Baton Rouge spa offers specialized facials for cancer patients

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – More than two million Americans were diagnosed with cancer this year, and Louisiana’s overall cancer rate is higher than the national average. For cancer patients dealing with harsh treatments, one Baton Rouge spa is offering specialized care to help them feel their best during treatment.

Ashley Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, leading to a double mastectomy and 26 weeks of chemotherapy. During treatment, she found that caring for her skin helped her maintain strength and confidence.

“I, as a young girl, was often complimented on my complexion and my eyebrows and things like that. These are things that are taken away during treatment that all the things you’re complimented on, your hair, your eyebrows, you know, your skin,” Roberts said.

Finding healing through skin care

Roberts discovered that nourishing her body inside and out, including getting facials, became part of her recovery journey.

“From there, I started my journey of getting the cancer out of my body and becoming a well person again,” she said.

Skin during cancer treatments can be extremely sensitive and require special care. Julie Piedrahita, owner of Simply Facials in Baton Rouge, understood this need after watching her husband battle cancer for two years.

“People don’t realize a lot of time treating the cancer is just the first part of cancer treatment,” Piedrahita said.

Specialized training for sensitive needs

Simply Facials offers a service called a Restore Facial designed specifically for cancer patients’ fragile skin. The spa’s aestheticians receive special training to meet both physical and emotional needs of patients and their families.

“For physical needs, they have dry skin. There are things that happen as a result of their radiation and perhaps their chemo treatments that they’re on, but emotionally, sometimes you just want to do something to feel normal,” Piedrahita said.

Jan Vaccaro, an aesthetician at Simply Facials, said the treatment is modified for cancer patients’ specific needs.

“This facial is slowed down. It’s very gentle, relaxing. It’s nourishing for their skin as well as their emotional well-being,” Vaccaro said.

Safe techniques for immunocompromised patients

The spa uses nontoxic products and techniques safe for people who are immunocompromised. Staff members are trained in special massage techniques for patients with lymph node involvement.

“We know that if there is any lymph node involvement in the cancer, we have to do the techniques a special way when we work on the massage,” Piedrahita said.

Vaccaro said the treatments address the uncomfortable side effects of cancer treatment.

“Chemo and radiation basically are poison. It’s what it takes to kill the cancer, and that of course is the first order of business, but the cascade of things that happen to your body from the treatment are so uncomfortable and so unpleasant, and we thought, is there one little thing we can do to help them feel more comfortable?” she said.

Continuing the journey

Roberts, now seven years past completing her cancer treatment, continues to prioritize skin care as part of feeling her best.

“When you want to live, you’ll do whatever it takes,” Roberts said.

She said maintaining healthy skin remains important for her confidence and overall well-being.

“That’s why it’s important to continue doing facials because having that glow shows that your skin is healthy, and that’s from the inside out, and this is when everybody sees us. They see our face first,” Roberts said.

Simply Facials also recommends that family members and patients get facials together for a more comforting experience for everyone involved.

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