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About The Owners: David and Leah Warder

expertise, quality & comfort

Zen Blog

About The Owners: David and Leah Warder

David and Leah Warder met in 1996 in Irvine California. Both had single moms leaving less than optimal situations who decided to move to Irvine “the safest city in America”. Neighbors, they immediately noticed each other as they were both trouble makers who easily stood out. They quickly formed long lasting friendships as did the moms and they remained close friends despite moving to different places for college. 

In 2009 they both found themselves living in San Diego. David was unemployed taking a hiatus from his plumbing internship and Leah was bartending at the Waterfront. In efforts to save money David was renting a pill camper at a renegade circus in National City. 

Growing up they shared close family friends whose parents are the creators/owners of Healing Hands School of Holistic Health. Having both grown up with the influence and an affinity toward health and alternative healing it seemed only natural that they finally decided to enroll in massage school together. It helped that their good friend Jenny, also a HHS graduate, was already working in the field and saw their potential encouraging them to join the field. 

Fun fact, Leah introduced Jenny and Kyle and eventually ordained their wedding. Leah and Kyle met working at Trader Joe in Arizona in the early 2000’s. Jenny and Kyle, now married with two adorable rug rats of their own, are both talented massage therapists also working at Zen. 

During their massage training it became apparent that there was more to Leah and David’s relationship than just friendship. They quickly fell in love and soon after got married. 

When they were pregnant with their first daughter they started working at Zen. The then owner was looking to hand over the reins of the business and David and Leah took the opportunity and have been working and operating the business together since 2014.

Working together is not for every couple. However, these two love it. David is the brains and Leah the visionary. Their shared passion of helping clients live their best lives in their best bodies is what inspires them.

With the motto “work hard, play harder” David and Leah are full of adventure and aspiration. They enjoy food, music and travel. In their spare time they like to create, sweat and build things. Some of their accomplishments include organizing events, building things like zip lines and furniture and creating art. They also operate a 2 bedroom BNB in Normal Heights. Of course their greatest joy is their two talented and adorable girls. Already skilled in massage and healing amongst other things, their two girls are destined to do great things. 

NEW Beauty Services by Portcia Symone!

expertise, quality & comfort

Zen Blog

 

Meet Portcia Symone!

A small city girl with big dreams, learning and growing comes top of the tier for this Advanced Esthetician. Portia’s passion is to enhance the beautiful features of women from all over the world.  The motivation behind her passion comes from seeing the final results of her work with a huge smile on her guest faces.
Porctia was introduced into the beauty industry by her mother at a very young age. Eventually becoming a professional makeup artist with M.A.C Cosmetics for 5 years. She began to understand that skin care and makeup go hand in hand, which lead her to becoming an Estheticain in 2012, opening her own Spa Establishment in 2015. She has been a Master at PMU and esthetics for 7 years and has been in the beauty industry for over 20 years.
In her free time she likes to sing/record music, dance, travel, skate, create vegan meals, and spend time with friends and family.
Loaded with knowledge and many talents, Portcia offers a wide range of services. Advanced Facials, Full Body Waxing, Brow Threading, Brow Lamination, Brow Tinting, Lash Lifts, Lash Extensions such as Classic, Hybrid, Volumes and Mega Volumes, PMU such as Microblading, Microshading, Combination Brows, Lip Blushing/Neutralization and is also an Educator for all services.
Her motto: “Mirror mirror on the wall, I’ll always get up after I fall & whether I run, walk or crawl, I’ll set my goals and achieve them all!”

Benefits of Massage

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Zen Blog:

Benefits of Massage

Effective massage, measurable outcomes. Why you should choose Zen Sanctuary.

Touch is the purest form of communication. It does not need to be taught.  It crosses boundaries of race, language and religion.  Its’ desire to be given and received is inherent in all people, and its intentions are understood clearly. As humans we learn how to listen, communicate, and feel safe in the world through loving touch.

At Zen Sanctuary we believe in the healing power of touch, while upholding the utmost respect for current medical science and technology. Our massage therapists are trained in a variety of modalities from ancient eastern healing techniques, to the latest innovation in western bodywork. We emphasize a vast understanding of anatomy, physiology and advanced sports/clinical massage.

In our opinion, one of the great downfalls of modern medicine is the loss of the client’s self awareness and self empowerment. Taking responsibility for the health of our own body and mind is an integral aspect to our approach of massage and healing.

