Damon's 1/2 hour Swedish Massage

Here's what he had to say about it!


"On Sunday I had my first appointment with the folks at Misbehaven Spa and Salon, a half hour Swedish massage. Now, half hour massages usually don’t get my motor running as they are usually too short to get some real relaxation going. So I was prepared for a quick “massage” that would be semi painful and not really relaxing at all.
When I arrived, I was promptly greeted by Margo, my masseuse for the day who kindly offered me something to drink, to which I said no thanks, I’m good. She led me to one of several “treatment” rooms and then stepped out while I lay down on the table. Now a half hour massages usually only covers one specific area, such as neck or back and or legs and arms. Today we would be focusing on the neck and back. Again, my hopes were not high, but still Margo seemed nice enough.
So Margo began by working the muscles around my neck and shoulder blades, pretty simple and not painful at all. I was sure that there would be some pain soon though. I was wrong. Not only was it not painful, like some previous massages I have had elsewhere, but it was totally relaxing. I even found myself slipping into a sleepy; trance like state the height of relaxation for me.
The massage was so good that I really was totally surprised. No joke. Margo is very adept and is able to walk the fine line between pressure and relaxation which many masseuses fail to do. It is either all pain or weak hands that cannot get into the muscle groups and stretch things out.
So my first experience was in a word, amazing. I am seriously thinking of calling Margo up and having her book me for a full 1 hour Swedish, on my own dime. Yes it was that good. If you can stop my mind from thinking for even five minutes, then you have seriously succeeded in making me relaxed. Best half hour massage ever."

What does Damon have to say about all this?

“adventures in metrosexuality”

So I am not a “fancy” guy if you will, and please read on before you make any snap judgements about my choice of words. I do not wear suits. I do not wear ties. Unless I am going to a funeral or a wedding, in which case I might do both and will probably wear socks too. my mother told me it shows class, whatever. Most days you will find me sporting a pair of shorts, usually well worn, and flip flops (same). I frequently do not shave for several days at a time, I have other things to do in the morning. So when I say I am not “fancy” I mean I am not a guy that really takes a lot of stock in his personal appearance, day to day. That is not to say I am a slob (do not ask my wife this question) nor that I do not like to look “presentable” (again, don’t ask my wife). So when Kimberly Miner asked me if I would be willing to come to Misbehaven and get some “spa treatments” done and then write about them, I was at least intrigued although I pictured in my mind several women standing over me and wanting to “tweez” my brown and airbrush my nails. . . uh, no.
Kimberly thought that if men had a chance to hear it from another man then it might take some of the “scare” out of it. Ok, I am all about trailblazing so why not? Kimberly and I met at Misbehaven to run through the different spa and “grooming” (guys don’t do “beauty”) packages they offer. The list is extensive and although my wife and daughters have forced me on occasion to get a facial or pedicure, I am not too familiar with all of the different items.
I decided to take the menu home and run through all of the different services so that I could compile a list of what I thought that most guys would be willing to endure, I mean, enjoy, yes . . . .enjoy. . . . I did find a few items that I had questions about and after visiting the Misbehaven web site, I have to say that I was not any more informed, unfortunately. I would love to see a detailed description for each service so that if I had a question about what the difference between a Swedish massage and a Deep Tissue massage was, I could at least get an idea from the site. I also noticed that most of the site is geared toward woman, no surprise, but that there is no list of Men’s services listed, this would be a nice touch for those looking and for those who’s spouses or significant others wanted to get something as a gift or do a “couple’s day” at the spa.
After talking it over with Jeanese I decided that we would try out the massages, facial and the mani and pedi (sorry just saving words here boys). I would also set up a men’s haircut. The only other item that I thought would be nice for men would be a hot lather shave. I have had a few of these in my time, thanks to my father for pointing out how nice these are, and how rare these days, and the experience of a good hot lather shave is something that is not to be missed at least once in life. Gents add it to your bucket list and make it happen.

What's Next?

What's next?

i thought it would be interesting to have a man go through all the Men's Services at Misbehaven as well. it was a little challenging getting photos of the services that i had so i thought this would also give me the opportunity to observe and take photos. but the primary objective of having a man come in and get services done is to see if we can show people that Spas and Salons are not just for women.

i met Damon Burke when i first took photos for him at his business "Salumiere Cesario", here in Walla Walla. i have also taken family photos of him and his wife, Colby and their two girls. Colby and Damon had read about what i was doing at Misbehaven and one day when i was in their shop, we got on the conversation of men having spa services. Damon mentioned he likes to take his girls for manicures and that he had even had a facial, due to Colby's coaxing.

months later, i approached Damon and asked him if he would be interested in having the services that Misbehaven offers, that we felt men were most likely to have done. in turn, he would blog about it, share his experiences. he agreed, and last Friday we met at Misbehaven and scheduled all his appointments. we will be meeting in two weeks for his first service...a swedish massage.

