What better way to pamper yourself on #NationalRelaxationDay than to head to your local spa? Oh, but I'm not just talking about any spa. I'm talking about the spa with the refreshing eucalyptus steam room, the already prepared bowl of cold cucumber-scented towels soaked in iced water next to the sauna, fresh fruits located in every room for guests to munch on, and more. Yep, that's right - I'm talking about the luxurious Burke Williams Spa located in Mission Viejo.

For somebody who is always on-the-go and a frequent commuter of the long drive between OC and LA, I am definitely in need of a spa day...or more than one, hah! Thankfully, Burke Williams Spa is the closest getaway to home that I know. In celebration of National Relaxation Day (which actually passed a couple of weeks ago!), I partnered up with Burke Williams Spa to experience a variety of their services and amenities to show you guys WHY you should book your next appointment here. On my first visit, I went with the bestie, Marisa from @mariseeezy, to get massages. However, I visited again about two weeks later to experience their facial and wetroom services so that I could get a feel for the entire Burke Williams Spa experience. I've listed the three specific services that I experienced down below, in addition to my honest review of each appointment in hopes that my experience can make yours better!

Pure Relaxation Massage (50-Minute)

Every time that I need to wind down, a relaxation massage is JUST what I need to relax my mind and body for the remainder of the day. A typical massage appointment consists of 5 minutes of undressing, 50 minutes of massage time, and 5 minutes of redressing. As every massage therapist should, she asked me if the temperature of the massage bed was comfortable and if she needed to change the pressure of the massage. Also, I added that I had minor tendonitis on both of my wrists, so she made sure to work on those areas as well. For any of you who are injured through work or sports, massages are a GREAT way to relieve your inflammation and pain! After every massage I get, I'm always in a half sleepy, half happy trance - which means the massage was relaxing and got the job done! If you haven't had a massage before, I would recommend going for a relaxation massage for first-time guests. If you're experienced in booking massages, have a low pain tolerance, or feel that you have a lot of kinks you need to work on, then I would suggest booking a deep tissue massage instead!

Salt or Sugar Glo Wetroom Treatment (25-Minute)

Literally, the first thought that crossed my mind when I entered this room was HUMAN CAR WASH! Upon entering this room, you see a massage table covered in towels and about three to five shower heads located to the right of the table. The massage therapist kindly explained how the procedure would work before I undressed and snuggled underneath a towel, face down and bottom up! She massaged three products on to my body, in the order of a body wash scrub, salt scrub, and body oil. Also, in between each product application, she made sure to rinse off all of the excess product before moving on to the next step. Once all three scrubs were applied, I was instructed to turn my body over so that we could repeat the scrub process on the front part of my body.

For this specific wetroom treatment, you have the choice of picking between a salt or sugar scrub. Since I had the "go big or go home" mentality, I YOLO'd and picked the salt scrub to get more bang for my buck. The massage therapist explained that salt was more coarse, so I definitely felt the rough and uncomfortable texture of this scrub when the time came. But like they say, beauty equals pain, right? Hah. Honestly, the scrubbing was a bit uncomfortable and inflicted minor pain here and there, but the pain is definitely temporary and is immediately relieved once lukewarm water is sprayed at the previously scrubbed area. The most sensitive part of my body had to be the upper chest area so if you do decide to book a wetroom treatment, let's just say I warned you, haha!

If you had to ask me if I would book this treatment again, I would in a heartbeat. It was such a unique first-time experience for me and I absolutely enjoyed the entire exfoliation process! After all, whatever helps achieve healthier and softer skin for my body is a win-win in my book!

Spa Style Facial (50-Minute)

Whenever I'm about to get a facial, I always get this super excited feeling knowing that my skin is about to look its healthiest and most dewy as soon as I walk out of that spa door! With the Spa Style Facial, Heidi was so nice as to write down EVERY single ingredient that she applied on to my skin so that I could explain my facial to the best of my ability to you guys!

First off, let me just say that this facial comes with a hand and foot massage for those who want to experience a few extra perks from your average facial. While my hands were treated with ecofin (all natural, environmentally friendly, paraben-free), my face was exposed to a consistent wave of steam to help open my pores by the time of the extraction process. To make this facial session easier to visualize and understand, I've listed down the exact ingredients that Heidi applied to my face from start to finish to create a radiant, dewy look by the end of my session.

Prepare:
1) Complete - Normal Gel Cleanser
2) Prepare - Ultra Dermal Toner
3) Buff - Refining Exfoliant (function: removes dead skin cells, clean pores)

Target:
1) Eye-Tox 3 - Optimum Eye Serum (function: tightens, helps with dark circles, anti-aging)
2) Moisture/Enhance - Hyaluronic Boost (function: hydrates)
3) Beyond - Tightening Hydration Mask (function: massages, hydrates)
4) Spotless - Anti-Blemish Mask (function: Tea Tree + Clay cleans pores & helps with breakouts)
5) Defy - Age Defying Antioxidant Mask (function: moisturizes + hydrates)

Support:
1) Balance - Oily Skin Moisturizer(function: moisturizes, helps with breakouts, oil-free)
2) Moisture/Enhance - Hyaluronic Boost (function: hydrates)

Finish:
1) Spa Gloss - Lip Treatment

Additionally, she provided me with a few helpful tips on skincare that I wanted to share with you guys as well.

Tip #1:
After receiving a facial near bedtime, you should still apply your evening skincare products.

Tip #2:
After using a facial sheet mask near bedtime, you should still apply your evening skincare products.

Tip #3: If your skincare regimen requires multiple products/steps, give each product time to absorb into your skin. The more time you wait in between applications, the better! (Ideal wait time between products: 10 minutes)

Tip #4:
If you have to extract your blackheads or blemishes, do so in a "scooping down" motion, then upwards instead of attacking right at the source. If the extraction is not done properly, the blemish becomes irritated and more red.

Tip #5:
If you want to try out a new skincare product but are feeling scared that it would irritate your skin, do a spot treatment first. Apply the new product on to a SMALL area of your face, and if it's not irritated within 30 seconds to a minute, chances are you're good to go!

Tip #6 (from me):
Do not use the steam room or sauna after a facial. I waited 10 minutes post-facial to enter the steam room, and sweat mixed with facial products is not the best combination. My eyes have been irritated for the last couple of hours, so learn from me by not repeating the same mistake, haha!

After experiencing all three of these services, I'm already awaiting my next spa day! If I had to come back to Burke Williams Spa, I would most likely want to book a wetroom appointment again! I know that we can all get easily caught up in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, so don't forget to take a breather every now and then by pampering yourself and your body! If you need a mini break or getaway from the monotonous routine that is work and life, you already know that Burke Williams Spa is ready to welcome you with open arms :)