Me Time

I am going to be attending a wedding this Saturday and I decided that means it’s time for me to spring for a much (much) needed mani/pedi. I’m embarrassed to say how long it’s been. The truth is I don’t even remember the last time I’ve been to a nail salon. I didn’t even know where to go. So, I went to the ever-so-handy Yelp.com to help me. If you’ve never used Yelp, shame on you!!! Yelp is a site where people can review businesses like salons, eateries, stores, etc. It’s fantastic.

Yelp yielded a ton of results for my search (“nail salon” in San Clemente, CA), but I was drawn to Allure Nails & Spa because of the enthusiastic (albeit only 2) reviews, and the fact that it’s very close to where I work. The unassuming little storefront is tucked into an older shopping center that is anchored by a massive Sears Essentials. It wasn’t crowded but the two ladies who were there getting pedicures were relaxing in massage chairs, chatting with the nail techs and each other, and it seemed like a nice, relaxing place to be. And that is so what I needed!

My tech’s name was Ann and she was so sweet. I will admit that I had a little trouble understanding her since she has a thick accent, but I’m dumb like that. Ann is great at her job. My feet were gnarly, I won’t lie. Horrible calluses (it’s a constant battle for me and my PedEgg), practically unmentionable cuticles, and one heck of a jagged big toenail due to stubbing my toe (I’m always doing this…sigh). Ann’s eyes grew wide when she took a look at my toenails but she just chuckled and said she’d take care of it. She took very good care of me. I haven’t felt so luxuriously pampered in a long time. I got a spa pedicure which included the standard soaking in the spa chair, a lotion massage of my legs, and the actual nail maintenance itself. Equally decadent was the hand/arm massage I got while she was doing my manicure.

Holy hell. Have you guys ever gotten a really good hand massage? Oh man. I get a little wobbly just thinking about it. After typing all day, it felt so good. I made Ann chuckle again with the look of “ohmygodYES!” on my face as she dug deep into my palms with gentle pressure.

Ann was chatty and sweet and I got to relax and watch the news, as well as peruse a trashy magazine. I’m all caught up on Kourtney Kardashian and left the salon feeling so rejuvenated. The spa pedicure and manicure with the ever-so-important heavy duty callus remover all came to a very reasonable $30. But the relaxing, pampering experience is utterly priceless. And because I know you’re going to ask, the color I picked for my mani is OPI Mod Hatter, and the color I picked for my pedi is OPI Russian Navy.

My message in this post is if you are stressed, busy, or even depressed, please, please go take yourself out for some “me time” (you-time, I guess), whether it’s a mani/pedi, going to see a new rom-com, or a dish of your favorite ice cream. Never forget to take care of you every once and a while, no matter how self-indulgent it seems. You’ll thank yourself later.

And if you’re in the so-cal area, definitely go to Allure. It’s great. Very clean, wonderful service, great prices!

Note: I am not receiving any benefit if you read this and decide to go there. It’s a completely unbiased endorsement of a positive experience. :)

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