STYLE : LOOKS : Exporting the Spa Experience

Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa, that 100-year-old Shangri-La of relaxation in Corona, is joining the cosmetics game by introducing a line of body-care products. With more than 80,000 guests visiting the facilities each year, Glen Ivy executives have decided to market Glen Ivy Spa Treatments nationally. At the moment, they are available at stores specializing in bath products--in Southern California, those include Palmetto in Santa Monica, Mother’s Market in Costa Mesa and The Soap Plant on Melrose Avenue.

All of the Glen Ivy products are free of animal byproducts and animal-tested ingredients. For softening skin, there are the fragrance-free Hydrating Moisturizer and Cleansing Gel. A sunscreen uses the difficult-to-pronounce but gentler-than-PABA octylemethoxycinnamate, an ingredient derived from cinnamon or cassia oil. Rose Clay Shampoo and Mineral Water Conditioner were formulated for hair; masks include Purifying Red Clay and Revitalizing Sea Kelp, both good for the face as well as the rest of the body.

An exfoliating scrub includes cornmeal, loofah and silicone beads to slough off dead skin cells instead of the customary apricot seeds, which may cause microscopic scratches on the skin surface. Beautiful Mineral Water Bath Crystals, grown by Glen Ivy’s herbalist, look like intricate sugar crystals from a high school science class--dissolve two to four tablespoons in the bath. And most products include pure plant oils--no synthetics--for what Glen Ivy calls a scent ual experience.