By all means, do nice things to my body

It’s hard to object to a day at the spa, says Cindy Hunter.

An extravagance for me, I once spent an entire day at an esthetics spa. Grateful muscles were kneaded. Rude body hair was waxed. The epidermis on my back, arms and legs was scrubbed with a granular cleanser, rinsed and moisturized.

A facialist soothed and refurbished my face. Eyebrow colour was enhanced with dye. Hands and feet were soaked in tepid, sudsy water, exfoliated, softened within cocoons of warm wax, and nails were lacquered.

I’m pretty sure the “complimentary” lunch didn’t put much of a dent in the profit they made off me that day. Did I mention that I love to be pampered? I still patronize a day spa for routine eyebrow-tinting as well as the scattered body wrap. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down for coffee with my esthetician, “Lynette,” and we had a chat about her industry.

The “big thing” right now, according to Lynette, is lash extensions.

(I’m sure most of us who enhance our natural lashes with mascara can relate to the allure of being able to bypass that step in our everyday grooming ritual.)

Lynette showed me some photos of her lash work. And Holy Sex Kitten Batman, these are some long and lush, femme-fatale-calibre lashes!

The extensions cost between $75 and $250, depending on desired fullness. Maintenance is every two weeks, and after the process, you must refrain from using oily products on your lashes – or they will fall out.

Another service on offer these days that I hadn’t yet heard of is “lash perming.” It’ll run you approximately $75 and will last for up to eight weeks.

In a nutshell, should you opt to perm on a regular basis, you’ll be able to file your eyelash curler under “A” for Antique.

Lynette tells me she expects a procedure called “dermaplaning” to really take off (yes, that’s a pun) in the near future. It’s a process that removes dead skin cells as well as the short, densely packed, thin hairs that we all have covering our faces. The treatment consists of the esthetician, while holding the skin tight, sweeping a sterile blade gently upwards over the face, and it results in smoother looking skin.

I asked Lynette if there is anything clients do that irritates her (besides the aforementioned use of oily products on lash extensions). She said it’s disappointing when clients don’t follow instructions for “after care.”

For example, as followup to waxing, clients are typically advised to gently scrub the skin a few times a week in the bath/shower with a loofah, plus moisturize the area daily. If those instructions are not adhered to, the client can develop irksome, ingrown hairs.

Also unpleasant for Lynette is when clients ask her to customize a skin-care regimen, then don’t use the products as instructed and return complaining about the abysmal condition of their skin. Well, duh!

We’ve come a long way, Baby, since ancient Egyptians lined their eyes with lead-laden kohl. I wonder what another five or 10 years will bring in terms of new esthetic technologies and treatments.

The day spa experience, for me, cultivates a temporary state of bliss. It doesn’t get much more snuggly than reclining in a dim, hushful room, bundled in heated blankets, listening to pre-recorded sounds of chirping birds and gurgling streams, as cool, bergamot-scented balm is applied to my face and left to work its magic for 20 minutes. If that won’t de-stress a person, I don’t know what would.

At present, I’m not a wealthy woman. It can be a challenge to wedge a facial into my meagre budget, but I never regret shelling out for a bit of pampering inside what I think of as Nirvanic Esthetic Universe.

My full day of indulgence took place almost 20 years ago.

I must surely be due for another.

Cindy Hunter is a middle-aged woman, originally from Ontario, who currently resides in Newfoundland. She believes the best things in life are music that stirs one’s soul; books that elucidate one’s world; and the company of furry critters.