Roughing It - SPA

Wednesday night is my alone night. Everyone has something to do, so I put baby to bed at 7 and have about 2 and a half hours of uninterrupted alone time. I often do my blogging or work on my crochet projects, but last night my eyes were sore from too much reading without my glasses on, so those things were out.

So I fell back on my fall back plan: I did one of my monthly spa nights.

Only as I was mid-pluck, did I realize that had I gone to a real salon my bill would have been at least a hundred dollars, if not closer to a hundred and fifty. So for the attractive price of about $10, I had these treatments done in my own home, at my own convenience: Hair Color, Eyebrow Shaping, Armpit waxing, a deep cleansing facial and an intensive moisture treatment on my feet. Yes. And all of this beautifying took me only an hour, because I am much more efficient than a salon.

Of course, I am aware that going to a spa is much nicer than hanging out in your own bathroom, and having someone pamper you is often nicer than pampering yourself. But when you cannot afford spa prices, here are my recommendations:

For Waxing:

A) I have a fair bit of experience with home waxing, and I recommend 'sugaring' before waxing. The sugar washes off with water (wax does NOT) and for some reason, it is less painful for me. The brand I use is called "MOOM" and you can find it at most drug stores (London Drugs, Shoppers) but not usually in your grocery store. The MOOM kit contains re-usable cloth strips, and you heat the "sugar" in hot water or the microwave. It takes a while the first time, but after you've done it once, it's much easier. The MOOM is about $16 a box and you could do your bikini line or armpits about 4 times. In a spa you could get your armpits done once for this price.

NOTE: I would only recommend home waxing if you have had a waxing treatment first with a trained technician - you know what to expect as far as the pain levels go, and you know how your skin will react to waxing.

Also, from experience, you should definitely read all of the information in the box before you trial-by-error. I did not, and suffered the consequences.

B) Although I prefer the MOOM, Nair Pretty offers pre-packaged wax strips big enough for your legs, arms, or whatever. The advantage of the Nair strips is that they are portable, you rub them between your hands to prepare them, and you throw away the mess. I used these last night on my armpits, and I would definitely purchase them again.

More to come....