Suffolk News-Herald

After a tough workout at the Suffolk YMCA on Monday evening, Keith Garland was feeling a bit worked up. His muscles were tight, he was tired, and he just wanted to kick back and relax.

Heading toward the locker room, Garland noticed a cushion, and two women standing around it. Passing by, he saw that they were representatives of Beauticontrol, a cosmetics project. Garland decided to try it out.

Shannon Ward was in the same situation. After half an hour on the treadmill and a few weightlifts, her hands were dry and sore. But when she saw the makeshift beauticians, Ward checked things out.

Garland was already feeling better. With nourishing pads made with cucumber and ivy extract covering his eyes and a therapeutic warming neck pad across his shoulders, one of the consultants was rubbing the tension right out of his hands. Nearby, Ward rubbed her own hands in some deep-sea salt, exfoliating the dead skin cells out of them. A consultant dabbed conditioner on her cuticles to help her nails as relaxing music played in the background.

Mere minutes later, both patrons were feeling and looking much better.

&uot;My eyes were puffy, and I wanted to do something for myself,&uot; Garland said. &uot;A lot of men don’t take care of their skin, but that was really soothing and relaxing. I just finished lifting weights, and that loosened me up.&uot;

Ward’s hands looked smaller from their swelling going down, and were shiny, soft and smooth.

&uot;I was stressed,&uot; she said. &uot;I have two kids and I work a job. I came here to work off stress and fat. Now my hands feel great.&uot;

For the rest of the month, Beauticontrol workers will be at the YMCA from 5 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, showing off their products in a literally hands-on demonstration. Originating out of Dallas, the company has hundreds of consultants in the area.

&uot;I did this during January, and it went so well that they asked me to come back,&uot; said qualification director Jennifer Rousseau. &uot;This makes people feel very well.&uot;

For more information, contact the YMCA at 934-9622 or Beauticontrol at 923-4451.