PREVIOUS ARTICLE
We feature an original illustration by the wonderful Mari Andrew every Friday morning, and here’s today’s. What would you add to the list?
P.S. Random turn-ons, and nice moments.
Relaxing Experiences
Subscribe
50 Comments
oh and one more – i looove Shavasana at the end of yoga class. when we cover up with a blanket, it makes me feel like a child in preschool during naptime.
i love this so much. i have to say, i have hit upon another one (and i am in this situation this very moment). going to a required meeting as a marginal attendee. i have to be here, the discussions don’t involve me so much, and i have my laptop as needed. we are in a large conference room overlooking the water and the NY skyline. this is absolutely relaxing to me.
She’s so right! I’ve come to appreciate a good head massage, and have discovered the quiet contemplation of the garden section of Home Depot…
So many times I’ve stood in the bathroom (bathroom to us Aussies, restroom to you guys in the good ole US of A). Stood and gathered myself. Pre-interview. Post-interview. Bad news. Good news. There’s something about the mirror and looking at yourself as you react to the situation you’re preparing for or reacting to. Its like there’s another whole person there with you.
I couldn’t agree more with the scalp massage and wandering through the quiet isles of the library, perusing books all alone. Also, when you talk to a friend with a soothing voice or lovely accent.
Floating on my back in water, with my ears submerged and my face in the sun
Walking in the forest. Looking and listening to the sea.
Having a quiet wander around a really good stationery shop, smelling the paper, trying out the fountain pens. Material and sewing supplies shops do it for me as well, you slow right down so you can fondle the textiles and ribbons, look at the buttons………all that good stuff.
I used to think getting my hair shampooed was relaxing… until I learned about beauty parlor stroke syndrome. (Your life may be better if you don’t google it.) Now I am straight up terrified the entire time.
The fear of other people intruding on the first 4 moments or trying to make small talk ruin the relaxation aspect for me (introvert anxiety problems!). Totally on board with the moments before an appointment where I only need to read magazines though — especially since having kids!
Smelling candles in a store. I used to do this when I was stressed out in college. But also whole heartedly agree with the shampoo.
when i was stressed in my twenties, i would sometimes just walk around anthropologie and flip through their cookbooks, smell the candles, etc. the store is so relaxing!
Haha my relaxing store is a giant Room & Board here in D.C. It’s so orderly and peaceful!
Yes, to squishing yarn! I don’t even knit but will go into yarn stores to touch them and squish them. I have to do every one. I think the colours help and just knowing that knitting relaxes people in general. I just relax by osmosis. so good.
i never thought of that! now i want to try it :)
Love this. My all-time favorite (though doesn’t last long enough) – is going through the carwash. Something about being in this cocoon while all these whirly brushes are scrubbing and water and suds are flowing…
Oooh yes. Never thought of this but I love it. :)
These are spot on! It’s like she knows me.
I second that whimsical loops one.
Hair wash at the salon is the besstttt. Another favorite relaxing experience: a Saturday morning stroll around the neighborhood while listening to a podcast :)
Wandering through the aisles at the library. Better than a spa by far.
I was just about to say this :)
For me the title would be Reminiscing about the Most Relaxing Experiences.
The only one I can still relate to is the pre-haircut shampoo. The remaining items all involve children now. I can’t wait to pee in a public restroom again when my children aren’t constantly opening the stall door (sorry world!).
hahahaha i hear you, mama!
Yes! Doing pretty much anything alone feels like a luxury these days. I even volunteered to be the one to renew our car tags :)
Oh, mostly definitely agree with the shampoo before a cut. Really, haircuts in general are always relaxing; although, I feel badly if I don’t offer some kind of chitchat with my hair stylist.
I love wandering around antique malls; the kind that have different booths with different vendors. My husband and I will stop by our favorite tea shop to get a cup to go, and then head over to the mall to browse. I don’t even need to buy anything; I just love to look at everything. My husband goes for the old books and vinyl.
I also find botanical gardens very relaxing. I make a point of visiting the nearest one anytime I visit a new city. My current city, Louisville, KY, had broken ground on our very first botanical garden, and I cannot wait!
I go to antique malls when I’m stressed too! My grandmother used to take me so now I go for the smells and sights, not for purchasing anything. Makes me feel closer to home and more centered. Glad I’m not the only one!
In Toronto, there are two stations for the same interchange. The majority of people change at the later one, because it doesn’t involve walking. I change at the earlier one because it gives me a nice little stroll between the two subway lines and virtually guarantees me a seat so I can zone out like Mari.
