Take Me Away!

By Rachel

Calgon…take me away. Carpools, classroom parties, toilet training, Kumon, Girl Scouts, karate, soccer, play dates, PTA, volunteering at the school.……when will it ever end? Even when I try to get away for an hour or so I am interrupted by my husband’s call about our 3 year old flushing his underwear down the toilet (at least it wasn’t the dog this time). I threatened him about not interrupting me again - exceptions being the children are unconscious or the house has exploded - or I would book a month at a spa at an undisclosed destination and leave him with the children ALONE. 

Mmmmmm. Spas. I love them. I'm not sure that my husband gets it, though. The last time I got a sea algae body wrap he asked me if I had been to a sushi bar. Yes, sweetie, they wrap us in sea algae, dip us in soy sauce, and then we eat our way out...

The only less-than-relaxing spa experience I ever had was in Thailand* - a "Thai massage." I thought that simply meant a massage in Thailand (a Jessica Simpson moment, I admit). WRONG! The "Twisted Torture Technique" (aka Thai massage) is a body contortion method that pushes arms and legs around your torso like a deformed Gumby doll. It must be some kind of ancient brutality to foreigners. In my pain-shrouded hallucinatory state I couldn't help wondering, "Gosh, is that knee/elbow/hip supposed to bend more than 135 degrees?" I may have blacked out at one point from the pain. (And I paid money for this??) After the ordeal I gave my torturer a big tip - not for the massage - but to help me back to my hotel room where I could drink all the alcohol I could get my hands on.

But, despite that particular trauma, I still love spas and the rejuvenation that they provide. But, if you can’t take your girlfriends to an out-of-town spa, plan a girlfriends’ Spa Party at home!

Rules: no cell phones, no make-up, only ugly/comfortable clothing, and lots of trashy magazines.

Activities: manicures, pedicures, facials, and telling your most embarrassing spa story.

And here is a wonderful recipe for a homemade facial that will leave your skin feeling nourished and moisturized.

Banana Avocado Mask

½ overripe banana, mashed (you can use the rotten bananas you’ve been trying to get your kids to eat)

½ overripe avocado, mashed

2 tbsp plain yogurt (go for the full fat kind)

1 tsp olive oil

Combine ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well. Apply the mixture to a clean face and neck. For maximum benefits, leave on for 25 to 30 min. Thoroughly rinse with warm water.

As party favors, you can make a sugar scrub to give to your guests.

Sugar Scrub

1 cup white sugar

1 cup Almond oil or a light olive oil

Oil from 1-2 vitamin E capsules

1 or 2 drops of essential oil, lavender or orange

1 16 oz. glass container with lid

Throw all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended. Using any utensil you can find that will not make a mess, transfer the mix into the containers and secure the lid. The recipe yields 1 party favor. Multiply times the number of guests.

*I really did love Thailand. It was beautiful and the Thai were some of the friendliest people in the world.