Luxurious neutral-toned fabric is draped across every surface in the room. Soothing new-aged music plays softly in the background, and intoxicating herbal aromas fill the air. As Angelina Umansky prepares a facial bed for her next client, it's easy to think that this is a treatment room at Spa Radiance, her well now beauty retreat. Yet just a few short hours ago, this was a typical conference room at UCSF Childrens Hospital, featuring fluorescent lighting and sterile dcor.

The Clients Umansky and her staff are treating today are not the San Francisco elite or A-List celebrities like Michelle Pfeiffer and Sharon Stone who patronize Spa Radiance. Instead, theyre the stressed-out parents of children who have been hospitalized for weeks or more.

Today marks the inauguration of Radiant Renewal-Spa To Go, an ongoing program created by Umansky and Spa Radiance staff, who are among the best estheticians and therapists in the city, are volunteering their time and talent to administer facials and massages to the parents of seriously ill children, and high risk moms-to-be on strict bed rest at the hospital.

The inspiration for the program came from a tense mother who came to Spa Radiance while here terminally ill child was staying at the hospital. Per her husbands request, she was to take some time for herself. Yet, typical of parents of sick children, they felt guilty for leaving her childs side. Umanskys empathetic staff jumped right into action. We thought of USCF immediately, because we already have sponsorship relationship with them, says Umansky.

Ive never seen a group that pulled something like this together so quickly, says Kimberly Scurr, the Director of Pediatric Heart Center and Prenatal Services at UCSF Childrens Hospital. We have so many families in crisis here that need some help, and this group is so committed and determined to make a difference. Theyre an amazing gift to us, our patients, and their families.

Because the well-being of the child is directly related to that of the parent, programs for parents are vital resource at Childrens Hospital. We consider the family to be our patient, says Scurr. We realized that when a child is sick it affects the entire family. So this kind of treatment for the parents is extremely helpful.

So helpful, infact, that all of todays appointment slots for Radiant Renewal were filled in less than one hour. Clients include parents like Michael Tyler, whose son is being treated at UCSF for a recurrence of leukemia. We have been here 11 weeks. Its the most stressful [experience] weve encountered during any of the hospitalizations hes had. And weve been battling this for fifteen years, Tyler explains. When my son is this ill and in this much discomfort, Im here 99.9 percent of the time. The only time Im out of the room is to go to the cafeteria to some coffee and come back. Tyler is like many of the parents at Childrens Hospital, who are always on alert for changes in their childrens conditions and rarely leave the hospital. After his 30-minute back, hand, and foot massage, the physical change Tyler experienced was a pleasant surprise to him. It relieved a lot of tension and made me more relaxed and calm in the hospital than I think Ive ever been, he says. Its amazing because you dont realize how high your stress level is until you feel it reduced.

Most important, Radiant Renewal left Tyler emotionally revived. Ive had massages before, so I knew what to expect physically, he says. But the outreach, the emotional part, that someones here to do something that, benefits you and indirectly benefits your child thats really huge.

Other parents expressed similar gratitude. Im really appreciative, says Anna Strain, who opted for a facial by Umansky. Strains three-year-old daughter has been in and out of Childrens Hospital for more than a year for bladder cancer treatment. Ive been to spas before, and they made it feel like I was away. It was very relaxing and didnt feel like I was in a waiting room. Says pregnant patient Jenna Marie Doyle. The stress of a hospital stay is bad enough, but when youre dealing with the life and death issues of a child or pregnancy that is at risk, that stress is massive. Having Spa Radiance come in to take my mind off my situation for brief time was a wonderful surprise and a blessing.

Its nice and relaxing, agrees Dominic Ballew, whose three-month-old daughter is undergoing a series of brain surgeries. Human touch is an amazing therapy in my opinion, so its just a good thing. How often do you get your feet rubbed, you know?

The healing power of touch is exactly what Umansky wanted to bring to the parents today. Touch is very under estimated these days, she says. Even a half an hour of calming down can be work more than what medicine can offer.

Umanskys holistic approach to health is rooted in her heritage as a third generation esthetician, having learned about homeopathic skin care from here mother and grandmother. In fact, in the 1960s her mother, Galina Rovner, was one of the first women to offer European facials in the United States. For Radiant Renewal, Umansky and her staff perform organically-based skin car because we really want to concentrate on all-natural treatments, she says. I think a lot of the issues we have with our bodies are because of bad chemicals.

Among other treatments her team is offering at UCSF are Hungarian facials, a Spa Radiance trademark. They open the pores using paprika instead of steam, says Umansky. Paprika also brings blood circulation to the surface, and blood is what brings oxygen and nutrients.

Although the inspiration for Radiant Renewal was recent, Umanskys commitment to giving goes back to her childhood in Moscow. The reason Im here is because of charity. Im from Russia, and concerned organizations had to get together to bring Russian Jews into America. So I wouldnt be here if it wasnt for somebody elses charity. My feeling is that if you have the time and we all have time to give concentrate on what touches you as a person. Im a mom, for example; I understand moms.

In the waiting area outside their makeshift spa, the volunteers are giddy with excitement over the events of the day. once the first parent came out and we saw how he felt, it wasnt even a question of if wed do this again. We cant wait, say Volunteer Coordinator Pamela Cianci.