We all know that girl – whether in real life or on TikTok – the one who wakes up at 5am every morning, drinks her daily greens, is always in a cute matching set, and swears that her LED red light mask completely transformed her skin. She has a hot girl walk routine, a fully stocked supplement drawer, and a really deep, almost spiritual connection with her workout instructor.
And so… here I am.
I mean… I’m not even close to being her, but I definitely dabble in all the wellness trends and activities. For years now I’ve been trying all sorts of self-improvement and self-care methods, and honestly? Some of them I love! Others? TBD. Either way, I wanted to share some of the current things I’ve been trying.
1. Electrolysis: The Painful But PERMANENT Hair Removal
We’ve all heard of laser hair removal, but I’ve recently discovered that we haven’t all heard of electrolysis, which is basically laser hair removal but instead of zapping you with a laser (which takes, I don’t know, maybe 10 minutes) you instead have a tiny needle placed into each pore to zap the root of the hair follicle and depending on the area could have you sitting there anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You in?!
In case you’re unfamiliar, electrolysis is one of the only FDA-approved permanent hair removal methods and has been around since 1875. A tiny probe zaps the hair follicle with an electric current at the root, basically killing it so it never grows back. I had heard of it before because my mom did electrolysis 30+ years ago and also an ex-girlfriend of mine did it back when I was living in New York City, but never thought it do it myself.
I recently started electrolysis because (and I’m being really vulnerable and brave by sharing this with you all) I had some rogue dark chin hairs that were irritating me like no other. Yup, I’ll admit it and put that on the internet! Let’s normalize it! I felt like I was so hyper-fixated on making sure the second one of those suckers popped back up I was able to pluck it as soon as possible so I figured let’s just get rid of these once and for all. I should also mentioned that I had tried laser hair removal on my underarms and the past and literally it’s as if nothing had ever been done, so I don’t trust that to work.
I won’t lie, it hurts like hell, so my low pain tolerance readers beware, but you can use topical lidocaine or pop some ibuprofen before your appointment and you’ll be just fine. The reason I have continued, and now plan to do this on other areas, is because the progress is seen immediately and as I mentioned earlier, I know it’s permanent. Beauty is pain, right?
2. Pilates: Core Strength or Cult Initiation?
I feel like I’ve sort of resisted Pilates for a really long time. My mom has been doing pilates for years and years and as we all know it’s really popped off with the girlies over the past few years but something about that reformer machine scared me HA. And not to mention, it’s expensive.
But honestly after just a few classes, I get it now… The slow and controlled movements, being barefoot or in your little grip socks, the shaking. I won’t lie to you, after my intro class I left being like …did I even just do anything? But Pilates is one of those workouts that looks really easy but I’ve been sore for days after each of my classes and I’m barely at a point of even using props or doing crazy movements.
All that being said, I’m kind of obsessed. I made a joke after my first or second class that all it takes is being able to be barefoot, a really nice instructor, and an aesthetic environment to get me into a new workout and there’s some real truth to that. But the obsession is coming from the fact that after just a few classes I can already tell that my core is getting stronger and is actually engaged, I feel like my posture is getting better and I’m holding myself up straighter, and I like that I can notice my arms looking more toned and can feel that “good” soreness for the following day or two from a workout that didn’t leave me feeling completely drained afterwards (although I do know I need to start adding in some strength training).
I took some before photos of myself at the start of January so maybe I’ll do some progress pics at some point…but don’t hold me to that.
Core Pilates
3. Infrared Sauna and Red Light Therapy: A Scam or The Secret Cure For My Seasonal Depression?
I am not new to Infrared Sauna and red light therapy. Back in 2019 when I lived in New York City (which yes, I’m bringing up again) I started going to this random little med spa in Midtown to use an infrared sauna via my ClassPass points because I was in a workout era and heard it helped with muscle recovery. That was kind of it at the time, I just liked that you got a good sweat and it was a dry environment compared to the other saunas I had experienced to date. So when I moved to Chicago and I could barely find a spot that had an IR sauna I was really sad. Then, by some great force of the universe, in 2023 an entire studio of infrared saunas opened right around the corner from my apartment!
The more I researched about these IR saunas, the more I learned about red light therapy and it made sense why I was so drawn to using them. Red light therapy is supposed to help with inflammation, muscle recovery, and even sleep. Literally say less and sign me up! There also isn’t enough research on this, but I am convinced that it also helps with depression and mood. I struggle with seasonal depression and living somewhere like Chicago where it’s typically not just freezing cold but so gray for so long, I really felt like going once a week for those key peak months (January-March) actually helped me survive and feel better than I usually had in winters prior.
Does it work? I say yes and there’s something both relaxing and uplifting about utilizing it. If nothing else, I like to think of it as my self-care, quiet time because I can’t bring my phone in there and choose not to utilize the TV for anything besides calming music and scenic video. If my skin starts looking better, my mind is getting a little boost of serotonin, and my muscles recover faster, then I’ll call it a success.
Perspire Sauna Studio
So… Am I That Girl Now?
I mean… yeah kind of and damn proud of it lol. But I think there’s also something to be said about the whole idea of being that girl – It’s not about waking up at 5 AM every day or drinking green juice out and wearing the perfect matching workout set and being quote on quote “perfect.” Because I know for me, you’ll never catch me waking up that early, I am never going to stay on a consistent schedule of drinking greens, and I am never going to care enough to wear the cute, coordinated workout set to class. It’s about finding little rituals that just make you feel good and are positive ways to take care of yourself. And if that means zapping my face every few weeks, strengthening my core while wearing grippy socks, and sweating it out in red light, so be it.
Or maybe I’m just a girl with expensive hobbies and a deep commitment to self-improvement. Either way, I’ll report back whenever I reach my final form. In the meantime, would love to know if any of you have suggestions for wellness or self-improvement trends I should try! Or I would love to hear what is your experience has been with any of the things I mentioned in this article. Do you feel the same way or have you had a different experience?
MARISSA UNPLUGGED 