Week 46: A Facial with a Friend!

Week 46: November 12-November 18th, 2023

One of my best friends, Kassidy, is currently in esthetician school. A new part of her program includes practicing treatments and facials on people to get hands-on experience. As someone who loves skincare, and supporting my friends, I agreed to be one of her test subjects. A huge part of my life has always been grooming, preening, tweezing, etc. I used to spend hours doing my hair in middle school. I've researched deep into the rabbit hole of hair removal treatments, best practices for skincare, trending makeup, and more. I have gone through so many trials, and rely heavily on products in my life. When I travel, I have at least two toiletry bags for my stuff. I love skincare, makeup, and fashion. I get my lashes and nails done. One could say I'm high maintenance, but I'm the one doing the maintaining and, even though its exhausting at times, I love it. I am always up for some type of beauty treatment and find a lot of happiness in self-care and beautification, despite how much I may complain about hair removal.

I have recently been treating myself and my skin to regular facials when I can. I had one booked at my regular place, Honest Skin, but by some miracle, Kassidy texted me and asked if I was free this week to get a facial. I immediately cancelled my original appointment and signed up for one of Kassidy's open timeslots.

Kassidy's program itself is through San Diego City College, which is tucked right by the freeway in downtown. It was a gloomy day, with rain on the horizon, and I looked forward to the cozy vibes of some girl time and skincare. I'd never been in any of the San Diego City College buildings and the Cosmetology apartment was bigger than I thought. As I walked through the doors, a bunch of young women in magenta scrubs filed past me. They all had black rolling cases, presumably full of hair products, nail stuff, or something else equally wonderful. I felt like I was in Santa's Cosmetology Christmas Workshop, and all of these people buzzing around in different colored scrubs were Santa's elves. They all shared one mission: to provide beauty services to the masses during the holiday season. It was awesome.

I was greeted at the receptionist desk by more students, this time in white scrubs. I filled out some forms, and headed upstairs. A woman with a strong Eastern European accent (the instructor, I later found out) ushered me into the "classroom" space. It was less of a classroom and more of a big workshop, filled with beauty products and essential oils. The sterile, medical feeling of the room was offset by the massage chairs, treatment tables, and dimmed lights. They had calming music and ocean sounds playing over the speakers. Kassidy greeted me, also in white scrubs, and helped me get set up at her treatment table. There were ceiling curtains separating each student's workspace, similar to the ones in hospital rooms. It was a place of productivity and learning, but also relaxation.

I told Kassidy she could do whatever she wanted to my skin or my face. I was just happy to be there and supporting her journey to getting her esthetician license. She did a standard facial, using Dermologica products, and practiced a scalp massage and gua sha lymphatic drainage on me. It was the first time she'd done the lymphatic drainage and scalp massage on a client, so I felt honored to be the test subject. We chatted as she worked, and I learned more about the program. There are currently 29 students in her class, and they share the treatment space each day. She said many people bring their friends or family members in for practice, but they also use each other to learn. Because cosmetology in general is a female-dominated industry, I wasn't surprised that there were no men around. I felt a little jealous thinking about how I'm stuck dealing with the old boys club every day at my job when there is this utopia of beauty and feminine energy to experience. The classroom was a well-oiled machine, run by women, and it felt awesome to see a small part of it. Its always good to see my friends, especially in different environments, thriving and growing like that.

I'm really excited for Kassidy to finish the program and get all the certifications and licenses necessary to practice. I have this silly dream of being the operations manager of a salon or a med spa, where all of my talented nurse friends and cosmetology friends work. It would be a space with services for everyone, obviously, not just women, but it would be run by us, and therefore it would be perfect. Starting a business like that seems so far-fetched, but, hey, maybe one day.

See you next week.