The Elysian Gift Card Guide: Which Treatment to Give
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The short answer: The best Elysian gift card is the amount that covers one treatment matched to the person receiving it. The Retreat ($180) suits someone coming down from a hard stretch. The Alchemist ($180) suits a scalp they keep mentioning. The Restoration ($200) covers scalp, skin, and beard. The Remedy ($300) is the most complete visit on our menu. Elysian Elite ($99 a year) turns one visit into a year of them at 20% off. Our gift cards are digital, start at $25, never expire, and can be used at our clinical head spa at 3408 West Avenue in Austin.
Gift cards have a reputation as the thing you buy when you run out of ideas. The research on gift giving points the other way. Across five studies, people appreciated gifts they had asked for more than surprises, and they valued money even above the gift they requested [2]. People like being trusted to choose. A spa gift card gives them that trust, and a card sized to one specific treatment shows you noticed what their year has asked of them.
Time also outlasts things. In a study of real gift exchanges, experiential gifts strengthened relationships more than material ones, even when the giver wasn't there to share the moment [1]. The closeness came from how the recipient felt while using the gift.
Below is every treatment on the Elysian menu, matched to the person it suits, with the gift card amount that covers it. If you're after unique gift card ideas, start with the person and work back to the treatment. If you'd rather answer three questions than read the list, the Gift Finder matches a treatment and amount for you.
Elysian Gift Card Amounts at a Glance
The Alchemist: 60 or 90 min, $180 / $250. For a scalp they keep mentioning.
The Retreat: 60 or 90 min, $180 / $250. For a new mother, or anyone coming off a hard stretch.
The Restoration: 60 min, $200. For anyone with facial hair.
The Remedy: 100 min, $300. For the one who deserves everything.
The Ready: 120 min, $325. For someone with plans after.
The Finish (Finishing Blow Dry): 30 or 45 min, $65 / $85. For a big day on a short calendar.
Buccal + TMJ Massage: 30 to 120 min, from $90. For the one who clenches.
Clinical Facials: 10 to 75 min, from $150. For someone whose skin comes first.
The Little Retreat: 15 to 30 min, from $15. For kids ages 4 to 12.
Elysian Elite: 12 months, $99. For anyone who will come back.
For a Scalp They Keep Mentioning: The Alchemist
If someone in your life talks about an oily scalp by Wednesday, flakes on a dark sweater, or a scalp that reacts to every new product, give The Alchemist. It's our treatment for one specific scalp concern. Their Treatment Specialist opens with a trichoscope scalp analysis, a magnified look at the scalp and follicles, and then builds the treatment around what that analysis shows.
The 60-minute Focused visit is $180. The 90-minute Extended visit is $250 and adds a second exfoliating phase and a longer neck and shoulder massage. Both end with a personalized product and treatment plan, so the gift keeps working after they leave.
For Someone Coming Off a Hard Stretch: The Retreat
A new baby, a new job, a year of caregiving. The Retreat is built for rest rather than a single scalp concern, which makes it the strongest of our stress relief gifts. It moves through a customized scalp treatment and hair bath, a facial cleanse and mask, and an extended neck and shoulder massage.
The calm people feel afterward has a physical basis. Office workers who received scalp massage twice a week for 10 weeks showed significant drops in cortisol, norepinephrine, and blood pressure compared with a control group [3]. In healthy adults, heart rate fell within minutes of slow, steady touch massage [4]. One visit isn't a 10-week study, though it gives the body an hour of the same input.
If you were planning to buy a massage gift card, The Retreat covers the neck and shoulders and adds scalp and skin care to the same hour. Focused (60 minutes) is $180, and Extended (90 minutes) is $250.
For Anyone With Facial Hair: The Restoration
The Restoration works the scalp, skin, and beard in one 60-minute visit for $200. It includes a purifying scalp treatment, a dual facial cleanse with a PCA hydrating mask, beard cleansing and conditioning, and a neck and shoulder massage with hot stones. It closes with cool towels against warm stones, and they take home a wooden facial hair and scalp comb. For someone without facial hair, the Treatment Specialist gives that time to the skin instead.
For the One Who Deserves Everything: The Remedy
Gifts for someone who has everything get hard because they already own whatever you'd buy. Very few of them have 100 minutes no one can interrupt. The Remedy ($300) is the most complete treatment on our menu and the closest thing we offer to a full spa day gift. It pairs a dual scalp treatment with lymphatic drainage and sculpting facial massage, a customized enzyme and mask, and a paired hair bath, finished with skincare and SPF. It suits milestone birthdays, anniversaries, and the person who always picks up the check.
For Someone With Plans After: The Ready
The Ready ($325, 120 minutes) is The Remedy closed with a Finishing Blow Dry, so they leave styled. Give it before a wedding, a gala, or an anniversary dinner, and pair it with the reservation.
For a Big Day on a Short Calendar: The Finish
The Finish is a cleanse and condition with Oway products chosen for their hair, followed by a Finishing Blow Dry and style. Short hair takes 30 minutes ($65), and long hair takes 45 minutes ($85). It's a styling service and doesn't include scalp massage or a trichoscope analysis, which makes it the right size for a headshot day or a party night.
