Yesterday was the last day that Andrew and I both had off before the start of the new semester. His back had been bothering him for a couple weeks and he wondered if I’d want to go get a professional massage with him. The idea of paying a stranger to touch me for an hour kind of puts me off, but I’ve had friends who have had them and absolutely raved about them. We thought it would be a fun “date” kind of activity so Andrew booked an appointment.
He then suggested we make a day of it since it was our last day off together. We had quite a few restaurant gift cards from Christmas that we hadn’t used yet, so we decided to go to lunch and dinner with them. We also had some other gift cards – me to a book store and Andrew to a gaming store. Andrew joked that we could have a “treat yo self” day with all the spending we were doing.
Treat yo self (verb): A day where one treats themselves to the finer things in life. Invented by the TV show Parks and Recreation, where Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle spend a day solely splurging on things for themselves. Clothes? Fragrances? Massages? Mimosas? Treat yo self!
The idea of a whole day spent splurging on unnecessary items regardless of the price tag absolutely horrifies me. But since all of our spending except for the massages were from gift cards, it was fun all day to do or buy something and then say, “Treat yo self!” Andrew brought the sass like Donna, and I brought the pizzazz like Tom. 
We started our day with lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, which is without a question Andrew and I’s most frequented restaurant. Those wings, tho. We had to eat a bit fast because the closest one to us is about a half hour drive and we wanted to get to our massage appointment on time.
I was a bit nervous about the massages. We filled out some paperwork about our preferences and after a short time of waiting (we were a bit early), they took us into a low lit room. They told us to dress down to our comfort level and they would return when we were ready. I couldn’t help but giggle at how weird this was to me as we undressed. I climbed under the sheets of the massage bed and was so happy to find out that the beds were heated! I am perpetually always cold, so having the heated bed seriously felt like heaven. I was all ready for a nap when the masseuses came back in!
Andrew had his masseuse focus solely on his back and shoulders – since that was where he was experiencing a lot of pain. I was more there for relaxing than health reasons, so I opted for the full body massage just to try it. I also mentioned that I had some minor soreness in my back and shoulders I’m sure from just general poor posture. She had to tell me to relax a bit at first (because uhm – this stranger is touching me! Weird!) but slowly I was able to unwind. She did some deep tissue massaging on my shoulders – which hurt but felt really good at the same time, and the rest she did just light to medium pressure. The leg and arm massages I don’t feel like they did anything, it was just to feel nice.
Before I realized it, our hour was up. I didn’t want to get out of the heated bed! They greeted us outside the door with cups of water and some instructions saying that we might be a bit sore the next couple of days where they did the deep tissue massaging. Overall, it was a really relaxing experience for me, but I don’t think I would go again except for health reasons. The price just seems too high to make it more than an occasional occurrence.
We had planned on going to the bookstore afterwards, but I think the massage made us both feel really lazy so we just headed home. We had been trying to find a good day to watch Gone with the Wind since it was on our IMDB 250 list, but just hadn’t gotten to it because the movie is so long – nearly four hours! We started it but only got about an hour through before we got hungry (why are we always hungry? ) so we paused and went to get some dinner.
We decided that Italian sounded good. Normally we don’t order drinks, but we had gift cards and – treat yo self! I ordered a frozen strawberry margarita for Andrew and I to share. It was really good! The alcohol wasn’t too strong and you could really taste the strawberries. Once we were full, we drove to a nearby game store so Andrew could buy a game he’s been eyeing that was on sale. We had fun looking through the games and the special controllers they had, but didn’t buy anything else.
We headed back to the apartment and finished the rest of Gone with the Wind. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I think I liked it. However I’m a bit tired this morning because we were up until about 11:15PM finishing it. Even my boss commented that I looked tired this morning. 
But everyone once in a while you gotta…
Treat yo self!
i enjoyed reading this post, becca.:D i have a suggestion: you two could have that treat yo self day every quarter or, twice a year, maybe? every other month might be too indulgent! that way you could bond and at the same time spoil yourselves with something that you really really like.
the idea of a stranger touching you for massage also weirds me out, which is why i have never tried that. (i only go for those massage seats at the mall, costs you about $1 for 5 minutes!) but at least now you know what it’s like and you’re now more relaxed.
ah gone with the wind! it was definitely a long movie, but i personally enjoyed it. i fell in love with leslie howard! although i loathed his character ashley. what did you like about the movie? i’m looking forward to see more updates on your IMDB 250 list movie nights!
