Can you remember the last time you devoted an entire day to serving yourself and doing what you actually want to do? Before yesterday, I definitely couldn’t. I was on the cusp of a major burnout, so I decided I needed a day away from work. I spent a whole day out of the house treating myself to a facial, massage, mani-pedi, dinner, and some shopping. Here’s a full recap and review of my day!
The Facial
The goal was to have a relatively affordable facial in the hopes that I could maintain it on a monthly basis. My hyperpigmentation has been bugging me and I know it’s time I turn it over to a professional. I did a simple google search of affordable facials in NYC and came across this article. After doing a cross-check on Instagram I decided HeyDay was the best option for me. I chose the 19th street location because it was within walking distance of the nail salon I wanted to go to. (Ultimately everything I did was within walking distance of each other which was great because I wasn’t running around the city). I looked up the estheticians with the goal of choosing a Black woman and so I went with Brentanny Edwards at the 19th street location.
As for the facial, it was $105 dollars for a full facial including extractions. I ended up getting an add-on treatment of LED therapy which my “skin therapist” (that’s what HeyDay calls their estheticians) recommended. That was an additional $20. The goal is to get started on hyperpigmentation treatments in two weeks when I go back, but we couldn’t do some of that work because I had some open wounds from picking (yikes) so we could only focus on healing and hydrating the skin. But I’m excited to work facials into my routine more consistently and will be going back to HeyDay!
The Massage
I’d never had a massage before. Because of that, I wasn’t picky and really my goal was to stay in the area and not break the bank. I went to Groupon and found a deal for Vivi Body Spa for a 36 dollar 60-minute massage so I said why not. The spa was a less than 5-minute walk from HeyDay so it was definitely convenient. It was a good massage which I needed but not anything particularly spectacular in terms of aesthetics (so if you’re looking for an IG friendly spa this is not it). But it was good to get the experience! My body definitely needed it.
The Shopping
I had some time to kill between my massage and mani-pedi appointment and there were a lot of stores in the area. The only one that stood out to me as worth checking out was Zara, but I did make a stop at Sephora just to get matched to some foundations that I’m thinking about getting during the upcoming VIB sale. At Zara, I picked up this jumpsuit, sweater, jeans, and cropped blazer.
The Mani-Pedi
I had wanted to check out the Sundays Nail studio for a while, especially since they gifted me some of their nontoxic nail polishes. The studio made its way on to a lot of best nail studios/best nail salons in NYC lists, and on top of that, it was within walking distance of all the other spots I had been to. So I took my talents to Sundays and here are my thoughts
The studio is definitely cute, but it appears much larger in photos. There are four chairs for pedicures (it looks like there were six pre-COVID based on pictures) and about six seats for manicures but because of social distancing, there are never more than three people served there at a time.
I got the signature pedicure and a buff manicure (a no nail polish manicure because I wanted to use press-ons later when I got home). I was surprisingly impressed by the buff manicure. Like my nails were POLISHED in a way that I don’t see when I get nail polish manicures.
As for the pedicure, it wasn’t too special, to be honest. It was a nice ambiance but the signature pedicure basically involved throwing some mineral salt into the water, then a scrub, and then a lotion. I would have loved to try their rose petal pedicure, but couldn’t justify the price. So for the price, I don’t think it was that great and you’re more so paying for the ambiance (and the expensive downtown Manhattan rent). Additionally, it seems like in an effort to save space and to maintain the aesthetic, there is no drying station. They provide fans about the size of what you would fit in your purse, so you’ll be waiting a long time to make sure your nails dry unless you show up with open-toe shoes.
That’s it for my self-care Saturday recap! After the mani-pedi, I picked up dinner, came home and did my press-ons while watching girlfriends. I felt so refreshed and amazing after the day, and I hope to have the means to do things like this as often as I want to in the future.
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” 3 John 1:2
