Splurge: A Really Good Massage June 12, 2008

It’s been quite some time now since that magical day when my life changed for better and for worse.  For better because I felt absolutely amazing – like a brand new person.  For worse though, because (1) I kicked myself for all of the wasted time in my life when I didn’t feel this way and (2) I had just picked up a very expensive addiction.

I’m talking of course, about my first truly great massage experience.  Note to Sickos:  This blog is rated PG, so I’m not talking about that kind of experience…

I had had massages here and there in the past – mostly through gift certificates from others and occasionally as a splurge for myself.  These were the massages where the “therapist” would put on some New Age music, light a candle, then use lavender-patchouli-orange blossom essential oil that is supposed to calm and soothe me.  Looking back now, I realize that these massages weren’t actually worth the money – that dull ache I typically get in my upper back would come back after only a few days, or in some cases a few hours.

Fast forward to a weekend trip I took in January.  A friend and I went to an average-looking place where we handed over our money and waited to be kneaded, prodded, and relaxed into oblivion.

The first thing I noticed when the therapist started working on me was that she skipped all the typical cooing and purring about relaxation, and went straight for the jugular – literally.  Between pinching, poking, and rolling my neck and the back of my skull, she had me wincing in what I can only describe as excruciating bliss.  From there she continued the torture on the left side of my body for the next 30 minutes or so, with a repetitive cycle of my muscles chanting “Hurt!! – Ok… – Ahhhhhhhhh”

She explained to me that she was a medical massage therapist trained in Neuromuscular Therapy and Trigger Point Therapy (a type of NMT).  These techniques isolate muscle groups from head to toe and specifically target the muscles that are tense or misaligned, which usually do NOT coincide with where your back actually hurts.  This is where I had gone wrong in the past – I pointed to a specific spot that was causing me aches and pains, they rubbed my back in that exact spot.

When she was done with the left side, I could actually feel my blood circulating on the side of the body she had just finished – my fingers felt tingly, my neck and shoulder didn’t feel hunched up anymore, and I felt like, if called upon to do so, I could do one-armed push-ups all day long.  She continued in the same manner on the right side of my body for the remainder of the hour until I felt like I was made out of brand new rubber bands.  Highly elastic rubber bands floating on air.  Air in Heaven.  I felt amazing.

It’s at this point that I should note that even massage therapy has its controversies.  From my later research (read:  Googling the words “massage toxins”), the whole idea of toxins being released into your body during a massage is debatable – some will swear that it does not happen.  Let me clear up this debate:  I was 100% swimming in toxins when I left that place.  I had a metallic taste in my mouth that wouldn’t go away, my eyes were puffy, and I felt positively loopy.  My friend had the exact same type of massage, and the exact same type of reaction.  We wobbled home and melted into the couch for about the next 2 hours, drinking as much water as possible.

To make a long story short, this massage changed my life.  The loopy feeling eventually went away (I think?), leaving me with a supreme sense of relaxation and a little bit of (good) soreness the next day.  For the first time that I could remember, I was insanely jealous of people with way more money than I who could afford this type of treatment as often as they liked.  For that day though, and for the next few weeks, I felt like I was living that way.  A taste of the good life, so to speak, which – oddly enough – tasted like the inside of a well-seasoned cast iron pan.  Absolutely worth it in my opinion, and in fact I would pay triple to be guaranteed a replica of the same exact feeling.  How’s that for an endorsement of quality?

Check out this website for more information on NMT or Trigger Point massage therapists near you.

Splurge: Cooking Paraphernalia Worthy of Iron Chef June 6, 2008

Fine, maybe not Iron Chef (there is no ice cream maker in my kitchen), but at least some decent quality stuff that I’ve accumulated over the years.

The beautiful thing about food is that it is a necessity and sometimes a luxury, depending entirely upon what you make of it 3-5 times daily.  I have a serious weakness for going out to eat, and few culinary experiences can compare to tasting Michel Richard’s Lobster “Begula” Pasta, Daniel Boulud’s foie gras, the Panko-crusted Ahi Sashimi Roll at Hawaii’s Sansei Restaurant, the Chilean sea bass at Alma de Cuba in Philadelphia, or anything related to black cod.

