By Tamar Vezirian
Let
me preface this story by saying, a genuine korean scrub is not for the shy or
faint-hearted type. If this is you, you may want to stop reading here….
BUT
if you want your skin to feel as smooth as a baby’s bottom, then read on
because this is a beauty treatment all for you!
Just
as the Turks are known for their hamams, Koreans have also mastered their
bathing domain and if you have a chance to visit one of their extraordinary bath
houses, it can prove to be a gem of a memory.
The
dawn of every new season is my cue to head over to NYC’s K-Town for a scrub
down and no other woman does it better than my girl, Jay. She doesn’t speak a
lick of English, yet we seem to understand each other and I trust her
implicitly.
The
process begins with her leaving me to steam for 10-15 minutes. I should note
here that I have the patience of a mule so even though we’ve been through the
routine several times together, I always seem to get it wrong and make my
escape too early. To this, she hurries after me, all wild eyed with arms
flailing about, shouting at me in Korean, as she scoots me back inside and
scolds me to not come out until time is up.
Remember
when I mentioned faint of heart? Well, 15 minutes is like an eternity in this
kind of steam and a real challenge, but I must admit the punishment and wait are worth it. The steam is the most important part of the process, as it opens the
pores just enough to get the full benefits of the scrub. In short, no steam, no
scrub.
Next,
I’m carted off to another cell and hoisted onto the massive cold concrete block
ready to be tenderized. Now, this is where the shy and sensitive part comes in
and yes, you guessed it – the trust!
There’s
no other way to put it other than on that table I’m simply a piece of fleshy
meat laid out ready to be worked over. Jay dons her exfoliation mitt, like an
expert butcher with her cleaver, and begins the pound down. It’s not painful,
but I wouldn’t equate it to serenity either. It’s rough, but I’m there to
slough and so brace myself and repeat my mantra, “pain is beauty, pain is
beauty.” Every brisk motion, with no nook and cranny unattended, sends dead
skin cells flying off into the atmosphere. Buckets of water flood over me to get rid
of any residual cells still desperately clinging on for some last chance of
hope. In the end, the place looks like a battle zone with nothing but rolled
up, dark gray skin cell casualties. It’s disgusting, but I feel amazing and
congratulate Jay on her victory!
Now
comes the reward. Jay ushers me once again to another station, except my once
firm form feels more like a mushy pile of soft oatmeal, as I’m scooped up onto another
platform and hit with a waterfall of hot milk.
Is it weird that I always get hungry at this point and start to have
visions of the Quaker Oat guy? No wonder his is the breakfast of champions.
It’s so refreshing and the lactic acid makes my skin feels so energized as it is restored to its natural state. I always feel invigorated and ready to conquer
anything.
As the process comes to a close, I sit up
feeling like a modern-day Cleopatra. I’m clean to the core, confident, and
strong. My skin is fortified and ready
to battle the outdoor elements for another month.
If
you have never treated yourself to a korean scrub, I would highly recommend it.
If you’ve never treated yourself to a spray tan, I’d also highly recommend it,
but I bet you already knew that much;) Together these two treatments may be the
nicest gift you could ever give yourself. Exfoliation with an Airbrush is like putting
the best gift in the nicest, shiniest wrapping. The gift is you and you are worth it.
