Name: Gina Lepore
AKA: G
From: Boston
Favorite Island Eatery: Froozies
Spa Education: Asheville School of Massage and Yoga
Position at Spa: Massage Therapist
Favorite Spa T-Shirt: White and Tangerine
Favorite Essential Oils: Grapefruit and Lavender
What drew you to the massage industry?
I was interested in holistic health and was inspired by the atmosphere at the Ayurvedic Clinic I worked at. I like working with my hands and wanted to help people heal their bodies. I enjoy the spiritual and physicality of it.
Where do you want to take your career?
I would like to eventually have my own massage and yoga studio.
What brought you to Block Island?
I was in Costa Rica volunteering and saw an ad for employment on Block Island.  I had been here once for a family friends celebration and thought it would be a good place to be.
What do you like most about Island life?
The nature, the beaches, water activities and biking around the Island.
What do you like most about the Spa?
I love the rustic feel. I like that all of our products are Earth friendly and that we are an eco-conscious Spa. I love that people come here to feel good.
What are some of your must visit/see/do spots on Block Island?
The Labrynth, Pond & Beyond Kayaks, Elevation Studio (where she teaches Friday evenings but was too humble to mention in the interview) and Paddleboarding with Diamond Blue.
Where can you be found in your downtime?
Joking around with the crew at the Poor Peoples Pub

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The story goes… a girl fell in love with Block Island and knew there was something about BI that she never wanted to lose. So she kept going back, leaving every winter with the mass exodus. Summer came and every year she went back she knew more and more “locals”, “island kids”, and she decided a business on BI would be a pretty cool dream. Ideas and opportunities merged, a lease was signed, and a spa grew. In the early stages of official, very important business development board meetings, networking events, and CEO roundtables she struggled with her old-fashioned and preconceived notions of spas. A spa on Block Island seemed like a great idea but creating a business that brought up notions of pink curlers, hairspray, stern looking receptionists, and the sounds of mating whales killed her entrepreneurial drive. So she sought inspiration and started thinking about all the reasons she loved BI. Everything about BI celebrates nature, intrinsic beauty, and pure organic living. So, the eureka moment came… why not have a spa where everything going on your body was as organic, clean, toxic free, and as good for you as a trip to the local organic farmers market. Thus, Koru became Koru Eco Spa.

She had her inspiration and she began to study the spa industry. There were a couple of other “organic” or “eco” spas and fortunately there were product lines to peruse. The research was more startling. Nobody was regulating the cosmetics industry; ingredients banned by the FDA in food items were being used all over the cosmetics industry. Studies showed higher rates of cancer in cosmeticians. One fact stuck with her: your skin absorbs 60% of what is put on it. So why would you put anything on your skin you wouldn’t eat? How many drugs are now applicable via skin patch and yet we don’t think twice about the lotions, creams, makeup, soap, and sunscreen we put on our body. So as Koru grew her inspiration grew into a mission and connection to a larger movement.

I’m the owner and, of course, the girl in the story. I don’t eat only organic food, wear only organic clothing, ride my bike everywhere, or stand on street corners asking for your signature on the latest EPA movement. However, I do believe in a life lived with less chemicals, less radiation, and more awareness. I believe in conscious consuming and presenting our customers with a better option. We are a small spa with a big mission… to offer the best spa services in the world, create a truly healthy atmosphere, be a proponent of the green movement, and always remember the source of our inspiration… Block Island, RI.

Thanks for checking us out!

Lauren von Bernuth

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Its true. Not once but twice this week there was no parking on Water Street! First was our annual Thanksgiving Stroll when our local businesses markdown their wares for Holiday visitors gearing up for Christmas. Second, was the Annual Tree Lighting at the Harbor Church which is one of my favorite Block Island Events, a little bit of Seuss’ Whoville; here on Block Island. Props to our downstairs neighbor, John Cullen, of Building Blocks Toy Store who also is the organizer of the Tree Lighting as the President of Tourism Council.

What’s the Winter like on Block Island is a question we get often at the Spa. So this Blog serves to update you on the happenings in this Holiday Season for which we are so grateful for our excellent staff and you are faithful customers! As an update on our staff….Vanessa is glamming up local Rhode Islanders, Crystal set sail to work on a cruise ship for a bit with the promise she would return in the Spring, Marli and her husband decided to endure and enjoy the Block Island blustery winter with their pet birds, Aaron can be found celebrating at various movie openings and awards ceremonies or for services at his new location in New York City, Joan is sharing her healing massage touch in New York and Gina and Alyssa are taking a spin at Yoga teaching in Vermont and Minneapolis. Lauren is stationed in New York as well, coordinating with our brides of 2011 and keeping up on the trends of organic services and products to ever better the Spa.

If you don’t know, Block Island is a great place to spend New Year’s Eve. Dine at the Beachead Restaurant, Elis, or MacNamaras, just a few of the usual options. There are a few parties with bands, including fundraisers for the local Volunteer Fire Department, Champagne Brunch at the 1661 Inn and of course there is the ever popular Polar Plunge! Throw on your bikini or swim trunks and take the plunge into the Block Island Sound as a surefire way to kickoff 2011 with a bang or snuggle under blankets on the beach and and bare witness to all the Polar Plunge revelry. There is a beach fire with hot cocoa and then Hot Tadis at the Yellow Kittens following the Polar Plunge! The Hygeia House and the 1661 Inn are open year round and are great places to stay.

Next Blog….whats happening Conservancy wise on Block Island this winter!


From our Staff
Wishing you all a healthy safe holiday season,
Jill


Plan ahead and get 20% off gift certificates now! Gift certificates make a great gift! Just click below.
Happy Holidays! Enjoy 20% off!!

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In an effort to let you get to know us better we will be doing a profile on all of our staff members. So when you stop in to the spa say hello and let them know you liked their profile on our blog (and their embarrassing photo)!

Name: Vanessa Gonzalez
AKA: Nessa, VV, V-Dog
Age: 23 as of 8/10/10… say Happy Birthday if you see her this week! She’s a big birthday girl and has been running a count down for over 10 days. It’s her 1st birthday on the Block!

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www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
So this is the ultimate source when it comes to what cosmetics are safe to use and what cosmetics are using potentially harmful and definitely questionable ingredients. It’s a database of thousands of personal care products which are ranked based on the safety of their ingredients and it explains why those ingredients are deemed questionable. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and it absorbs everything it comes into contact with… think about how many drugs are applied via skin patches now a days. Your skin absorbs personal care products in the same way. So take a second to think about what you’re putting on your body everyday and take a look at the cosmetics database which is provided via the Environmental Working Group. It’s just something worth thinking about for a second as we go about our busy hectic days.

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One of our favorite BI articles from the N.Y. Times:

THE sights of an East Coast summer — body surfers careering toward the beach, children licking fudge ripple off sticky knuckles, bicycles casting shadows on hot pavement — vanish after Labor Day, when pool closings and school openings signal the beginning of a more somber season. But on this island, 13 miles offshore, the summer idyll slides far into fall.

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