Esthetician services: facials, waxing, nails, body treatments, all this relax&beautify stuff and are you into it

do you let a "beauty professional" look at your pores through a huge lit-up magnifying glass? do you let them rip hairs out of delicate places on your body? do you wonder how they can spend hours in the fumes of a nail salon while 30 minutes makes you start seeing fuzzy bunnies emerging from the floor tiles?
i have finally found a facial that works for me and have been twice. my skin feels more hydrated and happy. there's this weird glass electric-shocky thing esthetician moved over my wet face today and i was like, okaaay...

i have never had anything waxed! i am not v hairy and my skin is v v sensitive! so i figure, why...

but i have friends who think waxing is the only way

I've only had three facials in my life but they were pretty awesome. If they weren't so expensive I'd make them a regular thing. It's just a lot to spend imo esp since I have pretty good skin.

Also in the "if I were rich" category would be massages of which I've had . . . two? Yeah, two. AMAZING.

I've had one bikini wax in my life and it was traumatizing. I'm sure you've all read the story by now. I am also not very hairy at all so I leave hair removal to myself either through shaving or depilatory cream. I do my own brows too.

Nails are my one indulgence because having nice nails is the only way I can keep myself from biting them. I usually get a cheapie manicure every other week and a pedicure about once a month but sometimes less in the winter.

I've never had any other kind of spa stuff.

Just to clarify - I don't have gross acrylics or anthing, just my natural nails which I keep short but groomed.

When I had disposable income, I went for massages on the regular - very very worth it when you have a regular practitioner you like. But when I had limited $$ I tried going to massage schools for lower cost and ow ow ow. So no more.

When I moved from Phx to Seattle, I spent 3 days at Dr. Wilkinson's around Calistoga/St. Helena and it was spartan but amazing - soak in a vat of mud (hot liquid peat moss really), get the mud blasted off with hydrotherapy supersoakers, soak in a lavender scented warm whirlpool, get wrapped up in a warm blanket and laid down for a little nap, get unbundled for a massage, float back to your spartan room which is stocked with wine and cheese and fruit. Repeat.

Oh man. A spa vacation like that is a dream of mine. Not something I've ever done but I would kill to be able to do something like that even just once. Some day.

Oh I forgot - when my Mom turned 70 I took her to a spa hotel for three days. I did get some wacky milk and honey wrap treatment there where I had to lie on a bed and the room was one big shower and the water just poured over you to wash down the drain. It was sorta neat but I felt very . . . naked. Not something I'd do again, tbh. It wasn't worth the $$.

Only spa treatment I will rep hard for are the scrubs at the Korean sauna. AMAZING exfoliation happens there.

I mean a spa trip like the one Jaq. The place I went to with my mother was a spa hotel but I only got the milk/honey thing and a massage. It doesn't sound nearly as amazing as what you described.

s/v disagreement there, but take that as a testament to my love of the scrub at my sauna

"the one Jaq took"

Do you guys go to Korean saunas? They are amazing.

Never even heard of them! I don't think I'd like a sauna though. I hate heat and humidity - I'd probably last 2 mins. :/

At the place I go, the scrub is $25 and a brusque older Asian woman in black lingerie scrubs your *entire naked body* with abrasive gloves as ribbons of dead skin get washed away by buckets of water that she dumps on you periodically.

There are different rooms, including a wet sauna, a dry sauna, a jacuzzi, a still cold bath, and a still hot bath. You can rotate between them as you please, or chill in the NAP ROOM, get a massage (not a scrub) or watch TV or have a snack. There are lots of old ladies there too. All ages, really.

lol omg

There is a separate area for men, obvs.

We have a Russian women's bath place here where they hit you with birch branches? I'm not brave enough to go.

ENBB - that three days was like the present of a lifetime to myself.

My skin has never been as soft as it is after I go there, and it is so relaxing.

At the place I go, the scrub is $25 and a brusque older Asian woman in black lingerie scrubs your *entire naked body* with abrasive gloves as ribbons of dead skin get washed away by buckets of water that she dumps on you periodically.

amazing

I don't know if I could do that though. It's the whole being naked in front of strangers thing - not so into it tbh.

