Why focus your interest on spa treatment?
 As a child, people used to laugh at me because they felt I was ugly. And you know such takes confidence off you. I had acne and  fortunately had the opportunity of visiting  some  foreign countries and went for the beauty services offered there. I  was well attended to and  got interested in what they did. I thought I could offer such services to women in Nigeria, so I learnt about Spa treatment.

What does spa services entail?
One is massaging, sauna, facials, pedicure, manicure, make-up and the like.

Are there benefits derived from spa treatment?
Yes. And they are quite a lot. Spa treatment relaxes  you, makes you look beautiful and every woman knows that her confidence is boosted by looking  beautiful.  You also derive satisfaction   from a good look. Massage has many important  health benefits. It can help you maintain physical, mental and emotional well being, especially when it’s part of your regular wellness routine. It calms the  nervous system and promotes a sense of relaxation and well being. Massage also reduces tension and anxiety among others.

How would you rate the response of Nigerian women to this service?
Nigerian women look after every other person except themselves and this shouldn’t be. I believe this attitude is now changing. women  have started  responding to spa treatment  better than it was in the past. They have come to realise they live longer and healthier by it.

How does one know she’s getting the best of this service?
It depends on where you go for it. If you go to someone who is well trained, you get the best treatment.

You are running a training programme  tagged ‘Pamper me’  Can you shed light on this?
 It’s packaged to attend to all needs of the woman. So many women are not working and some, after leaving schools, do a lot of indecent things to survive. I thought, why not empower them and give them a kit to start off spa service. The good thing is that you don’t have to have a shop before you run such a business. You can go from home to home. You start from a small scale and it grows. But then, the programme first  attends to the emotional, physical and psychological  need of the woman and also finance after which they will have the spa services.  Women take in a lot especially in our African setting where a woman must not be heard. They bottle up and are stressed up. What we do is to put the cart before the house. And so, we teach them how to manage their time as they take care of the home, while we emphasise on taking care of themselves also in order to live long, the training actually gives a hope for tomorrow. We also  invite medical personnel who take them through the necessary medical check ups. Talks are  given on  areas of finance and beauty upkeep. After these, they are treated to our  spa services .The programme is run from state to state and Oyo State, Ibadan precisely will be our next place of call. We are going to hold another training there on December 1.

Do you carry out  these training for   free?
No. Trainees pay, but they are  treated to services  worth more than their money and they do smile home.

How is this project funded?
We have organisations joining  Andrea Spa in supporting it financially as their social responsibilties, while the training is  run by Andrea Beauty School.

Is there a difference between toning and bleaching?
They are both the same. The high class use the word toning and the lower class, bleaching. Both entail peeling off of the skin. The difference is the procedure. Toning is gradual, while bleaching is rash.

What are the simple beauty tips women ignore?
The use of  cleansers every  night which removes dirts and oil; moisturiser which makes the skin soft and supple and  scrubs to exfoliate the skin. The latter should be carried out  thrice a week. These give a  brighter, natural complexion which is different from toning.

How early should a girl start making up?
There is no standing rule about that. I started around 17 years old and I was using only eye pencils. But I don’t think a girl  should start  too early because aside the moral aspect, make up has chemicals which are poisonous and injurious to  health.

Does make up  actually make one look  beautiful?
It neither makes you beautiful or ugly. What it does is to enhance your looks. I believe beauty comes from the inside.

What  advice  will you give women on looking good?
Drink a lot of water as possible. It washes off your system. For a clear complexion, you can go on a fruit fast for a week.

This clears the system, acne, that is  if it’s not caused by stress and makes the skin glow.