Thai and Toes: A Spa Day at the Park

For every day that I get a rare occasion to wake up and greet the sun, I am thankful that I didn’t miss that moment even though it’s an hour that I would usually be spending in bed because of my night owl nature. However those pre-dawn hours speak for themselves: the air is crisp, you can smell the dew on the grass, the mist from the fog refreshes your senses, and the early rays soak your skin with Vitamin D leaving you revitalized and full of energy for the day ahead.  In all honesty I really enjoy that time and wish I could be an early riser. Unfortunately, it’s never been in the cards for me. I grew up a night owl so last night when I was in bed by midnight I surprised myself.  I could feel myself overcome by waves of exhaustion and my disposition was cranky.  I wanted to fight that feeling but I’m glad I succumbed.

This morning I woke up feeling unbelieving great. I had a full nights sleep (8+ hours) and didn’t feel groggy. A slow smile crept up on my face just because I was amazed by how good I felt. I think it was from knowing that I hadn’t felt this way in a while, that I needed it, and this was a rare opportunity that I should enjoy.

Lucky for me, this gorgeous Sunday also included a day at the park courtesy of Kanchana Rubino of Sweet Basil Inc and Elisabeth of Sensaria. I made a short trip down to Dana Point to check out Lantern Bay Park, try some of Kanchana’s food, and get a facial/foot treatment. Being out on a beautiful SoCal day, amongst good company, trying delicious food, and getting a skincare treatment reminded me of another “smell the roses moment” and how I don’t get enough of them. It never hurts to leave the comfort of your home, venture out, and make new connections.

Curried Shrimp with Peanut Sauce

For this spa day, Kanchana was kind enough to prepare some curried shrimp with peanut sauce, baguettes with olive tapenade, and a baked bried with mango jam. We washed this all down with mango and lychee champagne. After the appetizers, we sat on our beach towels for a skincare education demonstration with Elisabeth and her fabulous line of  products from Sensaria. We learned the importance of cleansing, exfoliating, toning, moisturizing, and repairing your skin. A little goes a long way when applying products to your body because your skin is soaking up whatever you are putting on it which is why it’s also important that everything is natural and organically based. You should also be consistent with your skincare line and cleanse daily (twice) to maintain healthy skin. Elisabeth described our pores as garbage bags collecting free radicals like dust, exhaust, and air pollutants throughout the day. A daily cleaning ritual acts as the garbage man that cleans out those pores and keeps them from overflowing or swelling to a larger size.

Elisabeth and her Sensaria Skincare Products

We also applied a mask and learned the importance of exfoliating. Exfoliation gets rid of dead skin and allows new skin to come up. Sensaria products also contain kelp to encourage cellular turnover. The next to last step was a foot treatment with an orange salt/sugar scrub. We applied this to our feet and calves and learned that orange is a natural anti-depressant. I usually don’t eat oranges but I’m beginning to see the benefits.

Overlooking the harbor and enjoying the gentle breeze was a great way to spend a Sunday and stop to smell the roses. I took away some valuable information about skincare, got to sample some of Kanchana’s food, and get a quick 5 minute massage from Yasko Kawamura of Bliss 2Massage. I can’t complain and I think I should make more time to smell the roses.

Sunrise image courtesy of Indy Kethdy

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