press: Interview with YOSH

This month's interview is with Alison Evans, owner of supple integrative.

CIAO: Alison, your spa boutique is very avant-garde for Berkeley. The surrounding area and historical vibe has been more "granola." But you've been able to marry a modern apothecary concept with organic living that seems to suit the Berkeley area. It's really genius! Could you elaborate on the few brands that support this lifestyle?

SUPPLE: Avant-garde, indeed. In fact, it's been said that there is 'finally a truly hip spa in Berkeley'. Natural skin care does not have to go hand in hand with patchouli and Birkenstocks (which I do wear...but in silver). Throughout Europe, high- end department stores sell natural skin care lines. Some have even created homeopathic beauty boutiques. What really inspires me though, are the pared down and completely streamlined apothecaries where you can speak with an actual skin practitioner and in some cases, have a customized treatment. I guess you could describe supple as anti-department store. Everything we represent is clean, honest and gimmick-free. There are plenty of people living in the bay area that appreciate the consciousness of a health food store but want a barneys New York environment when it comes to their personal care. That's what they'll find at supple.

CIAO: Specifically with Ren, you were the very first vendor in the United States to carry this brand. They have a gorgeous sleek look about them but also genuine earth elements too...down to their ingredients. Could you tell us about how you found them and what makes them so exceptional? You have even recently incorporated REN techniques/philosophy with your facial treatments. What makes them so unique?

SUPPLE: REN is absolutely our best selling brand and I honestly love everything about it. The most exciting thing is that it cannot be found easily and for that reason, so many people have found us. I first saw REN at an apothecary in LondonÕs knotting hill neighborhood. They had just put it on the shelves and I quickly removed a good portion. After using several products, I knew that supple just had to have this line. Though the distributor initially told me to go fly a kite, I continued to email them until they broke down and agreed to sell to us. REN is completely free from any chemical or synthetic ingredients and uses naturally derived versions of the most sought after, high tech ingredients on the market. What is so appealing to me is how REN has achieved creating a gorgeous, totally clean, high performance product. Supple begins offering our highly requested REN facial in October.

CIAO: How does that compare with Dr. Haushka and Infiore facials? It's amazing that you offer so many special treatments actually. I find that is extraordinary to offer that to your clientele. Each brand does have their own philosophy for skin care that really suits a specific skin care style. Could you tell us more about the Dr. Haushka and Infiore facials/ products?

SUPPLE: Skin care brands are just like other brands whether you're talking about food, clothing or cars. There are different aspects to each brand that appeal to people for different reasons. REN might appeal to a person that's looking for something clean and modern or that they've never seen before while dr. Hauschka might appeal to a person that's interested in a true classic or homeopathy. The ways in which products are made, the ingredients used and philosophy involved vary from brand to brand. My personal feeling is that there is no one skin care brand that has everything for every skin type. At supple, we like to get creative and blend classic with modern and natural with technologically formulated. Our brands are like old friends at this point, I have seen how every type of skin reacts to each and every product and that really helps when putting regimens together. As far as the treatments go, we believe in customization so that our clients can experience and benefit from any one of our facials.

CIAO: As a certified esthetician yourself, that probably has something to do with how magical the treatments you offer are. You know what type of esthetician to hire and how each session should be start to finish. But I would say that your personal expertise has also allowed you to create in my opinion, one of the most lavish treatment rooms IÕve ever seen. The Orchid Room is spacious, luxurious and pampering. It has ample space but the color is soothing and healing. It would be amazing to see this concept parlayed into larger spas. Could you please indulge us on the back-story of the Orchid Room?

SUPPLE: When I first started designing our treatment room, everyone told me that I should put up a wall or curtain to divide the space into two facial areas. I never liked that idea as some of the worst personal experiences IÕve had at spas have been in claustrophobic rooms or in spaces that lacked privacy. Supple's treatment room is just lofty enough, completely separated from our apothecary and even has soundproofing behind the walls. The orchid color is something that just came to mind without much thought at all. To me, this is a color that envelops you with warmth and comfort. Seems it's true...some clients affectionately refer to our treatment room as the 'treatment womb'. All of the colors and textures at supple were carefully thought through in an effort to create a cohesive blending of modern and organic. I don't think IÕve ever told anyone this before but my overall inspiration came from lilac and magnolia trees. When we open additional locations, we'll most certainly follow the same aesthetic formula that's proven to be so pleasing and unique.

CIAO: What I love about your boutique is that you support local brands like Infiore and YOSH. But you have also gone out of your way to source brands that are hard to find like Abahna also from London. You even have a gorgeous line of loungewear and cosmetics. What are they called? What new brands can we look forward to seeing in the future?

SUPPLE: I'm not sure how it ended up that way but it's true. Everything at supple is from either really far away or from my own backyard (so to speak). There's no denying that California has some of the most talented entrepreneurs when it comes to skin care and fragrance. I also feel that by believing in and promoting my creative friends and neighbors, Supple is supporting a very special community. Through my travels abroad, I have found inspiration for everything from our facial massage to the questions asked on our client form. Not to mention the absolute thrill that comes from finding a brand that no one in the states has heard of yet. In fact, I can't mention the name but supple will be debuting a new British aromatherapy line this spring. Our cosmetic line, Hourglass, is made in Japan and has the most beautiful packaging IÕve ever seen. In fact, our male customers have purchased the palettes (in leather cases embossed with cherry blossoms) to give to their loved ones as gifts. Another win-win gift that's popular with the guys are Bodas nightees from London (think Hanro meets Vanessa Bruno). I will forever search for new and undiscovered product lines...it's an obsession.