Rid yourself of last week’s party fouls with a facial at Senses Day Spa

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

If your weekly social calendar reads more like the work log of a Pabst delivery person—Monday: Pike; Tuesday: Prospector; Wednesday: Red Room; Thursday: Que Sera; Friday: V-Room—then you know how bad Saturday mornings can be . . . or, more appropriately, look: the dark circles under your eyes; the dull, sad skin; the ever-increasingly permanent smile lines. This isn’t a hangover. And it’s not just getting older, either. It’s a cry for help. Those late nights—late nights spent sipping alcohol (poison); smoking cigarettes or surrounding yourself with smokers (more poison); and eating re-heated pizza/burritos/ramen at 1:30 a.m. (the deadliest poison there is)—have all but zapped the pretty right out of your skin. Girls, boys, it doesn’t matter: Long Beach, you need a facial.

About a week ago (after staring into the mirror one Saturday morning and seeing an After School Special staring back) I phoned Sir Adamsmasher, aka KatoSpace, host of Joyride Mondays at the Pike on Fourth Street, and invited him to a day of Signature Facials at Senses Day Spa in downtown Long Beach. I called Kato not simply because we’re friends, but specifically because his Monday night parties regularly threaten to knock me out for the rest of the week. Even though he doesn’t appear to be affected (whatsoever) by his own late nights (dude’s skin remains baby soft—hate him), if there’s anyone who understands the drags a late night out can place on the body (and soul) it’s Kato. Also, he’s a boy. And boys can like facials, too.

Located in the Walker Building, Senses Day Spa (which, I’ll admit, I selected solely on Sandi S.’s glowing review on Yelp.com) offers a spa experience that skips the girly, Enya-ish frou-frou in favor of straight up relaxation. From the wall colors and décor (minimalist IKEA centered on a stone-colored palette, plus natural sunlight occasionally peeking in from well-hidden ceiling windows) to the music (classical music—the obvious choice for lulling) the environment is at once cool (in the soothing, refreshing sense) and welcoming.

At 90 minutes, the Signature Facial ($125) reminded me of trying to fall asleep in the back of my parents’ car as a child—long periods of calm, peaceful thoughts interrupted only by my knowledge (and fear) that the trip would have to end at some point. After a surface cleanse (using organic Jurlique products, Laura, the aesthetician, created a facial for my sensitive-skin needs) and a hydrating treatment, followed by an exfoliating rub and luxurious neck massage, I figured we were close to being finished. But then Laura brushed on a facial mask and massaged my hands while it dried—total, complete bliss. Off with the mask, on with the Pure Rosewater Freshener (which smelled like tequila), and finally, the moisturizer.

And yet we still weren’t finished—a lavender-scented paraffin hand wax treatment and hot herbal foot soak capped off the treatment, chased by some Black Pearl chocolate (ginger, wasabi and black sesame seeds and dark chocolate) and a “Mind over Muddle” elixir (raspberries, plums and herbs, with ginkgo leaf and Schizandra berries). Face, hands, feet: Laura had tended to all the entry points for the baddies. Looking in the mirror, I was pleased to see my old familiar smile lines—many good memories have gone toward those wrinkles; can’t get rid of them—and my skin, once again glowing and healthy, felt rejuvenated.

“I so needed that,” Kato exhaled after his facial, as though—along with the toxins—his stress was seeping out of him. Primed, primped, good as new: “So, drinks at the Pike?” he asked. Why, of course.

SENSES DAY SPA 421 PINE AVE | LONG BEACH 90802 | 562.901.6837 | SENSESDAYSPA.NET | SIR ADAMSMASHER PRESENTS JOYRIDE MONDAYS WITH DJS CHRIS REECE AND MISTER JEFFREY THE PIKE | 1836 FOURTH ST | LONG BEACH 90802 | 562.437.4453 | PIKELONGBEACH.COM | EVERY MONDAY 6PM | FREE

Tags: adamsmasher, joyride, Long Beach, senses day spa, the pike