#jonesroadbeauty a Phoenix or a Dodo?

Been slacking off on writing about the stuff I try and leaving it up to the video creators on YouTube and TIkTok.

Sooo many comments about the amount of old people using TIkTok.

As a marketing person, I figure it’s TikTok’s way of being inclusive, aka we are showing you other old people to encourage you to engage.

When I’m on the app I see mostly people 50+, 50+ old guys saying this is my age, this where I live…..or 50+ women telling me about the menopause. I’m guessing young people are still on the app, I just haven’t liked the right, or followed the right creators to lead me to that statistical gold mine of data.

Then the ads.

The ads I see tend to be universal products. Even though the talent or influencer market-picked type is young, anyone can use the product like mascara or FAB face and body cream.

I must have watched the women who is 50+ with nice skin aka nice lighting that talks about product and make up tips too many times, because #jonesroadbeauty appeared in my newsfeed.

I watch a selection of people on YouTube, so I had not heard about @bobbibrowncosmetics phoenix product line, jones road.

The tiktoks (and YouTube videos) are pretty lame and lack the money invested in production as Bobbi’s slick vids for her namesake line. There is a way to keep production costs down, look great and sell product, but unless you are a diehard fan, you might pass out trying out the line if you never heard of the brand if you based it on her tiktoks.

I was a diehard Bobbi Brown cosmetics fan. In fact, hers was the first make up book I ever bought, and I was considered one of my salesperson’s best customers at NM. The Bobbi counter move from the right hand side, albeit a front front door position to the featured position in front of the ladies who lunch escalator where everyone lunching could see everyone buying make up from high up among the butterflies.

I digress.

When I saw the video, I excitedly looked for more videos-unfortunately they were pretty lackluster so I went to YouTube and the jonesroadbeauty website. Very few YouTube video reviews, and comments were pretty lukewarm. It’s surprising because the product line is nearly identical to Bobbi Brown cosmetics–the colors are the same, the textures are similar and Bobbi looks great (must be her skincare).

I’ve been searching for the perfect gray beige brown eyeshadow for a year and #natashadenona mini gray pallet and assorted others did not fit the bill.

But jones road’s selection does—the starter pack includes the miracle balm, blush, eye shadow, lip gloss and eye pencil. Plus I purchased one more eye shadow in a lighter variation of gray beige. (I checked today and this particular kit is not on their website).

The eye shadow is perfection. Soft texture and stay all day color. I applied it with and without a primer (more on Trish McEvoy’s eye brightener from Nords).

The eye liner is hard and stiff-but it makes drawing a line easy after using very soft pencils that don’t tug. Net neutral on that-not a break out color so I wouldn’t buy it as a stand alone.

The lip gloss is nothing to write home about. Could be anyone’s product.

The blush pigment is pretty good–the pale pink lookalike delivers a soft pop of color–I guess if you wanted to do Bobbi’s signature look, I would start with a light layer then dot a second layer on the cheek apple.

And then the miracle balm.

It’s a giant amount of product that you dab on like highlighter (mostly) though it is a multi-use product. When I saw the size, I’m like, why is there so much product? Can you rub it on like a body balm moisturizer?

I was excited to try it out and dabbed a little on my cheek. Almost immediately I noticed the not citrusy tart smell, but SOUR smell. Underneath I could smell a minty base–much like Bobbi’s extra product line.

It’s my karen-like issue that I won’t take the time to return products to one of 4 inconvenient UPS locations on Oahu, or buy an envelope to return rejects so I wrote jones road in hopes they would send fresh product.

The response was “it’s you, not us”, and that I can’t tell when product is spoiled v rancid.

I’d buy more eye shadow, but moist products like the balm, concealer etc that’s probably been sitting in their warehouse since Sep 2020 launch, is a so long jones road.

Advertisement

Some like it HARD-Rolling on a PVC Pipe vs softer approaches

A recent conversation made me start thinking about whether all this rolling of muscles on foam rollers, yoga balls or PVC Pipe was creating burst veins/broken capillaries on rolled parts and whether the entire concept of fascia relief was just a bunch of BS.

Add to that-if releasing the fascia that formed to support injured areas was a good thing at all?