I would add to this list, getting full service at a clothing store. I recently went shopping for maternity wear and having someone bring me different styles and sizes and focus on my needs in that moment made the experience completely zen. They even brought me seltzer with some lemon in it (am I the only one who gets exhausted trying on clothes?)
The pre-haircut shampoo is one of my most favorite things ever. My stylist does a great mini scalp and neck massage during the conditioner application, and by the time she rinses it out I feel like a new person.
Things I would add to the list include squishing yarn and wools at knitting shops, watching cookies bake, and closing my eyes and letting a piece of chocolate (preferably dark) melt in my mouth.
Lovely and SO relatable, as always! Love Mari.
The escape to the restroom is one of my favorites — whether I’m at a movie theater or a fun restaurant, I’ve always loved taking a minute to go to the restroom, haha! Stepping away from the meal at the table or story on the screen for a moment brings me into a happy awareness of and contentment in the experience I’m having there. Plus, many restaurants these have the most beautiful wallpaper, tiled floors, candles, towels, etc.!
I adore this! One of my relaxing moments is just sitting on a bench and people watching. Last weekend, I took myself on a solo date, picked up a pressed freeze (even though it was 40 degrees out), and sat on a bench for half hour. It was wonderful
Listening to strangers’ pleasant idle chatter, i.e. on public transportation, hair salons, etc.
My old salon had a massage chair you sat in while they washed your hair, and the receptionist gave you a hand massage at some point during your cut. Hands down the #1 reason I’m sad I moved away is that haircut experience…brb going to cry now.
Nothing like getting my hair washed! And it’s not only a relaxing experience (think Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in Out of Africa).
I would like to add doing laundry at a nearly empty laundromat! Something about not being able to leave is really relaxing to me. I also really enjoy having a large surface on which to organize and neatly fold all.the.things.
Mindless magazine viewing before appointments – YES. For some reason this is the only instance I “allow” myself to do this, ha!
I tip a whole lot for a good scalp massage during a pre-cut shampoo! The stylist I go to says her friends come in for just for a wash and blow-dry, mostly for the massage ;) Also, garden stores really are the best!
Just reading about each of these and imagining them was relaxing – thank you!
I should add – in my current station in life as a sham with twin toddlers and a 7yo, my most relaxing experience is staring at a wall blankly for two minutes ?
I do the blank stare too with 2 kids under 2! Another variation is laying facedown on the bed in a dark room for 5-10 minutes, listening to my family.
Also, going out to breakfast by yourself, and getting to read the newspaper and do the crossword puzzle.
I find the pre-haircut shampoo agonizing! Crick in my neck + tender scalp + very thick hair = unngghghhhhh. Having it combed and combed and recombed as it’s being cut is lovely, though.
the hair salon where i go these days (parlor in brooklyn) actually gives a little shoulder massage before the shampoo. i get so psyched for it even days before the hair appt. it feels SO GOOD at the end of a long day!
Couldn’t agree more! I have the same hair type and I find laying back on a bench type of table (although elevated) with my head semi tipped back not comfortable. The actual is great, though.
I have very thick but very fine (thus, incredibly easily tangled) hair, and I used to DREAD the post-wash comb-out. The stylist would always use a brush with plastic bristles and yank and yank I would think, “huh, this is so much easier at home for me with my Mason Pearson brush”. So one day I decided to bring my own brush and just hand it over and say, “Use this, please!” Breakthrough moment! Now I love all aspects of the haircutting experience.
I look forward to this post every week! Mari has an amazing knack at illustrating exactly how I feel about each topic. So relatable. Love this one especially.
I don’t even garden, but garden stores are SO relaxing. I like walking down the aisles and picking out the plants I would coordinate in my luscious backyard if I was, in fact, a gardener and if I was, in fact, a homeowner.
Getting your hair shampooed before a haircut–> tomorrow I’m having a haircut and the actual reason for going to that hairdresser is that they do amazing shampoo.
Mari nails it every time!
Ah! Yes! The waiting and only having to read magazines is great!!!!
I used to love that when I nannied and took my child to a high end UES orthodontist. LOVE LOVE LOVED that freedom to sit back, read the latest mags (they had so many) while watching all the other high society moms or nannies interact with their children.
Anthropology at its best.
Perfect. Mari Andrew is tapped into my brain.
More to Love
I look at a picture of little me and feel a tenderness towards her...
47 COMMENTS
I pulled into the grocery-store parking lot with my toddler and baby...
465 COMMENTS
Our family was instantly hooked.
46 COMMENTS
10 links, including bedroom nooks and my favorite city boot.
154 COMMENTS