Over the weekend, I went and got the first facial of my life. Ew had been prompting me for years to get one, considering my face is prone to blackheads and breakouts, but I had always been a bit hesitant about actually taking the plunge. I had already acquiesced in our relationship by beginning a facial routine that went way above and beyond anything I did before I met ew, one which includes not just a cleanser, but a day moistuirizer, night moisturizer, occasional extraction, and occasional exfoliation. Yes, I am a man. But these are the things you learn in a relationship, and to be honest, once you overcome the stigma of what it means to be masculine and manly, it's actually good practice for anyone, regardless of gender. So I finally gave in to a facial mainly because of the impending nuptials, and I wanted to at least try to do something to prevent a potential breakout.
I didn't really know what to expect, and at first I felt very unsure of myself, from what I was supposed to do, what kind of facial to get, and obviously, of putting my skin under the microscope. It was especially awkward when I first entered the room and the person told me that I can put my clothes in the basket. I'm just getting a facial aren't I? Do I really need to take off anything? But I think it goes with the whole spa feel, so in the end I didn't quite take off everything, but I did get comfortable under the covers. And then, it's actually not that bad. There's some cleansing of the face, steaming, extraction, and then a mask and some massage. The massage feels a bit out of place because if I wanted a massage, I would have gone to get one, but the extraction actually helped bring everything out, and the mask really helped smooth my face. There is definitely pain involved in extraction, and my face has been a peeling mess ever since, but in the end, I can understand why people enjoy these. The skin does feel like a new layer is coming in, as if I just shed the imperfect skin much the way a snake does. So ew was right again with regards to my skin ... it just takes me baby steps to get to where she already knows I will end up.
