When Marian van Geijn opened the original Breezes in 2010, the landscape of Mason Avenue and the Town of Cape Charles was altered forever. As a professional Esthetician with over 25 years of experience, van Geijn created a style and aesthetic that has transformed the Cape Charles business community into the progressive, forward leaning entity that it is today.
Marian moved to the United States 17 years ago, and since that time, one of her dreams was to create an elegant, European style spa that revolved around not just beauty, but ultimate wellness.
“I Love skincare because as a professional esthetician I consult people for a variety of reasons, from acne and rosacea to wrinkles and scarring. Every client-and their skin-gives me a unique opportunity to help them and make them feel great,” she said.
This commitment to excellence, beauty and wellness paid off. After moving to Cape Charles, word of mouth spread quickly. Her services, originally offered out of her home, were in hot demand. It became evident that she needed to move to larger space; this took her to the original Breezes located on Mason Avenue.
On Mason, Breezes blossomed and increased its following. After several successful years, it became apparent that the business had outgrown its current location. Serendipitously, the Betis Building on Strawberry became available.
“One of the main reasons Breezes moved to the new location on Strawberry was the much-increased space. This enabled our her team to greatly expand the number of services focused on wellness and wellbeing,” Marian said.
The move to Strawberry Street has created the opportunity for Breezes to become a state of the art spa and wellness center.
One noticeable difference is the expanded massage service. When lead therapist Jenny Bruno moved back to the Shore from Chicago, her parents told her about spa that had opened in Cape Charles.
“My first impression was, oh a spa in Cape Charles? Really?” Bruno said. “But when came down and saw Breezes, and met Marian, I was blown away by the level of quality and professionalism.”
Jenny has worked at the Waldorf hotel as a massage therapist. and has been NCBMT certified (National Certified Body & Massage Therapy) for over 8 years. While massages may be great just for relaxation and rejuvenation, for Breezes, they also play a big part in overall wellness, helping with anxiety, digestive disorders, fibromyalgia, headaches, insomnia related to stress, myofascial pain syndrome, soft tissue strains or injuries, and sports injuries.
“We offer different types of massage for different reasons,” van Geijn said.
A tour of Breezes will expose you to other services such as the Jade Massage bed, where Hot jade stones are placed in strategic locations on the bod. “Hot jade stones have been proven to relieve back pain, Sciatica, deep muscle tissue pain, hypertension, Arthritis pain and virtually any body pain you’d taken painkillers or hire a massage therapist for. Jade also helps to detoxify the body by strengthening the body’s filtration and cleansing systems, boosting the immune system, improving the heart, lungs, and thymus and stimulating Qi — what the Chinese call your life force,” van Geijn said.
Along the same lines of treatment, Breezes offers the Thermal Herbal stamp massage. A heated, herbal, compress used to release deep seated tension and refreshes, detoxifies and re-mineralizes skin. Improves circulation, promotes natural healing, helps aches and pains.
Talking with Marian, you come to understand that while Breezes always leverages traditional wellness methods, they are also about staying abreast of the new techniques and technologies that can help and enhance the lives of their customers. An example of this methodology is the use of Infrared Sauna and the Relaxation Spa Pod.
“With infrared sauna technology, you can also lose weight, relax, relieve unwanted pain, increase your circulation, and purify your skin. Sweating is one of the body’s most natural ways to eliminate toxins, making it a crucial part of detoxification,” van Geijn said.
Relaxation Spa Pod is a futuristic-looking capsule that looks like a tanning bed. You lay in it like you’re going to sleep (which many people, in fact, do). The top half closes over you, leaving only your supported head sticking out. The Infrared light heats your body up from the inside. The infrared sauna pod heats you, not the air. By doing so, they are supposed to enhance metabolic function (aka burn calories), stimulate the production of collagen, de-stress, detoxify, and assist in the recovery of pain, injury, and illness by dilating blood vessels to increase circulation and deliver oxygen throughout your body.
“We try to look at everything, and try and offer as many services that will fit with the specific needs of the customer,” van Geijn said.
At the core of these services is the belief at Breezes that everything is connected—a whole body approach.
The Ionic Foot Detox is a therapy that is especially good for those suffering from gastrointestinal disorders, skin conditions, fungal or yeast infections, and cancer.
“An ionic foot detox is the beginning of a lifestyle committed to eating healthier and exercising,” van Geijn said. “Similarly, Reflexology Therapy which is a unique foot Massage can help re-establish energy flow while promoting relaxation and stress relief.”
Breezes also offers a Detox Wrap, which is a highly detoxifying and stimulating wrap, especially beneficial to minimize cellulite, skin imperfections and water retention.
Health and beauty go together, and for those (like the author), that enjoy keeping summer color all year round, they have a state of the art tanning bed on premises, as well as a spray tan booth.
“Carol Hale is licensed Nail technician, and she has been with us at Breezes for over 5 years. Together with Shannon Wills and Jutta Lemieszek, we offer wonderful, long lasting manicures which include expert fillings and cuticle work,” van Geijn said.
What began as a love and passion, has also become a unique enterprise in Cape Charles.
“We want to be able to grow, and one of the main reasons is so we can keep offering full-time, year-round employment,” van Geijn said.
Part of that commitment to sustainability is that van Geijn just got her Esthetics School License and is planning to start training her staff in the field of Esthetics. The certification includes 600 hours of course work before taking the State Board examination.
Note: there are only 5 Esthetic schools in Virginia.
As you browse the front of Breezes, you will find one of the most unique shops on the Shore. The merchandize, much of which is fair trade highlights Breezes commitment to wholeness, wellness and sustainability.
The town of Cape Charles has come a long way in the last 10 years, and much of that success is embodied by the commitment to excellence, service and professionalism found at Breezes Wellness Spa and Boutique. While we covered many of the services offered by Breezes, you can find information on many others, such as waxing and therapeutic wraps on their web site, http://www.breezesdayspa.com
Breezes is located at 7 Strawberry Street in downtown Cape Charles. They are currently in seasonal hours, Tuesday thru Saturday. You can contact them at 757-331-3108 or info@breezesdayspa.com.
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