THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 7, 1995 TAG: 9504050173
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Robin L. Messano is in the business of saving face. Not her own, but the faces of her clients.
The 29-year-old Greenbrier resident works as a ``skin care specialist'' at Face Facts Inc., a beauty salon located in the Chez Madeleine hair salon at 709 N. Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach.
Other beauty salons have skin-care specialists, she said, but not the expertise she brought with her from her home in upstate New York.
Besides manicures, pedicures and conventional facials, Messano offers a type of complete facial that's a combination massage of the hands, face and lymph nodes, relaxation therapy done to soothing New Age music coupled with complete skin cleansing and revitalization.
Messano studied with Gerta Muellner, a pioneer of the Austrian manual lymph drainage facial massage technique.
``The technique is still relatively new to the U.S.,'' Messano said. ``It has been done for years in Europe.''
Messano's treatment takes about 90 minutes and includes hand, shoulder and facial massage, the manual lymph drainage massage and complete cleansing of the facial skin with creams, lotions and ointments.
``The treatment can help those with minor skin problems,'' she said. ``Or it can be a relaxing escape and stress reducer from the everyday hustle and bustle of the real world.''
Messano began to study cosmetology and eventually learned the stress-reducing technique after high school graduation in 1983.
``My parents wanted me to learn a trade,'' she explained. ``My dad wanted me to go into computers, but I opted for cosmetology.''
While studying basic cosmetology skills in New York in 1984, Messano met Muellner, who offered her a position at her own beauty salon in Saugerties, N.Y.
Muellner became Messano's mentor, teaching her the skills she learned from beauty experts in Austria and Europe.
``Gerta gave me the bulk of my education,'' Messano said. ``Her salon had a reputation for excellence and was cited in Town & Country magazine for its superb treatments. She has traveled all over the world learning different skills and skin care and massage techniques.
``With Gerta we always had to practice, practice, practice until we did it perfectly. It was not an easy technique to learn.''
Muellner brought her own mentor, Hildegard Wittlinger, a pioneer in the Austrian technique, to the States to train her spa staff.
Messano said she and her other colleagues learned the various points on the face to massage, how to touch them effectively and many other subtle skills that make up the Austrian facial massage.
``You had to have a light touch but not too light,'' she said. ``You had to learn how to develop a gentle yet effective swimming motion with your fingers. You had to be careful not to overwork the skin or overdo it so as to not ruin its elasticity.''
Messano brought the technique to Hampton Roads last year when she moved here from upstate New York with her husband, Bobby Messano, a professional musician.
``We wanted to be somewhere down South,'' she said. ``We liked the idea of being near the beach, and we like this area a lot. It's a lot busier here than the small towns we were used to in New York. There's much more traffic but the people are very friendly and always seem to be helpful.''
Messano also said it was exciting to come into an area where her skills are considered new and innovative. She began working at the Virginia Beach salon last September.
Her treatment lasts about 90 minutes. The client's face is given a massage then a manual lymph drainage massage to strengthen and tone facial muscles and skin, a complete cleansing and revitalization with various creams and moisturizers along with a hand, shoulders and neck massage.
``People who undergo the treatment say they feel better and go away completely relaxed,'' she said. ``Plus it helps take care of your face, keeps it clean, pliable, young looking and helps prevent it from drying out and aging prematurely.''
The treatment helps improve skin tone and circulation, she said. The massages are good for mental well-being and relaxation, helping reduce stress. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DAVID HOLLINGSWORTH
Robin Messano gives Tricia Ailstock a face massage at Chez
Madeleine.
by CNB