Spanish Ex-SPA-rience

A couple weeks ago I experienced something for the first time here in Spain, a spa treatment. And I decided it was worthy of a post. Normally while I am here I prefer to save my money for things like traveling (see upcoming post about Istanbul), eating out and of course a little bit of shopping (and rent and utilities and all the boring stuff). However, I was given an opportunity (thanks groupon!) that I couldn’t turn down: manicure, pedicure, back massage and facial treatment all for 19€!

I bought the groupon with a couple of other friends. We were going to go together and have a girl’s spa day. Unfortunately bad news broke when we called to make the appointments, the spa could only accommodate two at a time. Since there were five of us we went in two groups of two, and one brave soul had to go in alone.

I was given the last slot of the three appointment times we were given. Having heard nothing from the girls who went before me, I did not know what to expect. I walked over to the place with my time slot buddy (in the pouring rain). We did not know exactly where we were going; we only knew a street address. As the numbers got closer and closer to our destination, the street became more and more deserted, looked like the street belonged to ghost town. I knew we were parallel to one of the most popular hang out spot in Sevilla so I wasn’t nervous or anything like that, it was just a little disconcerting. Also, it was pouring rain so this is really just my perception of my surroundings without really having seen anything because when I walk with an umbrella the only thing I see is the ground two feet in front of me.

So, we finally arrived at our destination, number 89. Good year. Like everything else on the street, it was an unmarked storefront. There was a door but the metal grate that stores put up so no one robs them when they are closed was a little bit covering the door. We tried to open it, but it appeared to be locked. Have I mentioned it was pouring rain? I went around to the other side of the store (it was on a corner), no door there! So, this was the door. But how do you get inside? Duh, the doorbell.

After double-checking that we were in fact in the right place, we rang the doorbell. But the adventure was not over yet.

A cheerful, bubbly Spanish woman with a fuzzy black grandma style sweater opened the door for us. She kindly told us that we would have to wait a little bit because she hadn’t yet finished with our friends. The waiting room was a mixture of what I consider a typical spa waiting room and someone’s living room. Comfortable chairs though, so I can’t complain. Now I don’t know about you, but when I don’t know exactly what I am about to experience, I get a little anxious. So when that “little bit” I had to wait turned into half an hour…you can only imagine.

Finally it was my turn! I went into a room with aforementioned bubbly Spanish woman’s compañera. I saw a massage table so I thought I would get my massage and facial in this room and then get transferred to the other room for the manicure/pedicure. Well, I was right indeed about this being the massage/facial room, but little did I know this would also be the manicure/pedicure room. The whole 90-minute treatment on the massage table!

I got a very relaxing back rub from the compañera, lights off and heat on. Then the other lady came in and said she was going to take over to do the facial. Turned off the heat, turned on the lights and exposed the hospital white walls. Maybe I am just spoiled from the past spa experiences I have had, but for me, ambience is somewhat important. I was relaxed from the back massage and then immediately jolted into another state of consciousness. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the facial, I really did, but I prefer the lights to be dimmed and relaxing ocean sounds in the background while I am in a spa. But this is partially my fault for expecting a “spa” experience. After all the groupon did advertise it as a “wellness mix”, whatever that means…

I am not sure if I am accurately expressing my experience. When I read over this blog, it seems like I didn’t enjoy myself, but really quite the contrary.  I had a great time.

Fuzzy sweater lady had a personality that one might find on a TV land sitcom, reminded me a little of Lucy from I love Lucy.  It seemed like every five minutes she was getting up to fetch something she had left in the other room: her glasses, the acetone, face cream etc. She also repeatedly put her glasses down somewhere, couldn’t remember where, and since she couldn’t see without her glasses couldn’t see where in the room she had left them! It is beyond me why someone who can’t see without glasses would take them off. I suppose we all have our quirks.

Not surprisingly (given that my appointment started half an hour late), there was some prisa (rushing) towards the end of my appointment. So there’s me lying down on a massage bed, having my fingernails painted by one lady, and toenails painted by another. I was asked what color I wanted my nails painted but in the end it didn’t really matter what I wanted. I asked what my options were and Lucy said I’ll bring you some choices. Turns out if I didn’t want green or transparent, I had two option, red or purple. Quite the change from the 150 options I have when I go to a nail salon in the USA. Made my life a little easier though. For anyone who hasn’t ever gotten a manicure with me, I usually spend about 15 minutes deliberating over which shade of purple I want as if it is the last manicure I will ever get. So I chose red. Well, when your fingernails and toenails are being painted at the same time, surprise surprise, they can’t both be the same color. So it was, purple on the fingers and red on my toes. Never been one to match my hands to my toes anyway.