Most girls, girly or otherwise, require lots of attention, pampering and lip gloss.
Lip gloss is quite cheap, and easily found, whereas attention takes a bit more time and energy, and usually involves other people (attracting and keeping employed male who speaks English and doesn't harbor secret longing to sleep with sister or friends).
Pampering then, is the most fulfilling and least emotionally straining of the lot.
And the nicest, most relaxed and personal treatment I've found for this in the UK was in the Birmingham suburb of Tamworth, much to my delight and surprise.
A local holistic therapies centre (I know, right?) provided me with a pamphlet of a beauty service called "Pampered by Pom". The first thing that caught my attention was the low prices (pampering should not involve staggering charges on credit card that will inhibit attraction of above-mentioned male).
The second was the unique titles of the beauty treatments -- these didn't seem to be "one size fits all".
So I rang and spoke with Pom and scheduled an eyebrow wax, manicure and pedicure.
She fit me in the following afternoon, after much pleading and description of eyebrows as Pomeranian in nature.
Pom gives her beauty treatments from her home, in dedicated room. I arrived, and she was waiting at the door. With gorgeous skin and a lovely smile, Pom is a testimony to traditional Thai remedies.
I followed her upstairs and was led into a room that rocked my socks off (mainly because I had left them at the door with my shoes, and was wearing specially-provided flip flops). The decor was stunning, from the gorgeous paint colour to the authentic Thai furnishings and lovely lighting.
I sat in a chair, cup of tea in hand, and went through a health questionnaire with Pom, to make sure all the treatments and products were suitable for me.
I then spent an hour and a half chatting politics, the strangeness of British men, the horrifying weather and feelings of homesickness with Pom while she truly pampered my tootsies and paws.
Though I prefer a manicure with cuticle treatment, the massage and potions she used were really wonderful, and left my skin softer for days.
The pedicure was divine, and sorted out my pavement-pounding peds to dance floor perfection.
Pom even pointed out that my nails had some little ridges in them that would be shown with glaring clarity if I wore the fire-engine-red polish I had chosen, and suggested instead a more metallic colour to hide the little grooves.
She's constantly offering specials and discounts, and great advice on beauty care, and is one of the chattiest, most friendly therapists I've met.
My only wish is that she offered more detox/anti-cellulite treatments, and cuticle work with the manicure, but these are minor points in an otherwise lovely experience.
I haven't tried a massage yet, as I think I'll fall asleep and ask to stay the night, which could put a strange on the beauty therapists/client relationship. read more
