First Facial at Zen Skin Care: Pure Post-Storm Bliss
Hurricane Dalila passed us by during the night and with suitable histrionics like thunder and lightning, left sorely needed and abundant rain. I have a normal-size bucket full of water on my patio. Good to use that on those plants that are tucked under an eave. I walked through the house looking for new leaks and only found one. The morning is fresh and clean, and I am hoping the sun will burn away the clouds.
Yesterday, for the first time in my long life, I had a facial – ninety minutes of heaven. I have eschewed “girlie” stuff like that my whole life. My rebellious nature and innate refusal to let anyone do what I am perfectly capable of doing myself. This included manicures, pedicures, massages, hairstyling, micro-blading, face lifts, tattooing eyebrows, hair extensions, hair removal, fake eyelashes and fingernails, and facials; any sort of ‘pampering’ that always struck me as being elitist, unnecessary, and frankly phony, a lot of it.
In retrospect, I now understand why my mother insisted on getting her hair done at a beauty parlor once a month, or however often it was. It was a rare respite from her children and that constant racket. It made her the center of attention for an hour or two, with the only decision she had to make was if the hair dryer was too hot.
Over 70+ years, I have availed myself of some of the above taboo list. Well, manis and pedis, yes, and now facials.
My dear friend Sunny Rossi has joined forces with Holly Bowman and opened Zen Skin Care and Bodyworks around the corner from Paul’s Pelo Pelo salon. This brand-new space is sparkly clean and instantly calming. Sunny’s SkinOrganics, plant-based facials are half of that business.
To begin, we went over an extensive Q and A. Once that was done, I slid into a white velcro-closure spa wrap that covered my torso and laid face up on crisp linens with my head raised slightly on a headrest. Sunny asked if I wanted her to work in silence or to let me know what was coming up next. I opted for the latter.
For most of the time, my eyes were closed with some deliciously cool, lightly fragranced compresses. Cleaning my skin took time, and it gave Sunny an idea of what it needed. In my case, it was tons of hydration, my face was sucking up steam and essential oils like a sponge. Sunny opted for an organic oatmeal/honey mask that sat on my face, neck, and upper chest for 20 minutes at least. During that time, Sunny systematically rubbed my hands, arms, lower legs, and feet with moringa oil mixed with orange essential oil and Vitamin E, leaving all of me silky soft. The mask came off with warm, damp, fluffy towels, then Sunny “ironed” my face with ice-cold jade rollers and used Chinese tools to encourage facial muscles to strengthen their grasp on my aging skin that is rapidly sinking towards the floor!
It was a magnificently restful, indulgent hour and a half, and I am worth it. When I was on my way out the door, Ms Rossi asked how I felt. I replied, “Thanks, Sunny. THAT was better than sex.”