The Show Must Go On

I am no stranger to theft. When I first opened nitespa we had a cute white swing that hung from the lemon tree. Kids loved it. Every day when families would walk towards Abbot Kinney the children would beg to swing on our swing. We were delighted by all the happiness it brought.

Then, on Christmas morning, 5 years ago it was gone. Somebody stole our swing! We posted signs everywhere: Do the right thing--Return our Swing! To no avail, we didn't find it. It probably ended up under the tree for some child whose dead-beat daddy couldn't afford such luxuries like modern swings. Oh, well I got over it (sort of).

Yesterday morning, when Zach and I were on our way to Disneyland, I got a call from my receptionist. "Something really bad has happened," she sobbed. She proceeded to tell me that the door was unlocked when she got there and the cash register was gone. We had been burglarized!! "I'll be right there," I said.

Then I hung up the phone and started to cry. Zach told me to keep it together and offered to drive me to nitespa. Called Jody and called off our trip to The Happiest Place on Earth. When I arrived, the girls were in shock. I immediately started doing the opening procedures and getting ready for our client who was due to arrive any minute. Put the pillows and the sign out and make sure everything looks slightly presentable without disturbing the 'crime scene' too much.

There were pillows on the floor and a box of garbage bags had been moved from under the sink to the middle of the room. presumably they needed big bags to grab their loot.

We looked around and slowly started to put the pieces together. What was missing? Well, cash, of course and the drawer itself. All of my cute spa gift bags were gone. I had wrapped up several trifectas of beauty products in hopes that someone would purchase them for their Valentine. Perhaps the thieves thought they could sell them on the boardwalk (they did have $85 price tags, after all). Or some thugs wanted to impress their lady friends by giving them a fancy skin care regime.

They also grabbed Christina's entire manicure kit: tools, products, supplies, carrying case. I think that one was the biggest blow. I feel awful that one of my girls is a victim as well. What are the tweakers going to do with cuticle nippers and nail polish?

The police officer showed up and was very sweet about everything and even joked about us being a brothel. "Couldn't quite figure out what you ladies do when I first walked up," he smiled as he gestured to the paintings of nearly naked ladies. He wouldn't be the first one to get confused. I like to keep people guessing. I assured him we were on the up-and-up and that nothing illegal goes on here. I told him he should get a facial sometime. His response ? Too girly, he'd have to go undercover. With a smile. At least we could all keep our sense of humor during this vexing experience.

At this point, I'm still in shock. As soon as all the reports are done and everything is orderly as its gonna get, I call Jody to see if it's not too late to drive to Disneyland. She assures me that we can still make it to all the good rides and that a half day at the park is better than no day at the park. We make it to Anaheim in less than an hour. And for a few short hours I am transported back to my childhood playground and I turn one of the saddest days into the happiest of nights.

Health is wealth

Detox retox

I started 2011 with the intention of having a Detox January. This is common among lushes like myself -- we drink almost daily year round and enjoy foodie food and a good party now and then. Come January, after the decadence of the holidays, the body is always ready for a (short) break.

I had met a lovely Ayurvedic Dr. at nitespa who professed that she designed effective cleanses specifically for the individual. Mela is one of our clients; curious about Ayurveda, I decided this would be perfect! However, I didn't factor in her popularity; she was booked until mid- January.

Rather than wait for my appointment, I improvised a provisional cleanse for myself with Mediclear supplements. I chose it based on the testimonial of a friend (Stacy: "I love Mediclear. It really tastes good!") and the advice of a trusted professional Patrick Avedessian, my chiropractor. I hear about a lot of different types of detoxes during the course of my week. Spa enthusiasts love to cleanse.

This particular one appealed to me because I have impossible allergies and it is supposed to help with that. You actually eliminate known allergens from your diet and slowly introduce them back. Too bad many of the yummy things I like to eat are allergens: caffeine, alcohol, dairy products, soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts, corn, soy, beef, pork, & desserts. Giving up my coffee w/ a dash of milk, butter on toast, cheese on everything, pre-dinner bread, delicious bacon, steak frites, WINE and sweet anything has certainly put a damper on my foodie lifestyle. No charcuterie! No vino! Que horror!!

My darling-sweetheart-boyfriend Zach has graciously been going along with the detoxing month and has not only been avoiding wine, but he has been cooking yummy meals for me with our new healthy guidelines. So, we did the Mediclear for 2 weeks, but I decided to use it as a daily supplement rather than going by the strict crazy meal schedule. The powder is spendy, so we take it once a day rather than the recommended 3 X a day. I did eliminate the bad foods for the most part and only fell off the wagon 4 times in 3 weeks. Not bad for a daily wine drinker.

When I finally got in w/ Mela she gave me a new plan that was quite similar to the one I was already doing. Included are a whole bunch more supplements based on my constitution. She eliminated even more of my favorite snacks. And advocated all sorts of mysterious and challenging guidelines. I learned that bananas and macadamia nuts are too fattening, and I should stick to berries, apples, citrus & papaya for daily fruits. In the nut category, most other nuts are OK (except peanuts and walnuts). I can have all the turkey I want (Hooray for tryptophane! Along w/ low calories and high protein and lots of amino acids). Brown rice is fine 4 times a week, but garlic only twice a month. Stay away from pineapple!! Of course, alcohol (including my beloved wine) coffee, dairy and sugar are strictly forbidden. Among other things. More on that later.

How did I do? Well, I did fall off the wagon a few times by choice. A blog writing lesson, a pre-cinema glass of wine (the film was Black Swan, the wine was not), a champagne toast to welcome my brother's new baby and in-between cleanses bottle of Pleidades were all divine moments of tipsy splendor.

