Pink Eye

This morning, 

I used a voucher I bought earlier in the spring

 on lastminute.com for a day at the spa.

I paid £20 for a 30 minute massage, 30 minute facial, 

30 minute body wrap, & eyebrow shaping.

Sound too good to be true?

I was worried about that, too.

My trek to the spa was a bit further than anticipated-

in fact, my cab fare cost more than the voucher itself.

Upon walking in, it was obvious that the actual salon 

was basically the exact opposite of your resort spa experience.

No lounging in fluffy robes in a serene waiting room.

No leather massage tables with heating pads and fluffy sheets.

No overhead speakers quietly playing music interspersed with faux cricket chirps.

 Martine's Beauty Spot was in the second floor of an office building...

in a business park...

in the middle of a small nearby village (Abingdon)...

& looked like the type of joint Frenchy would have worked at

if she hadn't dropped out of beauty school.

But honestly-

it was one of the best facials & massages I've ever had.

I didn't care that I was surrounded by cinder-block walls painted pepto-pink

and that the squiggly IKEA mirrors hanging nearby were dusty...

I was just happy that I had paid £20 for such amazing treatments.

The staff was so friendly and talented.

They were even accommodating to me arriving a half hour late.

So would I take ten days like this at Martine's 

over a over-the-top morning at the Four Seasons?

Absolutely!

In honor of feeling a little like a princess

(even though I did take the bus home to save some money),

I'm indulging in some pink today.

Not quite the same shade of pink of the walls at Martine's... but, eh, it's pretty close.

Molton Brown, Pink Peppercorn Bath Gel, $17.50 | Reiss Shirt £110 | Marc Jacobs Bracelet $78 
Sheyna Earrings £52.00  | Pilot Precise V5 $7.62 | Cocktail Image | Door Image

*I love the Pilot Precise oh-so-much. I take it as a personal duty to convert as many people to using them as possible.