Ohhh I do make my own salt scrub at home and do that in the shower. That's sorta spa-like.

Jaq - it sounds like it. Totally gonna do something like that one day.

You just have to be there for like 5 min and it's not a big deal after that. I understand the apprehension, but it's like being around a bunch of naked grandmas. There are women of all ages, all sizes, and no one stares. It's mostly Asians and Europeans at the place where I go. It's the best place to go in January.

yeah Jaq's spa experience sounds pretty awesome, even the soaking in peat moss part, haha. i think gentle hydrotherapy is pretty great, but i don't really like whirlpools. wld def be into a korean-spa exfoliation!

LL, that sounds like an ideal spa experience tbh! I am in love with exfoliation, my solution for all skin-related annoyances is "Can't I just get rid of it?" and off to the land of corn meal scrubs I go. Those things are like pea gravel once it's wet and applied to skin w great force, so I think I would LOVE to have an all-over treatment that I didn't have to make any effort for.

Esp in a Chicago winter when you feel like you'll never recognize your bare skin again because you haven't seen it in 5 months and it's turned into dried up tobacco leaf-like crumbly sheets.

Girl they are wonderful. I don't really like the "ooh pamper yrself" tone at a lot of spas, so the no nonsense feel of this place suits me.

torture thread: the necessary evils of hair removal btw (for waxing?)

i reaaaaally wish i could afford regular facials and massages. not nec a spa day... if i could just have a few hours i'd be happy.

Being waited on aside from the essentials makes me really uncomfortable, so yeah.

i've been wanting to go to spa castle in queens forever but not made it there yet. also $$$$$

i occasionally buy things off lifebooker (basically groupon for this kind of stuff) with mixed results. i ended up doing laser hair removal packages ($99 for 3+ sessions come up all the time) on several spots but it really only lightened my hair, which is definitely easier to manage but not totally decimated unfortunately. i had a microdermabrasion once, that was pretty nice.

i have yet to experience any beauty lasers

i've been wary of groupon spa deals because i always read reviews that people who come in on groupon offers get horrible service.

the place we're staying in mexico in january has a spa. i am thinking that would be a great time to splurge - and possibly affordable...

I've never gone to a spa, never had a professional facial or manicure or pedicure. The last professional massage I had was twenty years ago, when I was training to be a massage therapist. The women in my family never did things like that, so I never got the sense that things like that would be a part of my lifestyle.

Do you guys go to Korean saunas? They are amazing.

I read about this in an issue of East Village Inky.

I get my brows and lip waxed.

Now that I get my brows done, when I see my grandma, she says things like "oh, they look so good" instead of "you should go back to Weight Watchers."

so i went to this korean spa here and i did not really like it. i don't know. i just did not find it relaxing to be naked with a bunch of random people in different pools of varying temps with jets. and also then to be in different hot rooms of varying temperature in an orange prison jumpsuit thing. i did like the red clay ball room. but. i dunno...

lol when i read la lech's description of it, i was like 'uhh that sounds like my worst nightmare'

i have had:

2 mani/pedicures - enjoyed: i have REALLY ugly nails that i can do nothing with, myself (god knows i've tried and tried), so it's nice to have pretty nails. unfortunately, i never get round to organizing them on the reg

bikini waxes - not in a loooong time, because once again, i am too lazy to get organized, plus i discovered my husband's beard trimmer does a really good job of grooming (TMI)

2 professional massages - one was just okay, the other was AWFUL. lucky for me, ytth is extremely accommodating when i request neck/back/hand/foot/leg massages

i'm sorry
it's really relaxing for me, so the fewer people there, the better, i guess ;)

For some reason the description you give of your Korean spa treatments reminds me of the ancient Roman beauty treatments that involved beating people with paddles.

I'd love to get the hair on my chin waxed/sugared/threaded/whatever, but the hair is so dark and thick that I can't bear to let it grow long enough to be able to use the treatments on.

Facials: I've had a handful. All were pleasant, but the only one that made me go WOW in the mirror the next day was from a medi-spa in San Francisco. If I lived in SF, I would definitely try to do that every couple of months or so.

