The first medical spa of its kind has been launched in Bermuda offering everything from nips and tucks to beauty treatments.Aura Medical Spa and Rejuvenation Centre, which is run by plastic and reconstructive surgeon Christopher Johnson, has opened in the SE Pearman Building in Par-la-Ville Road.Dr Johnson reckons that the new facility is something that the Island has been calling out for for some time and will give patients coming for treatment peace of mind knowing that the doctor is on site.He said that despite the recession plastic surgery part of the business had been going well, catering to residents and visitors alike, including clients from his practice in New York and California who found Bermuda a nice place to recover after their treatment.But he added that the cosmetic surgery side was down, however there has also been a lot of interest in skin care, weight loss and age management through the use of hormones to promote better health.Dr Johnson, who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, as well as being a general surgeon and critical care doctor, has worked in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery the whole of his career and also works at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.Having worked in Beverly Hills and New York, he came to the Island in 2004 to start cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and has moved his practice three times, most recently to Laffan Street, which is set to be turned into an outpatient surgery and prompted his move to the new location.“We had been looking for the right place to position this medical spa for a while and we wanted to find a place that could offer a central location but offer privacy and one of the great things about this building is that people come in from the back,” Dr Johnson said.“We saw this space and what we could do with it and it really works for us.“We have been working with a group of people who have been trying to offer a real medical spa in Bermuda with a doctor's office and now it has come to fruition.”The spa was built to specification and fitted out by inter designer Jacob Hocking of CTX, who designed Cafe Cairo, and features a waiting area, medical and spa treatment rooms complete with lasers for hair removal, spider vein treatment and for tightness in the face, in addition to treatments for microdermabrasion and skin care products and Botox.There are also rooms for a massage therapist and a whirlpool, while Dr Johnson's office doubles as a operating room for minor surgery such as liposuction and SmartLipo which gets rid of fat using ultra sound.His team of five includes a full-time aesthetic nurse and an aesthetician (for massages and skin care), an accountant and a receptionist, with plans to increase its numbers as the business expands, as well as the use of external partners specialising in varicose vein treatments, hair transplant surgery and weight reduction surgery.“I will be taking a lot of the procedures that I have been doing all along and offering them in this more luxurious and peaceful setting,” said Dr Johnson.“Hopefully clients won't feel as if they are in a doctor's office in a really safe environment.“It is all about rejuvenation, staying young, looking young and feeling young.”One of his biggest concerns about the plastic surgery profession in Bermuda is the lack of regulation with a number of hair salons and dentists being able to offer treatments out of their premises.But he said that being connected to a doctor's office put clients' minds at rest due to the potential for complications with certain procedures.“I think it is exciting and it is the very thing that a sophisticated community like Bermuda needs and should have had a long time ago,” he said.Aura Medical Spa and Rejuvenation Centre is open from Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5.30pm and on Saturday from 8.30am to 1.30pm, as well as by appointment on Sunday and out of hours.For more information contact 292-2000, email info[AT]aurabermuda.com or visit the website at www.aurabermuda.com