Spa Day

A few weeks or so after my birthday, I took Carly out for her birthday. That wasn’t an easy task considering her reactions on the gifts her friends had got her for her birthday. I had to be extra careful about what I was going to get her. She and I had been talking about going for massages for the longest time. I decided to take her to the spa. Someone I met doing background work told me about this spa in Koreantown. It’s a Korean town as you may have guessed. They have specials on Tuesdays. If I’m going to pay for a spa day, why not save while at it right? My motto is, why pay more if you can pay less?

I called Carly and told her about the spa and everything. She was going to be available around 9pm on Tuesday, I thought it was going to be perfect, 3 hours at the spa. Not too long, not too short. We didn’t have to make a booking or anything, just walk in. I wasn’t going to pay for any additional services just the standard stuff. And dinner. I thought that was decent, no?

Carly told me that she was going to meet me at the spa after school. The spa is off Wilshire Boulevard, I live off Wilshire, I decided to take the bus there. Those buses run 24 hours. I took the bus there, caught up on my reading, got off there, found a corner café that had all kinds of random stuff. I bought myself black lipstick that I had been looking for for a while. It was a good day. After that, I checked in. I paid and left a note for when Carly arrived. I couldn’t have my cellphone with me upstairs, so I stuck around the bottom room, and just lay there, chilling. It was nice and warm and had a nice essential oil smell, which I, as a massage therapist love.

They gave me an outfit to wear around there, khaki shorts and a yellow t-shirt. I lay on one of the couches and meditated. It was the perfect evening. I noticed someone sitting on what looked like those amazing massage chairs. I went over there and saw that it indeed was one! I quickly went back to my locker and grabbed a few dollars, sat next to the lady and got me a nice massage. Sleeping on the floor may have been okay but the massage was well deserved! I got about 15 minutes massage. After that I lay back on the couch and I was falling asleep when I got a text from Carly that she had arrived. I was so excited to be doing that for her for her birthday. She had never been to a spa before.

I took her to the lockers, she changed into her khaki and yellow outfit, we walked upstairs and grabbed dinner. I didn’t tell her I was going to pay for dinner, I just asked if she was hungry, she told me she indeed was. The food looked good. One of the staff at the restaurant turned out to be her music classmate. Small world! We both ordered different meals so that we could split them and get best of both worlds. After we ordered, she told me she didn’t have her wallet with her. Like who has their wallet with them in the middle of the spa? I had my card with me because I knew I was going to buy dinner. I had been paying paying for her or lending her money whenever we went to a cash only place downtown because she never had cash. She was so proud to say, ‘I don’t carry cash!’ It got to the point where I would tell her I didn’t have cash and then take out cash next place we went to where they were cash only. In my head, I dared her to ask me, ‘didn’t you say you don’t have cash with you?’ She never asked. It’s one of my pet peeves people who think they are too good to carry cash but are not too good to borrow money from other people. Plus she never paid me back all those monies. How was she going to? She never has cash! We would take the bus, she would know we were going to take the bus, but when we got on, she be like, ‘oh, shoot, I don’t have cash!’ Ugh!

Back to to the bday! We sat on the floor on the giant pillows. I hope they wash those things often. Anyways, We enjoyed out food. The portions were ok, could’ve been bigger. We then went to the floor with all the rooms. They have dry saunas that are crazy hot, I think the hottest one is 120 degrees F/ 51 celsius, which is pretty hot, you really feel it when standing up. They have clay room, jade room, salt room and ice room. When we first got to that floor, Carly saw the people who were passed out on the floor in the common area. She was like, ‘what’s wrong with these people? Why don’t they go home?’ I told her, they  chilling, they are too relaxed. She told me that you can’t be that relaxed.

We were in the second sauna when we met a cute Persian couple. At least they seemed like a couple to me. I started a conversation with them because one of them had the most perfect beard I had ever seen. We all chatted. They told us that they had been going to that spa since it opened. Carly started grilling them with questions. She will ask you so many questions, you will wanna stab yourself!  She asked them, in front of me no less, how much it was, they told him. Then they also told him the hours and the specials. She was like ok, so what do you get out of this, what about this and that and the other? I was dying! Like who asks around about how much you paid for their gift? Rude!  I guess she was looking for something to complain about. Something to be unhappy about. Also, couldn't she wait until I wasn't around and look all those details up online or call the spa her self? Wow! She told me she loved the experience so much, she was going to make a habit of going there once every month and she was going to take her mom when the mom's in town.

We went to the first room. The least hottest one, then the clay room, where they have pebbles of clay on the floor, you lie down on top of them and enjoy. Carly stayed in there like a trooper. I was so proud. Then, she went out and asked me to give her a minute, she was going to lay down for a second. I was like, there’s no freaking way you are going to be those people right now! Come on, woman! Let’s go to the third room! I am writing to tell you now that she didn’t even go to the rest of the rooms. She slept on the floor, with those mini sponges of course and asked me to wake her up when I was going to the ice room. She passed out and couldn’t even wake up when I tried to wake her up to go to the ice room.

I, on the other hand passed out in one of the rooms. I think it was the salt room. I just got in there and went to sleep. I was so fast asleep, I didn’t even know where I was. After a while, a dude came and woke me up. He asked if I was ok, I had been in there for a while. I was so grateful to him. We should only be in those rooms no more than a certain amount of time. I had definitely exceeded that amount. People were like, why did he wake you up? He could have scared you to death! That’s not acceptable! Only in LA! Thank you random stranger for saving my life. Don’t worry about those people!

The ice room felt even colder after being in the hottest space I have ever been in. But I sucked it up like the man that I am ;). After the ice room, I felt rejuvenated. I took Carly down to the showers but when we got there, I remembered that someone had told me they have Jacuzzi’s. I was like come on, we have to! She was so over everything, she was ready for bed. She was too relaxed. I couldn’t believe it! But at the same time, I was glad that mission accomplished! We went to the regular temperature Jacuzzi, they want you stark naked there! I just put my feet in there and went to the very hot one where there wasn’t anyone else. I wasn’t trying to catch anything in the regular temp one. I’m not saying anyone in there has herpes but… Then I went to the very cold one which could have been the ice Jacuzzi. Then we took showers. Even the showers were interesting, you sit down as you shower. After that, we hit the road jack. Carly asked if I wanted her to drop me off at the bus stop. It was right around the corner though and I had brought sweaters and everything with me because it wasn’t that hot yet. She offered to take me home, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. They have valet parking at the spa, Carly had left her key with the guy. When it was time to leave, it was interesting how he was looking to see if the guy was around so she could steal her car keys and dodge giving him a tip for his services. OMG! That was bad and hilarious at the same time. I stood as par away as possible as she pulled off that embarrassing trick.

She was so kind to give me a ride home.