Day 97: Facial Awesomeness

I'm constantly grateful for my friends who have stepped up to the plate with fun ideas for the blog and especially those who have participated in the not-so-fun ones that I've come up with on my own.

Day 97's thing I've never done before was to get my very first facial (at Natural Body in Brookhaven here), so you can imagine that my friends showed up in large numbers and with roaring enthusiasm for this "challenge" (I'm not sure I can even call it that, there was nothing challenging about it). Only one could come, however, as the spa only had two openings for facials that day. That lucky one was Trish.

Going to get a facial with someone is kind of silly, though, since the only time that you actually spend with them is the time it takes to walk into the spa, give the receptionist your name and the walk to your cars afterwards to recap how awesome it was. I was running late, so I didn't even see Trish on the front end of the facial. We didn't see each other until after our treatments were over.

When my esthetetician Sally greeted me, her voice set me on a path to relaxation immediately. She was so sweet and soft-spoken, just like all the estheticians I know. My best friend from home Danielle is an esthetician and though I know her as my hilarious, silly friend, when I've been to see her at work, shetakes on another personality entirely. Still sweet and friendly, she speaks softly and there is just a calmness about her that is different. I wondered if this persona is a requirement to work in a place so calm and relaxing. I don't know if I could do it. I'd probably get fired for speaking too loudly if I worked there.

Sally led me to the back and asked me a few questions.

"Are you pregnant?"

Um, no. Definitely not.

"Do you have sensitive skin?"

"No," I said definitively. And then I backtracked.

"Well, I don't think I do. I mean, I'm really not sure. I guess sensitive to the sun. I mean I obviously have fair-skin."

I'm 29, and a female whose been obsessing about my face since I was 12. I'm guessing I should probably know at this point in my life whether or not my skin is sensitive. But I didn't know.

She told me to take off my clothes and lie on the table under a sheet. Come again? This is a facial, right?

"Sorry to ask this," I said, embarrassed. "Do you mean get undressed?"

I think I assumed that since she'd just be dealing with my face, I'd just lie down on her table fully clothed. But she told me to get comfortable, so I did.

Now I consider professional massages some of the best money I've ever spent, but then again, I enjoy someone, anyone, playing with my hair, scratching my back, or accidentally brushing my arm on an elevator. So there was never a question as to whether or not I would enjoy my first facial. The question was how much.

The answer is a LOT.

She started the facial, rubbing an assortment of products on my face. I didn't know what any of them were, and I was thankful that Sally didn't give me the play by play, ruining my ability to check out from reality for a while. She could have been rubbing dog poo and olive oil on my face and I would't have known the difference. I was so unbelievably relaxed by her massaging my face, I didn't care. It felt amazing.

That is, until she started the extraction part of the facial. My friend Kyle warned me about this part. "Extraction" is a fancy spa word for "popping zits." Sally shined an enormous light on my face so she could see and then she went to town extracting in places that I didn't even think were broken out. That light must have magical powers. I'm thankful I do not own this light, or I would probably never leave my house. I'd be extracting all day.

She finished up with a mask that felt like super cold, super thick pudding going onto my face. While she let it set, she gave me an arm and hand massage. I didn't want it to end.

I anticipated coming away from the experience happy with the facial, but still keeping massages number one on my list of favorite spa treatments. I may be rethinking that. During a facial, at least this one, I got both the benefit of the face care as well as a mini-massage. It was marvelous. Trish took a picture of me, post-treatment and you can tell, though terribly uncomfortable with the fact that I'm going to be posting this picture of myself without any makeup on, I am a happy girl.

My only concern, having knocked this off the list of things I have now done, is that I want to make "getting facials" a hobby. I'm not sure my salary can support this hobby. So, if anyone wants to help support me in developing my skills on the spa table, I would be most grateful.

Because according to Sally, my skin is, in fact, sensitive. So I think I'm going to need it.