A Thousand Excuses

Do we really need to get facials? Aren't they just for rich, bored women? How is someone else cleaning my face going to be worth my time, energy and hard-earned money? If I'm going to go to a spa I'd much rather get a massage. They are more relaxing and I know that my body needs them.

I could go on and on. And I used to be someone who thought exactly this. And then I started getting facials more regularly. And you know what? My skin thanked me. And my mind and body thanked me. See, the amazing thing about facials is that you get some of the benefits of massage with the added bonus of a personalized treatment for your skin. "Sure" you say, "but do I really need it and how often?"

Let's start with the power of touch. Did you know it's the first of our senses to develop? Our very first communication as a newborn comes from touch. That's pretty powerful stuff. But the older we get the less we touch and get touched. But have you ever been on a crowded subway, crammed in between two people whose weight is pressing into your weight? When that person got up did you even register the mixed emotion of "Wow, I'm so glad I'm not being crushed anymore" and "Wow, it's weird but I kind of miss the weight of that other person on my arm"? That's because we need that touch in our lives.

But beyond just receiving those powerfully therapeutic massage benefits, there really is something about that unspoken communication that comes along with it. I will tell you first hand that I occasionally get a blast of emotion (good and bad) from a client the moment I touch them. Or if not immediately, it sometimes occurs when I am working on a specific pressure point, like those in the feet or near the heart center. I won't get too hippie dippie on you, but it's some pretty powerful stuff. I work very hard to keep my own emotions out of my treatment room because I don't want to pass them along to clients during these vulnerable states. And if I do feel something emotional I try to act as a conduit to let it out and not let it get trapped in me.

OK, but let's say you aren't really "going through" anything right now but you really just want to relax. Won't a massage be better? I'm not here to knock massages. On the contrary, I think they are super important. But I find that I'm able to get in more of a meditative state during a facial than I am during a massage. This, of course, depends on the type of facial you are receiving, but if you're like me your back is pretty much just one big knot and when I get a massage I spend about half the time trying to relax those muscles so it won't hurt so damn much! Whereas if I get a relaxing facial and don't need too many extractions I get into that weird asleep-but not thing where your mind starts wandering and you start thinking of weird things or seeing colors or whatever. Maybe that's not meditating, I don't know. But it's really relaxing, trust me.

Speaking of extractions... Probably the most obvious benefit to a facial are the products, extractions and see-it-with-your-own-eyes-results. Estheticians have access to machines, tools and products that you don't have at home so your skin should be looking it's best when you leave. Even if you're just getting a quick 30 minute facial your should expect to feel cleaner, smoother, tighter and more glowy. If you got extractions you might be a little blotchy in those areas, but aren't you glad the gunk isn't in your face anymore?

Your skin is your largest organ and it should be cared for. Or at the very least, it should be cared for about as often as you take care of your hair. So the next time you are going through that week from hell (usually the week before you are going in to get your hair cut and colored) where you can't even stand to look at your head and just put your hair up under a baseball cap, remember this post. Your skin has weeks like that too and maybe it's time to go in for a professional treatment.

So how often do you need to go? Depending on your age, primary concerns and skin type the general rule of thumb is every 4-6 weeks. Can't make it that often? How about four times a year, once every change of season. And remember the 80/20 rule: 80% is what you do at home and 20% is what a professional does in the treatment room.

P.S. Don't say I didn't warn you about posting about my cat. Purring cat = proof of the power of touch.

#treatments #skincare