Our bodies are sacred vessels

I didn't grow up wanting to become an esthetician.  I didn't even know what that was.  Any reference I saw of facials, waxing, and skin care was occasionally seen in movies, and usually it was portraying a fancy woman in a spa in Beverly Hills (shout out Troop Beverly Hills 😁).  It was not on my radar, nor was it common to do these things in the 90's. 

I was 15 or 16 when my mom bought for me a Mary Kay set with a cleanser, toner, and a moisturizer. I didn't need it. My skin was super healthy and I don't think I really even washed it.  I never saw my mom using skin care, but I knew she had a few products in her bathroom.  It wasn't a push.  It was a gift.  I think she genuinely wanted me to have something that could feel like a ritual of taking care of myself, and that is exactly what I did.  Not every day.  But some evenings, I would use the cleanser, and press a hot washcloth on my face before wiping it off.  It felt amazing and grounding. 

When I was 19, I found myself working at a dreamy resort hotel on Mackinac Island, MI, and it was there that I got to have my first experiences in the spa.  The first season I was there, after some big sales in the shop I worked in, my boss treated me to a massage at the hotel's spa.  After that one experience, I decided I wanted to go to massage therapy school, where I learned I love massage, and that I have “the touch”.   

The following year I went back to work at the hotel, this time I was in the spa.  My boss wanted me to have a facial so I could talk about this service to guests, and this is where I started a new timeline.

The esthetician was Josephine.  From the moment she told me how to put the spa wrap on and to get tucked into the bed and left the room, I felt SPECIAL.  

I still remember the music that was playing.  I still remember the way it felt in the warm bed, and how she cleansed my face, neck, and décolletage with gentle massage.  I remember the how delicious and soothing the hot towels felt that she used to gently remove product and bring circulation to my tissues.  And then there was a new sensation with a gentle exfoliant, and then I feel unique sensations with the different massage techniques.  It was all gentle, soothing and stimulating at the same time.  Nothing hurt.  My nervous system relaxed.  And I loved every minute.  When it was over, I touched my face.  I then caught a glimpse in the mirror.  I saw the radiance and softness in the physical that I felt inside of me. 

I felt nurtured.  I felt cherished.  I felt my own beauty, and I had never really felt that way before.  To say it made an impression on me would be an understatement.  

How did someone touching my face and neck make me feel so good in my own skin?  In my own body?  

✨ That is pure magic. ✨

I went to esthetics school the following year, and it has been a journey ever since.  I worked in spas for many years, and when I went into business for myself, I decided to make my practice more clinical, because the industry became way more serious about “corrective skin care”.  This meant bringing in treatments that weren't about feeling good while pampering the skin, but to perform controlled trauma to the skin and using products in order to achieve outcomes.  I'm not knocking on this.  It is a science, and it has been fascinating to watch unfold because it keeps changing as our culture keeps changing.    

So what changed for me?  

I think we can all say that 2020 brought change, and I certainly was experiencing shifts within myself and how I was feeling in the world.  The biggest thing was we experienced a collective trauma, and when I was able to work again, I felt in my whole being that I could not and would not perform facial treatments that were uncomfortable.  It just didn't feel right.  My heart said that people needed to feel grounded in their body, and nervous systems were needing care.

That's when I decided to go back to the root of why I started facials in the first place….to feel good in the body.  To connect to beauty from a place of feeling it in oneself and having it reflect in the physical.   To create some safety in the body, even for an hour or so, when the world didn't feel so safe.  

I kind of thought I would do that temporarily, but then I started finding other estheticians through social media who practiced from the holistic and somatic lens.  I could see they were tapping into ancient wisdom, the body/skin wisdom, herbalism, and massage techniques for their offerings and results. 

I had a resurge of excitement to dive in and study and master these techniques.    

Full circle.  With a lot more knowledge and experience. 😉 I have learned how to work with your skin in a way that connects the whole body, which then affects the health and vitality of your skin.  It is quantum.  It is somatic.  It is feeling connected to ourselves, and experiencing our authentic beauty. 

And now ✨energy✨ has entered the picture. I will be sharing more about that in an upcoming newsletter and sharing on my instagram. 

Thank you all for sharing in this journey with me.

If you are needing some TLC, some tension relief, sculpting, and glowy skin, I have openings this week for facials.   Or if you're needing to release stress, clear heavy energy, or craving a reset, I have my Reiki/energy healing options as stand alone or with a facial.