Manicures: almost never. Pedicures, sometimes, though I feel I can do a pretty good job with my feet myself.

Waxing: bikini every 4-6 weeks. Sometimes lower leg, though I can do the lower leg myself for much less $$.

Massages: has been infrequent as of late, but when I went more regularly I really did find it beneficial for my cranky lower back. If I had to pick one of these things to do regularly, it would be massage!

you guys it's not like torture, it's just humorless exfoliation! the being naked part is no big whoop unless you go with people you know, and then it's a little weird because you feel compelled to make conversation because...you know them. if you go alone, it's just like walking around naked alone while other women are also walking around naked alone.

I need me some girly stuff done...pedi and facials to start. Years ago I was able to get a Pevonia facial ever two weeks (great esty at the time too who vacuumed my pores). People started asking me if I was European. Random people at stores etc.. I think it was because my skin was looking so great and maybe the way I parted my hair.

Korean spa sounds awesome!

I went to make an appointment to get my brows done today, and the new girl there said "oh! I can do you now!" So I did, but I wasn't thrilled. Stop holding the hand mirror so far away I CAN'T SEE THAT'S WHY I HAVE GLASSES. And she was pushing the eyebrow powder/wax waaaay too much. And she spelled my name wrong in the appointment book.

Oh, whine whine whine.

I had an ayurvedic massage once where three indian ladies rubbed me down with large hot oiled scented tea bags and then they drizzled hot oil across my forehead for half an hour. I wore a paper loincloth and then they bathed me and washed my hair.

This is not the most embarrassing service I have ever received.

I have been successful with lasering hair. I never waxed.

Last time I got a bikini wax was right before the wedding (prob my 3rd ever.. I'm a DIYer except special occasions) and I kicked the poor lady with almost every strip she yanked! Oops!

Cuba trip in 2 weeks is at a spa resort!! I've been keeping my nails painted to I don't chew them, so that I may have a mani/pedi first day there. In fact, I plan on having everything possible done. If I am lucky enough that there are RMTs, I can even get reimbursed for the massage portion by my insurance when I return. I've never done anything except one pre-wedding mani/pedi. Yay!

Will have to ask Korean coworker re: room of old ladies that will beat me in lingerie, why because it sound intrsting

They won't beat you, they will merely scrub you aggressively until you are reborn softer and more relaxed.

sounds like a dreamy honeymoon
i wish i were going somewhere soon!! need to start some planning.

I got a manicure with some special add-on last week because I had a gift certificate and the lady scrubbed my arms with a sea scrub like crazy until they were bright red. I have really sensitive skin. If I do ever find a Korean sauna, will I look like a tomato upon leaving? This is important to know.

what if I pay extra? har har. Sorry it's just the bit that they're in lingerie that kills me. :D An aggressiv escrubbing sounds ideal; I have a little scrubby mitt thing in my shower but that's no match for January Skin.

Scrubbing is good but my arms sorta hurt when this lady was finished with me and Lech's women sound much more hardcore.

Had you been soaking your arms up to that point? Scrubbing/exfoliation only works when the dead skin is ready to come off. Doesn't sound like yours was?

sorry yeah, that was an xpost! I also end up tomatoey whenever anyone so much as breathes on my skin :(

not from scrubbing, but I was glad to come across this picture as a reminder as to why I will have to reapply sunscreen on the hour:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/197459_4482268577_516053577_83865_5637_n.jpg

I've never been pink or red or in pain upon leaving. Sunburn is WAY worse and more painful.

i had a great bikini wax before we went to mexico. the woman used some 'mediterranean' technique where she used some kind of ball of wax to continuously grab hairs in strokes rather than painting it on and ripping off w/ strips. it didn't hurt any less or more than other bikini waxes i've had but i think the results were way better. and i stayed reasonably distracted as we discussed politics in tunisia the whole time.

ffm, i have been in your shoes w/ sunburns like that before and i have to say, i remembered! and i am so proud that neither i nor the bf (who's even paler than i) received sunburns during our week in mexico :)

awesome, tza! I will aspire to your general vacation triumphs.. that sunburn above is just from toronto! you've just reminded me to go buy sunscreen at the pharmacy downstairs, yay!

the woman used some 'mediterranean' technique where she used some kind of ball of wax to continuously grab hairs in strokes rather than painting it on and ripping off w/ strips

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Games/images-2/Katamari.jpg

good luck! i used spf 45-60 xpost

I do some social-media work for a spa, so I've gotten my face taken care of by them, and it's a good discreet nice thing (to you, my friends, I tell everything).

