Holistic body therapist Andreea Saileanu-Martin discusses a natural approach to skin care
BY TAYLOR O’CONNOR
Every day, Andreea Saileanu-Martin loads her car full of sugar scrubs, crystal rollers, gua sha tools, and oils to go to clients’ houses where she provides a range of therapeutic treatments for skin and body wellness.
Saileanu-Martin began her journey into natural treatments at 19 years old, when she became a licensed esthetician—a skin care therapist—then worked in a dermatologist’s office, and eventually founded Wholeistic Fruition Wellness, which she has been running for almost eight years, she said.
“For me it was always about my own health; I always like to say that I started selfishly. I went to esthetician school in the first place because I had horrible acne when I was younger and I kept trying to figure out ways to help myself,” Orcutt resident Saileanu-Martin said.
In 2019, Saileanu-Martin said she chose to close down her Santa Maria office and try home visits.
“I decided that it was time to close it down due to rent, and it wasn’t really making sense to be in that space anymore. I decided to go mobile, and was mobile up until COVID hit. Then I was off for a while like everyone else,” she said.
Now, Saileanu-Martin’s mobile again and visiting both new clients and regulars providing her range of skin care services.
No cookie-cutter treatments
Before Saileanu-Martin begins treating clients, she said she’ll sit down with them to discuss their issues to try and understand whether there are any root causes to their skin flare-ups.
“I have a website with [a] menu of services I offer, but I don’t do cookie-cutter facials; I don’t do the same facial for every single person. I might use the same products, but not use them in the same way. It just depends on your skin type, age, and lifestyle,” Saileanu-Martin said.
She’ll ask her clients questions about the types of products they use, how often they wash and exfoliate their skin, if they’ve received Botox or fillers, and when their last facial was.
“I really want to be as in-depth about what’s going on because your skin’s showing what’s going on internally, so I ask about what they’re doing internally,” Saileanu-Martin said.
Meaning, she’ll ask about their diet, allergies, and sleep habits, because these choices can impact a person’s skin.
“All of these things factor in. It’s not just about you coming in and I put things on your face and take them off,” Saileanu-Martin said. “It’s like I’m invested in you. You come and see me, I’m invested in you, maybe for life.”
For those with rough skin or severe acne, she said she’ll use microdermabrasion—a machine that uses salt crystals to remove dead skin cells, which leads to smoother skin.
“It’s great because it just helps give you a deeper exfoliation than just a manual exfoliation like scrubbing your face with something,” she explained.
Saileanu-Martin also offers a lighter, emulsion facial with a product made of honey and maple syrup that can bring blood up to the skin’s surface. Once the emulsion is removed, it leaves a nice facial glow without having to do anything “too drastic,” she said.
Beyond the face
Besides facials, Saileanu-Martin’s also a neuro-palpation therapist, a type of therapy that focuses on the neurological system working with other systems to identify anything wrong. This 2 1/2 hour facial incorporates a lot of body work, she noted.
“The premise behind this is to get your whole system working so that your skin will do a better job. If we’re getting all the body working, then your skin’s always going to look better when you’re done,” she said.
For a soulful experience, Saileanu-Martin practices Reiki, an extremely gentle treatment that uses energy to help connect clients with their bodies to bring peace and healing, she said.
A new talent she recently picked up is herbalism, so she’s “a budding herbalist,” Saileanu-Martin said with a smile.
“I feel like herbalism is something I’ll be learning for the rest of my life because there’s always something new to learn. I take it upon myself to go and take courses and learn about herbs because I want to use those in my daily life, but also in my products,” she explained.
During the pandemic shutdown, Saileanu-Martin went to a school that taught Eastern and Western herbalism practices, and she began making her own body butters, facial butters, and wellness butters with herbs she finds near her home.
“I’ve made my gourd oil, which was all grown like 5 miles up the mountains from me and that I picked. Then I started to grow a lot of my own plants in my backyard garden,” Saileanu-Martin said. “I thought I might as well just plant them rather than go off and try to find them, or pay for them.”
She now grows lavender, rosemary, and chamomile for products. She infuses them in oil for months to add to shea, cocoa, or mango butters. All of her products are vegan and organic, she added.
The bigger picture
People see a holistic therapist like Saileanu-Martin because they need help, and Saileanu-Martin said there’s normally a deeper meaning behind their appointment.
“When I see you for a treatment, I’m always holding space for you to be able to let go of what you’re holding onto that may be holding you down. I want you to be able to be in that safe space for that time we’re together so your body can relax and can do what it needs both mechanically and scientifically,” Saileanu-Martin said.
As someone who worked in a dermatologist’s office for 2 1/2 years, she respects the practice and thinks they are great doctors; however, their treatments are only surface level, she said.
