On my birthday earlier this year....like 10 months ago earlier....Ken got me a gift card for a massage, facial, mani and pedi. My plan was to use it over the summer but time seemed to escape me and here we are at the end of December and I realized I better use this gift card before I loose it. Apparently you have 1 year to use it and it expires. And with snow season nearly upon us, I thought I better make my appointment.
So today I was off from work, Cody went to the Winwood and I drove promptly over to the spa for 3 hours of rest and relaxation. At first it didn't seem like they were expecting me which made me a bit nervous. The front desk receptionist ask me what service I had scheduled first and I said, I just made the appointment, the lady didn't tell me what was first. (Thinking in my head...in fact, I had to ask them what kind of payment they take for a tip) Nothing was really offered than, thank you, we will see you Monday.
The lady took me to the back room, showed me my locker, robe and told me to go have a seat in the sanna for 10 min. I don't know why I brought my jacket in the salon and I knew I should have worn my flip flops in instead of my sketchers but it's so chilly out I couldn't bare to bare the toesies, hence another reason why I wanted to do this over the summer. Got undressed, got in the robe, stepped into the sanna and whoa!!! Warm, warm, warm. Why did I even curl my hair this morning? Sometimes I wonder where my brain is. After 10 min, I got out and wow, it was chilly. And great now my robe is wet. What to do, what to do? Suck it up sister...go wait out in the lounge area. So I'm sitting there in this really comfortable chair wondering why is so quiet. No one else is here getting any spa services? I had a feeling Monday would be quiet but this quiet?
First up: The Facial
Whoo-hoo!!! Lets get this party started!!! I got called back. Was told to take the (wet) robe off and put on a different one (thank you!) and get under the cover laying on my back. No problem sister.
A few min later she came in and the facial began. Mommy is very happy. Of course I was thinking to myself that I should seriously do this more often. Getting a facial is probably good for my skin and I must admit, I really don't take good care of my skin. Suddenly, she started stabbing me. What the??? 1, 2, 3, 4....15, 16, 17......22, 23, 24....30. 30 stabs? WOMAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Of course I didn't really say that but boy was I thinking it big time. I asked her what that was and she said she was removing my blackheads. Okay, noted and will be better prepared for the next time. But I must admit, my face feels refreshed. My hair on the other hand is a bit greased up from the sauna and lotions.
So I went back to my lounging area and was promptly called back for the massage.
Next: Massage
I laid face down on this very comfortable table and the lady started working her magic. This was surely more relaxing than the facial. I think this will have to be a must in the future as well. She did my shoulders, back, legs, arms and hands. The 1/2 hour flew by and I'm wondering if 1/2 hour is perfect or maybe 45 min to 1 hour would be better. I'll have to get some opinions from my friends who get massages on a regular basis.
The only thing I didn't like was after the massage the lady pretty much said thank you and Happy New Year. She didn't really give me any guidance on what to do next. So that was a little annoying since I am paying for a package. So I went back to the changing room and just got dressed. The mani/pedi was done in the front of the store and there was no way I was going out there in a damp robe. Besides, it just didn't seem normal to me. So I got dressed, grabbed my stuff and headed to the front of the salon. I told the front desk I was ready for the mani/pedi. So she pointed to a chair and I sat down. No magazine, no cell phone, no girlfriend to share the experience with. I felt like this was going to be a bit boring and I was right.
Next: Pedicure
I sat in the chair and had no conversation with the lady who was working on my feet. The only thing I did mention was to be gentle on my left big toe since I had an ingrown toenail like 6 years ago and I was nervous that she would cut something wrong and it would re-awaken some sort of drama. So she's clipping away and to my surprise, my toenails are starting to like kind of nice. I guess in a way I've neglected myself completely. Sure I give myself pedi's but there's nothing like a professional pedi to make you love those toes again. Especially during winter. (Claws...yikes) She did start picking at my left big toe and it suddenly got red. It actually got a bit tender and all I thought about was oh great, guess I'll be making an appointment with the podiatrist in a few weeks. But after she was done, things seemed okay. I liked the calf massage and my toes are looking good.
Last one: Manicure
Can I tell you how thrilled I am about this being my last service. I looked up at the clock and my 3 hours went out the door. So my stomach is growling and I'm really ready to go but I have to get my fingernails done. So I decided to go with the same color as my toes. Normally I'm not a fan of red but since it's still kind Christmas I found a really pretty red. I really wanted something fun for New Years Eve like a silver or gold but in all reality, no one is really going to see it and I have no party to go to so I went with red. I'll post a picture if I can get my act together. I'm really so behind with this blog. Anyway, there was still no conversation with the woman who did my nails. It's kind of a bummer in a way since I do enjoy talking. She did a good job so I was happy with the end result but she sent me over to a drying machine to dry my nails and toes and left me there. Tick tock, tick tock there goes the clock. I lost my patience after about 10-15 min and I just got up and paid the bill.
In the past, salons took payment before my nails were done to avoid me having to dig in my purse with wet nails. But this spa just seemed so unorganized. So in the end, I made the appointment, they said it would be 3 hours and it turned out to be 4 1/2 hours which was frustrating. I love the fact that Ken and Cody got me this awesome package and I did have a decent experience but in the future I think I would rather do one treatment at a time so I'm not stuck at the spa for 1/2 the day. It use to be a luxury but now, I just feel it's more of a waste of time. Does that sound weird? I guess my priorities have changed in how I like to spend my time but I did realize that it is important to get pampered once in a while.
So once I got home, I ate like a mad woman since I was starving!!! Then I got Cody from day care. He was thrilled that I picked him up early but unfortunately I was a total dud. I had to take a nap. I think all massages just plain wore me out or just relaxed me beyond belief and sleep is what I need.
Good night.
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