One of the fun ways to celebrate a birthday is to go do something you've never done before.

This year, I've elected the purity facial experience.

When I signed up for a gym package, it came along with a complimentary body massage or purity facial. Now, the idea of a massage scares me. I don't like ppl touching my body (LOL) so I quickly opted for the facial instead. I mean, "It's just the face, right? How bad could that be?"

I was wrong. I found out that a facial typically includes the neck and upper chest areas. I was feeling the goosebumps and ticklishness when the young lady massaged me there. *ARRGGHH!!!! Eeeee eeee! Oooo ooo! Stop doing that! Ahhhh!* (you perverted ones, I know what you're thinking off. Quit it!)

I had to do my best NOT to tense up or to laugh out loud. (^_^);;;

I also found out that a facial can take quite some time. This experience was ~ 90 mins long. Good griefy, do women really spend that much time on making themselves look good? I don't have that much time!

Ok, a quick recap of the delightful stages of a basic facial:

Cleanser: This was a decent stage. It was just the dabbing of some lotion and some massaging. All lotion/oils/whatever-muck-they-put-on-yah is removed by hot damp cottons (I think, well...sure felt like it).

Scrub/Peeling: This particular lotion was a bit warm and perhaps, a little coarse to the feel. I guess it's supposed to be. Hello, it's a scrub.

Steaming: You know how some clothes have to be ironed with steam? Yeah, my face can relate to them now. After placing some damp cottons to cover my eyes, the young lady placed some equipment over my face, which sprays warm/semi-hot steam all over my face. I felt like a fresh piece of raw fish being steamed for a family dinner for the next 10 minutes.

Pore Cleansing: OK, this is my least fav. stage. Ten minutes later, she strolled in and proceeded to squeeze the pores of my nose and chin. Oh my gosh, ppl, this hurt far more than it sounds! I couldn't wait for her to finish up and had to do my best not to tense up again. I think I'll stick to my Kao Pore Pack Strips from now on.

Oil Massage: Here's where I felt my face molested the most. I could feel her fingers work in a circular motion on my cheeks, cupping up and down my chin, and finger-drilling around my eye-sockets and temples. There were even light slaps/chops on my upper cheeks. At this stage, my face felt like a piece of meat being tenderized.

Face Mask: A cooling and super thick lotion was slathered onto my face. She told me, "This is your mask. I'll be back in 10 minutes, OK?" Eh...OK. I laid down there, wondering what happened to the new age Enya sounding music that was playing in the background. Perhaps, they ran out of tracks to play. Or, something is wrong with the CD/music player. It was so silent. I twiddled my toes and many thoughts ran through my mind: Work.....family.....art projects....ZZZZZZZZZZ

Moisturizer: Yup, I fell asleep for a few minutes. By the time I resumed consciousness, the young lady had just returned and the music was back on. She resumed massaging my face with something else. I will never know what final muck was placed on my face but it sure made my face look oily. Ewww......after this round, they released me and I rushed off to dab my face dry in the washroom. I swear my face looked so oily; I could cook an egg.

On the way out, I was chatted up by a promoter of the spa/beauty packages who tried to persuade me to part ways with SGD 1000. Oh yeah, did you know that this basic facial costed SGD 85? The rest of the other "specialized' facials are +SGD 100. I'm so glad that this was a complimentary (Read: Free) treatment. :)

Conclusion: The beauty industry really thrives on convincing women that they can feel good about themselves through a variety of treatments and special products. It's a litte troubling, if not sad. Are we that desperate to look perfect?

I don't need facials, spas or massages to feel good about myself. God's Word and Blessings are pretty darn good as it is. But it can't hurt to go every now and then, just for the heck of it. LOL

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Shoutout: Thanks to Aeden and ZYong for lunch today! Aeden also gave me a nice set of Perlini's Silver earrings. *hugs* I also appreciate all the phone calls, SMS and emails from family and friends. My work colleagues were also so sweet; I loved the tiramisu cake they got me last Friday. I'm truly blessed. Thanks, guys! :)