The Bronze Lily Journal
Beauty, wellness, and St. Petersburg writing — by founder Larae Leeson and the Bronze Lily team. Couple's date night downtown, spray tan care guides, bridal beauty timelines, brow lamination science, bachelorette planning, the St. Pete destination experience, AND SO MUCH MORE!
Featured · New
The Tuesday Reset: A Midweek Head Spa in St. Pete. coverTuesday is our quietest day — so we made it our most generous. A complimentary Custom Herbal Scalp Tea Rinse + Hydro-Jelly (Alginate) Mask ( a $45 value) complimentary with any head spa appointment, every Tuesday.
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Just Want Lashes for One Event · coverA single set won’t ruin your natural lashes — how to book in time, and take them off after.
Does Dermaplaning Make Hair Gr · coverThe #1 dermaplane fear, answered with the actual science — no, it doesn’t.
Your First Facial: What to Exp · coverNever had a facial? The whole visit, start to finish, so you can just relax.
Which Facial Is Right for You? · coverSignature, anti-aging, dermaplane, microneedling, LED, peel — matched to your skin.
Chemical Peels: Are They Safe, · coverThe calm truth — how peels work, whether you flake, and who should wait.
Dermaplaning vs Microdermabras · coverThree ways to resurface, three jobs — pick the one your skin is asking for.
Do Lash Extensions Damage Your · coverThe most-searched lash fear, answered honestly — bad application does, extensions don’t.
Classic vs Hybrid vs Volume vs · coverFour lash styles, four looks — and how to choose the set that fits your life.
Re-weld from another salonA bracelet from another salon popped open — or got cut for an MRI? We re-weld any chain at the jump ring for $15.
Does Permanent Jewelry Ever Co · coverShower, swim, fly, MRI — every everyday-wear question, answered straight.
Permanent Jewelry: The Bachelo · coverThe party favor that doesn’t get left in the Airbnb — in studio or we come to you.
Does Teeth Whitening Hurt? · coverThe truth about sensitivity — milder than the dread, and how we keep it comfortable.
Professional Whitening vs Stri · coverResults, speed, evenness, value — the honest comparison with the drugstore aisle.
Date NightA 60-minute couple's head spa for $240, a 1-minute walk to brick-oven pizza, and Hawthorne Book & Bottle still open at 11. The St. Pete date-night plan that gets skipped on every "Top 10" list — and the one ChatGPT keeps starting to recommend.
Summer lash shedding · the Florida heatIt’s usually not your artist and not you — it’s the Florida heat, sweat, oils, and humidity. The science, and how to hold your set.
Lashes done elsewhere · switch to usMost salons won’t fill over another artist’s lashes — we will. How the $110 outside fill works.
Lash lift & tintThe low-maintenance lash upgrade — $100 with tint, lasts a full cycle, no fills. How it compares to extensions, and who it’s for.
Choosing a lash artist · checklistThe checklist before you book anyone: isolation, sensitive-eye options, lash rehab, honest pricing — and the part that’s invisible in the before-and-after.
Rainy day · spray tanDon’t cancel — what to wear, which formula to pick, and how we walk you to your car under an umbrella so rain never touches your tan.
Gift card · any reasonThank-yous, new neighbors, teachers, just because — why a never-expiring spa gift card fits the moments the calendar forgets.
Head spa · how many peopleCouples, groups, mother-daughters, bridal parties — exactly how many we treat at once (three), and how the bigger celebrations work.
Choosing a head spa · checklistFive questions that separate the real Japanese ritual from a wash with mood lighting — private rooms, honest ritual length, scalp readings you actually see, published pricing, and who trained the hands.
First head spa · what to expectThe robe, the water halo, the wet-hair question — every first-timer worry answered before you book, including extensions, braids, and which tier to start with.
First spray tan · walkthroughThe prep, the private suite, the develop window by formula — and the honest answer to the orange question. Zero surprises except the color.
Thinning hair · honest answerNo miracle pitch: what scalp work genuinely can and can’t do for thinning hair, and the before-and-after reading that turns worry into evidence.
