Today’s growing trend toward on-the-go day spa services says a lot about the current American approach to beauty. Exposed to a continuous media hype about lunchtime face lifts, instant makeovers, and overnight results, people here have become conditioned to believe that faster is always better. While an express manicure or 10-minute waxing certainly comes in handy in a pinch, some things—like anti-aging skin care—just can’t be rushed. In Europe, where the pace of life is slower, skin care is considered a lifetime discipline. This mindset is reflected in the European spa experience as well as in the time and effort European women dedicate to maintaining a beautiful, youthful-looking complexion. A Time-Honored Tradition My education as an aesthetician in Romania was grounded in the traditions of my country’s renowned health resorts. Travelers from all over Europe have been flocking to Romania’s health spas to bathe in its fabled hot springs and mineral-rich black sea mud, breathe fresh mountain air, and relax and restore themselves to optimal health since ancient times. Over the centuries, as the custom of “taking the waters” became increasingly popular among Europe’s leisure classes, the spa experience continued to evolve. As the lavish hotels and resorts built to cater to wealthy patrons began integrating emerging medical technologies, new wellness philosophies, and elegant cultural and social activities into their treatment routines, the spa experience came to be regarded as the ultimate holistic cure: a combination of a highly personalized rehabilitation program, spiritual retreat, and luxury vacation. Relax, Refresh, Restore This tradition of providing a restorative experience for the body, mind, and soul lives on in today’s luxurious European day spas. Their serene and elegant interiors, like the customized organic skin care and complementary health and fitness services they offer, recall the glory days of Old World health spas. In 1993, three years after coming to the U.S., I opened Lavinia Borcau Skin Care to provide my new clients with an authentic European day spa experience. Since then I’ve remained dedicated to educating clients about the holistic approach to wellness that I learned in my native country and to helping them integrate European-style skin-care regimes into their busy lifestyles. Like my menu of spa services, the all-natural products in my complete Lavie Organique ™skin-care system are designed to nourish and pamper the skin, refresh the spirit, and delight the senses. As I see it, our skin is precious gift. Throughout our lives, it serves as an exquisitely sensitive interface between our inner being and the world around us. Surely, this essential part of ourselves deserves more than the potentially risky quick-and-dirty skin-care remedies that continue to flood the market. In return for all it does for you, why not give your skin what it needs to stay healthy and beautiful?  The gift of time.