For those who exercise often or those who used to exercise often and never stretched before or afterwards, the concept of loosening up the connective fascia tissue offers an enticing belief that fascia is the evil maker of all aches and pains AND that it can be manipulated into submission by rolling with any apparatus hard or soft.

Hmmmm.

Or is fascia release just a trendy gym fad?

In talking to people who use their bodies for a living professionally, their knowledge of how to use or not use the various rolling and massage tools exceeds what the old fart gym rats would have or come to believe as taught by their instructors.

All they know is they feel better and they gladly offer testimonials for how rolling on hard PVC pipe rollers has changed their lives for the better.

Is that point of view really about that people want everything fast? That slow and steady doesn’t win the race and that the time-starved just want relief NOW?

About 10 years ago I popped my hamstring and was out of commission from doing anything that included jumping or running. So I started doing yoga.

I walked into the intermediate yoga class and the haughty instructor asked me if I had every taken yoga.

Uh, no.

But I am flex-y except for my busted hamstring. She let me stay and I took yoga faithfully for months after I regained use of my hamstring. She was a great teacher. I stopped yoga when it became the gym in-thing and the classes became a competition where people fought to be in the front on their certain mat and all the BS that is not truly yoga.

Anyway.

I nursed myself back to health slowly over 3 months-had a few acupuncture sessions.  This time in my life was before PT was my go-to answer for anything that hurt.

OK

I like to think of myself as knowledgeable enough to use an apparatus properly-so, couple that with the fact that the instructor is a self-promoting d*ck, so I’ve never been to class.

Obviously mostly because the person is a d*ck.

So I’ll speak to my own experience with attempting to dislodge my fascia via physical manipulation with a trainer instead of an inanimate object aka PVC pipe.

I tried FST or Fascia something something about a year ago. The concept of breaking up connective tissue that had scarred into place to help me function somehow made sense to me. That I could have increased flexibility was enticing.

I have to admit that the sessions felt good-stretching instead of mashing (the trainer has opinions about mashing via PVC pipe and rollers).  Working with a trainer, the client mainly is stretched to start breaking up the connective tissue (fascia) that has scarred into place.

After my second session I noticed that my knee started acting up. I’ve had IT band type issues that once one thing acts up, everything falls apart.

You know like the song- the ankle bone connected to the shin bone the shin bone connected to the…..

So at this point I went to my third session with trepidation. Instead of working on my legs which were in pain at this point, the trainer worked on my shoulders and neck.

I drew the line at my neck since I was already thinking the FST caused my issues with my knee.

Fast forward a year later-I had multiple sessions of PT to reset my left leg-once one old injury  was fixed another one flared up.  This time around I learned that if I stuck to GENTLE self-massage, ice, elevation and using my vibrating roller pretty much any injury will heal.

From my point of view-the fascia connective tissue had scarred into a place where my old injuries were supported and although not working perfectly, they worked properly.

Lesson learned?

Human beings were created to function and heal on their own meaning the fascia scars have a purpose.

And that PVC Pipe and destroying connective tissues is just a fad.

Seriously, where are the medical studies that support either approach-hard or physical manipulation? Some people may be helped with mashing themselves-but, could they have been helped anyway by another means?

Thought.

 

Purple Haze-Kiehls Company Store

I really enjoy Kiehls’ products-Rosa Artica is my long time fave go-to moisturizer when skin is parched.  Bar-none it is the thickest face product I know.  Like whipped vaseline.

But in a good way.

Got the friends and family card in the mail and left it in my car so I’d remember to take advantage of the 20% off.

So, I thought the sale started Monday and already knew what I wanted when I walked in the store.  I overheard the purple haired salesperson say “see you tomorrow when the sale starts”.

Then I realized that the sale started on TUESDAY.

I rarely venture over the hill on Tuesdays since I live 12 miles away on the Windward side.

I know, “too far to go”.  At least for people who live in Hawaii.

I figured that Kiehls might be nice and give me the discount a day early if I asked nicely.

I’ve been going to Marsha Nadalin in Kahala for over 10 years and their sidewalk sales happen on Fridays, and my brow person only works on Thursdays. When I nicely ask, they nicely reciprocate and give me whatever discount a day early.