That’s great idea to have a ‘treat yo self’ day with gift cards! You can buy things without feeling guilty about it
I’ve never had a professional massage before, but I think I had the same thought that it’d be weird for a stranger to be touching my body. Plus, I’m very ticklish! I’m glad that it felt good though 
This makes me want to try it since I’m having some back pains too.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gone with the Wind. I didn’t know it was that long! Sounds like it was a fun day!
I really enjoyed reading this post as it reminded me of the time I got a free massage at the mall. Tristan and I were walking back towards the way we had came, from eating lunch (I think we had Mongolian BBQ for lunch). In the middle of the mall, there were some masseuses there and asking if anyone wanted a free 15 minute massage. One old guy asked Tristan if he would like to have one and said no thank you. I couldn’t pass up a free massage, even if it was done by a stranger. The guy did a deep tissue massage and it was really funny. Every time he would massage my back tears would form. I guess I never had a massage that deep before and it felt good but it also hurt too. At the very end, I had a weird thing happened to me. And this is the truth! The guy patted my bum. lmfao. He was trying to play the field!! I thanked him all teary eyed and laughed while we left the mall to go back home.
Anyways, I am glad that you guys got to have a relaxing day before starting school again. Tristan and I don’t start our college until the 20th. We would have started on the 18th, but it’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. We’re kind of wanting Tristan’s aunt to hook us up with a Pechanga room so we can get away for a night and maybe play some slots. I am not big on gambling but it’s fun to do every once in awhile.
I have seen Gone With The Wind and it’s an okay movie. I believe I dislike it because a once upon a time friend is so in love with that movie that she ruined it for me. Plus, I don’t think I can sit that long and watch it all the way through. But it sounds like you guys had a wonderful day and evening. I am glad you got to enjoy your vacation.
ahh, this sounds so fun! You and Andrew sound like a cute couple.
I’ve never had a full body massage. I’ve had a neck and back massage though!
What type of wings do you get at BDUBS? I like the mild and medium.
Mild is my favorite! Andrew usually gets the medium. We also like to try the flavors of the month, but we didn’t yesterday because they sounded weird, so we ordered Desert Heat. I like most of the flavors (except some of the super spicy ones) so when we go in a big group we get a variety, but when it’s just us we usually just get three or so.
yeah I try not to go to BDubs very often because its unhealthy! But they have such good wings! #struggles
I hope you have a good semester! College went by way too fast.
Lol the struggle is real! We don’t go too often either. Usually it’s our meetup spot when we get a group of friends together when we go home. There’s no question about where cause it’s always Bdubs!
I recently took a survey for them and one of the questions was whether I thought their food was healthy or not. I had to laugh a bit.
I hope you have a good one too, Laurie! When does yours start?
Yeah their salads are usually drenched in dressing too. They’re good though!
Thank you! I start the 19th!
It seems like a nice day you had. Nothing beats relaxing with people you care about after a great day out.
I’ve never been to a massage; I’ve only intended to go for one, but I’ve always wanted to. I think it’s great to treat yourself like that once in a while, especially with the free stuff.
Always! Self care is so important, I can’t even begin to tell you. <3
That is so great that you decided to have a day where you could ‘treat yo self’ especially when it’s the last bit of time before study begins again. It’s nice to have a day where you are also doing things on your own terms.
That evil movie being so long! xD
Acccck. I can’t say I am fond of massages. I just got an upper body one (shoulders, neck, and some parts of my back) and that alone just hurt me more than anything. I can’t say it was one of those hurt-to-where-it-feels-good thing, but I’ve never liked massages much. I agree that they are pricey, but I can see them being worth it if you’re in pain and need one to relieve them.
And yes, Gone with the Wind is a long movie. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I think Scarlet’s character was just too much for me, haha
Glad you guys had a good day of treating your self! Sometimes it’s good to do that ^^ We all deserve good things!