Beauty treatments make me antsy. I do like a good massage, but sitting still for anything else—a seaweed wrap, a mud detox, a purifying facial or whatever they invent next—this is not for me. I even used to put off pedicures until discovering that my cheapie neighborhood mani-pedi place had wifi. But at times like these—when the heat and humidity combine with urban grime to create the most soul-depleting of outdoor conditions—I find that one’s spirits can be vastly improved by creating a little at-home spa experience for oneself.
I start out by drawing myself a nice cold bath. Not vampire-cold, but cold; room temperature or anything warmer defeats the purpose entirely. It’s a bit of a shock to the system at first, but in exactly the same way that jumping into a cool lake on a hot summer day is. Unbearable at first, and then really, really nice. I always add about five drops each of lemongrass and ginger essential oils into the tub. Lemongrass both relaxes and energizes, and in combination with the ginger it’s just one of the best scents going.
Then I just go at my feet with some of this…
…and one of these, because if your daily life involves walking the streets of New York in open-toed shoes, your feet get a very special, very stubborn kind of filthy that doesn’t necessarily wash off right away. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll go in for a bit of this action as well. As one does.
And after that, as I’m just the tiniest bit OCD and started doing this years ago and—irrationally—can’t stop, I go over them once more with a proper bar of soap as well. How pretty is this? And the scent complements my little ginger/lemongrass concoction quite nicely.
I am the least DIY person you could ever hope to meet, but I do love to make myself a nice salt scrub. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and you can create whatever scent you want. I use coarse sea salts like these, and then just mix in sweet almond oil—which is unscented and lightweight and pretty much always available at your local Whole Foods or wherever—with some more of the ginger and lemongrass essential oils. The whole idea of putting on a layer of gloppy moisturizer when it’s this hot out is ick; the little bit of oil that’s left on your skin after you towel off from the scrub feels just right.
And then I’m out. Happy and refreshed, like I took a nice little dip.
I’ve never had a massage, or a facial . True story! I’m 42 and I’ve never had either. The idea of strangers touching me just sort of … Weirds me out. Plus yeah, I’m too impatient. I think I would if I lived in NYC and could go to the Bliss spa, I like their products. I’ve even run out of patience for salon manicures. It’s weird because I love beauty products and bath products, I just like them more at home where I can control the amount of time they take. I think part of me is worried I’ll blow $500 on a spa visit and feel like it won’t be worth it. Admitting all this makes me feel freakish. I’ll turn in my girl card at the front desk :/
Coming from a cold country where my feet are never really something I think about (or see, really), I was horrified when I visited NY during that heat wave a couple of weeks ago and looked down at my flip-flopped feet. The GRIME! I looked like i’d been climbing chimneys! it took some very serious scrubbing to get them flesh coloured again. Don’t know how you NYers do it all summer long.
I still can’t do baths though. The thought of lying there, festering in my own dirty water, with exfoliated skin flakes swirling around in it and perhaps ending up lodged in completely different parts of my body……eeeewwww!
Aargh! So true! The way baths are romanticized – the candles! the bubbles! – just kills me. Nastiness!
Actually, if you take a quick shower first, this problem is greatly minimized. And there’s really nothing like a nice soak, especially after a workout. I used to go to yoga on Friday nights and then have a hot bath and it was just the nicest way to start a weekend. I’ve never tried a cold bath though, but, if it’s hot out, I could see it.
I have a business trip to New York in August, which I think we can agree is the absolute worst time of year for the city (the whole joint smells like hot garbage and ennui). Thank you for reminding me to pack a foot scrub.
Ha! “Hot garbage and ennui” might be the best description of grimy city smell that I’ve ever seen!
And try the Body Shop peppermint foot lotion. Slather it on clean feet, then place them in front of a blast of air from a fan or air con. All the wretchedness of August in NYC begins to fall away…
A law firm I worked for had a massage person come in every Friday during the Summer to give us neck massages, as a kind of gift for our hard work. I managed to get through ONE and I just could not stand it. So weird having a stranger touch me like that. Also, I never had a pro pedicure until I was in my 40s because my sister made me do it. I now try to have a pedicure at least twice each Summer but even that is hard for me (I need one right now and keep putting it off). I just cannot stand to be touched like that. Oh well.
By the way, speaking of city summers– what sandals did you find you could walk around Paris in and still feel comfortable and chic? (Or did you have to forgo one or the other?)
Roberto Del Carlo makes super-comfy cork wedges; These are on sale right now. Once I put my old lady orthotic pads in them, I’m good to go. http://www.thecorner.com/us/women/sandals_cod44393896gd.html
Thanks! And they’re not as high as Kork-Ease, which, while I love, give me visions of a very an awkward sidewalk splat with attendant need for crutches
I hate to sound like a broken record, but, if any youngsters are reading this, *don’t* wait to start using orthotics. I know it is a geriatric-sounding word, but trust me, you probably need them even if you’re in your teens. Go to a good running or hiking store, where it’s free, or to a podiatrist, and get your walking style evaluated. You will prevent many many problems, and you will learn how to wear heels without causing permanent damage (well, that one might be more the podiatrist than the running store ; >). Nowadays you can get inserts for any kind of shoe.
So glad I’m not the only one skeezed out by massages. I really don’t want to be touched by anyone except my kids and bosom companions. There is just no guarantee that it will feel good. And facials- yech. Goo? Picking? It’s a mystery. I do a lactic acid peel at home and I’m done with it.
BTW, Kim, I’ve missed you, so I’m thrilled you’re here!! I often think about the need for a 40s punk rock fashion girls club, for all of us still rocking out to Iggy Pop while we pay the bills and pick out our work clothes (blah).