Birthday Bashing!

Well, today is my natal day and in some ways it is my first.  The obvious, of course, is the first without my Mother and the less obvious is the first without the self judging that comes with celebratory times.  I'm from the south, specifically Texas.  As a proud Texan I can indeed say that everything does indeed come bigger in Texas.  My people like to eat and celebrate with food and I'm all for it 100 percent.  This year, I will eat that cake with a side of cake and then wash it down with some sort of cake type adult beverage without blinking an eye.  It's my birthday and I will CAKE OD if I want too!!!

Now, let me tell you about my birthday present to myself.  Besides that whole self actualized, I'm in tune with the universe and am trying to love every inch of my body gift, I decided on a special treat for me. I ventured to the mysterious land to the east known as Queens. It was a safari rife with stop lights, minivan hijinx and street sign disasters.  Why can't the people of Queens name their streets something original?  I mean really do I need to make a left onto 9th avenue only to make a right on 9th street and then double back to 9th road to end up at 9th court?  It is  a wild and wooly place this Queens but we navigated quite beautifully.  My destination was a true oasis in this navigational nightmare, a Korean Spa.  I have been to this spa before several times.  It is a bit pricey so attending every day would break the bank but when the Korean sirens call I head their sweet song and wind my way down the pot hole ridden path that is the grand central parkway.

For those that haven't attended a Korean spa before let me set the scene.  It is a HUGE 5 story building replete with out door roof top pools and swim up ice cream bar.  When you check in you are given a wristlet with a number on it.  The magic bracelet also includes a computer chip that opens your lockers and allows you to purchase extra services and food and drinks throughout the kingdom.  The first floor is separated into male and female locker rooms and private tub rooms.  The first tiny locker you encounter is for your shoes.  They are locked away until the end of your journey.  I meandered the corridors of this spa for about 10 hours yesterday and had not one speck of dirt on my feet.  The next locker is for your belongings. You are also issued a uniform upon entry, shorts and a tee shirt with the spa logo on them, and a new toothbrush.  The women's spa is filled with showers, cleaning stations, steam room, hot sauna and about 7 different pools with varying jets, temperatures, and mineral content.  The pools are for nude bathing only and the entire first floor is a clothing optional situation.  Needless to say I saw a lot of naked people yesterday.  I'm fascinated by the different body types and postures of the people.  Some are so care free and others wear the cloak of self doubt.  I have been through this process before and could care less about my nude self.  I got over that hurtle a long time ago.  I know it is a foreign thing for most Americans to get nude and soak in a tub with strangers but it really is a graceful and peaceful experience that is so enjoyable.  The remaining levels are chock full of dry saunas, massage rooms, sleeping rooms, mani pedi stations, food court and comfy places to lounge.

My birthday present to myself was to purchase a body scrub with massage.  I have had this process done before and it will blow your mind!  You are put on a long table and this little woman with scrub gloves and soap scrapes every last inch of your body.  Your skin simply glows from the treatment and it is invigorating and relaxing at the same time.  My special treat to myself was to pay the extra for the private room.  The usual scrubs take place in a corner of the tub room and while not in the center of the room you are hanging all our there for everyones perusal.  I've done it before this way and after the initial shock of feeling like a corpse on a Quincy M.E. medical table I was able to enjoy it.  But yesterday I longed for a little peace and quiet and booked a private room.  I entered the space and was greeted by my scrubber.   A lovely lady who probably weighed about 80 pounds soaking wet.  I know the ferocity of these scrubber women so I didn't doubt her acumen.  Just to jolt you from your modesty bubble they start you face up.  She pour copious amounts of delightfully warm water over you to start and then the process begins.  Its a wonderful feeling.  It sounds a bit brutal but it's not.  It's like a loofa for the body and it wakes up tired nerve endings and refreshes the mind.  After about an hour a scrub down 2011 she rinsed me and began the massage portion of the treatment.  First she grated an entire chilled cucumber and placed it on my face for a cleansing mask.  Delightful.  Then came the lavender jojoba warm oil. When I arose from the table I felt like a prize fighter, loose and oiled up, ready for action.

This process for important for a few reasons.  Firstly, the obvious.  NEW SKIN!  Glowing, soft, supple new skin to start my new year.  Secondly, new skin.  A ritual cleansing of the negative, gut wrenching, painful year that was 2010.  I'm of the mind that the negative seethes on the top layers of your being blocking good energy and reminding you of the hardships you endured.  While positive, loving experiences melt into your bones, strengthening you at every turn.  I exfoliated a layer of grief in Queens yesterday and simply emboldened myself to start my wellness journey of this next year.

After my scrub and massage of LIFE, I ventured back into the locker room to prepare for my next spa adventure when I over heard a young girl confiding in her friend her trepidation about going commando for the womens tubs.  She bemoaned the fact that she hated her body and that she didn't want the other women judging her.  I made a side ways glance to see this woman expecting to find a woman of size that perhaps I could help in some way.  She was a little slip of a thing with a model perfect form.  It broke my heart.  All I could do was walk passed her and let her know that people of all shapes and sizes are beautiful and to only care about what YOU think.  I hope my presence did just that but she has set up for herself a life time carnival ride of body image issues if she doesn't nip it in the bud.  I know! I had buckets of tickets for that sad carnival and have only recently told those carnies to pack up and move on out!!!

So, on this birthday of mine I am literally a new person, skin and all.  I look forward to my next adventure and know I've got a secret 80 pound weapon in far off Queens to help me reinvent myself when need be. Have a blessed day my dear friends.  You are the best birthday present this glowing girl could ever wish for.

Love,

~Mel