ProWellness Chiropractic - Hot Stone Massage

Happy Spring Break! I have decided to kick off my Spring Break with a massage! I found another great deal for a hot stone massage on livingsocial.com at ProWellness Chiropractic in Fishers. This was a bit of a drive for me, but well worth it.

ProWellness is in a nice new-looking strip mall. The inside is designed in kind of a modern natural way, with a stone desk and a large waiting area. Since it is also a chiropractor's office, the look combined medical with spa. I was the only person there and was greeted by two ladies at the front desk. I was asked to fill out some paperwork with medical questions and given my privacy rights. My massage therapist Heather came to get me right away, and took me back through the chiropractic area to a massage room. The room was simply decorated, but had the essential components: some candles, a chair, hooks, and a mirror. Heather explained to me that they usually do 90 minute hot stone massages, and that livingsocial made a mistake and was not supposed to offer that massage at the 60 minute price (lucky me!). She said that it takes some time to lay the stones on all the different parts of your body, which is why it is normally 90 minutes, but she was going to do mainly just the massaging part and less laying to fit it into the 60 minutes that I bought, which was fine with me.

Heather left me to get undressed and I was happy to discover that the massage table was heated. When she came back in she started some soothing music, and even turned on a white noise machine to drown out the light rock station playing in the lobby. I started face up, and she massaged my face, chest, neck, arms, feet, and legs. If you haven't read my other hot stone review, a hot stone massage is where the massage therapist uses heated smooth stones to massage you, and also lays heated stones on you. She even put little stones between my toes, which I had never experienced before. I then turned over, and she laid stones on my back, and then massaged my legs, feet, and back. The massage was very good, with a nice medium pressure, and the stones were a good temperature. Heather checked in with me to make sure they weren't too hot.

I bought this massage for $49 on livingsocial.com. Thanks to their mistake, I was able to get a hot stone massage, which as I have mentioned before, is usually 1.5 times more than a regular "hands only" massage.  The usual price for the 90 minute hot stone massage is not listed on the website, but their regular massage is $70 per hour. I am estimating a 60 minute hot stone massage to be worth at least $90, so I saved $40. Yay!

Service Quality Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
"Spa Experience" Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Price: $$$$ - approximated regularly charged price ($ - price I actually paid :)

Price Guide
$ = less than $1 per minute (very budget friendly!)
$$ = about $1 per minute (reasonable)
$$$ = more than $1 per minute (an occasional treat)
$$$$ = about $1.50 per minute (only if I get a gift certificate or great coupon)
$$$$$ = more than $1.50 per minute (I'll be surprised if I ever get to go to one of these)

BR Nails - Pedicure

Yesterday was a beautiful day to get a pedicure! My friend Natasha and I went to BR Nails in Broad Ripple since we were in the area. This place is nicely decorated, with a European type feel. We signed in, but were not greeted by anyone. We waited about 10 minutes, and then a nail tech called me back to a pedicure chair, and my friend about 5 minutes later.

The pedicure area was through a pretty scalloped cut-out wall. An extra feature that BR Nails had was a cute little girl's pedicure chair that was smaller and had a bear on it, which I thought was a good idea for kids. My chair had a pretty good massager on it. I waited for about 10 more minutes and then the nail tech started on my nails. My pedicure was average, but short, with no offer to razor my heels. The nail tech did use hot stones to massage my legs which was a nice touch, but it was not very long. I got my nails painted a neon pink color.

My pedicure cost the average amount, $25 plus tip. The overall quality of my pedicure was average also, but very short. This might be a good thing if you are on a tight schedule, but it was not enough relaxing time and massage for me.

Service Quality Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
"Spa Experience" Rating: 2 stars out of 5
Price: $$

Price Guide
$ = less than $1 per minute (very budget friendly!)
$$ = about $1 per minute (reasonable)
$$$ = more than $1 per minute (an occasional treat)
$$$$ = about $1.50 per minute (only if I get a gift certificate or great coupon)
$$$$$ = more than $1.50 per minute (I'll be surprised if I ever get to go to one of these)

Spa Tip #4

For those who have never gotten a massage before, you might be wondering or worried about what to do about clothing when you get a massage. There are several different situations that will determine your clothing for a massage. If you are going to a multiple-person-per-room place or getting a chair massage, you will be fully clothed with the exception of maybe your shoes and socks. Definitely remember to wear comfortable, light clothes for this because the massage therapist will be massaging you right over your clothes, or may go slightly under your clothes around your upper back or legs.

If you are getting a table massage in your own room (this is most common) there are a couple ways you can go depending on your comfort and modesty level. The most common is everything (including your bra for the ladies) taken off except underwear. You can also go full-on nude if you are brave enough. The massage therapist will leave the room to allow you to get undressed and under the sheet, and should have hooks or a chair to put your clothes on. Some swankier places have "locker rooms" where you can put your clothes and they give you a robe to use. You will have a sheet covering you, and the massage therapist will move the sheet around to only uncover the part he or she is working on at that time. Private parts should always be covered by the sheet, with the exception of maybe part of your butt cheeks. Remember that you can always ask the massage therapist to cover a certain area, stop working on a certain area, or stop the massage altogether if you are feeling uncomfortable.