Going out to eat, however, is not always a gratifying way to part with my hard-earned cash.  Sure, there are the all-but-guaranteed restaurants that you just know will serve you a wonderful, worthwhile “experience,” but you will pay dearly for them.  There are also the old standby’s that will offer a good meal at a decent price.  Then there are the rest of the restaurants out there that charge you way too much for something that can only be described as mediocre at best.

What’s a hungry part-time culinarian like myself supposed to do?  Learn to cook, of course!  What makes cooking and eating more enjoyable?  Quality little cooking gadgets.  Here are some of my most basic favorites to get you started:

• Santoku Knife:  Anyone who’s seen even half an episode of Good Eats knows that a quality knife set is essential, that goes without saying.  I particularly love my 7″ Santoku knife, and find myself using it to cut most fruits, vegetables, and herbs.  In my humble kitchen, this thing serves as my sous chef.
• Calphalon One Infused-Anodized Pots & Pans:  Ok, so if you know about the knives, you also probably know about how important it is to invest in quality pots and pans.  After all of the reports on nonstick pans and how they could actually be leaching toxins into my unsuspecting body (as opposed to the stuff I’m putting in there on purpose), I was happy to switch to this beautiful, heavy set for most of my cooking.  Not the best money can buy (just guessing), but very good quality that I was happy to pay for.  I still use the nonsticks for omelettes or other delicate items, but cooking meats, soups, stews, and “deglazed” sauces in these babies makes me feel like I could cook a dinner that even Anthony Bourdain wouldn’t be able to snark about.
• Egg Poacher Pan:  This changed the way I eat breakfast, circa 2003.  Gone are the days of fishing eggs out from murky water full of gelatinous globs of cooked albumen – boil the water in the bottom of this little wonder, gently crack your eggs into the perfect-sized compartments, wait a few minutes, then enjoy your easy, healthy breakfast.
• Salad Spinner:  Such a simple concept, but this gadget makes me feel like those awful college Physics courses were actually worthwhile… no, now I’ve gone too far.  I digress.  Anyway, this thing twirls my herbs and various other assortments of plants round & round at warp speed until I’m satisfied with the results.  Wow, centrifugal force has a real-life application!
• Pepper Mill:  Salt & pepper are truly the most versatile spices of the Western hemisphere (and possibly the world… open for discussion), and nothing ups the ante on a simple meal like freshly ground multi-colored pepper flakes from your very own restaurant-quality mill.  (Note:  I have an unholy love of salt, but the salt mill is a little superfluous in my opinion.)

 Wakey, wakey, it’s time for eggs & bake-ey!

Splurge: Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics June 5, 2008

Lush is an English company that sells handmade soap, shampoo, bath products, and other delicious goodies made out of mostly natural ingredients.  I was first introduced to Lush during my brief stint in England, and immediately fell in love.  Let me clarify things a bit – I am not, what you might call, a card-carrying veganese tree hugger, though lusting after Lush may have you think that way.  I am instead your average-every-day trying-to-do-the-right-thing American (with a thing for hyphens, apparently), and Lush certainly helps me on that path while making my baths & showers a lot more enjoyable.

Some for my favorite products include:

• Lush Prince Shaving Cream – Made for men, but wonderful for me… have you ever wondered what it would feel like to have angels kissing your legs while you shave?
• Lush Happy Hippy Hair and Body Gel (body wash to those of you not, you know, “in the know”) – Invigorating, delicious, and peppy; aka, the anti-me in the morning
• Lush Tisty Tosty bath bomb – holy hell, this thing is amazing.  Drop it into a warm tub, and it fizzes away leaving some delicious rose blossoms in its wake.  The bad news about Lush bath bombs is that they get you hooked on a certain scent, then yank the thing off the market (a la Chelsea Garden).  The good news about Lush bath bombs is that they keep their old faithful stand-bys around (this being one of them), and lure you right back in with brand new varieties to fall in love with.  Added bonus:  the smell usually lingers in the bathroom for a few days – instant air freshener!
• Lush Honey I Washed the Kids Soap:  Creamy, honey-smelling soap that actually feels good on your skin.  I love the little honeycomb bit on top.

Mmmm, bath time!