I finally had a bit of time to myself today to get myself sorted. What I mean by that is get my eyebrows waxed, have a pedicure, facial and manicure! It sounds like a lot but I got a fab deal! Anyway, I wasn’t feeling my best, I mean my eyebrows had turned into squirrels and my feet were as dry as the Sahara. I haven’t been to a decent beauty salon in ages. But moving to Nottingham means I have to book and go to a proper place. Not a little side street where you pop in and out with cash only!
TOP: PINK CLOVE
JEANS: RIVER ISLAND
SHOES: ASOS
So I knew this was a lovely salon, it’s one of those Instagram worthy kind of places if you know what I mean. All pink and rose gold. The beauticians were all stunning and so well put together. I felt really quite intimidated. Like a cat caught in headlights. I’m not even sure why! I’m 32 years old for God’s sake! So I sat there for a bit and attempted to pull myself together. (It also included tweeting my vulnerable state out into the world for back up from fellow intimated souls).
I did realise what it was. It’s the elephant in the room that has plagued me for most of my adult life. It was my size. The amount of space I took up felt considerable in such a pretty place full of petite and gentle looking things. I knew when I had the facial I’d have to lay on the massage table and I always wonder if they have a weight limit. I mean, they do. I’ve checked. But would it break under my weight? Seriously.
Then there’s the chair, would I fit in the chairs? People just don’t think about these things until you’re in that situation. Plus, that’s without the added pressure of just how terrible I felt I looked. I mean, my feet hadn’t had any TLC for several months while I was pregnant. Anyway, by the time I walked out, I felt really comfortable and relaxed. (The work of a great beautician yes!) But also the work of my own positive thinking. Here are the things I did today and thought to myself to help me gain control of the situation and fight the feeling of intimidation at the beauty salon.
- Find out the route of what’s intimidating you and face it head-on. Mine was how crap I felt about the parts of my body I was soon to expose. So when I was having the facial and pedicure I did that random chit chat thing that people do. I did the whole very blasé this about how I haven’t done anything to my feet all summer because of the heat and how I know they’re really bad so I hope that it’s not too much hard work etc. The lovely ladies response was that actually, my feet weren’t bad at all! She literally was not fazed! But knowing I’d dealt with that elephant in the room made me feel better.
- Another thing when I’m at a beauty place or spa is how I feel about the massage table. I always have the feeling that I’m going to break it or it’s going to make some serious creaks. But then I get on it, and although it’s usually a tad small and I have to tuck my hands under my bum, it’s always stable! So, not only do I remind myself of this but I also think that if it was to break they don’t ask for your weight beforehand, so it’s their fault!
- Money talks. So this might not be to everyone’s cup of tea but it works for me. I always want to leave on a high. The thought of leaving feeling as though the beautician is like thank god that’s over leaves me with dread. Far enough, it hasn’t happened yet but it’s definitely my own demon. So I give a tip. I’m not sure what is classified as generous, but I usually give £5 as a little thank you and I give it directly to the beautician, I don’t do it through the car payment. I always think to myself, if I did give them a really tough job, and then at least I’ve bought them lunch!
- I know they say it all the time, but it’s true. They deal with all different types of people. Every shape and size. You’re not the only person in the world who weighs what you weigh or who has your body shape. So it’s likely they have had a customer similar to you before. I try and tell this to myself, it can be difficult when you’re surrounded by very small dainty women. But it’s true!
I think so much of it is the fear that someone is thinking negatively of you. It somehow manifests into embarrassment and then intimidation. It doesn’t happen to me often. But when it does it really sucks and makes me feel almost angry with myself.
I deserve to be there. I am a person. I can pay the money (that’s kind of vital) and other than that what I look like shouldn’t matter. It’s amazing how many people feel the same though – that’s another thing to remember.
If it helps at all, the lovely beautician I had today said that’s what people go there for. They go to a salon or a spa feeling somewhat crappy and they are paying to be made to feel and look better. That’s so true! It would be a bit bizarre if you went in with a fully pedicured set of feet… to then have a pedicure!
So chin up, work your dry feet, bushy brows and tough talons. You’ve got this.
SHOP THE LOOK
