A year ago, to give my tired skin a break, I started seeing an esthetician whose own frustratingly sensitive skin forced a homemade line: products include oatmeal cleansers, apple juice toners and jojoba oil lotions.

If a client is not dreaming about their next treatment with the same therapist or planning how to return to that spa as soon as possible, then consider the ball as dropped.

There are certain amenities and qualities which I look for that would satisfy most folks, probably even a FLOTUS. It may surprise you that while luxurious surroundings are always a plus, it is not always my primary requirement.

The spa industry remains relentlessly apathetic and unapologetically uneducated in caring for the skin of 80 percent of the world's population.