A Taste of Downtown Durham

The Retreat at Brightleaf is happy to be part of such an incredible downtown community and would like to give back to it with our new Taste of Downtown Durham menu. We have partnered up with SEEDS by donating 10% of the profits from those services. (No discounts will be applied to these services for this reason) Thanks for doing your part in keeping Downtown Durham a wonderful and extraordinary place to live and interact.

Classic Margarita Foot Exfoliation with Reflexology $75 /1 hour

If your taste buds are tickled by the thought of blending fresh orange and lime juices, coarse salt , and most importantly tequila , then you’ll love our invigorating foot treatment that we fashioned after Dos Perros’ classic margarita. It is both exfoliating and cleansing and will leave your feet feeling smooth and revitalized. It’s all the best parts of a margarita night without the nasty hangover!

Goat’s milk, Honey and Pepper Back Exfoliating Treatment $75 /55 minutes

In one of their most popular menu items, Toast expertly combines warm goat cheese, local honey and cracked black pepper in a delicious crostini. We can’t get enough of the contrast between the creamy milk, sweet honey, and bite of the pepper. In fact, we love it so much that we have combined these same ingredients in a treatment to calm and nourish sensitive skin. The antioxidant properties will also rejuvenate, rehydrate and restore dry and damaged skin and is wonderful for those of us who may be prone to breakouts.

French Toast Facial $85/ 1 hour

Inspired by the renowned brunches at Rue Cler, these versatile treatments are beneficial to a wide variety of skin types, on top of being good enough to eat! Using maple syrup, milk, and cinnamon to pamper your skin, our therapists will ensure you never look at French Toast the same way again.

Chocolate Sea salt Facial $85 /1 hour

The folks at Scratch Bakery are so good at combining different delicious tastes and flavors in their baked goods that we couldn’t help being inspired to create this treatment combo as the perfect rejuvenation for aging or damaged skin. It contains natural sources of protection against environs that damage your skin’s elastin, proteins, and collagen.

Decadent Crème Brulee Facial $85 / 1hour

This one is rich, decadent, and purely indulgent. If you’re in need of some serious pampering; then this treatment, inspired by Vin Rouge’s heavenly crème brulee, is definitely for you. Zone out and enjoy the sensory extravagance.

Whiskey Facial $85 /1 hour

There’s nothing more soothing than sipping that perfect barrel-aged bourbon surrounded by the warm, weathered leather and wood of Whiskey Bar. This treatment is perfect for those whose skin is feeling a little like that leather. A deep treatment that will leave the skin thoroughly soothed and the pores deeply cleansed and refined, it is also a great treatment for acneic skin.

Fullsteam Beer Facial $85 /1 hour

With a distinctly down to earth brewing style, and neighborhood-pub feel, Fullsteam celebrates thoughtful Southern simplicity in its range of seasonal brews. The fact that they have managed to effortlessly embody Durham in their beer and in their brewery made the choice to feature their offerings in our menu an easy one. Enzymes from the richly brewed beer combined with seed of the jojoba plant make this a beneficial and highly conditioning treatment.

Pomegranate Lychee Martini Facial $85/ 1 hour

The sweet succulence of the flesh of lychee fruit contrasts perfectly with the bold tartness of pomegranate in Revolution’s infamous cocktail. Our homage to this favorite Downtown spot brings together the health benefits and sophisticated exoticness of their pomegranate-lychee martini. With antioxidant, antibacterial, and regenerative qualities, your skin will be brighter and tighter after this facial. It is almost as if the bartender was thinking of our skin as well as our tastebuds when putting this drink together; and our skin, and tastebuds, are grateful!

Red Wine and Dark Chocolate Facial $85/ 1 hour

How do you top the perfect pairing of red wine and dark chocolate? We have taken a cue from Six Plates as it has an uncanny ability to couple the most sophisticated flavors in an absolutely beautiful, warm and unique atmosphere. Antioxidants in red wine provide anti-aging benefits for your skin and paired with a decedent dark chocolate helps with blemishes and redness, an extra boost to your skin. The combined effectiveness of all three is worth toasting to.

Mocha-Hazelnut Latte Facial $85 /1 hour

Mocha-Hazelnut Exfoliating Back Treatment $75 /1 hour

If you are like 50 percent of the population you enjoy a Cup of Joe every day. Respite is among the list of coffee houses that keep Durham caffeinated. By blending espresso, cream dark chocolate and hazelnut you will find hard it resist the temptation to consume the invigorating and skin stimulating mask. Coffee is rich in anti-oxidants which repairs damaged cells and helps the removal of fluids and toxins from the skin.

SEEDS is a non-profit community garden whose goal is to teach people to care for the earth, themselves and each other through a variety of garden-based programs.

In 1994 SEEDS (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces) was founded by Brenda Brodie and Annice Kenan, and its first garden was planted in Central Durham in partnership with the Phoenix House, a transitional program for homeless men.

Since then it has supported numerous communities in turning vacant lots into productive garden spaces, and initiated the development of the Durham Farmer’s Market in 2000. 2000 also saw the creation of the DIG (Durham Inner-city Gardeners), a youth driven entrepreneurial program in which teenagers sell the produce, herbs and flowers they grow at the farmer’s market. SEEDS have also developed a free after-school scheme for 1^st through 5^th graders, and several educational programs.

SEEDS is kindly helping The Retreat source many of the natural produce used in our Taste Of Downtown services and we are thrilled to be working with such an inspirational grass-roots movement. We encourage all of our clients to find out what SEEDS is all about by visiting their location at the corner of Elizabeth and Gilbert Streets in Northeast Central Durham, checking out their website www.seedsnc.org, or just stopping by the Farmer’s Market on any spare Saturday!