Traveling for me is (for the most part) fun, adventurous and exciting…it also unfortunately tends to wreak havoc on my skin.  I arrived  in Orlando back from Fashion Week and swore that I could see the congestion of New York City and the weird airplane air on my face…I definitely feel it, a facial was  in order…actually it was  a necessity at this point. With the aim of decongesting my face, I headed off to The Spa at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando hoping that if they didn’t decongest my skin then at least they would deep clean it enough to get the airplane out.

The facial I scheduled is called the Force Vitale Hydrating & Revitalizing Treatment, it is an hour long facial that promises skin is, “Freed from stress and fatigue (that would) emerge renewed with freshness and a natural, youthful glow.” With those promises and a name like that I knew it would either do wonders for my complexion or my face would look like Samantha’s on that episode of Sex And The City when she gets a chemical peel and had to wear a black veil to cover it up…it was too hot in Orlando for black …or a veil. Upon examining my skin (I know it’s necessary but I always feel so judged under those lights and that insane magnifying mirror), my esthetician Hiromi agreed that my skin was indeed very congested, not to mention dehydrated and it would really benefit from the treatment.

From this point on all I remember is her wrapping a towel around my head, then at some point an amazing foot massage followed by my moisturized feet being placed in warm cocoons…this is all I remember because I fell asleep (she did tell me to try to sleep.)  I don’t know if it was the way she applied the products, the massaging of the face or her very soothing voice, either way I was out like a light. I woke up to “Miss Lewis how does your skin feel?”  My skin felt great, my mini nap wasn’t so bad either.  The treatment delivered everything it promised, the tiny bumps on my face were gone, it was glowing, it did in fact look both renewed and refreshed.  Hiromi did caution that it was very important that I apply sunscreen to my face since a part of the facial was a resurfacing treatment (enzyme peel.) Normally, immediately following a facial, the last thing I want to do is to be out in public because I just feel wrong about applying any make up to my skin newly deep cleansed, but with this treatment my skin looked so good I just wanted to show it off .

The next time I’m in Orlando I definitely plan on visiting Hiromi again, hopefully that will be very soon since I noticed for their 50th anniversary they have a Golden Anniversary Package that includes a soothing spa treatment…nap not included.