Medical spa intertwines dermatology, therapy

by Michele Skalicky

SBJ Contributing Writer

sbj@sbj.net

A local dermatologist has taken a unique, more holistic approach to the way he practices medicine. Dr. N. Eugene Morrow's dermatology practice now includes a medical spa, which opened two months ago in the Bradford Place office building at 1531 E. Bradford Parkway, Ste. 215.

Morrow and his wife, Cindy, began pondering early last year the possibility of offering more than the traditional dermatological services.

"We became interested in the cosmetic aspects of dermatology because nationally it was becoming more of a trend in the dermatology field, and also Springfield didn't have anyone that was doing this sort of thing," Dr. Morrow said.

Morrow, who has been practicing dermatology in Springfield since 1982, opened Seasons Medical Spa, which employs 12, in November. The spa and medical practice are intertwined, according to Cindy Morrow, who is the spa director and business manager. About half the clients of Seasons are patients of Dr. Morrow's, she said.

The full-service spa offers a variety of massages and body therapy, including warm basalt stone massage, in which a therapist uses rhythmic strokes with warm stones that radiate heat throughout the body. "(Warm salts) help to deeply penetrate the muscles and get the heat in there and relax (the patient). It gives you a deep state of relaxation," massage therapist Heidi Schnetzer said.

Seasons Medical Spa also offers a variety of medical aesthetic treatments, including laser hair removal using Seasons' LightSheer diode laser for permanent hair reduction. "It's the newest technology," Cindy Morrow said, "and has a chill tip which keeps the skin cool, allowing you to do a better job of destroying the hair follicle." She said the technique requires a series of treatments, so those who want body hair to be gone by summer should start now. Prices range from $75 to $425 per treatment.

Seasons Medical Spa offers photorejuvenation using IPL (intense pulse light) Fotofacial, which treats brown spots from sun damage, age spots and rosacea. A single facial treatment costs $450.

They also offer Botox cosmetic, crystal microdermabrasion and chemical peels.

A variety of facials also are available at Seasons Medical Spa, ranging in price from $40 to $115, including a deep pore facial, purifying back or chest treatment, a vitamin C vitality facial, a gentlemen's facial and a collagen blanket re-hydrating facial.

Seasons also does waxing and grooming, scalp massage and eye or lip treatments.

And the spa sells a full-service product line including facial washes, wrinkle prevention creams and vitamin serums.

What makes the spa unique, Cindy Morrow said, is that "everything is medically based we have medical supervision of everything."

An advantage of having a physician on site, she said, is being able to ask the doctor questions if, for example, a therapist notices a suspicious-looking mole on a person who comes in for a massage.

The name Seasons, which the Morrows spent months deciding on, is meant to invoke images of nature, but also represents the fact that "you can look good and feel good at all the seasons of the year and all the seasons of your life," Cindy Morrow said. "We want it to be a place where everyone can come here. Everyone can be comfortable and well-treated."

Clients are both male and female and range in age from teenagers to those in their 70s, she said.