By Clyde Noel

Left, Aleks Vranicic will assume the daily operations of Yelka Day Spa for his mother, Jelka Vranicic. Below, Jelka administers an aroma-therapy heat wrap and anti-free radical cream treatment to longtime client Judy Seyfert. Seyfert has been a Yelka client for more than 14 years.

Health is a popular topic. Everybody starting in childhood wants to be healthy, beautiful and wealthy. Questions on how to achieve this are asked constantly and are not easy to answer.

“If you look good, you feel good and you perform well,” said Jelka (pronounced Yelka) Vranicic, owner of Yelka Day Spa in Los Altos; “You have self-confidence.”

Vranicic, 48, came to the United States in 1985 from Yugoslavia with her then 8-year-old son, Aleks, with one goal: to open her own business. She started with one room in Betty’s Hair Salon in downtown Los Altos in 1990, opened a second salon with more space in 1992, and in 1996 moved to her current Grant Road location.

Jelka has announced that she will turn the business over to Aleks.

“More men are entering the health and beauty field. (The) average is around 30 percent, especially in acting and entertainment areas,” Aleks said. “Women like a man who takes care of himself. They are impressed with a man who understands what a moisturizer is or what a cream does.”

Jelka’s specialty is skin care. “I like to make people feel better,” she said. “Women pay more attention to their nails than their skin, and then they cover their skin with makeup. When I have a client come in, I try to educate him or her.”

She suggests the starting point for skin care is a facial. After that, the skin will glow,” she said.

“I’m not saying this is miracle work, but it is a big help to get rid of stress,” Jelka said. “You also need proper diet and exercise to establish that inner self.”

Although Aleks will operate the business, Jelka will work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by appointment only.

Aleks will continue to coach the soccer program at Valley Christian High School.

Day spas are numerous in Los Altos, but Jelka feels that is good.

“Competition is good because it makes us better. The more spas we have, the more the awareness of skin care,” she said.

Jelka plans to move to more specialized skin care with emphasis on anti-aging. Yelka was the first in California to do epidermabrasion (micropeel).

The natural skin aging process begins around age 25. Stress, illness, poor nutrition, excessive use of tobacco and exposure to sun are factors that accelerate that aging.

“Treatments are not painful or traumatic and do not cause bleeding. Clients can be in and out of the spa in one hour and may reapply makeup right away,” said Aleks. “Plastic surgery has become popular and that has to be maintained.”

Another area of concentration is acne treatment. Aleks said, “I had to deal with it in my younger years, and I know how a teenager feels. We believe in managing it without extremes or antibiotics.”

Yelka features the all-day stem-to-stern makeover, including a pedicure, manicure, facial, massage and a Vichy salt glow shower treatment.

Yelka is located at 2049 Grant Road. For more information, call 969-1117.