Skip to main content
ritual
Open this photo in gallery:

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Warming Body Scrub, $87 at Holt Renfrew (holtrenfrew.com). Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate, $78 through geebeauty.ca and skinceuticals.com. Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Body Cream, $88 at Nordstrom and Sephora.

During the endless months of winter, it’s easy to forget about what lies beneath all those layers. Not so in a city such as Miami. When Natalie, Miriam, Stephanie and Celene Gee expanded their Gee Beauty Toronto spa there, they quickly discovered that body attention, or lack thereof, is both regional and seasonal. Turns out, our neighbours down south cater to their corporeal needs year-round.

If, like me, you fall into the out of sight, out of mind camp, Stephanie Gee, studio director of Gee Beauty Toronto, says that small additions to your daily routine can make a big difference when the warm weather hits. She recommends a nighttime routine of bathing with bath salts to relax, and dry brushing (where the skin is buffed with a natural-bristled brush in an upward motion toward the heart) before applying an anti-aging body cream. “Dry brushing is one of the most results-driven rituals to shed dry skin, promote circulation and detox the skin,” she says, adding that sipping warm water with honey and lemon will also help keep you hydrated.

Gee says that microdermabrasion, where dry and dull skin is exfoliated and lifted, is one of Gee Beauty Miami’s most popular winter treatments. “After a micro treatment for the body, the skin is more receptive to absorption of serums and moisturizers, so it’s important to apply a concentrated treatment with active ingredients,” she says. Also popular are their Body Firming and Body Slimming treatments, which she says work to slim the body through heat-activated body wraps and to tighten the skin with a muscle contracting technology.

What to try

Skinceuticals Body Tightening Concentrate, $78 through geebeauty.ca and skinceuticals.com. Designed to fight the effects of gravity on areas like the abdomen, derriere, legs and upper arms, this body concentrate boasts a summer-friendly cooling effect.

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Warming Body Scrub, $87 at Holt Renfrew. Polish winter away with this body scrub, an invigorating blend of volcanic ash, oat and a delightful summer scent.

Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Body Cream, $88 at Nordstrom and Sephora. A blend of black tea ferment and extracts of black tea, blackberry leaf and lychee seed improves skin’s elasticity while providing 24 hours of hydration.

Interact with The Globe