Between the stress, sleep deprivation, depression, and skin concerns of the last year, restorative treatments are now in demand more than ever. And a new San Francisco holistic wellness sanctuary has opened just in time to inspire people to take charge of their internal health with self-care rituals and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Redmint is a center for self care, preventative health, and restorative health that opened in San Fran’s Cow Hollow neighborhood last October (2020).
Helena Fan, Redmint’s founder, insists that she was inspired to open Redmint and champion TCM for the same reason that so many others have come to love it.
A busy mom of three who was “going through all of the major life events of a women in her 30s,” Fan found herself suffering a lot of discomfort while working 12 – 15 hours a day at a corporate job. Though by Western standards, she was healthy, she found herself “bouncing around with different pharmaceutical treatments and medications.”
Searching, instead, for a natural solution to pain, fertility issues, and mental exhaustion, Fan sought out TCM, which “helped [her] to really gain both internal health and hormonal balance.”
“Redmint was really born out of a quest for solutions,” Fan said.
The result of Fan’s deep dive into TCM practice is a multi-room holistic haven, a serenity spa complete with Eastern treatments — like acupuncture, sound therapies, and cupping — that also offers proprietary herbal skincare selections and a bespoke herbal bar featuring enticing elixirs, coffees, and tea lattes.
Not only are Redmint’s services a modern way of balancing, soothing, and calming, but its product line — all made in Palo Alto and sold on-site/online — is natural, safe, and may actually be more effective than other natural brands.
Redmint’s skincare collections include: the 5 Elements ageless skincare collection inspired by the five elements theories of TCM for optimal skin youth, incorporating a high concentration of herbs like ginseng, angelica sincensis, astragalus root, licorice root, goji berry, and white peony; the Pearl Illuminance collection which features pearl powder and goji berry extract is blended with rice water for brightening and illuminating; and an anti inflammatory CBD collection (Huo Ma Ren) to prevent aging, clear skin impurities, and brighten complexion.
The herbal extract line, which is centered on skin glow, detox, sleep, Qi/energy and gut microbiome, extracts a variety of herbal and plant remedies that work to rebalance different areas of the body.
“Our products come at a time when people are craving a skincare routine that maintains some semblance of control,” said Fan. “All of the fear, stress, and anxiety that we have been experiencing greatly affects our skin, our nervous system, and certain hormones.”
By creating a place for TSM treatment as well as an accompanying line of skincare with herbal extracts rooted in the tradition and following the clean beauty standard, Fan believes she can save visitors from unnecessary medications and harmful chemical topicals.
“Now is actually a great time to take care of your skin holistically instead of using prescriptive drug solutions,” Fan suggested. Her collections use ancient powerhouse ingredients filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids, which she claims leave skin hydrated, nourished, and revived to amplify radiance at any age.
“The ‘Redmint Ritual’ is traditional medicine that optimizes for modern living,” she said. “We say: Ancient care, Modern you.”
