Hey everyone. How is your week going? This week is going much better than my past two weeks and I have made more time for relaxing or maybe just glued myself to the couch watching the Olympics at night. Anyone else? Since 2008 I have gotten more into the Olympics each year. 2012 I got into watching gymnastics and this year I have been able to catch a lot of the swimming since it is on in the evening. I don’t think I understood the hard work of swimming until being on the swim team in high school and I will admit I am no expert and only was on for one season, but I made sure to never quit and made it to every practice. At that point I felt like my life was swimming and school but I can’t even imagine the 16 year olds that make the Olympic team. That is a lot of dedication.

But anyway back to my wonderful night. Last night I left work and headed to a spa in the city for a much needed massage. I used to get monthly massages but stopped in March because my favorite masseuse left and I tried another person but the massage just didn’t have the same effect. So it has been a few months since a massage and actually the place I was going to closed and moved to a smaller location away from my office. It was time to hunt for a new place. Finding a decent price massage in a city is tough but since I did so much overtime in the last two weeks, poorly affecting my health, I knew that I needed a massage. Actually I probably need many but start with one.

I booked a massage at Body Restoration Spa. They had good reviews online and as far as massages go, the price was reasonable. It was even more reasonable when I got there and actually got to change to a robe. I usually just undress in the room and leave my clothes in a pile. Obviously this place was fancier.

I then had some cucumber water and waited for my masseuse. I told her to focus on my neck and shoulders which she definitely did. At one point during the massage I was thinking the whole hour was spent on my back, neck and shoulders. It must have been close to 40 minutes as she did go a bit overtime and didn’t spend a long time on my legs and arms, but just enough. I struggled a bit towards the end of laying on my stomach because my nose was completely plugged. I have never been a stomach sleeper. I was happy when I was finally able to move to my back to breath a bit better and for my other favorite part of getting my neck and head massaged. Shortly after that, the massage ended and I felt quite relaxed. She did a great job really getting deep around my shoulder blades which is what I need. It’s funny because even though I have sensitive skin and seem to bruise easily, when it comes to massages I like them to be really firm.

I slowly got up and poured myself some lemon water. Start with cucumber water, end with lemon water right?! I gathered my things, paid and headed over to Hip City Veg. I used to walk to Rittenhouse park for lunch time walks (back when I actually got lunch breaks everyday) and I was always curious to try this place. It is a tiny little place and at lunch time the line is literally out the door. Luckily 7pm is a much less crowded time. To hydrate a bit I went with a Groothie (their green smoothie) and also decided to get the Asian side salad for a light dinner. I enjoyed my food at the park sitting in the grass. It was quite busy in the city as it was Wednesday night Sips when everyone goes out and girls wear dresses that hardly cover their butts (just telling the truth here).

Anyway the park was more peaceful and I enjoyed eating and people watching. I then was going to head to Barnes and Noble for a bit but time flew by and there was only 20 min until the train and I was a good 10-15 min walk away. I decided to head to the train station, got to sit for a bit and then before I knew it the train came. I used my train time to type up this post and when I got home it was time to make food for today and take a bath. I used my detox bath salt. Might as well turn the night into a full spa night. 

Oh and I can’t forget about that delicious cupcake I had earlier in the day. I think this Wednesday was pretty good and now we are another day closer to the weekend. 

It is so important to have a night to treat yourself. I finally felt more relaxed last night and slept the best I have in a couple weeks. That makes the massage worth it. Also it is all about finding a balance. I was getting off balance with stress and I am glad that this week I have been able to slow down a bit more and have time in the evening to relax. It makes such a difference in my mood and how I feel.

So tell me, how do you treat yourself from time to time?