Not so with the purple haired one.

I rarely shop in the store since I can buy Kiehls from Nords, Blooms, NM and sephora.

All you can do is vote with your credit card since

good

help

is

hard

to find.

Nuff said. I don’t need to start a lecture on competition.

Note:  I started this a few months ago but never published. I went in the store the other day when I walked by and didn’t see the purple haired person. (I have nothing against hair dye).  

 

 

It Doesn’t Work For Me-Macy’s Make Up Return Policy Change

I was just talking to someone about the fact that maybe 10 years ago, once you bought an expensive jar of cream, pot of gloss or eye shadow or whatever the person at the counter told you to buy that would “make you look decades younger”, you owned it.

Like a car.

You bought it, drove it off the curb and the value went down $3,000 right off the top.

Much like a now used car, a now used cosmetic item was not returnable.

But in the last 4-5 years, all stores where cosmetics were sold, shifted their policy about returning make up.

Longs, Macy’s Bloomingdales, Nordstrom’s, Neiman’s, MAC and Sephora, took back cosmetics that didn’t fulfill the salesperson’s claims and pretty much all you had to say was “it didn’t work for me”.

Maybe some people think this is tacky, but it’s not like trying to return worn underwear.

After all, make up prices have gone up exponentially while competition has increased with more and more outlets selling the call of the siren lipstick color that you just have to have this season which is really just a retread of last year.

Mascara used to average under $20-maybe in the $15-17 range-they now have gone up to $28-32.

In Hawaii, the lower range is the cost of plate lunch in a politically incorrect styrofoam container.

The upper range in Hawaii wouldn’t buy you a tank of gas for the average car.

The point is, whether you make minimum wage and only shop at Longs or Macy’s, or make a ton of money and only shop at department stores, that’s a lot of money and represents an hour of more work to buy a lousy product that doesn’t work.

Other trends-

More cosmetic companies have built their own storefronts competing with department stores.

Cosmetic companies sell product on their company store websites, often with better samples and incentives. And they ship for free with a purchase incent.

Heck, even Macy’s built out a section of hip and trendy brands like Too Faced, Philosophy, Urban Decay etc.

But yesterday the tide showed signs of turning.

I purchased a pretty blush from the MAC counter inside Macy’s less than 2 weeks ago. And try as I may, using a brush a sponge and then scraping the product to file off some loose product, I couldn’t get it on my face.

Really weird.

I’ve had products that test on your hand and disappear on my face, but clearly this product was faulty.

I was running in-between appointments and thought it would be easy.  For a Sunday early afternoon, Macy’s was pretty slow and had only 2 MAC salespeople. I waited for 5-10 minutes browsing.

After awhile, I wandered over to the hip and trendy area to see if they had the new Too Faced Natural eyes palette and decided to ask the salesperson there about returning the MAC product.

I asked nicely.

The unexpectedly normal make up looking salesperson asked if there was something wrong with the product, and no, it was not oozing with a weird smell, but YES it was faulty in that I couldn’t get it on my face.

Maybe she was a “floater” because she didn’t have a face full of make up, but she refused to take the MAC make up back.

She informed me that Macy’s policy was to not take make up back if there was nothing wrong with the product.

I asked her when that happened and the policy went into affect in October, but because of holiday sales (opportunities to sell more and avoid irritating customers), they were only starting to enforce the new policy. She offered that MAC was a leased space, and they might take the product back, but refused to budge.

The problem with that situation and response was:

1. There was something wrong with the product because it failed to perform, and
2. Macy’s election to enforce the policy now vs last October reads to me as they enforce the policy selectively.

This person had the obstinate firmness that meant she wouldn’t budge and again suggested to go to the MAC counter.

When I gave up, she sent out a saccharine “have a nice day”.

Went back to the MAC counter, the MAC salesperson/artist noticed I was back, excused herself from putting lipstick on the Japanese tourist with her family, and refunded my money in less than 3 minutes.

Clearly Macy’s needs to review the buying process, or at least mine:

1. Check gwpaddict.wordpress.com to see who is doing a gift with purchase, coupon or other incent.
2. Check out sephora.com if they have a gift with purchase I’d like.
3. If there’s a promotion at a store we have in Hawaii, I usually get in my car, take time out of my day to physically appear at the counter, and buy the product.

