by Christy

It was the best of times; it was… well, really just the best of times. Jan and I decided to start out the year with a pampering pact. Who knows if it will be something we do every couple months or not, but we could think of no better way to spend a freezing cold Saturday than to whisk ourselves off to a spa and indulge in a manicure, complete with paraffin dip!

We set appointments a week in advance so Jan and I could have simultaneous manicures. We waited patiently, and counted all the ways we desperately needed this spa service. "I have been knitting so much lately that my hands are just achey!" Jan lamented to me in an anticipatory IM chat. "Ugh! I know. If my hands get any drier they’re going to crack in two," I responded. When Saturday arrived, I set my mind on the vat of paraffin I was going to be dipping into soon while I ducked in and out of the near-zero temperatures running random errands.

Jan said she wanted a color that was a little racy, and I think we achieved that goal.

After picking Jan up and a failed attempt at luring her husband to the spa with us, we were off. We tried to figure out what colors we were looking for, and decided to leave it up to a spur-of-the-moment gut feeling. We would see the color and just know! Our spa of choice was a new one for both of us. The lovely waiting area greeted us, along with a gust of warm air as we stepped inside Shear Ego salon. We perused some makeup and other gifty-type things as we waited for our manicure gals. We even had a moment to talk about our spare-room conversions we’re doing in our own homes--carving out a little space for writing and crafting. Perhaps a future article is brewing?

Soon, Annette was with us, telling Jan that Jen would be little bit longer, but that she was ready for me. The manicure started with the toughest choice of the day, what color? The wall of O.P.I colors was extensive! I ended up going with a dark maroon/brown, while Jan chose a gorgeous warm red with gold undertones. Annette told us that her favorite thing about that line of polishes is the names they use. My color was A Man in Every Port-ugal, and Jan’s golden red color is known as Russian to a Party… ooo-la-la! Jan said she wanted something a little racy, and I think we achieved that.

If you have never experienced a manicure or a paraffin dip, I encourage you, I urge you to go! You are more than worth the 20-30 dollars it costs for this service. The warm lotion hand massage was divine, the invigorating scrub and hot towel wrap was fabulous, and the paraffin dip was otherworldly. If you are asking, "Just what is a paraffin dip?" let me tell you! It is just as it sounds, they have a warm tub of paraffin that you dip your hand into a few times (or your feet if you’re getting a pedicure), then they wrap your hand in plastic and put warm mitts over the whole business and just let it sit for a few minutes. It is warmth that pours over your hands, up your arms, and through your whole body.

In the warmth of the spa, we knew there was no better place to be.

As Jan and I sat with the little white mitts on our hands and soaked in the warmth and pleasantries of the spa, we just smiled and knew there was no better place to be at the moment. Let the wind howl; let the snow blow! Encouraged that our nails and cuticles weren’t the worst that Annette or Jen had ever seen, we were soon polished and sitting with our fingertips under the driers.

The hour plus had gone by too quickly. With funny tales shared on both sides of the manicure table, we bid farewell and happy weekending to Annette and Jen, and headed back out into the frosty air. With a quick stop at the grocery store for last-minute items for some entertaining I was doing that evening, we each picked up a cheery bunch of tulips to bring a little more of our afternoon’s warmth home.

I am mesmerized by the lovely nails at the tips of my fingers as I type away. I will grant you that I have succeeded at giving myself nearly as nice a polish job as I now possess, but never was it achieved with such luxury and ease. So now when Jan and I look down at our nails we don’t pick out all the little imperfections from the rush job done teetering on the bathroom sink or coffee table, we are reminded of the soothing massage and warming paraffin, which is a good thing on this day when it is only 9 degrees outside.

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