No. 13 [A Day of Pampering]

I got an entire Saturday to sleep in and then pamper myself. I first went to European Wax Center (@EuropeanWax) in Pasadena, CA for my first time complimentary eyebrow wax. It was really luxurious, modern, clean, and glamorous. Kellie did my treatment and it was amazing, I have honestly never had such a seamless, comfortable and pain-free experience! I will definitely go back. They apparently use an exclusive wax blend and it really made a noticeable difference in the level of smoothness afterwards, and the general comfort of the procedure itself!

Then off I went to go get a quick lunch and ended up finding a Korean restaurant called "Dae Bak" Korean Restaurant in Lakewood, CA. They have lunch specials 7-days a week (score!) so I had some delicious doenjang jjigae (됀장찌개) which is probably my all-time favorite traditional Korean stew. They have a version that didn't have any peppers in it, but there was definitely a kick, which had my sweating a lot. But it was delicious and I brought the rest home that I couldn't finish. In fact, I just finished it a moment ago for dinner tonight... yay!

Then I went straight to my IV Hydration treatment at Sand Canyon in Stanton, CA. The traffic was rough. It was about an hour to get down there, but it was a leisurely drive. I have been getting IV hydration therapy since I discovered that it was even a possibility when living in Baltimore, MD. They didn't have any centers or clinics in Baltimore, but they did start popping up in nearby DC! I absolutely love the treatments and always just opt for simple saline fluids or lactated ringers solution. It makes me feel so much better overall. How? It's hard to describe. Back when I lived in Baltimore, I was going through a really rough time of physical health after multiple surgeries and a year of disability and physical rehabilitation, so yes, I was highly dehydrated for most of 2017. However, these days, especially since moving to CA, I've done a good job at making oral hydration a key part of every day because it is very clear that I live in the middle of the heat-ridden dessert now. There is no rain. There is dry air. There is dry heat. All day. Every day.

I saw that Groupon (yes! I definitely believe in Groupons and use them whenever I can!) was offering IV hydration treatments in many places around me! I was curious so I did a couple quick Google searches, only to find that they offer it everywhere around here! I was so excited!

Some places are expensive... charging upwards of +$150-200 for speciality IV cocktails... these have many added ingredients to the mixes for various health reasons, but I never really needed to dip into my wallet for those. I always just went for immediate hydration, which has 100% satisfied my needs and expectations thus far. So I had a coupon for Groupon and used it to get a 1L saline infusion today. It was amazing and it was really strange (and wonderful) that the nurse inserting my IV catheter this afternoon actually stuck me only once and got the IV successfully inserted! (I have extremely tiny arms & veins and all of my veins apparently roll around like crazy. Nurses and phlebotomists hate my veins!)

After this, I had a gift certificate (birthday goodies!) to get eyelash extensions at a local place I had never heard of in San Gabriel - Mermaid Beauty Center - so I called ahead and drove there. It was about 5pm by this point. It was a really seamless procedure and I thought she gave me some damn crazy dramatic lashes! Haha, no more makeup for the next month! Check! :)

It's my first time getting eyelash extensions in many years. I remember the last time I got them, I think some place in Manhattan, or maybe it was in Seoul... they were really heavy and I could really feel them 24/7 every time I blinked. But the most incredible thing is... I cannot feel these in the slightest bit! They are insanely soft to the touch too. In fact, it doesn't feel any different than natural lashes! They are dramatic and will completely eliminate any need for makeup. I never wear makeup other than eye makeup anyways (my daily routine is just eyeliner and mascara only), but now, definitely no mascara, and I don't think I'll even put on eyeliner!

The goal is the care for them. But I think I can keep that in check ;)

Thoughts?