Facial!

The one and only time I ever had a facial was in 2004, when my good friend was about to get married and she went for a facial. I decided to join her but can't remember the experience except for the fact that the location was too far for me and the lady spoke only Chinese.

So, when a facial chain opened right outside my parents house last year, it was only a matter of time before I tried it out. RM38 for a 2.5 hour facial for first timers, what's not to try? Plus, they do not have any packages like the other facials have and will insist you sign up for courses, making you commit to over RM2,000 worth of future facials.

My friend tried it out and said they were good and comparable to the other facials she have tried. Since her next appointment was coming up and it so happened that Jan was back from Singapore, we decided to give it a try.

Herbaline turned an old bungalow lot into a beautiful spa. I was impressed from the time I walked in. There's a guy in a smart uniform at the entrance making sure you get to and fro your car safely, sheltering you when it rains, the sheltered pond you have to walk across to get into the crisp white reception hall. Before entering the individual rooms, we were seated at sinks at floor level with sea-salted warm water to scrub our feet.

The first part of the facial was good, double cleansing followed by a steam blower, which made my face numb after a short while. THEN. The extractions started. OMG. My tears kept flowing as the beautician pressed, squeezed and poked. My nose was moulded into shapes I never knew it could, just to get a blackhead out. Thank goodness I only had two major pimples because she attempted to extract every drop of blood from them.

After that was the mask, which was supposedly soothing but I was still in pain. I also got her to remove some tiny bumps on my skin which she said were warts. I have warts! And it's hereditary! Dad confirmed he has some too, so Grace and Ron, see if you have warts on your faces too.

All in all, my face was fine the next day except for the residue scars of my pimples. But after four days, most of it is gone and now my face feels smooth. I still need to go back to finish up my wart treatment if I want to but I'm not too sure about the extraction bit. Others say this is normal. No pain, no gain?