Planning your first visit to the spa? Don’t worry, you won’t lose any manly points for going to get a treatment. After all, what’s wrong with wanting some pampering and to improve your skin, nails or wellbeing, right? Here are some helpful pointers for things you might be wondering about so you can breeze through the experience and enjoy it.
Arrive early for your appointment
If you can, try to show up 10 to 15 minutes to your spa appointment. There will be forms and waivers to sign and that way you have a chance to talk to your spa therapist beforehand. Not about the weather—but say, you’re getting a massage. You can outline what areas you want to focus on, or discuss any injuries you may have. By arriving early, you can take your time and not be all rushed and stressed before what should be a relaxing experience.
Shave before going for a facial
If you’ve booked a facial, the aesthetician will be deeply cleansing and applying masques and moisturizers, and you want to be allow these products to be able to soak into your skin, so it’s best to be clean shaven for your facial so that there’s little hair interfering with the products reaching your skin.
Wear or take off your underwear—it’s up to you
Wondering if you should be going commando underneath that spa bathrobe? For most spa treatments, you’ll be putting on a robe, even if you are going for a facial (oftentimes, not just your face is treated; your neck and shoulders are also treated, or while a masque is on your face, the therapist may massage your arms, hands and/or feet). Under the robe, it’s up to you what you are comfortable with in terms of leaving your boxers or briefs on or off.
Prep properly for waxing
Avoid heavy, rich moisturizers or oils before going in for a wax appointment; you want to ensure the wax can grip onto the hair you want removed, so it’s best to avoid anything that’ll make the task more difficult. Also, if you’re fearful of the pain, consider taking an aspirin about a half hour before your appointment to help alleviate it a bit. If you anticipate a low tolerance to the pain of waxing, buy a numbing cream (available at many spas or a dermatologist) and apply it before your appointment.
Consider your schedule before and after your treatment
Some laser treatments will call for your skin to heal and this makes it inadvisable to exercise afterwards as it may interfere with this process, so ask when booking if this is the case and plan your trips to the gym accordingly. Also, sun exposure can dry out your skin and make it sensitive before a treatment, and after a treatment such as waxing or a facial peel, UV rays can be especially dangerous then, too, as your skin has new cells exposed. So immediately before or after a beach vacation might be bad timing, depending on what spa treatment you are getting.
