This post has been sponsored by the kind owners of Rejuvenation Clinic Day Spa. I agree with their mission to encourage self-care as part of your routine. All thoughts are my own.
Self-care.
It’s one of those things that we know we should engage in,but that we often fail to prioritize.
I know I’m guilty of neglecting it.
For a while after having my son (and when I say a while, I mean several years), I sort of lost myself in parenting. While it’s not a bad thing to be so focused on raising your child, I eventually began to embrace that it also wasn’t a bad thing to want to do more things for myself. It’s okay to feel like I am more than a mom.
Part of that embracing all of who I am means:
- Having the freedom to pursue my passions and hobbies
- Making time to do things for ME
- Making time to hang out with friends
- Not feeling guilty about spending time and money on myself
Granted, I have also been trying to be more intentional about family fun days (such as the time when we went to an early screening of Beauty and the Beast and the time we hung out at Springfest in Little Rock). However, I try to MAKE time to engage in a bit of self-care.
A week or so ago, I had the opportunity to do something that I hadn’t yet made time for- a trip to the spa. Although I have been to salons before to have my hair (and occasionally my nails) done, I had never gone for a full-on spa treatment. My friend, Courtney (who is the blogger behind AdukeSchulist.com) are both single mom homeschoolers. We also both work from home. Needless to say, we don’t get a ton of time to ourselves. So when we were presented with the opportunity to have a spa day, we were all over it!
The day of the event, we met up and drove about an hour to Little Rock for a pampering session at Rejuvenation Clinic Day Spa. Knowing that the spa was the first one EVER in Little Rock we knew we were going to be in good hands.
We didn’t know what type of treatment we were going to get, but we sure were excited to find out.
When we showed up to the spa, I was really surprised by the inside. On the outside, it is pretty plain. It is located in a small shopping center that looks pretty run-of-the-mill. However, when you walk inside,you are greeted by bright lights, gorgeous jewelry and scarves, and a ton of spa-quality products. You could even try most of the products before you buy, which I thought was really cool. That way you know you are getting something you will enjoy rather than getting home and having buyer’s remorse.
They also carry some product lines that are exclusive or semi-exclusive. For example, they are the only salon in the area that carries Pure Fiji, Jindilli, and Ultra Luxe. And they are 1 of 2 salons in the area that carries Natura Bisse. To me, that is a sign that they are a high-quality spa with a great reputation as I am sure those brands are selective about where they place their products.
We met up with some of our other blogger friends (Stacey, Ricci, and Maegan). We each got to pick an envelope. Hidden inside each envelope was a card that revealed which treatment we would be enjoying. I received a mini facial. Courtney and Maegan got pedicures. Ricci got a massage. After we each found out what we were going to be doing for the next 45 minutes, we went our separate ways to different parts of the spa.
As we got a tour of the facilities, I was surprised by how big it is. It was sort of like stepping into the TARDIS and realizing that it was much bigger on the inside than it appeared from the outside.
Ricci and I headed to one dressing area where we were fitted with comfy robes and slippers. They even had some tasty Belgian chocolate tucked away for us to enjoy while we waited.
After leaving the dressing room, we briefly waited in a lounge area before we were each escorted to our spa treatment rooms.
I followed my facial expert, Rika, to the other side of the spa to a small, cozy room. After I got comfortable on the massage table, Rika went to work.
Yall, facials are so relaxing! They played some really soft ambient music. Rika had a very pleasant and soothing speaking voice. It felt so nice to just be able to close my eyes for 45 minutes and…be. I wasn’t stressing about everything on my to-do list. I wasn’t straining my eyes looking at a screen. I was able to just fully relax and enjoy the various scents and feelings of having my face, neck, and shoulders pampered and massaged. My favorite part was the warm towel compresses. You know that delicious feeling when you pull on clothes that are fresh out of the dryer – especially on a chilly day? It was like that. What I also liked was that Rika gave me some great skin care tips for when I was at home.
After we all had our treatments, we gathered together for a really lovely lunch from La Madeleine. I really enjoyed the Chicken & Pesto sandwiches on ciabatta rolls and the Cranberry & Pecan Wild Field Salad. We also were able to have a glass of wine or champagne with our meal. I chose red wine (though I did wonder if it was the “right” wine-food pairing, lol).
After lunch, we had a full tour of the spa with Mahvash Kamran, who owns the spa along with her husband, Jim. (Random tidbit, Mahvash was the first licensed aesthetician in Arkansas). We also had a chance to shop a bit in the lobby before heading back home.
I tell you, I needed that day!
Time out of the house. Time to hang out with a friend without kids in tow. Time to be pampered and to enjoy a great meal cooked by someone else. I just needed some “ME” time.
I know that many other moms and women need some “me” time as well, so after my spa experience, I held a weekend-long contest on Facebook where one lucky winner would receive a $25 gift card to Rejuvenation Clinic Day Spa. The winner, who is also named Tiffany (I call her Tiffany #2 and she calls me Tiffany #1, lol) won the certificate and was over the moon excited because she’d never won anything before. I hope she feels just as pampered as I was when I went.
If you live in (or plan to visit) the Little Rock area, I highly recommend stopping by the Rejuvenation Clinic Day Spa to check out their many amazing services. Since Mother’s Day is coming up, you have the perfect excuse to treat yourself (not that you need an excuse). Maybe you could make it into a big event with your mom, daughter, or BFF! Check out their website and schedule a treatment. (P.S. A gift card would make a great gift. You can purchase them in the spa or on their website.
While you’re the website, be sure to sign up for their mailing list. To celebrate the 25-year anniversary of their day spa AND the 10-year anniversary of their med spa, they are offering specials every month in 2017. Subscribing to their mailing list ensures you know about all of them. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for social media update.
Thanks for reading! Before you leave, tell me: what’s your favorite form of self-care. Let me know in the comments below.