If the retailers did a little research about shopping behavior, the same holds true for a lot of items that people could buy in a store-If they find it online cheaper and they don’t have to get in their car to buy it, they buy it online.

Why would they waste time and gas to go to the store?

Online retailers have struck down the “I need to try it on” customer buying objection by making returns as easy as putting it in a box or envelope and returning the item POSTAGE FREE.

Heck, they will send UPS to pick it up.

Moral of the story?

Be nice to the customers that physically appear in the store, cuz brick and mortar is a dying concept.

k

 

 

 

 

Siren Song aka I Need More Make up Like a Hole in My Head

My name is Kirsten.

I am a skincareandmakeupaholic.

Less than 2 months ago, a friend and I were getting caught up in the fervor of Black Friday, and pre Black Friday, and Purple Thursday, and Pink Saturday and Hangover Monday. My email promotion inbox was going crazy with special offers and super sales for more more more!

I was giddy!

Not only did I buy for myself, I bought for my clients and my friends, saying, with my eyes bulging out of my head like a crazy person, “I can save this for their birthday…..next year”.

LOL

And as Christmas grew closer, I said with steely resolve, “Stop the madness!”

And then yet, another unpassable deal came in my inbox.

I was among the group of shoppers who did not set foot in a mall, except to purchase two of the same shirt for someones on my list.

Even then, they both did not fit.

Anyway.

I am trying really hard to think of what the last deal was that I bought that I just couldn’t not have.  I think it must have been some sephora deal because I have 2 tubes of City Defense and 2 bottles of sunscreen and I am not a hoarder.

And what do I have to show for it?

Nothing that I can easily recall.

A pity story.

A sad story.

Perhaps a state of madness.

And yet, I found myself a week ago watching “reveals” on youtube for the Too Faced Cosmetics mystery bag and feeling non-buyers’ remorse for not jumping at it with my credit card memorized in my head, poised for the next deal.

I feel like I am in my withdrawal state.

Actually looking for something.

I’m even stocked up on hair care. I bought a round blow dry brush.

When I wander the store post holiday-I actually take a mental inventory of everything I have searching for something that I might need.

I read recently that Toys R Us had to temper their online sales promos with their in store promos. The year before, they had such monstrous online shopping that they had to take inventory from their brick stores.

Is this perhaps what happened to sephora? The first days after the holiday, my inbox was void of sephora deals.  Only in the last few days have they started up.

But then, brands like Kiehls and Fresh must have been holiday wanna bees cuz right up to and a little while after, they were still letting me know that there were products to be bought and samples to have.

Even gwpaddict.com wrote last week that there were lots of coupons but no big gwps yet.

Wanting for nothing and yet still searching.

That’s gotta be so wrong.

k

 

 

 

 

Little Joys-aka Items You Buy To Make the GWP Threshold

Or when you live in Hawaii, the extra item(s) that you buy when you need to buy something more to make the free shipping threshold.

Sometimes I’ll go ahead and buy more than one of the same product at the same time, but it’s a rarity when I like something that much, or plan to give it to a friend because I highly endorse the product.

It’s like when I’m in Nords and I see the Clinique rep and she points out the Early Access giant Dramatically Different Cream that comes with another regular sized cream of the same.

It’s a siren call.

I have to stand there and take a mental inventory of my beauty supply products cabinet(s). Yes, I said cabinet(s)-which actually is three shelves in the medicine cabinet, the top portion of the vanity, one full drawer of the vanity, underneath bf’s vanity (but only a small area for larger items like shampoo and travel stuff) and finally the catch all closet in the hallway for stuff like body wash.

As it turns out, after that mental gyration, I don’t need another of the same cream – though I really do like the cream version of Dramatically Different.  I use the lotion formula samples all the time, and use the cream version over my serum and under my sunscreen. I just use a small 2-pea sized dab smoothed between two fingers and pressed on-the moisture lasts the entire day.

So, anyway.

One of the products that I bought to make the threshold is Benefits’ Dandelion box o powder blush travel sized mini for $15 bucks.