For the One Who Clenches: Buccal + TMJ Massage
Some people carry their whole week in their jaw. Buccal + TMJ Massage (from $90) works the facial muscles from inside and outside the mouth to release jaw and cheek tension that surface massage can't reach. It can be added to a facial, or booked as The Remedy Sculpt, a 120-minute treatment that pairs The Remedy with buccal work. Anyone with a diagnosed TMJ condition should check with their physician before booking.
For Someone Whose Skin Comes First: Clinical Facials
For the person with a serious skincare routine, a facial gift card goes further at Elysian than at most spas. Clinical Facials (from $150) include microneedling, medical-grade customized facials, and PCA Professional Peels, performed by licensed estheticians, nurse practitioners, and clinical staff. Each one is tailored to texture, tone, pigmentation, or early signs of aging.
For Kids: The Little Retreat
The Little Retreat (from $15, 15 to 30 minutes) is made for children ages 4 to 12. It clears chlorine, sunscreen, sweat, and product buildup, then finishes with detangling, a gentle blow dry, and a simple braid or everyday style. A parent or guardian stays in the room for the whole appointment.
For Someone Who Will Come Back: Elysian Elite
Scalp care builds over repeat visits, and Elysian Elite is the gift that makes coming back easy. For $99 a year, members receive:
20% off every head spa treatment, facial, and enhancement for 12 months
Member pricing on the products we use in treatment, including Oway, PCA Skin, EltaMD, KYIR, Bür Bür, Jolie, Plated, and iRestore
Three guest passes to share their pricing with friends or family
A hair growth consultation with a nurse practitioner
The savings add up quickly. Someone who books The Alchemist every six weeks, about eight visits a year, saves $288 on treatments, or $189 after the $99 membership. The discount starts the day they join, including on their first visit, so Elite paired with a gift card for that first treatment is the most generous way to give it. To purchase Elysian Elite as a gift, please call the spa at (512) 497-6855.
Spa Gift Ideas by Budget
If you're working from a number, here are self care gift ideas at every level.
Under $100: The Finish ($65 or $85), Buccal + TMJ Massage (from $90), Elysian Elite ($99), or The Little Retreat (from $15).
$150 to $200: The Alchemist or The Retreat, Focused ($180), The Restoration ($200), or a Clinical Facial (from $150).
Around $250: The Alchemist or The Retreat, Extended ($250). Or give Elysian Elite ($99) with a card covering a Focused Alchemist at member pricing ($144), $243 in all, for a full year of savings plus the first visit.
$300 and up: The Remedy ($300), The Ready ($325), or two Focused visits ($360) spaced a season apart.
How Elysian Gift Cards Work
Elysian gift cards, which some people still call spa gift certificates, are digital and arrive by email on the date you choose. Load any amount from $25. Cards never expire and apply to any service or enhancement [or products, confirm]. The recipient books online or by phone, and every head spa visit begins with a trichoscopic assessment so the treatment fits their scalp that day. The Gift Finder has the full walkthrough, or you can buy a gift card now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Spa Gift Card for Someone Who Is Stressed?
The Retreat. It's designed for rest and includes a scalp treatment, a facial cleanse and mask, and an extended neck and shoulder massage. A $180 gift card covers the 60-minute Focused visit.
How Much Should I Put on a Spa Gift Card?
Match the amount to a full treatment so the recipient doesn't pay the difference. At Elysian, $180 covers a 60-minute Alchemist or Retreat, $200 covers The Restoration, and $300 covers The Remedy.
Is a Head Spa Gift Card a Good Alternative to a Massage Gift Card?
Yes. Our head spa treatments include scalp, neck, and shoulder massage, and most add a scalp treatment, hair bath, and skin care. A head spa gift card gives the recipient massage plus clinical scalp care in one visit.
Can I Give Elysian Elite as a Gift?
Yes. Elysian Elite is $99 for 12 months and includes 20% off treatments, member product pricing, three guest passes, and a hair growth consultation with a nurse practitioner. [Confirm purchase path.]
Do Elysian Gift Cards Expire?
No. Elysian gift cards are digital, start at $25, and never expire.
Where Can I Buy a Spa Gift Card in Austin?
Elysian Head Spa sells digital gift cards online for our clinical head spa at 3408 West Avenue, Austin, TX 78705. Our head spa protocols were developed by co-founder Katie Wills, NP, a Certified Trichologist. Read more about what makes Elysian different.
More Gift Guides
Still deciding? Open the Gift Finder. Three questions, one matched treatment and gift card amount. If the card is for you, find your treatment instead.
References
Chan C, Mogilner C. Experiential gifts foster stronger social relationships than material gifts. J Consum Res. 2017;43(6):913-931. doi:10.1093/jcr/ucw067
Gino F, Flynn FJ. Give them what they want: The benefits of explicitness in gift exchange. J Exp Soc Psychol. 2011;47(5):915-922. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.03.015
Kim IH, Kim TY, Ko YW. The effect of a scalp massage on stress hormone, blood pressure, and heart rate of healthy female. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016;28(10):2703-2707. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.2703
Lindgren L, Rundgren S, Winsö O, et al. Physiological responses to touch massage in healthy volunteers. Auton Neurosci. 2010;158(1-2):105-110. doi:10.1016/j.autneu.2010.06.011