I have not had a single caffe latte or a drop of milk or a spoonful of sugar; I have managed to follow the food rules pretty closely. I had some rice dream ice cream which is sweetened with brown rice syrup and probably not allowed. Big deal. I definitely have had brown rice in some form or other daily. I am certain there was butter in my Luna Park meal the other night. I enjoyed several salads w/ feta or organic goat cheese. Almond milk chai tea has gotten me through a few days. Tea: green is good for you; black tea is for extreme moderation. Oh, well. It's bad enough I can't drink coffee.

When I told Mela about my weak points in the cleanse, she was unfazed. She was actually impressed that I did better than most of her new patients. She encouraged me to keep my stride and insisted that her goal was to give me long term tools for health.

What I realized is this: it’s not about which cleanse you choose or the ability to go 3 or 4 weeks without booze and bread. It’s about making sensible choices and adopting lifetime healthy habits. When faced with a choice between a sweet potato and any other type go for sweet. It’s the one time sweet is better.

Honey or sugar? honey, of course. Bananas or berries? berries.

A detox is a good way to come to the realization that you just feel better when eating better food. So, I'm not feeling guilty about enjoying the occasional great glass of wine w/ friends, even during the cleanse. Wine is made from grapes and they are on my list of "good for you" foods.

I leave you with two of my favorite Spanish proverbs:

"El vino mata lentamente; no tengo prisa" (Wine kills you slowly; I'm not in a hurry)

"Vino: te perdono el mal que me haces por lo mucho que me gustas." (Wine: I forgive the harm you do to me because I love you so much.)

Dear Diary

I realize I am very late in the game getting into this whole blogging thing. For goodness sakes, my friend Marc Canter told me about blogs eons ago; he predicted blogs would be a social phenomenon and said I should "Get on it!' back in 2001. He is always way ahead of the game.

Why, oh why, did I not listen to him? At the time, I couldn't slow down long enough to comprehend the potential and went on on with the business of having a good time. Here's proof: In this polaroid, I am in the middle of those 2 hot blondes, (two of my BFF's Angie & Emily) and I can assure you we had our fair share of good times together.

More about Marc and Angie and Emily later, but the main thing is I finally realize having a blog is a necessary and meaningful tool.

I want to share my experiences and process of turning a wild idea (nitespa) into a successful business and building a brand with practically no funding. I welcome comments and I love sharing tips. Ask away...want to start your very own spa? I'll tell you what not to do! You can learn from my mistakes (and, believe me, I have made many.)

Considering taking the plunge and becoming a (gasp!) entrepreneur? Don't be scared. If I can do it, so can you. You'll see. It has been one wild and bumpy ride.

And since I'm telling you all of my missions for this fancy little diary I might as well mention that I also have a spectacular collection of beauty clippings that I plan on sharing. And I am often privy to some very good beauty tips which I will happily be passing on to you. Likewise, please share your beauty secrets with me and we will all be more beautiful because of it!

Photo credits above: Pic of my little spa and snapshot of me w/ my other BFF Amy Pesner posing with our nitespa sign. We are having a good time on Abbot Kinney.

Blogging 101

Tonite I asked my sassy and super-talented friend Jody to help me design my blog. Well, you could say I bribed her with some nitespa treats like a "Fancy Feet" pedicure w/ foxy Christina and a "Need a Miracle" Esalen massage w/ Michael Bockman. She loved it; then she rocked my world by teaching me the ropes. Below are some of the design options we tried for a header. Do you like the one we picked?

testing, testing... is this thing on?

The freaks come out all day

I like to walk on the boardwalk in the middle of the day with my dog Roxy and see the freakshow that still exists on Venice beach. It could not be more opposite from the cozy spa living room vibe that I spend my days in. An 8 minute walk from nitespa's door puts me smack dab in the middle of the crazy parade.

It’s unbelievable that you can see such weird and wonderful delights on any given day. I believe this one was taken on a Tuesday afternoon.

You have acrobats, hobos and gypsies on one side and the awesome ocean with it's sublime sunsets on the other side of you. That is part of the charm of our Venice of America.

And PS I really do love my camera. It's easy breezy and takes ahhh-mazing snaphots.

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"If everybody’s not a beauty, then nobody is." andy warhol

How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?

I see beauty in everything and I have this uncanny ability to make people feel beautiful and have a good time. Once upon a time, I used to throw costume parties for a living. Life was carefree and it was wonderful to have an excuse to go up to strangers and invite them into my life.

My idea of a beauty may not be the same as yours. Sometimes it’s a crooked smile and a sensational sense of style that catches my eye. It might be the way you wear your hat (or the fact that you’re wearing a hat at all).

I met one of my best friends on a street corner because he was carrying a square umbrella and I dared strike up a conversation.

P.S. That’s me on the far left in 1998 at our “Espionage” party at Beauty Bar San Francisco. DF Raymond is the photographer. Find him here.

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Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.” — Andy Warhol

“You may say I’m a dreamer”

My name is Julia Lolita Martin (pronounced like Martini). Five years ago, I started my own business. This is my story.

Nothing about nitespa— the beauty boutique spa that I opened on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, CA — embraces the standard spa experience. It’s housed in a 1908 craftsman bungalow and it lacks the pristine ambience and standard amenities that most spas deliver.

However, nitespa has an undeniable charm and a sweetness that attracts an amazing clientele. They love the idea that a spa can be open at night, and that our entire staff is super down-to-earth and real.

People get really surprised when they find out that I am the owner. I suppose I don’t look and act like your typical beauty entrepreneur. My clients always ask me “how did you come up with this idea? This is genius,” they marvel. This is a scrapbook for the nitespa story and all the fantastic tidbits I come across every night and day.