Nearing the Finish Line

It's almost the end of the semester and the end of my blog assignment. So what does this mean? Not much, I'm still going to blog, but maybe less frequently, but I will be taking a week off to celebrate what I've done and what I've got left to do. I'll be planning my summer, playing some video games, and reading the enormous pile of books that have accumulated in the past months.

It will be a great holiday for sure. Yes, I am calling that a holiday, it has no title because I'm awful at coming up with titles.

Have a happy [insert holiday here]!

Pre-Finals!

I'm writing you from my pre-finals-cocoon. It's cozy in here, and I've got a space open for my arms so I can type. I haven't been feeling well for the last two weeks like I've been fighting a bug. I haven't been sleeping, and I haven't been able to do good things for myself. I've been skipping meals and tossing and turning in bed effectively reaching my goal of being as close to a zombie as I could be, but really, not really.

I've always had trouble with the Winter months it's like I spend nearly half the year in a personal funk. I don't do well in the cold, and the Spring is home to anniversaries of the worst days of my life. I try to keep things positive so I can power through. I'm lucky I have such great friends who remind me of all the good things around and within me.

This post is a pretty aimless one, consider it a confessional or a get-to-know-me post. Don't be like me, get a good solid night's sleep every night, and eat every delicious and healthy meal. You should probably get out of your cocoon every now and again too.

I just wanted to write something for the students; you'll do OK, you'll be OK. Here is a little gif I found on the internet as a parting gift. Watch it a couple times, take a walk then get back to your responsibilities.






See you next week!
Jessica

I'm so fancy because I went to the spa over the weekend.

I was given an assignment to review something going on in town, after a hangry experience at Rumor's Comedy Club, I decided to review a facial I received during my first spa trip with friends. This was way too long for the scope of the assignment so here is the original with a little bit of editing.

The Ten Spa, located on the 10^th floor of the Fort Garry Hotel, offers its patrons an array of spa treatments and amenities. Modernity clashes against the formal old décor of the Fort Gary Hotel as soon as you get off the elevator the floor is lit up in shifting colours. Turning the corner, you will find a sterile looking white wall, white floor and white counter. Pops of blue and colours are present in the products on display. A receptionist took our names and shoe sizes before disappearing and returning with robes, a fringed fabric known as a pestemal, and slightly wet, but comfortable, plastic sandals.

Once we were dressed in the robe and pestemal, we were directed down a dimly lit hallway with nude portraits that reminded me of Grecian frescos on the walls. At the end of the hallway is a lounge with many couches and coffee tables and a spread of snacks; including gluten-free muffins, pita bread, hummus and an array of dried fruits as well as tea and water. Alcohol and a menu are available for those who want to lunch between their treatments.

In the corner of the main lounge are two statues of a man and a woman. They're cramped in tubs with erect genitals and limbs coming up and out of the water in a style totally contrary to the neo-Grecian modernist décor.

Through the gendered bathrooms, you can find lockers, a steam-room and experiential showers that emit a light herbal scent.

The aesthetician was polite and made small talk before walking me through the ten’s Ultimate Head-to-Toe Facial. My limbs were massaged and covered in sweet-smelling violet clay to start, followed by the facial.

There were several steps to this facial, some of which I may have forgotten. It began with the basic stages of skin care: cleanser and an exfoliating scrub to remove surface dirt and dead skin cells but with the use of a Clarisonic brush. A refreshing toner followed to remove any leftover residue before the most intensive treatments happened.

At this point, there were warm face towels placed on my face. They were extremely warm and completely unexpected making them feel uncomfortable. Being that this was my first spa experience, I was a little surprised by the feeling, but it soon passed once the towels were removed.

The uncomfortable sensations didn’t stop there. The aesthetician began an extraction of all the impurities on my face, my eyes were covered, and my face was under a bright light while she squeezed, pinched and massaged my face. She asked me questions about my face and enlightened me on what type of skin I actually have and how to properly take care of it.

The most jarring feeling of them all was during the post-extraction cure when an electric current was smoothed over my face. My eyes were closed the entire time, so I didn’t actually see the instrument, but it felt like a glass wand that was slightly convex like a spoon. It was pressed against my face, and I felt pulses from it, occasionally it would be turned on its side to administer spot treatments that felt like little rubber bands snapping against my face.

The best parts of the facial were the oxygen masks. One administered by foam with a pumpkin spice scent, following another pleasant smell in the air, presumably to cover up the faint burning smell from the glass wand. The foam fizzed on the face, more of a tickling sensation. The other was a stream of mineralized air pointed at my face like the drying stage of a carwash. But we weren’t done then. The aesthetician brought another unseen tool to my face. A lymph-draining tool, it too had a pulse, but a far less hostile pulse. It whirred on my skin, lightly pinching in intervals as it moved along.

The final process involved one last thick mask that went straight over my eyes and dried into a plush layer of dough. While this mask sat on my face, the aesthetician wiped away the violet clay while giving my limbs a massage. After the procedure, I was guided into a quite room with deep couches where I was encouraged to nap before I was ready to leave.

Despite the poking, prodding, and tingling the experience was relaxing and recharging. The texture of my skin was refined, and I was relaxed for the rest of the day. The price tag was heavy at 200 dollars but if acne, puffiness, texture or  are issues for your skin, this will benefit you.

This photo is one taken after the spa fog wore off and we were ready for dinner. My friend Steph took this photo for us. 

Left to Right
Back Row: Me, Eniko, Meagan, Christine
Front Row: Megan, Jen, Kiran, Dana
Not pictured: Steph, Jocelyne