Radiation therapy saves lives, but it can leave skin blistered, raw, and painfully sensitive. About four million Americans go through radiation each year, and roughly one in five develop serious skin symptoms from it. Those side effects rarely make the headlines, which is exactly why a Baton Rouge spa called Simply Facials decided to address them directly.
The spa’s Restore Facial is designed for cancer patients and survivors. Owner Julie Piedrahita spent two years watching her husband fight cancer, and that experience shaped everything about the service. Her aestheticians are trained in safe techniques for immunocompromised clients and patients with lymph node involvement, and they use nontoxic products along with gentler massage methods. The goal is comfort first, not a standard spa treatment squeezed into different circumstances.
For breast cancer survivor Ashley Roberts, diagnosed in 2017, the results went beyond skin. She says maintaining healthy skin remains central to her confidence and well-being, a reminder that treating cancer is only the first part of recovery. The spa also encourages patients to come in with a family member for a shared facial, turning a clinical chapter into something that feels human again. If you know someone in treatment, that kind of small gesture can mean more than you’d expect. Have you seen local businesses on the Suncoast step up for cancer patients in similar ways?
