September 2, 2005

Spa R&R: More than just massages and facials

Downtown Willow Glen day spa owner uses medical
background to help clients with skin ailments

By Diego Abeloos
Staff Writer

One look at Violet Johnson’s day spa, Spa R&R, and the casual observer might surmise that it’s another run-of-the-mill place. But don’t be fooled by outwardly appearances.

Violet and William Johnson have owned Spa R&R, located at 1345 Lincoln Ave., for the past seven years. Violet has an extensive medical background that she uses to advise her clients on skin care and recommend referrals to medical professionals. William spent 21 years as a pilot in the Air Force and is now trained in several massaging disciplines from around the world. Photo by Diego Abeloos

Johnson, who has owned the downtown Willow Glen spa with her husband William Johnson for the past seven years, wants people to know that her spa is as much about skin education and health as it is about relaxation and stress relief.

“I think one of the things about Spa R&R is that I come from a healthcare background,” said Violet Johnson, who previously served as a registered nurse in her native country of England and worked for the World Health Organization in Tibet, Africa and Saudi Arabia before opening Spa R&R.

“You don’t find many nurses in skin care. So, I look at skin care as not just as pampering, that’s just the plus side of it, but as health care. Really, it’s maintaining the health of your skin, but it’s also helping your relaxation because so many people are stressed.”

More services
While Spa R&R offers the same types of services as other day spas, it also provides multiethnic skin care and the occasional referral to dermatologists and other medical professionals for those in need of advice. All of this is possible because Johnson has a wide array of experience in health not only as a nurse, but also as a former psychologist who has a PhD in public health.

To that end, she has gone to great lengths to establish ties with the medical community for her customers who have skin ailments, such as skin cancer and other maladies, as well as ties to medical professionals who deal with the skin on a cosmetic basis. Johnson has intimate knowledge of hormonal changes in the skin, skin cancer and skin care during pregnancy, to name a few.

One of the medical facilities Johnson often refers women to is the Women Physicians Ob-Gyn Medical Group, which is affiliated with El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. She wanted to learn more about the group’s services and went in as a patient to check things out. Ever since, Johnson has referred women for various things from pregnancy and anti-aging skin care, to skin cancer.

“I don’t believe in referring my clients to anyone just because of shingles. I want to know more about you, such as what your qualifications are and what you do,” she said.

And while treatments such as body wraps, waxing, body massages and other services are what one might expect from a place called Spa R&R, it’s also about giving back.

Helping those less fortunate
For the past several years, Johnson and her husband have set aside one or two days a year to provide skin care and beauty services to underprivileged people in the Bay Area. Last year, Johnson teamed up with the Cosmetology Association and the Day Spa Association to volunteer time at the San Jose Family Shelter, providing needy families with manicures, pedicures, makeup, haircuts and massages. She also collected gifts and her clients donated clothing, toys and other necessities for the families at the shelter.

Johnson said she was raised in a charitable household, helping out neighbors and elderly persons in the community. Her experiences in volunteering also extended to her time as a nursing student and later as a registered nurse in England.

“There’s always an involvement with the community,” Johnson said of her charitable work. “This is not something new I learned in the United States. Of course as a nurse, we always used to have huge volunteer days. We would visit the elderly, the blind and all of that … It’s a most fantastic feeling at the end of the day because people were so appreciative.”

Through it all, however, Johnson said she is content knowing that her spa is not only an intimate neighborhood place of relaxation, but also a center of skin education and care. Her volunteerism has extended to her husband William, a 21-year veteran of the Air Force who is now trained in several disciplines of massage and other spa services and uses his training to help run the spa. William also volunteered his time at the shelter last year, giving massages to underprivileged people.

“There’s a lot of people who have never been touched in a massage,” William said. “So by doing (massaging) the neck and shoulders, they would actually break down and cry. At some point, they feel so relieved and so relaxed that they actually cry.”

Still, everyday business at Spa R&R is not just about bringing in dollars and cents, according to Johnson. Instead, Johnson said her first and foremost focus is on the client.

We’re not a huge, grandiose spa,” Johnson said. “We specialize in personal care. So when you come to us, you’re not just another name on the list.”

Spa R&R is located at 1345 Lincoln Ave. in Willow Glen. For more information about Spa R&R, visit www.spa-r-and-r.com or call (408) 297-4899.