Ion Cleansing Footbath

I’ve tried a lot of detoxes. I’ve done the Master Cleanse (aka the Lemonade Diet). I’ve had a colonic (I’ll save you the details). And when Gwenyth Paltrow kicked off the New Year with a weeklong alcohol-sugar-dairy-caffeine-and-carb-free diet, I deprived myself right along with her. Ion foot cleansing, however, might be the strangest form of detox I’ve ever tried.

At Aurora Spa in St. Louis Park, I plant myself in a comfortable chair and place my feet in a basin of clean, warm water. Owner Barbara Jones, a soothing earth-mother type, switches on a small device to generate a mild electrical current in the bowl. The charged water will attract the negative ions—or toxins—in my body, and pull them out of my feet through osmosis. Or something like that. “No one understands exactly why it works, but it does,” laughs Jones.

Seeing is believing—sort of. Within two minutes the water turns brown, and not because my feet are dirty. After 30 minutes, it’s even darker, and has developed an algae-like film. Based on a color chart Jones has provided, yellowish-green water would point to the kidneys being cleansed. Black flecks—a sign of heavy metals in the body—often surface for people with tattoos. My murky water indicates the purification of my liver and lymphatic system (the champagne gets me every time!).

I don’t know if the cleanse actually “worked.” With other detoxes I’ve felt tired, cranky, and light-headed. I’ve also (temporarily) lost weight and gotten my glow back. Now, I feel relaxed and energized all at once, which sure beats a shot of wheatgrass.

What: Ion Cleansing Footbath
Where: Aurora Spa,
4224 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park,
952-922-1222, auroraspaonline.com
Time: 30 minutes
Price: $30
 


Todd Buchanan

BEAUTY BAG

Three Janes
Eleanor Mondale was tired of her makeup brushes falling apart. Who can blame her? Something that costs so much should withstand more than a few trips to the powder room. So the media personality teamed up with local makeup artist and gal pal Leilani Baker to create Three Janes, a line of luxurious brushes designed for “Janes” everywhere. Each brush is fashioned with a natural-wood handle, brass ferrule, and double-tied hairs to ensure a long life and professional makeup application. Purchase them individually or rolled up in a buttery, brown-leather carrying case—perfect for the Jane on the go. $189 for the 8-piece set; Juut Salonspas and threejanes.com
 


BOOK IT

Floyd’s 99 Barbershop

At Floyd’s 99, old-time touches like leather barber chairs and hot-lather shaves meet industrial-art décor and rock ’n’ roll music in a garage-band setting—a combination that the cast of HBO’s Entourage would approve of. And with haircuts starting at just $19—including a complimentary head and neck massage—Floyd’s 99 is a cut above the rest. 1220 W. Lake St., Mpls., 612-822-2240, floydsbarbershop.com