“When I look at people compared to a dermatologist, I try to figure out what’s going on internally first, and how we can fix that alongside with what we are going to do externally for your skin,” she said.
“I always tell people to start in my realm first, start with the natural stuff. Try fixing your diet, try fixing what you are using on your skin. If you do that for a couple months and you are seeing no change—it’s just getting worse—then absolutely go see a doctor and see what’s happening.”
Contact Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor at [email protected].
Coast Nutra helps locals learn that vitamins and supplements are just one part of a balanced life
BY MALEA MARTIN
COVID-19 ushered in a new wave of interest in immune system strength and health supplements—and that market is only growing.
“The global impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and staggering, with dietary supplements witnessing a positive demand shock across all regions amid the pandemic,” research organization Fortune Business Insights found.
The market grew by nearly 27 percent in 2020 alone, according to Fortune, and is expected to grow from nearly $72 billion in 2021 to more than $128 billion in 2028.
Whether you’re an athlete looking to recover faster and reach your fitness goals, or a person with dietary restrictions who’s concerned about nutrient deficiencies, supplements can benefit lots of different people. But with all the wellness marketing campaigns out there trying to convince consumers, it can be hard to parse the ads and figure out what your body will actually benefit from.
That’s part of why SLO County local Hector Escalante Jr. opened up his store, Coast Nutra: to help people make research-backed and informed decisions about supplements—what Coast Nutra calls “nutraceuticals”—to reach their fitness goals. The products Coast Nutra offers include protein powders, green superfood supplements, and amino acids, among others.
“Supplementation is meant to be an addition,” Escalante Jr. said. “We want customers to know that supplements alone are not going to give you the end result. We always like to educate our customers that you want to keep a good balance of your activity levels [and] nutrition.”
Escalante Jr. first opened Coast Nutra in Santa Maria at the end of 2019. The pandemic hit soon after, but that didn’t stop him from opening a second storefront in San Luis Obispo in 2021.
“Especially during the pandemic, immunity, health, and wellness has become a huge focal point,” he said. “Our counties, SLO and Santa Barbara counties, are very health oriented.”
For a holistic approach to supplementation, Coast Nutra partners with local gyms and trainers, encouraging customers to seek out an active lifestyle. The store is all about transparency.
“We give full product descriptions for every product that we have, with full detail. We focus on California brands, all 100 percent transparent, third-party tested, safe for sport,” Escalante Jr. said. “We don’t bring in the big, corporate-based brands, so there’s no commonality [in products] between us and GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, Vitamin World.”
Having worked as a trainer for 15 years, Escalante Jr. said this experience informs his approach.
“We focus on the goal: What are we looking to accomplish, and how can we be supportive of that?” he said. “What have you taken, products-wise? Then we focus on what brands that we carry that would be either similar or better for your health, because we don’t carry brands that have fillers or proprietary blends, all this unnecessary junk.”
Fitness is just one niche that the supplement industry occupies. Supplements can also be used to target nutritional deficiencies for folks who have certain medical conditions or dietary restrictions. But Dr. Peggy Papathakis, a Cal Poly professor of nutrition, told the Sun that people should focus first and foremost on what they’re eating.
“It totally depends on the person: stage of life, disease,” she said. “If you eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and whole grains, a plant-based diet with some animal products, dairy, other proteins, there’s usually not a need for a supplement.”
But not everyone, of course, is able to eat foods from all these categories.
“If you’re lactose intolerant and you don’t consume any dairy, and you don’t drink any of the alternative milks, then calcium and vitamin D are very appropriate supplements,” Papathakis said. “If you’re like me, I have osteopenia, then a calcium, vitamin D supplement is very important.”
One of the most common deficiencies in the United States is iron, Papathakis said. According to the Mayo Clinic, people who menstruate, don’t eat meat, or frequently donate blood are at the highest risk for iron deficiency anemia. Blood work can help gauge iron levels.
“If you measure ferritin, your storage iron, if that was low, that would show you you’re low in iron,” she said. “Iron deficiency anemia is the United States’ most common nutrient deficiency—about 10 or 12 percent of the population.”
Papathakis added that many people don’t eat enough fatty fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an important nutrient for the brain.
“It’s good for your eyes too, all your membranes,” she said. “We are made up of cells, and our cells all have membranes, and those membranes are all made up of lipids, or fats.”
The easiest way to determine if you’re getting enough nutrients, Papathakis said, is to look at the quality of your diet.
“Are you eating three to four servings of fruit a day? Are you eating three or four servings of vegetables a day? Are you eating whole grains, maybe five or six servings of those a day?” she said. “I think people who eat well feel better.”
Reach New Times Staff Writer Malea Martin at [email protected].
