new year. new face.

i thought. starting the new year with a nice day at the spa. sounded oh so delightful. untitled booked us appointments. we had gift certificates. so we "upgraded" a little. i was so excited. it had been awhile since i had pampered myself at the spa. besides a pedi and mani every once in awhile from the asian nail salons. which is normally in and out. and not very relaxing.

the day was just that. my facial was awesome. the massage was great. i felt refreshed. and ready to start 2010. until that evening. i started to feel 'off'. just weird. and then i washed my face. it burned. turned bright red. inflamed. it was so painful. when i woke the next morning it was worse. i couldnt concentrate all day at work. and still felt 'off'. a tad light headed. i knew it was an allergic reaction. day 2 bumps were more apparent. by day 3 it had calmed down. day 5, my face was almost normal, but peeling and felt raw.

trying to make a long post, from being too long. i called the salon on monday and left a message because they were closed. when i got a call back the next morning. she was somewhat apologetic but i never felt like she saw the severity in the situation. i almost died from an allergic reaction. granted it wasnt topical. but its a serious matter. she couldnt see me until the next day, late afternoon. i kept taking bendyrl and using hydro-cortisone on my face. it helped the pain. but it was more the time that seemed to help the most. after receiving another sorry and a few squirts of their product to help with the reaction. that was all they did. sent me on my way. made suggestions of what to try next time. but nothing more. no compensation. nadda.

when twojulies heard this story. she was mortified for me. and said "put on your big girl pants" and call to speak to a manager. i did. turns out it was the same gal who was helping before. i went off on a rant about being in pain for 3 days. paying for a service that didnt work. and there was nothing done to make me ever want to come back. she had the owner call back. offered a giftcard in the amount of the facial. fair enough. and it would be mailed to my house. i was content.

i have since to receive this gift card and its been a week. i dont think it takes that long. i am giving them another week. and then i will unleash again. and at that time. at that time my friends, i will release the spa name, post pictures of my face and tell as many people as i can. i want to warn people so they dont go through the same thing. but i also want the salon to take responsibility. the manager jokingly told me that she had another client that the same thing happened to her too. really? really? i dont think its funny. nor is this normal. do you want me to scratch your face for 20 minutes with long finger nails? because thats what it felt like. phew - that felt good. okay back. composed again. to be continued...