Olympic-Style Pampering

There are times when you just have to take one for the team.

Such was the case yesterday when I was requested to spend an afternoon at the Wella Salon here in London to experience the pampering all the Olympic Moms will be enjoying over the next couple of weeks.

When P&G committed to the Thank You Mom program, their plan was to ensure that moms and families of Olympic athletes were to be well cared for during their time in London, so the athletes could focus on their game. Part of the "gift" the moms are enjoying is complimentary use of this elegant pop-up Wella Salon. On the mom menu: hair, nails and makeup—which is what I was lucky enough to experience.

While I was there, a couple of moms from Russia were giggling while getting their hair blown out. Mothers from Spain, Great Britain, US had already taken advantage of the services. Rumour has it that one Olympic mom from a remote town in Peru who doesn't speak any English just sat in a chair getting her hair done with tears of joy streaming down her face. She had never experienced this kind of pampering before. 

Here's what I looked like when I first showed up at the Wella Salon—no makeup, nude nails, and unstyled hair.

Then the extreme pampering began.

My hair was dried, curled, pouffed and pinned.

Next, my face was brought to life with gorgeous makeup from Max Factor and Covergirl which included to-die-for smokey eyes and pale pink lips.

Finally, my favorite service was an Olympic manicure. I was asked to choose from a menu of 240 world flags to be painted on my nails. Naturally I went with the Canadian Maple Leaf and added in Great Britain's Union Jack in honour of my time spent here in London. The manicurist painstakingly hand painted each flag on my tiny nails from scratch. I was in awe!

Tada! After two hours of pampering, this is what I looked like.

What a lovely treat for all the moms who've toiled tirelessly to raise Olympians. This is a perfect and meaningful way to say Thank You Mom, don't you think?