Damon's Hot Stone Massage

(word from kimberly)

Hot stone massage was one of my favorite services, so I was excited to hear what Damon had to say about it.  Below is his take on a Hot Stone Massage. 

Damon's experience:

Ok, this if for all you dudes out there that have not been paying attention and still don’t think that getting a “spa treatment” is ok or cool. Trust me it is. Allow me to elaborate and enlighten you to this fact, if nothing else remember that there is someone rubbing you down with oil and massaging the knots out of your muscles (How bad can that be?).  Now this is not to take anything away from the professionals that do this nor to cheapen it but let’s face it guys, we are all a bit dumb when it comes to enjoying the finer points of life that do not involve, firearms, big and or noisy pieces of machinery (especially ones that are for destruction), cooking meat with direct flames and sports. 

So I had the pleasure recently of getting a “hot stone” massage. Note that I was skeptical and even slightly sneering at the idea when it was first mentioned. 

Being inner monologue “Hot. Stone? Really? How could anyone possibly believe that rubbing some hot rocks on your body can do anything for you other than possible scald your skin? What idiot thought this up? Someone who invested too heavily in pet rocks back in the 80’s . . .ha!”

So I think I’ve set up the initial reaction to this a few months ago when these were all being offered. Now, having said that, I must say that as the day approached I grew more intrigued and interested if only because Margo had done such a great job with the two previous half hour massages. So usual intro for the day, “hi how are you? Can I get you some water while you’re waiting? The usual pleasantries, and very much appreciated. Again, I know I have said it before, but it is worth mentioning again, it is the attention to detail that I really appreciate here. 

So the hot stone differs from a regular massage in that they actually use, hot stones. Crazy, right? So the masseuse rubs their hands with oil then grabs a hot stone and uses that to massage the muscle. The stones are hot, but not unpleasant, in fact it is very warming and soothing. The stones are used to create a bit more pressure on the muscle as well as heat to help loosen up the knots and kinks. This also allows the muscle to be worked more deeply so that long term muscle pain and problems can be alleviated. 

All of the major muscle groups are worked, neck, arms, legs and while I won’t go into detail (I hate spoilers) I will say that it was not the same kind of relaxing that the other massages were. The hot stone is something unique and must be experienced to fully understand. I am sure that there are some people that would walk away having fallen asleep during the process, but I was very much interested in what was happening and how it affected the feeling of each muscle that was being worked. What I will say is that when I finally walked out of the room I felt like I had just taken a nap AND worked out all at once. An interesting sensation to say the least. 

What I really enjoyed was that I did feel very relaxed and I also felt a bit sore from the muscles being worked so deeply. The part that really worked for me, everything was great, but the extended scalp massage (thank you Margo!) really put me in the trance. Nice way to start a Wednesday morning. 

The whole experience from start to finish was wonderful and highly recommended to anyone who has an hour and half available and needs to work out a few months stress and anxiety. This will reset your inner stress clock, I promise. Make sure that if you do get one of these that you drink PLENTY of water for the next 24 hrs. Deep massages can release stored toxins from your muscles into your blood and those need to be flushed from your system quickly, trust me. So, guys, there are really no excuses for not going and getting a massage. Your friends won’t laugh at you. If they do it’s because they just don’t know how good it really is. I think it is fair to say that I will be going back in for another hot stone at least once more this year and I think it will be a once a quarter thing for me if I can fit it in, it really is worth it. No joke. 

Once again the folks at Misbehave have taken me from skeptic to believer just through demonstration. If they can change my mind, I think it is safe to say that you will become a believer to if you just try it. If nothing else you get an hour and a half off from life and a nap. Cheers.

Damon's Haircut

Last Wednesday was my scheduled hair cut at Misbehaven Spa and Salon, and I must say I was indeed over due, so good thing. For the haircut (hair appointment) I was scheduled with Hailey as I am assuming that Margo is more of a massage specialist and not a stylist, (it's all very confusing to me too boys).  Now, I grew up going to barber shops with my dad, and I hated  it most of the time. First time, the dude nicked my ear, then jammed a pair of scissors into my scalp. Did my best not to cry but, sorry to say I was 5 and the tears just came, dad was not understanding and thought I was being sensitive. Yes sensitive to the fact that some dude just jammed his scissors into my head and it friggin’ hurt. So going to a “salon”, while a bit more “girly” is much more welcome and there is usually not the stench of old cigarette smoke.

Now, I am going to get all of this out of the way up front so that we can set the stage for how things went. I am sure that it will come as a shock to many of you, but I am not the most extraverted person that you all might assume that I am, in fact I am quite shy and quiet normally and am horrible at making small talk. I am also a very private person as a result and am not terribly comfortable with being in the lime light. All true, ask my wife. So you can imagine how I am at a hair appointment or even worse the dentist’s office, and I love my dentist and his staff.

Few things I hate more (no offense intended here, and to be honest I find it mildly amusing now) than sitting in the dentist chair with my mouth agape and someone rummaging around in there while asking you questions like, “so how is your day going?”, to which the usual reply from me is “ho-hay, ah Hess”.  And at the salon the usual small talk ensues as well and I am sure that people think that I am grumpy or anti social, but really I just have nothing to say usually. 

So I really appreciated it when Hailey did not try to engage in small talk or idle chit chat. Her questions were direct , “so, how would you like it cut?” and so were my replies, “short and boring”. I did apologize for not having a more stylish look about me and or ready to go, can you imagine me in some new kinky summer doo? Yea, me neither. So off she went and the conversation was minimal and not too obtrusive, thank you Hailey for making me more comfortable, it is appreciated. 

Now I know in a previous post I mentioned the hot lather shave, and so I will again. Any salon that wants to really hit the “men’s haircut/salon experience” nail on the head will add this feature EVEN if it is only  for the back of the neck and sideburns, ladies trust me when I say this it is underappreciated, ask your man. Add in a true hot lather shave and you have yourself a serious business and a seg way to get men into a facial as well. Enough about that. 

One of my favorite things about getting your haircut at a salon is the wash. Which the barber shops never did, sad. What about the wash? Well specifically it’s the not the wash but the scalp massage. Yes, I said it, it’s the scalp massage. You could skip all the other wash and rinse stuff and just do that. In fact you could sell JUST the scalp massage and you’d make a killing with men, ladies are you paying attention? Imagine a salon that offered 15min scalp massages to men? You could even mention that it helps promote blood flow around the brain and to the hair follicles and thus promotes hair growth. How about that? 

So Hailey did a great job with the cut, but the scalp massage really sold it for me. Incredibly relaxing and I actually felt like I had some real down time, and this is a big bonus for me, as a haircut is usually something that I have scheduled in between other things. It is something that is done because it is needed not because it is wanted. Not this time. After the scalp massage (it could have lasted for 20 more minutes in my opinion) we went back and finished the haircut and I must say, very nicely done, even for my boring head and its lack of style. And let’s face it if Hailey can make me look good, she is obviously a miracle worker. 

Thank you to Hailey for making a simple haircut that much more enjoyable, bravo. Thank you to Misbehaven for continuing to pamper me and make all of these experiences very enjoyable. From a man’s point of view the salon is an intimidating place and not one that most men are comfortable in. I appreciate the staff at Misbehaven taking time to explain things and make it less awkward for us guys. If I could recommend anything I would say for men’s services, add the hot lather, even if it is only the back of the neck and sideburns. If you can get a full hot lather shave, even better. And sell the scalp massage as a service, when you do I will be making regular appointments. . . . .Cheers.

photos by kimberly miner, kimberly ink photography, owner of this blog.