Your Next (Doable) Self-Care Weekend
I had a much-needed recalibration weekend in NYC without breaking the bank, and you can too.
Whenever I’m home alone and my boyfriend is out town, my toes curl with glee at the thought of all the girly protein-less frozen Trader Joe’s meals I can eat, but even more so at the plethora of the ways I can self-indulge in a epicene way. Don’t get me wrong - he is always excited to queen down with me with a snail-mucin sheet mask, or binge watch SATC and complain about Carrie. But there’s nothing like true solitude that propels you into a glow-up-and-reset-sesh in a weekend.
Nowadays, self-care can come with such stigma. It hints at a sort of elevated luxury that is nearly unattainable, a day aplomb with infrared saunas and lymphatic drainages that definitely cost a pretty penny (thanks capitalism). Well, what’s “wellness” really about? It’s about making it work for you, and sometimes, paring down is truly best.
Below, a quick breakdown of everything I did last weekend that nourished my body, mind and soul. Basically bougie on a budget in the ever-unaffordable New York, no less. Hopefully some of the itinerary points I hit on below give you some ideas for this upcoming Spring Equinox weekend:
Friday:
A free iconic museum - My friend and I, both the art history nerds since college, met up at the MoMA to indulge in gossip amongst the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Frida, Rothko and more. Every Friday night, the MoMA offers free tickets in a partnership with Uniqlo, but there’s multiple other museums with similar offers in the city.
The Met and the Brooklyn Museum is donation-suggested anytime for tri-state area residents, while the Whitney is also free Friday nights. The Guggenheim has pay-what-you-wish on Monday and Saturday afternoons, but if you find the typical institutions too crowded, I recommend hitting up the galleries in Chelsea or the UES (always free).
A quick hearty dinner - After the MoMA, my companion and I took the bus to the UES for a savory Persian meal at Ravagh, a few days before Nowruz (the Persian New Year that was yesterday!). We had labne musir (labne yogurt with shallots), kashk-bademjan (eggplant dip), ash reshteh (an herby Persian gumbo topped with yogurt), and lamb koobideh (lamb skewers with saffron rice). I drooled over everything and we had leftovers, thanks to the big plates the restaurant served us. We split the bill without any drinks, and both of us stuck to under $45 with tip and tax. It was just the right amount of full from the food and the company.
Saturday:
A last-minute facial - I’ve been craving a facial the last few months, since no matter how much water I freesip from my Owala, I can’t seem to keep up with my dry skin in the winter. Out of nowhere, I remembered that Groupon existed, and somehow snagged a coupon for a 60-minute facial for under $27 at JS Beauty Spa in Chinatown.
I got a same day appointment and had the steam, massage, extractions and mask, and all of it was delightful. The ladies there were very nice and explained what they were doing, asking me throughout the process if the everything felt alright. With tip and tax, I still netted out to around $55, clocking well under a facial’s usual price tag.
Wine and snacks at a friend’s apartment - One of my best friends lives three blocks away from me (totally coincidental and unplanned when we moved back separately from California). We had an impromptu movie night, where I grabbed some snacks and she provided the wine.
Spoiler alert - we ended up yapping for over five hours instead. It felt like we were on a podcast, where the only listeners were each other. Long girly sessions are mandatory for self-care weekends.
Sunday:
Coffee walk with the dogs - I usually make my caffeine at home with my Nespresso and Chobani creamers, but I went to a local cafe this morning with one of my pups. The weather was finally just warm enough for us to enjoy a leisurely stroll and grab a cup of drip coffee.
We sat in the sun as I sipped on my hot bevvy, and it was a lovely way to start the last day of the week. When I don’t go to coffee shops, I brew my own to pour in a mug and wander with my pups. It’s the unexacting act of going outside and getting sunshine with my beloved pets that really makes it the superior way to start the day.
Workout class - Every Sunday, I head to a reformer pilates class. I have a few studios that are my go-to’s, but this week, I tried a new one on Classpass. BK Pilates in Flatiron was just challenging enough, with a huge ambient studio filled with 14 reformers.
The 45-minutes was all I needed to feel a little stronger, but as far as I’m concerned, my Classpass workout classes are basically free since they’re pre-paid (right??).
Grocery run and cook - Some find food shopping hectic; I find it therapeutic. Nothing more amusing than grabbing snacks as actual meals from Trader Joes, which is exactly what I did after pilates in Chelsea. I then meal prepped a quick giant lentil Greek-inspired salad for the week and heated up some shrimp rolls for dinner. Easy peasy - tummy is full, cortisol is down!
Journal/read, preferably in bed - Winding down the week reflecting, especially before bed, is an uncomplicated luxury. My Taurus rising self loves to be homey, but my Leo sun loves to gossip - what’s better than a giggly tea session/de-brief on paper with yourself through journaling?
Some people like to bullet diary, while others doodle or scribble down answers to prompts. It doesn’t always have to be recounts of your days or week, it’s what you make of it.
There you have it! What I think is a perfectly doable and utterly delightful weekend of self-care. Of course, you can mix and match and add or subtract other activities that suit you, as long as it feeds your soul. What other attainable ways do you decompress?
XO!
This was so cute and comforting
Shoobi!!!! So cute