Though best known for expanding the limits of human thought, the great philosophers were also ardent proponents of skin treatments—rarely furrowing their brows without first applying a de-furrowing cucumber mask. Today’s Groupon will wipe out your own philosophical furrows. For $70, you'll get a 75-minute nirvana organic facial with built-in massage (a $170 value) at Ursula's About PHace, a makeup studio and spa in Rittenhouse Square. Ursula's has won Best of Philly awards from Philadelphia magazine in 2007 and 2009.
Much like the state of being for which it is named, About PHace's nirvana organic facial and massage is the ultimate escape from suffering barring unlimited access to raw cookie dough. Employing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers from local grocers at Sue's Produce and the Reading Terminal Market, the nirvana organic facial and massage siphons away stress and melts tension starting from the face and working its way down to the toes—restoring harmony to each jangling, atonal corporeal sphere along the way. The treatment combination is gentle, requiring no downtime for one's tender under-face, and the massage is administered face-up so that you won't even have to deal with the stress of turning over. Your face will feel so pampered by the end of the hour that it may refuse to leave the treatment room (though the skilled staff have techniques for coaxing it back onto your head).
About PHace is the brain-baby of Ursula Augustine, a board-certified cosmetologist and educator with more than 20 years of experience in the beauty industry. A Philadelphia native, she's worked for top-shelf employers such as Bobbi Brown, Chanel, and Dior and has brought that lofty level of experience and expertise to her own business. The focus of Ursula's About PHace is expressed in its name's unusual capitalization: balancing Philly's pH levels (the cape-clad protector of the skin) with nature-based cosmetics and skin-care products—a philosophy that matches the studio's natural aesthetic.
A massage and cleansing facial can unfog the mind and unclog the body so that both escape from the outside world. Part the pea soup with a moment of clarity that lasts beyond your visit to About PHace, and use your newfound clearheadedness and rubberized being to achieve higher productivity, contagiously relax those around you, or finally beat Galaga.
Reviews
Philadelphia magazine gushed about Ursula's About PHace with a Best of Philly award for makeup application in 2007; Philadelphia Weekly awarded it an Image Award in 2009 for Best Beauty Store. Daily Candy and CBS 3 both featured a sugary treatment, and two Yelpers give it 4.5 stars.
Groupon Says
Secrets of Nirvana Revealed
The nirvana organic facial might not literally help you reach Nirvana, at least not on the first try. In some legends, the Buddha sat beneath a Bodhi tree for a full seven years before reaching ultimate enlightenment. What secrets of the universe will be revealed to you once you've achieved nirvana?
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