When I received it-I took one look and thought-hmm rip off, hardly any product and doesn’t look saturated.  I watched a net video of how to use the product and promptly didn’t try it for a couple of weeks.

Time makes for a desirous heart.

On a day I was planning to stay home and work, I still put some sort of a “face” on, so I took out the Benefit product. The little flat sweeping brush that comes with is rough and cheapy but it fits in the box and does a good job of getting the product on. Smooth it out with a real brush tho so you don’t look like you have two pink racing stripes on. 

I like to use the product on the very tops of my cheek ‘bones”. The light peachy pink with no shimmer gives me a little boost of color that I like and when blended out a bit looks a little fake healthy-but better than without.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but the retailer always wins with the threshold game.

k

PS

I hate Clinique’s pricing structure–their PepStart Eye is $26.50 and their GWP threshold is $27, so unless you want yet another sharpener…..

 

Battle of the Titans-Honolulu, Hawaii Make Up Landscape

Or at least the make up counters.

In the last 6 months, Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, Hawaii’s version of America’s Greatest Mall, has opened two major contenders in the battle for the beauty budget dollar.

Prior to the holidays, Bloomingdales opened in all of its splendor. I never went into post holiday, cuz, I really don’t like crowds.

Post holiday, Nords opened in the same wing of the mall.

Kiehls is slated to open soon-a company store stand alone near L’Occitane.

I’ve always been pretty lazy about traversing the entire mall-and now everything I want is located on one side.

Like a sailboat with the heavy contenders sitting on the same side, beauty mavens, the elite is all on the west side of the mall.

Nords opened in a brand new, much larger space–the beauty department is almost designed like Sephora with rows of cosmetic lines in separate corridors.  Nords also has the deluxe samples for sale-in center stations.

One thing I like is their “try it” stations-hey, on Friday night I don’t remember the name exactly, but brands have the GWP or other products set out in the center stations for people to try and play with. I like that.

It’s a wunderland.

Nords also boasts the first Charlotte Tilbury counter-known for the makeup artist turned entrepreneur-her eye shadow palettes are gorgeous-soft and silky powders. The make up artists are pretty knowledgeable and wear the make up product well-

I think it’s owned by Goop(sunscreen) but there is a running water wash basin-which I greatly appreciate so I can wash my hands of the products instead of just using alcohol or Purell.

Bloomingdales is pretty awesome and I love the calm atmosphere-read-less busy. I appreciate this fact, tho of course it is very hard for salespeople. The store itself is wonderful, a high shine new cousin to SFO’s store. The marketing people need to get busy cuz, as gorgeous as the store is, there is a perception issue.

Nords and Bloomingdales are pretty much parallel in pricing and offerings-but somehow people think B is much pricier.

Nay, B is the same as Nords-B just offers trendier labels in clothing. But cosmetics-the prices are the same.

Take a walk to the west-side-it’s really worth it.

And if you happen to live in K-town meaning Kahala or vicinity, check out Anela, who is heading up Macy’s Kahala’s new cosmetic headquarters with Urban Decay, Smashbox, Anastasia, Philosophy and more, products to offer. Anela is a make up artist who I met at BOSS Beauty Supply, the headquarters for beautiful hair. She’s very chill and very knowledgable-give her a visit.

K

What’s Up With That?Sephora Pricing Same Product, Same Size at a Premium

I pride myself on shopping around for the best deal-when all things are the same, same product, same size-I still look for the extra whatever to sweeten the deal.

The other day, I shopped online while my friend was driving and talking on speaker phone as we researched the best deal for a certain eye cream and moisturizer which was on her shopping list for the day.

After a few clicks, I helped her figure out how she could get the cream(s) she wanted, get the brand GWP, and the store GWP!

So this morning, the siren call of a Bobbi Brown GWP came in via Sephora’s daily sell email. I click on it-it looks good, so I check for the Estee Lauder Advanced Time Zone eye cream I like.

At Sephora a .5oz jar is $62.

At Macy’s a .5oz jar is $58.

WHAT?

I have become increasingly suspicious of Sephora’s practices.

I get that the 100 point aka $100 threshold for the VIB deluxe samples really cost me $100.

