Elle Nails - Pedicure

I went and got a pedicure immediately after school (work) today because I have been wanting to get one for the last few weeks and haven't had time. (Or, lets be honest, whenever I have had time, my legs weren't adequately shaved.) Today the two lined up like stars in a constellation, and I was able to get my pedicure.

I went to Elle Nails on 86th and Zionsville. It was a fairly standard walk-in nail place with comparable prices. It was simply decorated, but nice. It did not seem to be well ventilated because it was the strongest nail chemically smelling place I have been to. The place was fairly busy, but I got in right away. The pedicure chair massager was really strong and almost hurt my back. My pedicurist was thorough, and gave me a great leg massage, but did not massage my feet at all which was disappointing. I originally picked out a crackle nail polish that should have looked something like this (but on my toes):

  

But the pedicurist had never used it, and couldn't figure out how it worked. There was a top coat somewhere that we were lacking. So instead I just went with a plain red. When I went to the nail dryer area and sat down, I was momentarily excited when I realized that that chair had a massager also, but alas it was broken.

Service Quality Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
"Spa Experience" Rating: 2.5 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 Deals!

Living Social Deal:
$25 for microdermabrasion facial ($75 value) or
$55 for chemical peel ($125 value)
at SkinFixSpa
offer ends 10/2

Spa Tip #10

Everyone has heard the advice "make sure to drink water after getting a massage!" But why?

During a massage, especially with deep tissue work, materials in the muscles like salt and other wastes are released and need to be removed from the body. Water helps with this process. Without proper hydration your muscles may be sore afterwards.

It is also a good idea to drink water before you get a massage because a hydrated muscle is easier to manipulate.

Spa Deals!

Living Social Deal:
$46 for Derma Plane facial and mask (52% savings)
at Gillum Facial Plastic Surgery
offer ends 9/23

Spa Deals!

Living Social Deal:
$30 for Spa Mani/Pedi (52% savings)
$60 for Microdermabrasion and Oxygen Facial (52% savings)
at Locks Salon and Spa
offer ends 9/22

Spa Deals!

Eversave Deal:
$29 for an anti-aging facial (66% savings)
$39 for microdermabrasion (66% savings)
at IC Priddy Body Work
offer ends 9/22

Crystal Rose Connections - Swedish Massage

Today I used my Eversave coupon for $26 for a 60 minute Swedish massage at Crystal Rose Connections in Fishers. I was able to easily schedule my massage over email, but there was no online scheduler on the website. The building that Crystal Rose Connections is located in is another rent-a-suite business building. It is a beautiful new building designed in a natural modern style with a big lobby, front desk (which no one was at), bathrooms, and a vending area.

 

 

  I easily found the Crystal Rose Connections suite, which was a single, simply decorated room. Maureen, the owner and sole massage therapist, was waiting for me. I filled out thorough medical history and and release forms. Maureen had some music playing, but she said I could pick out another CD if I wanted. She also told me that she had just moved to the building and wanted my input about if the hallway noise was too noisy (after the massage I told her I could hear people talking but it didn't bother me).

The massage Maureen gave me was average, nothing new or exciting. She used lotion to massage my back, arms, legs, sides of my rear end, scalp, and neck. Maureen also specializes in different holistic treatments, like sound therapy and crystal therapy (see her website to learn more about those), and she had lots of stones you could buy. Incorporating some other treatments might have been interesting, but unfortunately my coupon was only for a massage. Maureen's massage was a good, but not stand out. To her benefit, she is located in the nicest rent-a-suite building I have seen.


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

Price Guide
¢= less than 50¢ per minute (fabulous deal!!)
$ = 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 Deals!

Groupon Deal:
$35 for a classic mani-pedi (an $80 value)
$70 for two classic mani-pedis (a $160 value)
at Evolve Salon
offer ends 9/20

Spa Deals!

Eversave Deal:
$29 for mani-pedi ($76 value)
from Salon D'va
offer ends 9/17

Spa Deals!

Groupon Deal:
$55 for:
Consultation (a $50 value), Exam (a $150 value), Treatment, if necessary (a $100 value), and 30-minute massage (a $50 value)
at Kearns Chiropractic

Spa Deals!

Eversave Deal:
$26 for an hour-long massage
$34 for a 90-minute massage
from Crystal Rose Connections
offer ends 9/10

Spa Deals!

Living Social Deal:
$40 for Hour-Long Swedish Massage (50% off)
$45 for Deep-Tissue Massage (50% off)
at Skin Deep Day Spa
offer ends 9/7

Groupon Deal:
30-minute massage for $25 (a $50 value)
60-minute massage for $40 (an $80 value)
90-minute massage for $60 (a $130 value)
at Spirit Soul & Body Holistic Wellness Center
offer ends 9/8

Spa Deals!

Living Social Deal:
Half Hour Massage for $22 or
Hour Long Msssage for $35 (51% savings)
at Professional Massage Therapy
offer ends 9/6

Spa Tip #9

Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! I've been back to school for three weeks now, and I'm very happy about the 3-day weekend. To celebrate, you should definitely treat yourself to a relaxing spa treatment.

Tip #9 is about manicures. If you read my blog, you may have realized that I'm not a huge fan of manicures. This is for 3 reasons:

1. I love the look of trimmed cuticles, but it's not good for your nails, can be unsafe (breeding ground for infection), and when cuticles start to grow back, they look all ragedy.

2. No matter how long I sit under the nail dryer, I always manage to smudge them.

3. Finger nails chip a lot faster than toe nails because of how much you use your hands, and I hate the look of chipped polish.

For the above reasons, I just tend to avoid manicures. However, sometimes you do want your finger nails to look extra special. In that case, you can do some things to avoid the above problems.

1. Have the manicurist push down your cuticles instead of cutting them.

2. Pay and get you car keys out before your nails are polished so you don't have to rummage around in your purse. Also, there are quick dry top coats you can use which will help. If the salon doesn't have one, you can bring one yourself.

3. Choose a light or close to skin tone polish so chips are not as noticeable. You can put a protective top coat over your nails every day or every other day when you get home to make it last longer. Also, some salons offer a gel treatment, which is supposed to last longer. I have not tried this yet.

Spa Deals!

Groupon Deal:
$80 for Two Full-Body Skin-Rejuvenation Treatments ($300 Value)
at Seasons Light Therapy (Autumn Hess) in Carmel 
offer ends 9/5

Spa Deals!

Groupon Deal: 
 $29 for Initial Consultation and Acupuncture Session ($105 Value)
at East West Acupuncture
offer ends 9/3