April in Paris Day Spa is owned and operated by:
Julie C. Ciucias,
Certified Aesthetician.
Julie is a licensed Physical Therapist who graduated from the University of
Connecticut. She earned a Masters of Business Administration from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Julie earned her diploma from the New England
School of Aesthetics
Our goal is to provide quality service in an inviting and serene
environment. Your satisfaction is our utmost priority. Relax and
be pampered while we provide you with the latest skin care techniques and
products.
My memories of being a young child have always been cradled in the warmth of hugs. My parents, my mother in particular, were affectionate. I craved and thrived on hugs and kisses like the flowers need the sun. I remember my mother climbing in bed with me and holding me as she read, recited or sang stories or prayers to me. The memories are so sensory...her smell, the sound of her voice and the powerful warmth and feel of her body against mine. I felt safe. I felt calm. I felt LOVED. I grew up to be a person who has enjoyed touching, sharing, helping, listening, and giving to others. I am sure that is why as a young college freshman I started the pre-med curriculum. During my first semester, I saw a young woman in my dormitory studying Gray’s Anatomy. I asked her, “Are you a pre-med major?” She said, “No, I am a physical therapy major.” I didn’t even know what physical therapist was but I looked at the college handbook and was completely intrigued with the curriculum. The added attraction was …wow… I would be out of school with a degree in 4 years instead of 8. I was so ready to start this career. I loved the physical therapy subject requirements and the clinical arts. I knew this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to touch and help people. I even knew then that I intuitively seemed to have a knack in knowing how to connect with people in a way that allowed them to relax and feel safe. It was in my touch.
In order to start the process, I had to transfer into the school of Allied Health. I went on to summer school, and after an extensive application process (jeepers, creepers I had only missed one bloody semester...it was so competitive even back then), I was accepted into the physical therapy program. During my studies, I learned about biology, neuroanatomy, kinesiology, anatomy and physiology and so much more. I learned that the profession I would learn about would be housed in my mind but be communicated through the touch of my hands. The body and hands that have blood vessels, sweat gland, hairs, sensory apparatuses that distinguish temperature, nerve endings that record pain, pressure apparatuses for the perception of tactile stimuli would all take in and impart information by and through touch.
Let’s be a little more expansive for a moment and just think of all that is related to touch. Things like cradling a baby, kissing the booboo to make it better, petting the kitty and making it purr, scratching the dog’s belly, animals sleeping in packs, Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, greeting by kissing, hugging or shaking hands, holding hands, spooning in bed, lovemaking, feeling the wind in your hair and the sand under your feet and physically comforting the sick not through medication but through stroking the head and holding hands. And, yes, many deeply painful and terrible things are created and communicated by touch as well but I think you get my point. Life is experienced and communicated through touch.
I went on to graduate magna cum laude with distinction in physical therapy in 1978. I practiced as a physical therapist for over 25 years and relished in helping, learning and developing my manual skills. My hands became my precious tools. When I started to practice, things were truly patient centered. I didn’t know the difference between billable minutes and administrative overhead and didn’t want to know. Things in health care slowly started to change. I just wanted to touch my patients and help them heal, recover, and rehabilitate. A deeply personal struggle had begun. Could I continue to be my authentic self in the emerging health care field?
Starting in the 90’s, my passion for traditional physical therapy practice started to exponentially fade as I was increasingly unable to spend quality time with my patients and staff. My last position was as a rehabilitation manager over-seeing over a hundred therapists for a large home health care company. You don’t know about paperwork until you have worked for a home health agency. Connecticut may be one of the smallest states but it has the most rigorous state health care regulations in the country. I was spending more time completing paperwork and managing my staff mange their own paperwork, then helping and touching people. My heart told me, “this isn’t working anymore” but my head said that had I had spent my entire career in physical therapy. I couldn’t possibly give up the respect, the tenure and the money, could I? I was unable to treat my patients and my staff in the way I thought they so deserved. I started to show signs of stress related illness in my mind, body and spirit. After much soul-searching, I decided to leave the field of physical therapy. I researched many options and decided to become a certified aesthetician (a skin care specialist). I could still use my background in physical therapy and still connect and touch people. I excelled in the program and was hired right after school. Lingering doubt about if I had made the right decision plagued me. How could I have left such a prestigious, respected, and well-compensated field? Did I do the right thing? I knew I slowly started to feel better but my head kept on saying I had made a mistake until one day I had the most amazing experience.
I had been an aesthetician for about a year and a half. I had left my first aesthetician job and moved to a position closer to home. One day a woman came in to receive a facial. During and after the facial she said that it was such a relaxing, wonderful experience that she would love to bring her mother in to get a facial. She explained that her mother who was now in her 80’s used to get facials every month for years. She explained that sadly her mother had Alzheimer’s disease and was now living full time in a nursing home. She said her mother was inconsistently communicative, was quite agitated, prone to severe mood swings and had significant difficulty with new environments. She was concerned that her mother was not going to be able to enjoy the facial and would be disruptive to other clients. I said we could try to schedule her during a very quiet period, and that I would do my best to accommodate her and her mother. We made the appointment. On the day of the appointment, the daughter called and said she was not quite sure that she could come because her mother was having a particularly bad day. I told the daughter to tell her mother she was going to get a facial (on the off chance that this would trigger a happy memory) and that the daughter could cancel last minute if she had to. The mother and daughter arrived pretty much on time. I greeted the mother and told her I was her aesthetician and that I was going to give her a facial. And then it happened. I saw this older woman touch her own face, and I saw the lucidity return to her mind and behind her eyes in an instant. I escorted the woman to the treatment room, positioned her upright to ensure her comfort, and proceeded to give her a facial. The daughter was softly crying in the background. For one half hour, her mother was completely calm and lucid. The mother complimented me on my massage movements and told me my touch was as good as her long time aesthetician. When I went to reach for her hand to give her a hand massage, the mother asked me if that was extra. I said no that a hand massage was part of a regular facial and again the magic happened. She said, “Oh, thank God, it feels so wonderful to be touched”. I had goose pumps just knowing that I had not only touched another human being…I had reached through her Alzheimer’s to her essence. The power of touch communicates our life force, our love and God’s energy. My client was at peace, and I had found mine as well.
Julie C. Ciucias received her B.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of Connecticut and MBA from Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute. She practiced as a clinical physical therapist and rehabilitation manager from 1978 -2003 having extensive training and experience in rehabilitation, sports medicine, manual therapy, orthopedics, and geriatrics. Seeking a change in practice environment and focus, Julie became a certified aesthetician, reflexology and Reiki III practitioner. Since 2004 Julie has practiced in West Hartford, Marlborough and, currently, in her home-based office in East Hampton, CT. Julie has been trained by leading aestheticians from across the country as well as, Germany and France. Julie uses a variety of manual techniques, modalities and botanically based products to assist in healing, restoring and rejuvenating her clients.