And that they now sell the same deluxe samples that the brands giveaway in GWPs in the stores and online.

But to add injury to insult by pricing at a premium?

I don’t think so.

K

 

Life on the Ranch-Canyon Ranch, Tucson

I live in Hawaii so it’s realllllyyy hard to leave to go on vacation,  As a former military brat, I travelled for the first 26 years of my life, so I don’t feel a strong urge to pack up my stuff and go anywhere that’s not on my wish list of St Petersburg to see the Kirov Ballet. Or take a short jaunt to see Alonso King or Complexions, or maybe travel to a city where a favorite band is performing.

So, kicking and screaming I went to Canyon Ranch in Tucson, AZ.

For weeks preceding my departure I made snarky remarks about going to the fat farm or rehab, because when you look at their online brochure, the ranch is all about metaphysical blah blahs, 12 steps, and health.

Ick. So not my cup of tea. Been there done that 20 years ago when it was in style to spout off, “me in relation to the universe” speak.

From my point of view, I have room to cut down on my glass of wine, chips, chocolate or candy-if I really wanted to, but I wouldn’t feel any desire to take myself to a locale where I would never have a desire to visit anyway.

Add to that the bf’s preference to take the 630AM flight.

I hate that because unless I’m going to a neighbor island, with the time difference, flying the AM flight takes up an entire day of my life just going to LA or SFO.

The 3 hour layover was actually a bright spot. Had a nice beet salad and last man’s meal at Wolfgang Puck’s airport location.

The glasses of wine helped me sleep the entire flight from LA to downtown Tucson. It was a night flight so we saw nothing.(The flight back my seatmate was a larger person and he leaned into the window while we flew over the scenics).

Tucson is a land of cactus and dryness as far as the eye can see. Imagine those cowboy westerns with Clint Eastwood in his poncho and flinty eyed gaze, as he squints into the horizon and takes a sip from a dried up leather water pouch.

That’s how I felt.

No humidity whatsoever. I had to carry around a water bottle and take a sip every 50 feet or so.

Checking in was pleasant enough. I’m sure reception is used to dealing with people who have a chip on their shoulder from facing the impending desert of less food and less drink, and more exercise. In the desert.

I admit, I was one of those people. The first morning we walked down to have our health assessment (aka opportunity to sell more spa services and special paid classes) I was grouchy.  At the same time I checked in and got my locker.

One thing I will say about CR is the staff is ginormous. Attendants in the locker room constantly put out fresh towels and neaten up the place after people shower, picking up bath mats and replenishing the towels at each station. There are icy towels by the steam/sauna room, and fruit waters by the jacuzzi in about 4 flavors. The goody drawer is stocked full of toothpaste, tooth brushes, razors, aspirin, bandaids, dental floss, ear plugs, reading glasses–all meant to be taken freely.

Heck even the shaving cream was a brand name.

I was issued a spa robe and slippers- I think I might have gotten some athlete’s foot, as after CR my foot is a little itchy. The lockers are digital. I’m not sure if the locker I received was on the bottom level cuz the attendant thought I was an old fart and it would be better if I sat to access my locker or not. CR was about 70% capacity, yet many of us were squished into the same area-so if someone was changing or getting into their locker there was a traffic jam.

The next day I had a portioned breakfast of 1/2 cup of granola, 1/2 cup of greek yogurt (the real unsweetened version) and a scrambled egg. Everything on the menu has calorie and fat counts. At CR you can eat as much as you want, all day every day. But everything is portioned out in what is the real suggested serving. For example, the pumpkin cheesecake, and peanut butter chocolate cake were about the size of a 2.5 stacked oreo cookie serving.

The point is, you can sit there and eat the entire menu ten times over if you want to.

While I was there I tried to take classes I would normally not do at HonClub. My first class was a core conditioning class which because I have no cardio stamina any more was challenging because it was fast. I also got a little nauseous from the smell of some sunscreen I tried. We used a “Vyper” apparatus while standing on a Bosu. Kind of fun. I like balance challenges anyway.

I also took a world beat dance class which turned out to be fun. A tall woman who I will always describe as a biker chick from a biker bar walked in with a scarf tied on her head at first. Seriously I was surprised she did not have any visible tats.