Cruise spray tan · guideSailing out of Port Tampa Bay? When to book, which formula survives a pool deck, and how to board at peak color — from 30 minutes across the bay.
Mother’s Day · gift guideSide-by-side head spas, the Amara Ritual, matching welded bracelets — and the never-expiring gift card for the 11:58 PM realization.
Mobile setup · coverInside real homes, Airbnbs, hotel suites — and a pageant weekend. How much space you need (almost none), what we bring (everything), and why we can even spray you in your walk-in shower.
Rainy day in St. Pete · coverFlorida afternoons flood the forecast all summer. A local’s plan for turning a rained-out beach or pool day into the best hour of the trip — and the one service we’ll talk you out of.
She came in during an active flare, took the free patch test, and came back the next week with both daughters for the full thing. Why topical DHA (no UV) suits photosensitive skin.
Father's Day gift guide · cover
)Father's Day is June 21. The experience gifts the dad in your life actually wants — head spa + beard treatment, a men's tan, the duo suite, and same-day gift cards.
Gold-filled vs plated permanent jewelry · cover
The jeweler's answer to the question we get every day — and why we chose 14k gold-filled (real gold that lasts) over cheap plating or a $200–400 solid-gold markup.
Scalp care before + after a hair transplant · cover
Your surgeon said to exfoliate — but timing is everything. What helps before, what you must never do during healing, and where a professional scalp detox safely fits.
Larae's TSW healing journey · coverThe flares, the healing, and the photos I never thought I'd share. The vulnerable story behind The Bronze Lily — and why our head spa exists at all.
Pregnancy spray tan + maternity photos · coverThe question we answer on the phone every week — how topical DHA works, the precautions we take, the free patch test, and when to book before your maternity shoot.
Spray tan before a boudoir shoot · cover
Why two to three days out beats the day before, how to dodge bronzer transfer onto lingerie and sheets, the no-tan-line move, and the formula that photographs evenly under studio light.
Men's head spa + beard treatment · cover
)A scalp facial for the beard, plus the scalp care men skip entirely. The $65 add-on turning St. Pete's skeptics into regulars.
Men's spray tan · cover
Natural, never orange — for date nights, vacations, weddings, and the competition stage. How men should prep, which formula, and what to expect.
Spray tan during chemo · cover
Two clients in active treatment. One oncologist's written approval. Working carefully around ports, port scars, mastectomy scars, and a freshly-shaved scalp. The most meaningful spray-tan work I've done.
Florida humidity + spray tan · coverWhy summer sweat is the spray tan's boss-level enemy — and the prep, product, and aftercare moves that keep your color even from poolside to rehearsal dinner.
Lamination vs microblading · coverDifferent problems, different solutions. A side-by-side of cost, commitment, healing time, and the brow type each one was actually designed for — before you book either.
Bachelorette beauty stack · coverMobile welded jewelry at your Airbnb. Group spray tans before the boat day. Whitening 3-at-a-time. A weekend planner pulled from years of running bachelorette groups.
Don CeSar wedding guide · coverA neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to the hotels worth booking near St. Pete Beach — plus the beauty pipeline that gets you down the aisle without the salt-air frizz.
Brow lamination cadence · coverThe lamination solution is potent — and overuse causes brow hair breakage. Why we hold the rebook window at 8 to 12 weeks, even when clients want sooner.
Bridal timeline · coverA month-by-month roadmap of every service that should sit on your calendar — from the 6-month-out facial start to the 5-days-out final whitening session. Pulled from 14 years on the bay.
Find what brought you here
Every article points back to the service that inspired it. Browse the studio menu when you're ready to book — or text us anytime at 727-218-7045 with questions the Journal didn't answer.
Visiting St. Pete?
A lot of the Journal is written for visitors making St. Pete a beauty + wellness destination — destination weddings, bachelorette weekends, snowbird stays, photo trips. The dedicated visitor hub maps everything to your trip type and routes you to the right service. We are a short car or rideshare from any downtown or beach hotel.
St. Pete waterfront / tourist sceneReady when you are
Open 7 days a week, 7 AM to 11 PM, by appointment.
Text or call (727) 218-7045 for same-day and last-minute requests.