You may have heard, but a new day spa has swung into town, Milk + Honey, and unfortunately, we have been unable to get over there (but we’re dying to!!). Our contributor, Jillian, however; spent an afternoon there a couple weeks back, and it sounded absolutely divine. Keep on reading to hear all about Jillian’s exceptional experience…
Something sweet has made its way to Houston. Milk + Honey, a full-service spa and salon, opened in West Ave in April. As the name suggests, there has been a lot of buzz around this new, two-story location and I was attracted to the place like a bee to a flower. All puns aside, my visit to Milk + Honey proved to me that you don’t have to leave Houston to find an escape.
Before I delve into the details, let’s go to the beginning. It was the Friday before Memorial Day when I realized I was the only one at my office who would be staying in Houston for the long weekend. Austin, New York, California, New Orleans, Chicago, D.C.—I could literally stick a pin into a map of America and cover miles of territory with their holiday travels. If I wasn’t going to leave Houston, I sure wasn’t going to sit on Snapchat watching the exotic location filters of my entire feed pass me by. I desperately wanted to disconnect and find my own form of vacation right in Houston, so I contacted Milk + Honey and booked a facial for the following day.
Appealing Aesthetics
I’ve always been attracted to Milk +Honey’s aesthetics from the outside looking in. The large, transparent windows make the location look like a glass house perched upon the West Ave shopping mall. Passersby get a glimpse into spa and it’s enough to not only pique their interest, but pull them in as well. To make matters better, appointments can traditionally be scheduled online or over the phone but walk-ins are welcome.
As soon as I entered Milk + Honey, I oddly started to feel serene. The flood of natural sunlight pouring into the lobby, the simplistic dark wood and succulents, the white walls with minimalist décor—what’s not to love? It was a blank slate letting each person who entered its door start fresh from the moment they walked in.
The entire salon and nail bar is just as gorgeous with open lighting, earth tones, and ample space to ensure that over-crowding isn’t an option. The welcoming retail area on the second floor also features all products, including Milk + Honey’s namesake line, as well as interesting local goods from Texas-based designers. Think handmade candles, leather goods and honeycomb-patterned jewelry.
Inside the spa, the dim lights set to hushed whispers added a sense of distance from the outside world. As soon as I slipped into a fluffy Milk + Honey bathrobe and locked my belongings away, I realized this is exactly the sanctuary I needed during my staycation.
A Full-Service Setting
The Austin-born company uses all natural and organic treatments in its lengthy list of services that include massages, facials, nails, waxing, hair styling and coloring, makeup application and lash extensions. I struggled with picking just one service for my visit—I might as well have been a kid in a candy story, overwhelmed with opportunity and grasping at anything I could get my hands on. The Milk + Honey team kindly set me up with a signature facial (valued at $110) which equated to 60 minutes of complete bliss.
The Signature Facial
My esthetician Donna came and swept me away from the relaxing waiting room, complete with treats and teas of my choice. She was a bit surprised to hear it had actually been a year a half since my last facial, a crime among beauty and lifestyle bloggers alike. Let’s put it this way: Donna had her work cut out for her.
The staff is kind enough to explain every detail of the process, offer recommendations and will do their absolute best to make you feel comfortable during the entire process—even through dreaded extractions. Donna used products from the skincare brand CosMedix to make my skin feel hydrated and rejuvenated. She listened to my skin care goals and recommended an easy-to-maintain regimen. We were basically besties at the end of the 60 minutes—and isn’t that what we look for in an esthetician? Someone who will distract us from the field of blackheads they are taking out one-by-one like an assassin? I’d say so.
The After Math
The Milk + Honey team encourages guests to hang around and leave at their leisure. After my facial, I wasn’t ready to take off my robe and call it a day. I lingered in the lounge, inhaled the subtle and sweet aromas, sipped green tea (with honey, of course) and shoveled a few pieces of complimentary dried fruit passed my freshly exfoliated lips.
When I finally (and reluctantly) retired my Milk + Honey robe and slippers, I felt an emanating glow in my clean skin that transferred to my open mind. There was clarity found inside the spa, and to be quite honest, discovering that was better than hopping on a flight to push through a crowded tourist-filled destination. Sometimes our mind can take us to places our bodies can’t. In terms of my staycation, this visit was a much-needed success.