But the class was quite wonderful.  Looking at her she was not the picture of health but she could shake all her parts. The class turned out to be afro cuban with a live percussion trio.

I also tried the drum class where one of the trio taught us how to pound out beats using an African drum-very good instruction.

Boxing was fun-but I don’t think I want to try taking the class here where a guy teaches a small group at HC. I also tried aerial yoga-I liked it but the laundry detergent they used made me nauseous.

I only took one class with the bf (who fully utilized the facility. He meditated, breathed, sat out at the pool, stretched, rolled and steamed). The class was Tai Chi Sword-which I thought might be a style of tai chi. In fact, it was interesting in that the instructor taught us how a wood pole could be used to fend off attackers and how the tai chi “choreography” related to those defense moves. He brought out a large axe on a long pole for all of us to try. Everyone tried except me-there’s something about martial arts classes that stirs my aggression juices-so I thought it would be better to not take the axe out for a spin.

A couple of days in, I realized that people first arrive at CR kind of in a grouchy state of mind like myself. At first I just thought they were unfriendly, grouchy. But I realized that after a few days of the CR culture, you either gave in or didn’t. Some people that I would pass by on the walkways day after day, like myself loosened up. Others did not.

I did do some spa services. The most beneficial was the Connective Tissue “massage”. It was really a treatment where the attendant used a device to gently palpate my muscles and fascia. He theorized that all of my left side issues with my knee, foot, shoulder were related to a car accident where I was hit from the right side(driver on the right in Japan). That the 30 years since, my left over compensated. The gentle treatment eased the stiffness in my neck, as well as untwisted my torso which usually pulls to the left.

I also had an oxygen facial which highly moisturized my skin. CR uses top flight products from Switzerland and other skincare meccas (interesting not from Japan or Korea).

Our room was really nice-though housekeeping came while I was there so, the stories are true about whether the glasses are washed or not. Frankly I prefer to use a paper cup.

So, would I go again? I guess so.

k

Expectations-Motels v Resorts

I’m the kind of person that although I like a nice bed with super soft sheets and fluffy comforters, I still go kicking and screaming when I go on “vacation”.

No, I don’t like to work all the time, and

No, I’m not a workaholic, but

Yes, I’m picky and have some germ-phobe tendencies, where

I think of a hotel room as a germ-plagued breeding ground for infection.

I believe the 20/20 investigative reports-

So I do what I can so I can feel a little better, no

matter what I bring flip flops to wear around the room, because although

I live in Hawaii and take off my shoes in the “house”, other

people do not, and wear their shoes in hotel rooms and shared spaces.

I once stayed in SFO at the Hotel Monaco- the web photos had cute cupid, all-set for romance rooms- even the hotel entrance had flying cherubs on the ceiling. But

getting into the room was another story.

I could not stop thinking about how many people did you know what on that divan, or that chair

You get the picture.

Anyway

Back to the subject

Last month we went to a wedding in California in a small college town, as we drove up, I said oh, it’s a motel, kind of like Holiday Inn.

Staying in a wedding spirit, I found that the room tho plain, was presentable. The sheets were a little “crisp” but it did have a Keurig.

According to the wedding coordinator, tho there was a major chain hotel nearby, this place was “the” place to stay.

And it was pretty cool–when we checked in we got a coupon for a free drink in the motel cocktail lounge, which served a pretty good glass of their own house wine, from an area vineyard.

They also gave us coupons for a free breakfast with an up to $8 value for each night we stayed.

The cafe is a bustling place and altho the wedding party and a few sports teams were in the house and overflowed to the cocktail lounge, the scrambled eggs and kale were out of this world.

Maybe I’ve just gotten used to getting one flat scrambled egg, a skinny piece of toast and an oily piece of sausage for double the price, but I ate the same breakfast all 3 mornings.

So, my expectations were over the moon exceeded for what I thought would be a passable experience, into one where fluffy scrambled eggs subbed in for the fluffy bed and soft sheets.

Interestingly enough, soon, I will be heading out to a 5-star resort, where, so far my expectations were high, but the customer experience has been pretty well, “motel-like”.

More later upon my return,

k