Butter Me Up with Rosaline's African Shea Butter Indulgence Body Wrap

Sea salts and body polish and shea butter, oh my! The harsh winter weather had definitely completely ravaged this beauty chick's skin, so I was in supreme need of some TLC. Enter the African Shea Butter Indulgence Body Wrap at Rosaline's Skincare & Spa, a delightful little spa I discovered during a recent trip to visit my brother in Brookline, MA.

After being greeted by Rosaline herself, I was led down a winding staircase to the largest treatment room I've ever seen -- we're talking bigger than my bedroom and living room combined! My aesthetician was super friendly and put me right at ease, especially since I had to strip down to only a pair of disposable underwear before hopping onto the plastic-covered table. (The value of this came into play shortly!)

After being given a choice of sea salts (I went with cucumber melon) and body polish (I picked white sugar honey), I was given an intense head-to-food exfoliating drybrushing. Then the real fun began, as one by one my aesthetician scoured the sea salt and body polish over my entire body, with intermittent brushings off of the excess (ah, here's where the plastic made sense!), and using such blissfully wonderful circular strokes I was induced into a punch-drunk sort of stupor! But before I could completely pass out, I was wrapped in a fluffy robe, helped into puffy slippers and led next door for a quick shower to rinse off the excess salts and polish.

I returned to the room to be slathered tip-to-toe in intensely wonderful-smelling shea butter, and then was wrapped in a mummifying cocoon of foil and towels to seal in the moisture. But rather than leave me there to stew in my own juices, she gave me an absolutely amazing cranial and facial massage -- and then, after delicately unwrapping me from my cocoon, proceeded to give me an intense deep tissue massage to both work out the kinks and work in the remaining shea butter.

Now, this treatment isn't cheap -- it's $195 -- but for 90 minutes that will leave your skin feeling soft, supple and oh-so-smooth, it's worth it. Heaven? I think I finally got there.