Honey, It’s a Body Scrub Ya’ll

As New Yorkers we talk a lot about the joy it brings us to get out of the city. Mostly, in an effort to “relax.” Because yes, we have to completely leave our homes and city to “relax.” Where most people can light a fire and have a cup of tea, New Yorkers need to get out of the city any chance they get. It pretty much goes like this every time. 

Plane touches down in another American city outside of Manhattan. From the second you exit the plane you start to talk about how nice people outside the city are. How refreshing it is. How this is just what you need to relax. It doesn’t matter if you spent 20 years living outside the city and the last 2 years in the city. How nice people are completely leaves your memory. It is like part of an initiation of residency here. Believe me, the niceness is shocking to each and every person who lives in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs.

Ryan Gosling at a check out, Ryan Gosling Excuse me clip, Ryan Gosling in sunglasses, Ryan Gosling looking hot

When a cashier smiles at you and asks how your day was…

So nice, in fact, that the ole checking your emails on your phone while in the cab so the driver stops talking to you does’t even work. Unlike Paris, where checking emails on your phone to ignore the cab driver only infuriates him until you give up and just speak to him praying you are almost to the hotel. No, in the rest of America the cab driver just talks and talks completely oblivious to the fact that you are intentionally ignoring him. But alas, as far as the story of your trip is concerned… everyone is SO NICE.

Finally, you get to your destination and settle in. You go to a bunch of mediocre restaurants and rave about how good they are. Good because of two things. One, and this is the main one, you want it to be good because you are so in love with your trip that no matter what the place, it is the essence of what you are looking for. Therefore you can “relax.” Two, because the second you boarded that plane you lowered your expectations for service and food. And if you didn’t, you probably should have. Unless again, you are going to Paris.

You might even schedule a trip to the spa. That is the point of this get-a-way weekend you have been saying you “need” for so long, right? Trust me, we are getting to the point of this story. Again, if you are wise, you lowered your expectations, you know, because you hail from the almighty Manhattan where we have the best of the best right at our fingertips… (if you are VIP and/or willing to go with 8 million other people similar to you that is.)

Don’t get me wrong, we have our own problems in NYC. There is a good chance the sidewalk could collapse below us or an AC unit could just drop from someone’s window. Everyone fears they are the person that showtime is going to kick in the face, open cellar doors are everywhere, and most likely that scaffolding is going to crush you. I won’t even mention the constant fear of bedbugs that drives us in everything we do… but as far as restaurants and service is concerned, well, we’re down!

I digress. The spa. This is the part in the story where I indeed did relax. And not because I lowered my expectations but because I had an amazing honey body scrub at the Hutton hotel in Nashville, TN.

The Hutton Hotel does not have a spa in the hotel. There is a spa area that they license out to technicians from surrounding spas to come in and perform what they do best. It’s basically a best of the best in the city situation without even leaving your hotel. The Honey Body Scrub was preformed by a technician from Adagio Massage Co. & Spa. They prepare each scrub individually for each customer. It is a homemade concoction done by the owners with 100% natural and organic ingredients. Each technician has at least two years experience to join the team at Adagio. There was no stupid small talk. I explained that I am always very tense and prefer a light rub vs. a deep massage. Something he told me he doesn’t hear a lot in those parts. But, he was happy to oblige. An hour and fifteen minutes later, I left with many less dead skin cells and felt great.

Completing what you set out to accomplish on the trip, often you just enjoy the rest and try not to think about work or the emails that you really should get a jump start on.

Finally, as the trip is drawing to an end, you board the plane back to the city, wishing you had just a few more days to “relax.” On the shockingly short plane ride, you might look at the pictures from the weekend on your phone with warm memories.
But then, the pilot comes on and says we have begun our descent into the city, you look out the window and see the skyline of Manhattan. And I know this is the same for all of us. You look at this as if you’ve never seen it before, remember why you live here, and are glad you’re home.
NYC 2
 
***beauty always comes from within, photos from here and here or taken by Amanda Teague on Nov. 27, 2013, XOXO behind the mirror***
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  • Lovejoy Styles

    as a person who doesn’t get to travel a lot , i enjoyed this post. i’m hoping to move to nyc though after graduation…..

    • Behind the Mirror

      New York is a lot of fun! I am sure you will really enjoy moving here after graduation!!!

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