Fair and Handsome?! - My first facial

 "A facial is a cosmetic treatment of the face, commonly involving a variety of skin treatments, grooming steps and deep cleansing of the face by various means including: steam, exfoliation, extraction, creams, lotions, masks, peels, and massage. It is a common spa treatment."

Do not use soap to clean the face, as they contain thickening agents that clog the pores.

All those of you who have done a facial before, the above mentioned from Wiki would be well known but for a first timer like me it is news. I have heard talk of facials, bleaches, etc etc but I never foresaw a day when I would actually try it. Today the 19th of January is the day when I had my first facial because mum and D want me to look good for the wedding!!!!!

Actually my hairdresser has been telling me for a long time now that I should try out the many beauty treatments (yuck!!!) he had. I have politely declined till date, but after much persuasion from mum and D, I decided to test the waters. I dutifully went in and thought I could escape with my usual hair cut and shave and maybe my monthly indulgence of a hair massage with the “thanda thanda” Navaratna oil. (For those of you who have not tried it, it is a wonderfully relaxing experience and if topped off with a good hot water head bath will ensure a fitful sleep and drive away all fatigue.)


But my enterprising hairdresser sold the complete grooming package to me. I was a little taken aback by the options and combinations offered and the price spectrum. I chose to go with the reasoning that the most expensive may be the best (not true, I know) and ended up choosing the Gold package which used imported creams and is “supposedly” better than Lakme and Shahnaz Hussain. My refusal to dye my hair was firmly over-ruled by the hair dresser who could not digest the fact that I wanted to get married with a lot of grey hair which I thought was cool. I have endured the ignominy of wearing the many numerous potions (that will make the druid Getafix proud) and whatnot mum dutifully cooked up and dumped on my hair with the fond hope that my grays will be black before the wedding. When all my protests fell on deaf ears I just mumbled to myself and sat in the recliner and said “Go ahead” for the full package and decided to go with the flow, trusting my mane and my face to my hairdresser.

The next 3 hours passed by as a blur with cream after cream adorning my face, I counted at least 5 different colours and some kind of face pack that did not smell good. 1 wonderful hair massage and 2 face massages and 4 shampoo washes were interspersed with one dyeing and hair cut and a bleach (i think). And yes he also did shave me and make me look a little respectable a far cry from the tramp persona I was sporting the last 4 days.

Anyway I came out 3 hours later with my face looking freshly scrubbed (but as the warning at the beginning tells you soap is bad, my dutiful hair dresser used something else), my beard shaved and my bank balance lighter by Rs. 927 (900 for the package, plus service charge for card payment). I took a look at the mirror and saw the same me, no, I didn’t expect to see Madhavan, but still for 900 I thought I may look a little better than before. Mum looked at me and from her reactions I think she was disappointed too.

My curiosity got the better of me and I searched Wiki to understand what i had undergone and hey presto I filled up a page!!! 
My next sitting for more of the same is on the day of the wedding and it will cost 1000 Rs. I just get the funny feeling I’m blowing up my money and the only people laughing are you the reader and my hairdresser on the way to his bank.

PS: D had entered the parlour in the morning and as I write this 5 hours since she is only half way done. And life has just begun....