Sometimes you need to treat yourself
For the past couple of years or so, I’ve developed quite the Sunday evening ritual — I throw on my pink terry robe, pull my messy hair into a ponytail, scrub my face with soapy water and apply a green, avocado-oatmeal flavored clay mask before melting into my love seat with cold cucumber slices over my eyes and my feet submerged in a tub of hot water and epsom salt.
It’s a pretty hideous image, comparable to “The Thing,” and if anyone were to visit me unexpectedly on a Sunday evening, they’d think they had walked onto the set of the latest horror movie.
But despite the ooey-gooey clay mask that hardens and cracks along my skin, the soggy cucumbers that leave seeds in the crevices of my eyelashes and the epsom water that leaves my feet in wrinkles, it’s the probably the best tradition I’ve ever instituted.
I learned from Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle, characters on my favorite TV show, “Parks and Recreation,” that it’s important to “treat yo self” once in awhile — the pair indulges in a day of shopping, massages, mimosas and fine leather goods.
So I’ve chosen Sunday nights to treat myself. Sunday nights are usually free evenings for me in this newspaper business — there are no meetings, no school events and no photo opportunities to cover.
Not to mention, the liquor store in Silver Lake is closed, so I can bank on never being scheduled there for Sunday shifts.
Sunday is the one reliable night a week I have to myself, and so I’ve learned to use the time to decompress and relax before another week of interviews, council meetings, student-of-the-month pictures, double shifts, etc., begins.
However, this last weekend was the first time in a long time I didn’t have anything to do all weekend and so in true Donna and Tom fashion, my friend Jessica and I decided to treat ourselves and cash in gift certificates to the Enso Spa in Hutchinson for hour-long massages Saturday morning.
The. Best. Day. Ever.
I never had a professional massage before, nor had I spent any time at a spa, so I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect.
We were greeted by the soothing sounds of running water over a rock fountain before we were led into a dimly lit room, painted beige with dark, wooden trim and furnished with cushioned lounge chairs, stacks of fluffy white towels, terry-cloth robes and glass pitchers of fresh blueberry flavored water.
It was like the movies.
Soft instrumental music played overhead as we were both led to our separate rooms. I booked the “Chakra balancing” massage, which centers on meditation to relieve stress and increase energy, and also includes a deep tissue massage on the back and spinal muscles to decrease tension.
It (sigh) was amazing. I felt like a spoonful of strawberry jam melted over warm toast and I sauntered barefoot to the lounge area to sip on blueberry water and disappear into the lush cushions of a reclined chair.
I felt completely at ease — my mind was clear of everything, and I moseyed into the steam room to continue my moment of zen.
After a couple of hours at the spa, Jessica and I decided to treat ourselves at Papa Murphy’s with the Mediterranean herb delight pizza covered in sundried tomatoes, basil, spinach and grilled chicken.
I’ve never felt so refreshed, so rejuvenated — like I could tackle anything. It was the best Saturday I’ve had in a long time.
So if any of you are in desperate need to “treat yo self,” head to the Enso Spa. Or if you’re on a budget and don’t have the luxury of a gift certificate, you can borrow my bottle of clay avocado-oatmeal mask and create your own spa day.
It really does wonders. How do you think I look so young?