Summing it up....

i went through almost all the services at Misbehaven Spa & Salon, and i have to say i enjoyed almost every single one. I definitely have seen a great improvement in my skin. the microdermabrasion and LED treatments were wonderful. i would love to continue to get those series done once a year. i will definitely keep tinting my brows periodically. its so nice to not have to pencil my brows in. i will not ever wax my legs again. that was a very painful experience and not really all that successful in my case. i still had lots of hair left on my leg, and i wasn't willing to go back a couple more times to get them all. it was just too uncomfortable. the massages were so nice. the hot stone massage was my all time favorite treat. i would wish that experience on everyone! initially i loved the lash extensions, until after about a week. then i could hardly wait to get them off. i didn't like how i had to babysit them. it took all the discipline i could muster to not pick them all off. i went in and had them removed 3 weeks later. my lashes are a little messed up and sparse now, because i could not keep from plucking them off, and taking my own lashes with them (since they were glued to my own lashes). as they grew out, they twisted, clumped and started laying the wrong direction. they just ended up being too high maintenance for me. just the opposite of what i thought they would be. i figured if i didn't have to wake up and put on mascara, my time getting ready would be less, but the truth was i had to brush them and un-clump them, etc. LOVED the gel nails. loved how my nails looked healthy and pretty. i still use the eminence products that i was introduced to, and i really love all of them.
i feel as though i learned a lot from this experience. for me, it was a matter of finding out where i "fit" into the world of beauty. i want a low maintenance regime, healthy skin and hair, but don't want to spend a lot of money. i had to figure out which items were worth the expense for me, and which i could live without. i am still trying to prioritize my wants and budget, and it will probably vary from time to time.

i just went back to my original blog and noticed that i started this blog on March 11th, 2011. exactly one year ago today (:

Happy 1 year anniversary to me and my new beauty regime.

Follow-up to Lash Extensions.

I went in today to have Kael fill in a few spots where lashes have fallen off. i also noticed they kind of clump together, and i am not sure how aggressive i can be in brushing them apart with my lash brush, so i scheduled a quick follow-up consult.

She replaced a few that had fallen out and said that it is very typical for a few to fall out. she also showed me how i could brush them with the lash brush and fan them out. they are fragile, but not as fragile as i imagined, so now i feel a little more comfortable brushing through them.

this morning after my shower, they were a little clumped together, so i took the lash brush and fanned them out. two of them did come out, but i can't notice a difference.

i have not experienced any of the discomfort that some have experienced. i really like not having to put mascara on daily and even more so, love not having to remove it every evening!

Lash Extensions $150 (initial appointment) $50-75 for follow-up

This is an appointment that i have been looking forward to. Anything that helps make my daily beauty routine simpler is a wonderful thing to me.

Here is a photo of me with my natural lashes.

Because my natural lashes are so light, Kael started by tinting them a dark brown so that they would blend with the extensions. once they were tinted, she rinsed all the tint off and then applied the protective sheilds below my eyes (see photos). the lash extensions come in various lengths, and she chose a length that close to my natural length. just like my own lashes, which are shorter, closest to my nose and gradually longer to the outsides, she applied the extensions. they are put on one by one, alternating from the left to the right eye. by alternating it gave each lash a chance to dry before applying the next. so back and forth she worked for about an hour.

the process was completely painless, for that matter, feelingless (is that a word?). i could feel her fingers on my eyebrows as she steadied them but i could not feel the lashes being glued on. at one point i slightly dozed off. it was a pretty relaxing procedure.

Kael gave me a couple pointers to make these lashes last as long as possible.
1. do not use waterproof mascara. in fact the ultimate goal would be to not use any, since the lashes are fuller and they are dark brown anyhow.
2. do not use oil-based eye makeup remover. the oil can break down the glue.
3. be gentle with your eyes.

some clients experience a little bit of discomfort the next day. it can be attributed to the lashes being glued to the lids, and the glue kinda tugging at the lid. also, if you sleep on your side or tummy, it can put pressure on the lashes, causes the pressure. i made an effort to sleep on my back, and i did not wake up with any discomfort.

i did notice that when i wash my face, i have to be very gentle washing around my eyes. i am not sure how gentle i am supposed to be, but i avoided them all together. i soaped up my fingers and just massaged my lids, but i tried not to touch my lashes.

i think that the lashes are very subtle. so much so, that i don't think anyone would even suspect i have lash extensions unless i pointed them out. this is a service that i would love to continue to have. i really enjoy having one less thing to do in my morning routine.

1 year follow-up appointment

my skin 1 year later.

It's hard for me to believe it's been 1 year since i first started this blog. it was a turning point in my life...i started to pay attention to my skin, the amount of water i was drinking and how things that i eat or drink affect my skin, and the way i feel.

i thought it would be a good idea to go meet with Megan at Misbehaven and have her take a close up look at my skin. i wanted to see if my skin has digressed, if the little changes i have made, taking most of the advice she gave me, modifying others to my budget, but overall making lots of changes to my beauty regimen, had made a difference.

it was unfortunate that the day i met with her, i had not had any water to drink yet that day. i had lots of water the days before that, but that particular day i had been out and about and just hadn't had a chance to hydrate. (although i'd found time for lots of coffee and even a soda):

Megan put on her microscope looking goggles and took a close look at my skin. she did notice it was dehydrated, a little red, and my forehead was a little oilier than usual. all of which can happen when skin is dehydrated. she said the lines around my mouth were a little more pronounced. shoot. we came to the conclusion that a big part of the wrinkles around my mouth are because i sleep on either my stomach or my side, squishing my face. sounds lovely, huh?

i don't see myself changing my sleeping pattern, so i guess i will live with the wrinkles around my mouth. but i do recognize that i need to drink more water.

i told megan that i had been using Eminence Moisturizer daily and also using the exfolliant for my face daily. i have incorporated a vitamin E oil to my face at night. i was curious if that was clogging my pores, but she said it was not.

all in all, my daily beauty routine seems to be working just fine. i just need to keep drinking lots and lots of water.

which consists of:
cleansing in the morning,
moisturizing with Eminence Rose whip moisturizer right after i wash my face
a little bare minerals natural colored eye shadow
mascara
eminence bronzing blush.