Contributed by Sheryl Brennan
There is no doubt in my mind… I’d hit the wall. You know the one, where even the cute grins of your children and significant other rub you the wrong way and you just want to crawl into a cave and not emerge for about a week. The one where all you crave is silence from the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day grind you call your life. Yup- I was there in full force.
I am a single mom to three teenage girls (talk about hormonal overdrive), a full time candidate in a fast track MBA program, a business owner in start up mode, and freelance writer. Needless to say, I am VERY busy. Sometimes, there are days where I feel I need a schedule just to keep up with my schedule. So as I said previously, I’d hit the wall.
My friends offered lots of advice, but the one solution that stood out was a “pamper me” day at a local Louisville spa. I did a quick internet search and found one that sounded exactly what I was looking for: Serenity Spa of Anchorage. Ahhhhh. Just the name implies relaxation!
Their google hot link pointed me to an informative website with a listing of services and spa packages sure to entice the stressed. The Timesaver package, Serenity Experience, and Day of Bliss lured me in with their descriptive phrases detailing all the wonderful services included in them. In the end, I chose the Day of Bliss because face it, I REALLY needed a day of bliss.
Serenity is tucked along the main thoroughfare of the village of Anchorage, Kentucky. If you don’t know anything about Anchorage, it is among the short list of historic suburbs of Louisville. It’s well manicured lawns, mini-estates, and English Village charm draws you in immediately. All of the specialty shops, café’s and restaurants are within a couple of square blocks, so you can walk to each of them with ease during a leisurely day trip excursion.
When I entered Serenity Spa, I felt like time had stopped. The friendly staff greeted me with smiles, while tranquil music softly played throughout the cozy building. Almost immediately, I was served chilled green tea in a wine glass. Now if that doesn’t start your Day of Bliss on the right foot, I don’t know what will.
My blissful day included an Anti- Aging Facial with Vitamin C mask and Eye Treatment, a 60 minute Massage, Seaweed Body Wrap, Spa Manicure & Pedicure, Lunch and Champagne. Five full hours of pampering for me and only me! I gladly turned off my cell phone and sipped the luscious green tea as I bid the hectic world good-bye for a while.
We started with the Seaweed wrap. Now if you’ve never had a seaweed wrap before, it’s definitely not what you envision. Your massage therapist coats your skin with an emulsion derived from seaweed designed to draw out toxins from your body, then wraps you in a thermal blanket for a short period of time, all while you rest on a warm massage table and listen to relaxing music. No kids arguing with each other, no phones ringing off the hook, just you… drifting in and out of repose while the seaweed does its job in extracting all the ickiness from your system.
I could tell it was working when my massage therapist arrived and I immediately needed to use the restroom. I think the combination of the seaweed wrap and the green tea was definitely helping my kidneys and bladder kick it into overdrive and remove the toxins from my body.
Onward to the massage…ahhhhhh. My masseuse applied pressure to my muscles at just the right depth to release all the tension built up from months of stress. When my hour was up, I just wanted to fall fast asleep on that warm massage table, but my bladder protested. It appeared I was a little more toxic from all that compounded stress than I thought and my body was just waiting for this opportunity to release all those evil substances from their dermal prison!
I have never had a facial before, so this experience was another new journey for me. At age thirty-something, I admit I’ve been assessing the appearance of a few “wisdom markers” in the mirror wishing they would go away. My esthetician analyzed my answers to their client profile questions and decided an anti-aging facial was the best choice. The products smelled heavenly, not at all what I expected, and my face felt clean and smooth afterward. As a former Mary Kay consultant, I thought I knew a thing or two about skin care. For fourteen years I have been religious in using my cleansers and moisturizers, but after Serenity’s anti-aging facial, I truly felt fabulous. And I swear those little lines between my eyes and above the bridge of my nose are gone!
After my facial, I was treated to a gourmet lunch from one of the local restaurants. It was such a nice day, I probably could have walked, but my legs were still wobbly from that relaxing massage. LOL!
My last two services were the spa pedicure and manicure. Have you ever had paraffin on your feet? Well let me just tell you now that it is the bomb diggity! Serenity Spa uses The Perfect Sense paraffin treatment which comes in your very own sanitary, single use slippers, eliminating risks of bacterial and fungal cross-contamination. No more worrying about whose feet were in the wax last.
For my manicure, I did something a little different and opted for the new Shellac manicure. This revolutionary product is a manicure that doesn’t chip. Ever! Polish lasts for 2 weeks! I am here to attest that it does just that. I can’t tell you how many women have tried to carry things for me because they think I just got my nails done and didn’t want to ruin the polish. When I tell them about Shellac and Serenity, they BEG me for the phone number. I’m tellin’ ya gals- you GOTTA try Shellac!
My spa day ended with a relaxing walk under a canopy of trees where my car was parked. The birds were singing, bees were buzzing, and I was definitely blissful. Even my kids noticed the non-stressed Mom that came home.
Do yourself a favor ladies, and take a mental health break with one of the spa packages at Serenity Spa in Anchorage. Denise Willinger and her staff will guarantee you a Day of Bliss that you will not soon forget.
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