As fall turns to winter and we mourn the loss of the warm sun, we instead get a little excited about snuggling up, drinking hot bevys, and getting stoked for celebrations with friends and family. Gatherings for me can look all kinds of ways. Big, small, intimate, wild, and they usually include delicious food. And, if you’re like me, the slight pressure of what to buy for whom can start knocking at the door once Thanksgiving is behind me. Full disclosure: I am not the worlds best consumer. Eek! I definitely buy gifts, but in my circle we’re big on quality, community, sustainability, and equity. When choosing where to shop, I would love to say it’s 100% local, but let’s be real, I am a single mama and work full time, so I absolutely participate in the online retail world and shop some big box companies just like I’m sure you do! That being said, I strive to support my local economy and community by shopping local for part of my gift giving. I feel good knowing that local shops know more about the companies they sell and know if customers are actually pleased with their products or not.

As a fresh-faced kid I was BIG on handmade crafts. We would all make ornaments or cute silly fun things. Fast forward to my 40’s and there is NOT ENOUGH time to knit 3 scarves, hand paint something, run a home, help run a business, and try to fit in cardio and mediation (non-negotiables for me). My family began opting for simple gifts or no gifts at all, except for the kids. For us that prompted a serious shift toward making purchases that enhance our individual self care and the small joys in each of our lives.

Practice Mindful Spending

Physical gifts aren’t inherently bad, but there can be more intention and thought put into creating a more sustainable holiday tradition. Buying everything inexpensively on Amazon or focusing on quantity rather than quality has a significantly detrimental impact on the environment (as well as supporting an idea that just having more stuff makes us inherently happier—hint, it doesn’t). It also doesn’t necessarily mean a better gift for your loved ones. Approach your gifts with mindfulness and make an informed decision before buying. Reducing the overall number of gifts purchased also means your resources are more impactful. If you DO want to give a physical gift, consider the individual and celebrate them with a gift that shows you know them as a person and not as an obligation.

a few of Our in-house favorites

We at The Pearl Day Spa have worked hard to curate a diverse collection of beautiful products that are loved by our staff and thoroughly enjoyed by our clients, but here are a few of my favorites as well as a bit about them.

Spongellé
A Tea Leaf Jewelry
JusTea
Heartland Fragrance Company
Lit Candle Supply

Their Stories

Spongellé- A woman-owned and operated LA beauty and wellness company. The CEO, Elaine Binder, a native to Odesa, Ukraine has a global perspective and created a fundraiser to support the kids of Ukraine during the ongoing conflict.

Spongellé has created a uniquely awesome 4-in-1 product to nourish and exfoliate your skin. Their product is hard to explain until you try one for yourself, but they make an exfoliating body scrubber with the body wash built right into the sponge. They use high-quality botanicals, sea minerals, antioxidants, and anti-aging ingredients. The Spongellé formula provides a moisture-rich, exfoliating experience that smells divine. They offer loads of scents and each sponge lasts for many washes, depending upon what size you get.

A Tea Leaf Jewelry - Woman-owned and a native to the PNW, Alyssa lives with her family in Portland, OR. With a background in graphic design and a passion for wearable art, she started with college art and branched into jewelry and fell in love. She describes her work as modern, casual, and positive. And we would agree! She has adorable, kitschy Oregon-focused work, cats, bees, and many floral designs. Much of her work borrows from the Art Deco and Art Nouveau periods. A Tea Leaf has been one of our most popular items since we started carrying it about a year and a half ago.

JusTea-JusTea is a partnership between families in Canada and Kenya. The mission was born to create new opportunities for employment, higher wages, and reinvestment in tea-farming communities.

JusTea is the first North-American partner for this cooperative's organic herbal teas. Over 80% of the employees are women and they support hundreds of farmers in their community. They are the first company in the world to offer Purple Tea, which has been associated with reduced inflammation, cancer protection, and heart disease prevention.

Heartland Fragrance Company- Heartland has been in business since 1987, so they know their stuff. Their lineup of bath soaks are one of our best selling products in the spa. They are passionate about using high quality ingredients, and their blends contain premium grade mineral epsom salt enhanced with a therapeutic blend of fragrance and essential oils.

Spa clients enjoy the Magnesium Mineral Detox Epsom Spa Soak or Mineral Detox Epsom Spa Soak post-massage as home care.

Lit Candle Supply- Started in 2018 by Raquel Mora in Los Angeles, California, Lit was formed from a passion and desire to created safe, beautiful, and well-crafted candles. They use domestically grown soy, premium phthalate-free fragrance oil, and hand-wicked with 100% cotton. Incredible smelling, they really create a mood.

Not to mention smelling good, they have the very best memorable names for their scents such as “Good Things Are Coming”(Sandalwood + Vanilla + Orange), “I F****ing Love YOU” (Citrus + Musk + Grapefruit + Lemon), “Girl Boss” (Jasmine + Orange + Wood + Vanilla). Ya’ll, they smell really really good. And no matter the who, you’re likely to find a scent match for you or a dear one.