Spa gives back by pampering daycare staff

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This article was published 06/04/2022 (1436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A trip to the spa can mean more than touching up outward appearances — it’s also psychological healing and self-care.

One group of hard-working daycare workers from Wawanesa received a long-awaited pampering at Brandon’s Daydreams Aesthetics Spa and Academy on Wednesday as winners of the business’ first-ever Be Beautiful Instagram social media contest.

It was all about making six staff members at Wawanesa Wee Care the centre of attention as the spa held an evening of pampering and a makeup tutorial for the group. The ladies brought in their own makeup and tools and spa staff gave them tips and advice on how to incorporate them into their daily routine.

“We decided this would be a great way to give back to the community, especially after the pandemic,” said Melissa Poole, the front manager of the boutique. “With mask mandates over, we thought now would be a good time to focus on treating ourselves.”

Aesthetics and pampering aren’t superficial. They have many positive psychological and deeper physical benefits. Poole said the simple act of putting on some makeup before going out can make a person feel confident and happy. Some people are intimidated by a makeup and self-care routine, thinking it has to be complex and expensive.

With their spa and attached aesthetics academy H&CO, they show a beauty routine can be easy and stress-free.

“Women put a lot of pressure on themselves to look good, so we are going to help them put a little pep in their step,” said Poole. “In some cases, like a daycare setting, you don’t get a lot of time to work on your looks.”

Anyone could nominate anybody for the prize. The spa received a number of nominations and stories. Management read through all of them to choose who they believed was the most deserving. They chose Wawanesa Wee Care because of the hard work and hurdles they had to endure with ever-changing conditions during the pandemic, but still cared for the children of the community.

This was also the spa’s way of getting more involved in the community.

The contest was such a success, they are considering running a similar one again, Poole said.

When Jenn Cullen, manager and director of Wawanesa Wee Care, heard about the contest, the first group deserving of some self-love that came to mind was her own. She said staff at the child-care centre has been doing all it can to keep the children they look after safe, happy, learning and growing throughout the pandemic.

Now, it is time for someone to look after herself and her team.

“It’s been stressful. Staffing has been an issue and the team has definitely felt that,” said Cullen. “I’ve seen such great collaboration, teamwork and support for each other. It’s been great working with all of them to see us through such a stressful time.”

None of the stress came from their children, she added. It was the ever-changing rules and conditions to which they had to adapt. The primary source of stress was being unable to make a plan. They like to know what is going to happen to work around it, but these past two years, any plan they made was overwritten as restrictions and rules ebbed and flowed.

What kept them going was knowing their job was so important to the families of the children for which they care.

The spa has also been great to work with, she added. They were supposed to have their spa night a while ago, but a COVID outbreak at the daycare and poor driving conditions forced them to push the date back. The staff at the spa were very accommodating and made it about their comfort.

“They told us whenever we can make it, they will make the time for us,” Cullen said.

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com

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