I celebrated my 41st birthday this past Wednesday. Thanks to everyone who reached out to send me birthday love. My stomach still wasn't 100% on my birthday, so instead of rolling the dice on another 45 min tuk tuk ride to school, I gave myself permission to take the day and tend to myself.
This translated into a 4 HOUR spa session at Devatara Spa! Tom (pronounced Dthom), a sturdy, Cambodian woman with a fabulous giggle and I really bonded during my marathon spa experience.
Tom and I post spa session!
This 3 hour session that turned into 4 (magically) comprised of a 1 hour massage, 45 minute body wrap, 1 hour facial and 15 minute rehydrating lotion top off.
Every massage that I've had here in Cambodia, which has been quite a few now, the therapist gets right on the table with you. In my broken Khmer, I always try to ask the therapists' name and how they are and this time I was also able to relay it was my birthday! Here's a snapshot of what happened next: I am face down on the table and Tom is straddling my waist, while she is really "given' her" on my back, she begins to sing me Happy Birthday. We both just burst out laughing and giggling. A moment that will, for many moons, bring me smiles!
The rest of my spa treatment can really be summed up with the newest Khmer word added to my vocabulary: Svey, translation mango.
I've never had a body wrap before and, for me, it was completely and utterly hilarious. I was ENTIRELY slathered with mango puree. If I could have been launched down a slip and slide, records would have been broken. After being fully saturated, I was wrapped up like a burrito with only my head popping out. I said a prayer in that moment that, one, I wouldn't have an itch and, two, that my body wouldn't breakout in hives. I mentally powered through an itch on my ankle as I went deep into meditation for about 15 min and then birthed out of my mango cocoon hive-free. A "stuck the landing" moment for sure.
After a shower, I returned back to the table
for my facial. As in most facials, I'm not quite sure what was applied for the first half of it, but we ended with, you guessed it, a solid coating of mango puree.
All in all, I felt pampered, well rested, was literally glowing, and have not craved mango since.
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