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Community Corner

A Little Bit of Paradise at Forever Young

The Thursday Patch Passport shows you a Little Bit of Paradise. This is a local place where you can feel like you are a million miles away from the daily stress of life, without having to go far from home. Come along and relax...

It was with great pleasure that I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours at . Such great pleasure, in fact, that I feel compelled to share my experience in excruciating detail. Get ready to relax vicariously.

2:00 p.m. I find easy parking at Oak Grove Village and arrive at Forever Young exactly on time, as one is wont to do when anticipating two hours' worth of bliss. Upon walking in, I am greeted by one of the spa's two owners, Jackie Lajoie. We chat for a minute, the sounds of the waiting room's zen waterfall gently splashing in the background. Jackie tells me that the spa, a longtime fixture in Medford, moved to Melrose around four years ago, a change that the owner says was an excellent decision. The proximity of Bobby C's Ristorante and Beauty Nail Design (also part of The Shops at Oak Grove Vilage) allows the spa to offer full-fledged Sweet 16 and Girls' Night Out massage and mini-facial parties, complete with manis and pedis next door and fresh Italian food ordered two doors down.

2:05 p.m. As I'm about to be ushered into the inner sanctum of the spa, I idly comment on how so many "spas" are suddenly calling Melrose home. Jackie nods and quickly points out what she sees as the difference between other places in town and Forever Young, a medical day spa where the staff are licensed medical aestheticians (qualified for laser hair removal, chemical peels and other services).

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"A lot of those other places are also nail salons or hair salons," she says. "We don't know about hair, so we're not into hair. We know skin."

2:10 p.m. Forever Young's other owner, Rita McCarthy, gets me settled in for my custom deep-cleansing facial ($70). As I lie back on the table, Rita (who was giving facials in Melrose years before launching Forever Young with Jackie) quizzes me on my skin, from how oily or dry it runs to my current makeup and moisturizing regimens. She then whips up what she decides is best for my skin type―a papaya exfoliant that I'd be tempted to eat if I wasn't so distracted by the warm moisturizing mitts placed over my just-massaged hands.

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2:30 p.m. As I continue to exfoliate, eyes closed, the nearby steam jet forcing open my stubborn pores, Rita begins the "add-on" service I've selected, a foot paraffin treatment ($30). My feet are also exfoliated, after which Rita places warm paraffin and cloths on my flip-flop-destroyed feet. The treatment feels so wonderful that I immediately resolve to book the Spa Foot service ($70) next time, a longer version with more moisturizing and massage bells and whistles.

3:00 p.m. After a mildly painful session of pore extraction (the only bad part of any facial, in my limited experience) and a little Q&A (initiated by me) about changes I need to make in my nighttime skin routine (turns out I'm moisturizing my T-zone all wrong; not exactly a shocker, considering I can barely apply mascara), Rita finishes the facial with a soothing cleansing and moisturizer application.

Thoroughly relaxed and feeling rather silky smooth of complexion, I thank Rita and compliment her on providing such a calming atmosphere in the spa.

"People who come here want to close the door and escape," Rita smiles.

3:10 p.m. Never one to while away time at the spa, I allow my well-moisturized self to be led across the hall, where I am introduced to Svetlana Kresel, one of the spa's massage therapists. I've requested a reflexology session, mainly because I'm determined to no longer be the last person alive terrified by the idea of a massage. From what I had read, reflexology is limited to the feet and legs, providing relaxation and, some believe, targeting zones that correspond with certain organs. I feel that even I can handle this. I slip off my sandals and hope for the best.

3:30 p.m. I can't be sure that the whole zones-corresponding-with-parts-of-body theory is accurate, but the reducing-stress part is. I'm practically drooling into the face pillow (once I determine what a face pillow is, thanks to the very patient Svetlana) five minutes into the session. Fifteen minutes in, as Svetlana works my soles and then my calves, I'm seriously considering changing my mind about full-body massages. This reflexology stuff is amazing.

3:50 p.m. Jellylike with stress relief, I wobble from the massage room back to the waiting area, where I settle my bill and chat with the receptionist about current and upcoming specials (check the Web site, below, for a listing; I for one might save up the microdermabrasion series).

4:00 p.m. I leave, albeit grudgingly. But I'll be back. Rest assured.

Forever Young Day Spa & Laser Center is located at 18 Oak Grove Avenue in Melrose, in Oak Grove Village. Turn into the Village's main entrance; the spa is on your right. Services besides those mentioned in this article include a variety of massages (including couple's massage), spray tan, microdermabrasion, Botox, Compulift, acupuncture and lash extensions. For more information and a full list of services and pricing, call (781) 665-3080 or visit Forever Young's Web site.

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