We feel you should never accept pain in your body as something you have to “just deal with”.  With the growing support for massage, why not first try a less expensive, more pleasurable route to healing your pain?  Especially when the alternates are diagnostic tests, with inflated prices and invasive procedures.  With skilled massage, there is no real risk and the benefit possibilities are endless.

 

At Zen Sanctuary we strive to offer the most effective massage possible with measurable outcomes. Our intentions are holistic in nature, based on listening, touch, and understanding each client’s needs. When appropriate, we will provide self-treatment exercises, and supplementary healing tips to promote and enhance the recovery, health and wellbeing of our clients. Open communication with our clients is an integral part of our service. We rely on our clients’ feedback to track responses, ensuring optimal improvements. Our intention is to offer massage not only for relief of pain, but more so for the enrichment of health and to better the overall quality of our clients’ lives.

Massage is a satisfying, preventative activity that should be considered a staple of wellness, along with eating healthy, exercising, and appreciating each moment.

Striving to uphold our belief in the integrity of massage as a healing and restorative practice we maintain the highest standard for all of our therapists. There are many options out there for a superficial massage, but if you are looking for quality, experience, true understanding of anatomy, and ultimate pain relief, look no further than Zen Sanctuary.

MicroNeedling Evolved: Introducing Microchanneling

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Zen Blog

MicroNeedling Evolved

Introducing MicroChanneling

Procell Therapies MicroChanneling is more than CIT (Collagen Induction Therapy.)  It not only generates new, high-quality, collagen via stimulation of your stem cells, but also reduces the signs of aging and corrects skin imperfections via the introduction of potent peptides, growth factors, and stem cytokines contained in the U.S. manufactured serums delivered into freshly created micro channels.

Past Microneedling technologies (like the pens and rollers) relied on creating damage to the skin in order to trigger tissue repair via your body’s wound healing ability. Procell therapy improves the clinical health of your skin by stimulating a rejuvenation cascade that your body has built in, Procell turns it on, encouraging the body’s own natural collagen synthesis and allowing your skin to stay healthy and beautiful! 

Benefits of Procell MicroChanneling with Advanced serums

  • Increase vitality of your skin
  • Reduce appearance of fine lines, and wrinkles
  • Even out skin tone
  • Treat pigmentation and age spots
  • Target acne and acne scarring and depressions
  • Reduce the appearance of stretch marks
  • Stimulate new hair growth
  • Improve the laxity and firmness in the skin

ProCell creates invisible channels, in the skin. It is unique in that it initiates improvement by the stimulated release of specialized stem cells in your skin and in your immune system. This action produces proteins called cytokines as well as peptides, and growth factors that help rejuvenate the structure of your skin.

Procell produces maximum stimulation, with minimal inflammation. This balanced approach to skin rejuvenation reduces recovery time to near zero, while maximizing results!

If you are looking for a way to improve the look and health of your skin and keep yourself looking younger, Procell is a great option!

Areola Restoration Blog – Permanent Makeup

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Zen Blog

Areola Restoration with Ann Von Gal

Licensed Permanent Makeup Artist

3-D Nipple Tattooing for Your Patients

3-dimensional nipple tattooing is a very specialized method of tattooing to restore a natural looking areola and nipple to both women and men who have experienced mastectomies, various breast surgeries, or may have faded or irregular Areola. Pigments are implanted into the skin to give the appearance of a dimensional nipple. Color and shading are used to give the nipple a full, 3-dimensional look. Color is blended to give a soft, beautiful and natural appearance.

As a specialized field, there are only a limited number of tattoo artists with the right kind of training, experience and compassion whom you should trust with your patients.

Ann von Gal Ann started her business as a way to help breast cancer survivors. She had been very involved in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. Her walking coach was a permanent makeup professional and trainer. Spending time with her, Ann realized her skills as a professional graphic designer and artist could be transferred towards permanent makeup–a craft she has come to love!  And while many of her clients utilize her services for eyeliner, eyebrows, and lips, she still provides areola restoration for breast cancer survivors.

Ann is a certified permanent cosmetic professional, a member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals, and exceeds all State of California requirements for licensing and blood-borne pathogens. She has had advanced training in nipple/areola complex restoration and updates her permanent cosmetic training on a continuing basis.

A typical procedure takes one to two hours and generally requires two visits. Patients may be referred to Ann’s studio in Solana Beach, or arrangements can be made for the procedure to be conducted at your office, if that is more comfortable for you and your patient. Free, no-obligation consultations are always available.

You may contact Ann at 858-699-5958. Make sure to also ask about brow creation and restoration for patients who have undergone chemotherapy.

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