Well, it’s a new year. A new decade. We just got through our first week of it all. Neat.
While I’m not too big on making annual resolutions, this year I do feel inclined to at least set some themes that I want to work through in 2020. I figure they’re deserving of their own individual posts, so this will be a three-part series.
I have two themes that seem to keep popping up lately, and the third post will be more about how I got to those ideas and where I’m at so far.
Not too long ago, I won an Instagram contest for a 3-month membership to the new Heyday Skincarein Rittenhouse. A Heyday membership grants you one 50 minute facial per month. That’s essentially a $300 value prize. I’d say it makes up for every contest I’ve ever lost. So far I’ve cashed in on my December facial, and this is what I thought.
I booked in person at the store, because I wanted to make sure the package went through, but you can of course call or book online. Their website is actually really beautiful. The mobile site is pretty too, but the interface got a little janky in translation. I really liked how they have headshots and little bios of all of their estheticians in various locations nationwide. They have yet to add our location, but I look forward to it when they do! I received an email and text reminder confirming my appointment a day or two before the booking, which I sadly depend on because I just don’t pay enough attention to time and dates. So I successfully made it to my appointment!
The storefront and waiting area are nice. Everything is bright, simple, and clean. The product displays are inviting and informative. A lot of the brands are local. The receptionist was friendly. They had a water station and a nice couch in the back corner to wait for your appointment. My esthetician, Miesha, met me on time and brought me back to our room. She pointed out the location of the restroom and asked if I needed to use it before we began. It’s a thing for me to always note whether or not your practitioner asks if you need to use the restroom before the service begins. I never need to go, but it seems like an essential courtesy to ensure a smooth service, so I always note that.
I’ve worked front desk at a boutique spa for years, so I can be a bit nitpicky. I try not to be, but it’s a customer service curse. If you ever want to enjoy things in life, don’t work in any service industry. Wait…working as a camera operator has prevented me from enjoying live televised events too. Okay, so just mooch off your parents until you can marry rich and never work a day in your life. If you work at anything, ever, it will forever turn you into a critic and you can’t turn it off.
Uh, I digress.
I enjoyed my facial. Miesha knows her stuff and most importantly, can share her knowledge in a digestible way for me…who knows little on what she’s talking about. But I understood! I’m not a stranger to facials, perks of working at a spa. But I learned a lot at Heyday. I discovered that my skin has been dehydrated, and that’s different than being dry. Dry is a skin type, where your skin lacks oils. Dehydration is a condition your skin can have where it lacks water. Dry, oily, combination and normal skin types can all be dehydrated. Apparently, your skin is the last organ to receive water, so I’m oftentimes probably not even drinking enough for there to be any left for my skin to benefit from. So I have a lot of water to drink and a better moisturizer to invest in.
She also told me to use sunscreen, which, as one of the sun’s melanated chosen folk, I am notoriously terrible at taking seriously. But thank the Lord I ended up with a fellow melanated practitioner because she switched my perspective on sunscreen right around. I did not know it, but there are skin diseases that SPECIFICALLY target skin with darker pigmentation. Who knew? So fine, I’ll add it to the routine, begrudgingly. THANKS, MIESHA. She honestly deserves an award, I’ve laughed in the face of doctors over sunscreen before.
Look at my faaaaaaace! All glowy.
The extractions were, of course, the not-enjoyable part of the service. I’m usually not too fazed, but I had a lot of oil or sebum build up in the pores on my nose. Maybe some of them were blackheads, I don’t know. But my esthi went HAM on them and like…I use my nose to breathe. I feel like the focus on my nose pores was a bit excessive and super uncomfortable. In hindsight, I should’ve just asked her to chill. But that was my only real issue with the service. There was a point where there was a hot towel on my face for an extended period of time. Maybe it was just before the extractions and it was there to open my pores up? I can’t remember, and it was a little awkward. It would have been nice to be prompted and informed of the several minutes of nothing going on. Where I used to work, the esthis would do a nice little hand massage in that time, and it kept the service cohesive.
The music choice was interesting in the space. It was kind of acoustic pop, maybe? It wasn’t spa music, which I kind of like even though I’m used to didgeridoos and Tibetan flutes from my old job. I think it made the place more approachable for every day, younger people to invest in their skincare. Gave it a more casual feel. I wasn’t crazy about most of the tracks personally, but the music wasn’t detrimental to my relaxation, so it was fine.
Those are my only criticisms. I otherwise really liked the service, Also, they send you a follow-up email about your skin analysis, suggested products based on the service, and what to focus and work on in your skincare routine. And you can reply with additional questions, too. I look forward to another facial this month, and I recommend checking the place out! If you do book a service, mention me and we’ll apparently each get $10 through their referral program.
