Ocean Oasis
A SEASIDE VICTORIAN HAVEN
by Wendy Craft
OCEAN OASIS MEDICAL SPA provides a sanctuary for women during all phases of
their lives. For nearly four years, women have been encouraged to renew
themselves near the serenity of the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, Calif. There,
they can address their physical, mental and emotional needs.
 Dr. Lisa Masterson, spa founder and medical director, is an
obstetrician/gynecologist who also is a staff obstetrician at Cedars-Sinai®
hospital in Los Angeles. In addition to the quality medical and spa treatments,
she attributes much of the spa’s success to its landmark location within a
Victorian compound circa 1906.
The 3-story house is near the Santa Monica pier, hotels and a
business district. The bottom floor is Masterson’s medical practice, while the
top two floors house the Ocean Oasis medical spa, equipped with seven
full-service treatment rooms and a yoga loft.
The spa’s interior decor reflects a relaxing,
California-ocean theme of white and tan colors with gauzy curtains that reflect
an understated tropical motif. “It’s very clean, fresh and breezy—it’s
similar to a Nantucket beach house, but without the Eastern feel,” Masterson
says.
One Woman
Ocean Oasis medical spa is about providing working women who
are taking care of their families with one place that has many doctor-approved
treatments and services.
Female teens to women in their 70s and beyond comprise the
majority of the spa’s demographic. Visitors range from Masterson’s regular
patients to pregnant mothers visiting from the other side of the world, where
Ocean Oasis comes highly recommended from worldwide word-of-mouth advertising.
Pregnant women from as far away as India and Tahiti have
visited the Ocean Oasis to deliver their babies with Masterson. The women will see Masterson once a month during their
pregnancies and will either stay with relatives or at hotels during the last six
weeks of their terms.
The facility is warm, relaxing and nurturing, and gives most
women a sense of community, Masterson says. She believes that by being there, a
woman will feel as though she will become a better person.
The spa also provides aesthetic treatments, which isn’t
about vanity but helping women feel good about themselves. Masterson believes all of these elements must be integrated
into a woman’s life to help reinforce the fact that it’s good for women to
focus on themselves.
“From a physician’s standpoint, these things are important
because we minimize how important nutrition is for our bodies and our health,
the same way we minimize the important of exercise and stress reduction,” she
says.
 All guests of Ocean Oasis are cared for by a staff of 10
women, consisting of two physical therapists, three massage therapists, two
estheticians, two registered nurses and one office manager. Each employee holds
the proper licensing for her position, and Masterson ensures that massage
therapists who work with pregnant patients are licensed in pregnancy massage.
Mothers-to-be can have an ultrasound and then a Soothe My Soul
Massage ($90-$130), which incorporates a special pillow for comfort and safety.
“We are very hormonal beings, and we have different phases
of our lives and our skin,” Masterson says. “You can never sum up your skin
type as oily or dry—during pregnancy, especially, because there are certain
things you cannot use on the skin because of the fetus.”
The Pre-Baby Bliss Facial (90 minutes, $90) is one signature
treatment popular among expectant mothers. Pregnancy-safe products are used to
restore hormonally challenged skin with a gentle cleansing, exfoliation and
hydration, complemented with a gently rejuvenating massage. The On My Way, Labor
Inducing Massage (90 minutes, $130) is a deep-tissue massage targeted to
specific areas of the body to encourage labor, while also providing relief from
aches and swelling.
Rejuvenating Delights
The medical spa also has several signature treatments— from
aesthetics to acupuncture—to satisfy women’s everchanging skincare needs.
“Very few spas in the area have physical therapy,
estheticians, nutritionists, acupuncturists, prenatal yoga, itsy-bitsy yoga,
Pilates® and prenatal Pilates—and a customer can get her well-woman exam in
the same day if she likes,” Masterson says.
The Oxygen Facial (60 minutes, $90) is a popular signature
treatment that consists of skin-nourishing nutrients mixed with pure oxygen for
exfoliation and rejuvenation. Another top-requested signature treatment is the
Ocean Oasis Facial ($70-$120), where a personalized treatment for the face, neck
and back accompanies a soothing scalp massage and exfoliating scrub.
One of the newest treatments is IPL (40 minutes, $100), which
can be incorporated with different types of facials. Other popular treatments include microdermabrasion (60
minutes, $125) and all types of waxing ($15-$70). Acupuncture is first on the list of requested medical
treatments (initial consultation is $150, with $80 follow-ups). Physical therapy ($120 to start) and Pilates ($65-$480) are
other popular treatments of spa guests.
 Educational Community
Beyond treatments, education centers make Ocean Oasis unique. The Pregnancy Club (4-week series, $50) promotes a community
for women before childbirth. The club meets once a month, and Masterson
incorporates a few topics and lecturers, with a question-and-answer session at
the end. Expectant mothers can talk among themselves and serve as
resources for one another, which also combats postpartum depression, she adds.
“We need something that focuses on women in this very
intense and very difficult time of their lives,” Masterson says. “They know
that I oversee everything and I’ve chosen everyone [who works here], so that
gives them a level of comfort when they go for treatments upstairs.”
Other educational offerings at Ocean Oasis include Nutritional
Counseling ($140 to start; 30-minute follow-ups, $65) and the Woman’s Club
(4-week series, $50).
Comfort For All
In spite of all of the resources available for women, men also
are welcome. Many of the men who visit the spa are spouses of the female
clients. The men know their wives feel comfortable at the spa, so they feel
comfortable too, she says.
Looking forward, Masterson plans to continue building the
Woman’s Club and provide educational topics that can help them. She also hopes to boost the spa’s senior exercise program.
All guests of Ocean Oasis can receive more than spa and
medical treatments in the relaxing and communal atmosphere. Nutrition, stress
reduction and total body wellness are the mainstays at a place where beauty, rejuvenation and education merge.
At A Glance
FACILITY: Ocean Oasis, Santa Monica,
Calif.
UNIQUE FEATURE:
“Ma Spa” program for pregnant women.
CLIENT DEMOGRAPHIC:
Female teens to women in their 70s comprise the majority of
visitors.
TOP-REQUESTED MEDICAL TREATMENT:
Acupuncture.
BEST MARKETING METHOD: Word of
mouth.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Business has grown
60 percent since its opening nearly four years ago.
|
