Just Me, But with Pretty Feet

From the ankle down, I don't even recognize myself. My feet are so beautiful! I had my first pedicure on Tuesday (here's the before post), and I must say, I totally get it now - I understand the allure. The foot massage and massage chair were my favorite parts. So relaxed was I that I managed to doze off while a lively Bollywood dance number played on TV and a bouncy young child demanded to know why his mother was getting her eyebrows threaded.

In fact, several women came into Sonia Salon to get their eyebrows done. Threading seems to be their specialty. I have unruly eyebrows too, I thought to myself. And I'm way too lazy to pluck them... maybe I should try threading. I asked one of the other customers if the process was painful and she said it wasn't as bad as waxing. Then the woman doing the threading explained that it is easier on the skin because it doesn't traumatize or stretch it like waxing does. Threading is also cheaper (at least at Sonia Salon) and doesn't involve any products which could be harmful to me or the environment. Thus, I was convinced. It seemed like a great idea. And I proceeded to pay someone to use a twisted cotton thread to yank out lines of tiny hairs. By the follicles. On my face. And for the record, it hurt waaay more than waxing. I would without a doubt rather have unruly eyebrows. The woman next to me was getting her whole face done - are you kidding me?! Word to the wise: if you for some reason decide to do threading, have it done before, not after, another service at the salon. That way you can leave refreshed and not as I did, with red skin and eyes watering.

When I got home, K took one look at my purple polish and said, "You have Vikings [Minnesota's NFL franchise] toenails! I love 'em!" Well, not exactly what I was going for, but I do think the purple is fun. I'm also enjoying the excuse to post a picture of my sanuk flip flops, which I love. They are made out of yoga mat = pure genius. Oooh, and speaking of yoga mat and showing off - shortly after I started practicing yoga last year, K bought me my very own mat from yogamatic. Check it out:

It is a great quality, eco-friendly mat and part of the proceeds from this particular design benefit ongoing recovery efforts in New Orleans after Katrina. I've used it so much that "Cocktails To Go" is already fading. That must be where I put my hands for downward-dog! If you are ever in the market for a yoga mat, I would highly recommend yogamatic. They even offer free return shipping and recycling when you are ready to get a new mat. Ohm.

I Can't Afford a Massage

After surviving a mentally grueling ("grew-elle-ing") Week Without Coffee, I have decided to treat myself this week. What I would really adore is a full hour massage, but I do not want to spend that much money. So, inspired by a friend over at The Martha Initiative, I've decided on a bottom-up approach (wah-wah). In lieu of whole body relaxation, I'm going to focus on refreshing my feet. Today, I am going to get my first-ever pedicure.

I'll be entrusting my feet to the beautiful people at Sonia Salon, a spa I chose because of its reasonable price tag and relatively convenient location on North Clark. I am a little bit nervous about the part where the pedicurist removes the dry skin. My colleague C said that they sometimes use a shaver tool that she likened to a cheese slicer - yikes! She also told me that Oprah said that when she gets a pedicure they take off so much dry skin that she actually goes down a full shoe size. So, ok - first of all, yuck, and secondly, doesn't that hurt?

I guess even if it is a little uncomfortable, that's all right. I still want to have the pedicure experience. From now on, if I'm with a group of women and they start discussing beauty services, I won't have to confess that in all my years on this earth I haven't had a pedicure. I will still be wholly unqualified to converse about many of the topics that tend to come up in all-female groups, but pedicures will no longer be one of them.

Before I go, I would like to take this opportunity to declare that just because a woman is generally uninterested in 'girly' things or activities, this does not mean that she should not be taken seriously in the event that she decides to pursue a feminine interest every once in a while. I certainly reserve the right to be 'girly' (whatever that word means) in any way and at any time I choose. So K, I'm not sure if you thought I was joking when I told you about my appointment to have a pedicure this evening, but this is the real deal, buddy. No watermelon nails for me, though - I think I'll just stick to pink or peach.