I miss spas. Making a natural shampoo out of rosemary and lemon juice last night gave my husband an allergy attack. Never been successful with home spa treatments. Cocoa butter has been good to me though.

I don't feel I am looking the best I possibly can without spa appointments.

so after being super stoked to have a found a cheap, 'great', nail salon really close to my house, several visits later and my nails are FUKCED: i've always had pretty weak nails, but they are at their worst - several of them have vertical cracks... not cracks exactly, but splits that peel. no matter how short i keep them, they chip and peel and are constantly catching on things (i deal with fabric all day long, you can imagine how annoying this is). pretty sure it's not coincidental, bc i noticed the nail place files back and forth, which is supposedly really great at weakening nails, but i thought "hey they're the nail pros, not me, guess they know better". it's been weeks since my last visit, will this shit just grow out and disappear?

It will grow out. You can use something like OPI Nail Envy to keep them from breaking in the meantime.

I bought Seche Vita topcoat today!! Will see over the weekend if it's an improvement over what the salon was using.

I am getting so faaaancy.

As long as the things that make me feel really fancy are still under $20 (and frequently under $10), I'm all for that.

i bought a glass/'crystal' nail file today!
i'm not going to lie: i bought it because i half-remembered something i'd read about glass nail files in a magazine and also because it looked stealthy and awesome and came with a black velvet case
(for $7.99)

I have one of those. I like it! It's not as loud as an emery board and it lasts forever.

Is the noise of an emery board a concern?

I don't care for it.

Work gave me the Smashb0x BB cream.. so creamy and delightful! I'm not sure I get the BB is magick hype though a few of my more fashionable (what's the word for someone obsessed with cosmetics & beauty?) coworkers order the real BB stuff from Korea. Anyway, SPF, moisturizing and foundation in one - it's nicer than my previous primer & foundation steps (my skin can have pink patchiness that I like to cover.) It feels really light and soft on the skin too. I've been wearing it about a week, so in two weeks I should be able to start Benjamin Buttoning. Yay!

Oh hey I got my legs waxed awhile ago. I don't shave in the winter so that first spring shave is always kind of a hassle. Last year I used Nair and gave myself chemical burns, so this year I had a coupon for a leg wax and was like, eh fuck it. Observations:

1. Uh, it hurt. Not as bad as the last bikini wax I had (approx. 100000 years ago because it sucked and also who cares) but it definitely hurt.
2. The woman who did it missed some spots, which really annoyed me, but she was also talking a lot about a recent breakup that happened like a week ago so maybe she was distracted.
3. It really does last a long time! I got about five weeks out of it, and probably could have gone more but then I was like "I don't think I need to shave yet? But maybe I do? I'd better shave to be safe."
4. The hairs grow back really soft, which is why I couldn't tell whether I needed to shave.

I probably won't do this instead of shaving in the summer, but I think I'd do it again next spring or if I were going on vacation and didn't want to have to deal with shaving during that time.

Also, I just got them waxed from the below the knees down since that's all I shave anyway.

Mama always told me never ever shave anything above your knees, only do the pits if you want to. Some of her best advice, imo.

xp According to a childhood friend that means you're a good girl. I shave whole leg, which she informed me was for the bad girls! I'm naughty.

My mom just said that the hair would grow back ugly if I did it anywhere else -- there was no talk of good or bad girls.

I'm a lazy girl who resents having to shave.

I have super blonde leg hairs so I can get away without shaving too frequently, phew. Who has time with all the illicit sex and whatnot, amIrite?

Actually I am not lazy at all. I just have better things to do that shave all my legs.

There we go.

I hear that, CA. I give myself 30 minutes from waking up to out the door because I love my sleep so much. My longest morning indulgence is blow drying my hair (I wake up with Coolio hair; showering the night before is not an option.)