Photo Credit: @souldeelight
DISCLAIMER
First, a disclaimer - I absolutely had no idea I was signing up for a slimming treatment.
When I saw the advertorial on Facebook for a Detox Treatment - 2 for S$68 with Cheryl W Wellness, I thought that this was a good price and that I really needed a nice, relaxing detox massage, that doesn’t break my hubby’s wallet.
MY MISTAKE
My mistake was thinking the detox treatment was a spa massage.
All I’m saying is that - If you ever want to feel sorry for yourself and have a stranger prodding at your fatty bits then go sign up for a slimming treatment, or a body contouring or fat freezing or zapping treatment, whatever they call it.
At least you are now going in, willingly and knowingly. I, on the other hand, had no way of being prepared for what came up next.
LET ME START FROM THE BEGINNING
Their initial message to me was pretty standard, and very thorough - but just for a massage?
One of the questions was if I have any thyroid, fibroid or cysts and I was lulled into thinking they cared about my well-being, which I’m sure they did. (At the back of my head, I heard the soft ringing of an alarm bell.)
Then they said the 1st session would take 2.5 hours - my 2nd alarm bell went off. It could either be that they are giving me a bonus TLC time or they will be holding me hostage to convince me to sign up for a package. (Spoiler alert: it was none of that)
The place itself was pretty swanky , after all it's located in a popular shopping mall in town. I was greeted by a lady who was so skinny that an ugly thought popped into my head - “Is that from too much detoxing?"
And know what Patanjali had to say about this - that “Harm to others start with harm to ourselves” The judgement has started and I haven't got to the good bits yet.
THE SELF-JUDGEMENT STARTS
She brought me inside a small room to a machine that measured my weight and visceral fats. WHY? Do I need this for a massage?
Another lady, a therapist (normal size, not that it matters:) then came in to explain about the detox treatment which consisted of a steam bath, a targeted massage on the tummy and hips, after which I’ll be wrapped and ‘steamed’ in a hot blanket - which doesn’t sound so bad, right?
When she started explaining my results from the first machine, that’s when the alarm bells starting clanging, and to make the long story short, she said I have high visceral fats and minimal water retention. The detox treatment is for those with high water retention which I apparently do not have. So she recommended another treatment using a ‘multipolar’ machine, which will supposedly kill my fat cells, which she said was more suitable for me.
She then asked me to stand in front of the mirror and to pull up my dress (aaahhh…….) and then the poking started - she pointed at my back fats, my belly fat, my butt fats and my cellulites.
I know they are there
Mind you - I'm not shy about my body. I just wasn’t ready.
I'm 44. I know there are some bits of my body that is not perfect and I've learnt (and still learning) to accept my body as it is and as it's not. I'll never look like a super model and I'm okay with that.
But to have this stranger tell me that there’s something wrong with my body - just deflated my whole entire being. All the inner work that I've done - in that moment - just went poofed.
Maybe this was the trick to getting women to sign up for these kind of treatments - scare them with the ugly truth. We are our worst enemy, really!
The thing is they come to these places knowing why they are there, so they would be willing. I was suckered in from my own ignorance.
And so Yes, even though I personally felt violated, I paid an extra $30 to so-called blast my fats away.
Honestly I didn’t know what I was thinking. I blame it on the fact that I was shocked beyond words but really, I think I wanted to prove her wrong, since she said her clients can see the difference right after the first treatment.
WHAT $98 GOT ME
That night, after pouring my heart out to my hubs - first thing he said was "you mean you paid $98 for nothing?" (And mind you - that was only 1/3 of the original price!)
“Yes, tooks!!”
Then we laughed.
Yes! I paid $98 to have my confidence shot down, to feel fat and ugly, to be left alone for 15 mins in a tiny bathroom AND another excruciating 10-15 mins (which felt like forever) to have my abdominals pummelled, kneaded, pressed, pushed and manipulated.
It’s funny now, but when I reflected back on it - it was awful and the worst part was the actual treatment wasn’t relaxing.
BUT DOES IT REALLY WORK
I didn’t feel or see any difference other than that my belly AND ego were bruised for a few days.
To be fair, the therapist did take a before and after pictures and also took my measurements but they didn't care to discuss the results with me.
The only thing she said was she “observed” a slight flattening of my belly, and I call bullshit. :)
But I was curious, so I read more about this multipolar machine, which is also called an ultrasonic cavitation machine that works by heating up the subcutaneous layer of fat.
There was a study done in 2007 , which saw 30 individuals with a reduction in body fat mass after three treatments. Most candidates for this treatment see their final result within 6 to 12 weeks, or so they say.
But important note is if you are hoping to lose weight, this is not for you - most slimming treatments only helps contour the body by reducing body fats.
It is NOT FOR ME
How could I have thought it was a massage? If I knew, I would have never gone in the first place. Maybe it’s the universe trying to disrupt my drift, like I had nothing better to do.
There are other forms of non-invasive slimming treatments out there but, no thank you - even if you paid me, I will never put myself in that vulnerable position again.
If you’ve tried this or thinking of trying it, good on you! I don’t mean to scare you. I know it already takes a lot for you to come to this point.
I hope by sharing my experience here, you’ll be more than ready for it.
My takeaways
This experience just reaffirmed a few things for me:
No one has the power to put you down
I acknowledge that I was triggered. I’ve never had anyone say I'm fat (to my face), mostly subtle questions like - “when are you due?” “ or “your face look so much happier”.
She didn’t say I was fat but she kept saying I have visceral fats and touched my belly and my hips - which is the same thing. I don't think she's being mean on purpose. It's just part of her job.
I had the choice to stay or leave but I decided I had to be bigger than this, and I chose to stay in the discomfort of facing up my insecurities.
Your words, what you say to others, how you say it - make a huge difference
I can imagine her saying what she said to me to every woman who steps into the room, and how awful it would make them feel. These ladies are there for a reason be it for vanity and/or for health issues, it doesn’t matter.
The company’s mission is to promote positive body wellness, so this could have been a one off thing, or it’s just me because I thought I was “over with” my insecurities but apparently I’m not.
My only hope is that the ‘words’ are not continuously used throughout these women’s treatments as I know it will slowly chip away at their self esteem.
To trust the path you are on is the right one, for that moment
I could have beaten myself up for not saying no in the beginning, but somewhere in me - said why not try? What if it works? I’m proud that I stayed even though I wanted to go and that I said no in the end - that I was strong enough to rebel against the me - who thinks “I’m not good enough” - and I didn’t allow another person to take my power away from me.
THE END.
I hope you enjoyed this story and please, I’d love to hear from you. Tell me about your story. Have you tried a slimming treatment before or thinking of? Write in the comments below. xo