Spa Review

My trip to the spa ended up being very nice. I started out with a facial, my first ever. The facialist was really nice. Upon inspection she determined that my skin was VERY dry (which I already knew) so after a deep cleaning and mild exfoliation I got about 15 minutes of steam and a hydrating mask. During the steam bath I received a hand and arm massage and treatment of the skin on my neck and chest. The steam opened my pours nicely for "extractions". That is such a nice way of saying they pop your zits and squeeze blackheads. Luckily I don't have very many of either (remember my skin is dry and flaky instead!) so it was relatively painless and quick. She made some product suggestions which I turned down. I don't need a $60 pot of moisturizer. The stuff I have works fine, I just don't use it very liberally. Overall I enjoyed the facial a great deal and my skin felt great when it was over.

Next I moved onto a hot stone massage. The therapist asked me if I wanted it to be relaxing or if I wanted her to work out any knots she found. I said work away! The stones were hot but not too much so. Plus they use them mainly on the back of the body which I find much less sensitive to hot and cold (at least in the shower). It felt really nice to have her work on my back. That is until she found my shoulders. I carry most of my tension in my neck and shoulders. The minute she touched them she made a comment about how knotted up and tense they were. She worked them really hard (with the stone!) to get the knots out. It hurts but I knew it would. Then it was on to my arms and legs. The hand massage was FANTASTIC. Greg! learn how to give a hand massage! Then I flipped over and she worked for a while on my neck. She asked me if I get a lot of headaches (yes) and told me it was because I have no mobility in my neck. I already knew this as well as my turning radius has decreased over the last few months. After all the neck work I am happy to report I can turn my head 360 degrees around. Just kidding, but I am back to normal. Now I just need to remember to stretch it regularly. Lastly I got a 15 minute foot massage. I can't tell you how happy I was that I had gotten that pedicure since she sat with my feet practically at eye level and worked them for so long. No dead skin and mangle toe nails there! It felt really good when it was over but it always hurts to have my non-existent arches rubbed a lot. After it was over she told me to take my time getting up. I could have taken a 3 hour nap at that point on the table I was so loose and relaxed. But I got up and hit the showers to clean off all the oils, especially in my hair from the scalp massage.

Not something I can afford to do regularly but it was fun to be pampered for an afternoon. To keep the momentum going I am getting my hair trimmed and my roots done tomorrow. I will be ready for summer in no time!