[Our spa correspondent Melissa Mellott is back with another amazing review, in which she shows us that "spa" doesn't just mean facials; it can mean new experiences too. Sharing them with your girlfriends is even better!]

by Melissa Mellott

I think we can all agree that getting a facial, massage or any type of spa treatment is relaxing, and thus good for mind and body. As an esthetician, I believe that these treatments are good/nurturing/healing to our skin and body. 

The concept of Spa Health, however, is defined as doing something positive for yourself—something that makes you relaxed, happy, balanced, peaceful, or simply rested.  This could be a facial, but it could be taking a walk on the beach, playing with a puppy, cooking (yes, comfort food; it doesn’t have to be spa cuisine!) or eating a truffle (I, personally, could be in any sort of stressful situation and chocolate becomes my “OM”!) 

Speaking of chocolate, I recently attended a Chocolate & Wine Yoga Workshop at Ojai Valley Inn Resort and Spa. Prior to the workshop, I scrambled to find anything that resembled yoga pants to take with me, commenting to a friend about the upcoming workshop, “I don’t do yoga, but…I certainly do chocolate and wine.”  The class was taught by author and yoga expert Dave Romanelli, and over the course of two days, I took two yoga classes and had two chocolate and wine tastings following the yoga; it was like the carrot dangled in front of me … except it was the most delicious Vosges Aztec truffles infused with ancho chillies  and Ceylon cinnamon. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey, girlfriends! We’re pleased to announce that we are new contributors to Chicagonista, a blog for “movers, shakers and baby-makers…always dishing on Chicago’s hidden treasures for the family.” Check out our first post here.  We’re excited about this new partnership that will enable us to review some of the great girlfriendly places we visit locally. If you have a suggestion for a place to review, be sure to let us know! And as always, stay tuned for more universally fun suggestions on GirlfriendCelebrations.com.

Oh yes we did—we met fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and it all started with an email from a girlfriend! Genevieve, who remembered our past posts and tweets about how we were nuts about Mizrahi, kindly let us know he was going to be in town for an event to launch the Liz Claiborne New York line. Mizrahi took over design for the line this year (ending his relationship with Target, where he helped create an affordable style revolution). Carson Pirie Scott (known as BonTon in other parts of the country) hosted a fashion show and shopping event with an opportunity to meet the designer. Being that it was right in our backyard, so to speak, we simply had to be there. 

We’re in!

After waiting in line to see if we were going to get into the event, we were seated near the runway. Yes! Our pink wristbands ensured we would get a goodie bag after the show. Better, we had a closeup view of the stage where Mizrahi would sit and talk about style with emcee Stacy Wallace-Albert.

Style tips

Does fashion matter to real girlfriends, with everything going on in the world today? Well, if you’re talking about high fashion, maybe not. But, no matter who you are, style does matter. You have to present yourself in some way, given that we live in a visually oriented society, so you might as well give it some thought and look put-together. It doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot. Mizrahi focused on versatile pieces in this line, which is reasonably priced. Perhaps playing to his Midwestern audience, he also gave a lot of practical fashion advice in his time on stage. Here are a few of his nuggets: Read the rest of this entry »

Winners have been notified. Check your email! Ah, motherhood. So rewarding, so challenging, so…hilarious? Mother’s Day is just around the corner, girlfriends, and it’s not too early to start thinking about your mom and all she means to you…and Mother’s Day gifts, of course! We’ve got just the antidote to those sappy Mother’s Day cards and gifts. Have you visited the website PostcardsFromYoMomma? It’s a hilarious collection of emails from people’s moms. Started by two girlfriends, Doree Shafrir and Jessica Grose, PostcardsFromYoMomma became an online sensation just days after launching. Now, these smart ladies are bringing us an alternative to mushy Mother’s Day items with Love, Mom: Poignant, Goofy, Brilliant Messages from Home(248 pages, 2009, Hyperion). This little hardcover is filled with laugh-out-loud moments. Warning: It’s hard to put down! Doree and Jessica were kind enough to answer a few questions just for GirlfriendCelebrations.com. Read on for the interview. Then, see the end of this post to find out how you can win one of FIVE free copies of the book. It makes a great, giggle-inducing gift for anyone who is a mom or just has a mom!

Q. How did this project get started?

Jessica: My mother sent me a particularly ridiculous email, and I thought it was so funny I sent it to Doree. Her immediate reaction was, OMG, my mom sends me emails just like this! It was during the work day, and Doree went out to get some ice cream—upon her return she said, let’s put these up on a website. So we started the site and sent out an email to our closest friends asking for submissions. After only a few days, we realized we had stumbled on something that people really related to.

Q. Were you girlfriends before this project? How has working together affected your friendship? (or vice versa?) 

Doree: We were friendly before the project started but we didn’t know each other very well—we mostly IMed during the day but we hadn’t hung out that much one-on-one. One of the nicest parts of doing this project together was that we became much closer friends. We also (fortunately!) discovered that we work really well together.

Q. What have you learned about moms or about motherhood from doing this project?

Doree/Jessica: We realized that no matter what a mother is saying—whether she’s nagging you about writing thank-you notes, gabbing about her latest shoe purchase, or just saying hi—she’s doing it from a place of love and concern. Even though we sometimes roll our eyes at our moms’ emails, doing this gave us a greater appreciation for just how much they want the best for us.
Read the rest of this entry »