock Kit Includes everything you need for a flawless Zoya manicure. Combine with your favorite color. Just $19.95

Therapearl Face Mask looks silly, but is a great gift for anyone who suffers frequent sinus headaches, migraines, or general facial puffiness. Keep it in the friedge and it is ready to go for instant relief, and it is just $19.95.

Zoya Mini Trio These fun mini polishes are just $12 for 3 (or you can buy individual bottles for $5 each) and make perfect stocking stuffers! We have assorted trios and lots of individual minis.

Farmhouse Fresh Whoopie Cream Candle is the perfect go-to for hostess gifts, friends, work exchanges, and more. This is Farmhouse Fresh company’s most popular scent. $20

$30 and under

Farmhouse Fresh Honey Heel Glaze is our most popular Farmhouse Fresh product and works miracles on dry skin on the hands and heels. $24

Kneipp Bath Benefits Kit Enjoy 5 aroma-therapeutic mineral baths with this set of 5 assorted salt bath sachets. This is a great gift for people who love natural wellness and home remedies. $24.95

Farmhouse Fresh Ginger Lemondrop Gift Set: This zippy set will help beat the winter blues and includes ginger sorbet body milk, citrus grass body scrub, and two peppermint champagne bath bombs, all in one pretty package (also available in Whoopie Cream scent). $24

Pure Inventions Drink Mixes ‘Tis the season of high calorie snacks and beverages! Pure Inventions drink mixes are healthy and delicious, all with no calories, artificial sweetener, or caffeine. Two of our seasonal favorites, Cranberry Elderberry and Apple Wild Cherry are great served hot with a cinnamon stick to help avoid tempting sugary holiday cocktails.

$100 and under

Kneipp Zen 10 Kit is a great gift to help someone help themselves with winter blues, aches and pains, colds, and congestion with enough product for up to 20 remedy baths. $49

Clarisonic Mia is a great gift for teens, men, and women. Buying it for a couple? Grab another cleansing head and they can share the device and just rotate out brushes. Stop in for pricing and information!

$100 Spa Gift Card What’s better than getting a $100 gift card to East Village Spa? Enjoying an EXTRA $20 treatment voucher! When you visit the spa to purchase your gift cards now through Christmas Even 2014, you’ll receive an extra $20 voucher for every $100 in gift cards you purchase.