Ladies Spa + Night Out at the Oasis a Success!

The Oasis is unusually quiet. It is just after 4pm and vendors are beginning to trickle in, setting up their wares at the row of empty tables for Kira's Oasis Ladies Spa + Night Out. There is an air of uncertainty. The Oasis has never hosted an event quite like this before. How will it be received? Will people show up? Either way, I'm determined to enjoy the experience as I roll out my Persian rugs and toss around some throw pillows in the henna room. Matthew is with me to assist, feeling overwhelmed by the estrogen, as he always is at these womens' events. (That's love, no?)

It starts slowly, but as the evening rolls on, more and more people show up. It gets louder. I snag a sinfully delicious pumpkin spice cupcake from For Goodness Cakes, courtesy of my hafla pal and amazing swing dancer, Jessica Featherstone. The girls from Dr.Holten's office are immediately put to work, as they are giving away FREE chair massages. I manage to buy some raffle tickets to try to win one of the DOZENS of prizes the Oasis has solicited. They have everything from Pure Romance gift baskets, to cakes, to massages, to Silpata jewelry, to Oasis class passes, a henna gift certificate (of course), and much more. There is also a 50/50 pot to benefit Pink & Chrome Motorcycle Ride for Breast Cancer, an event Oct 2nd that is sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Kira's Oasis dancers demo belly dance classes and invite the audience up to join them in learning some simple steps.

Then Kira makes the announcement of the vendors on her mic, people figure out that I'm back in the "henna room", and I get busy. All of the henna proceeds are being donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer research. I am happy to give back, especially for this cause. I turn no one away, even if they have only a few dollars to donate.

As the night wears on, more and more people want henna but near the end, I finally manage to break away from doing henna to pamper myself a bit. Matthew takes over for me and Sandy Lozier from the Art of Health Wellness Studio in Centerville treats me to a muscle-melting reflexology foot massage as I watch the talented dancers exhibit demos for chair exercise and pole dancing classes offered at Kira's Oasis. (Note to self: pole dancing looks FUN and so gymnastic! I want to take this class!) I buy more raffle tickets, unable to resist all the wonderful prizes they have, right before Kira announces the winners. I win the 50/50 pot!! I smile at my luck, but give it back to the organization as an additional donation. I have had a blessed year.

I work up until the very end of the fair, as other vendors are packing up to go home. I manage to snag the last chair-massage slot with one of the staff from Massage Envy, who melts away all the tension in my shoulders with her peppermint oil mix. I really enjoyed the event. It was a great opportunity to meet vendors of excellent product, to soak up free massages and such, and most importantly, to help continue the fight against breast cancer.

The grand henna total to donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation (not counting the 50/50 pot) - $161!!

Thank you to all of you who donated for henna on Friday. Your purchase is helping to fund breast cancer research. Thank you to Kira for hosting this wonderful event at Kira's Oasis.

My favorite vendors:

• Kira's Oasis - www.kirasoasis.com (Centerville, OH)
• Sandy Lozier - Reflexology, Reiki, Hypnosis, & Aromatherapy, 937-475-6768 (Kettering, OH)
• For Goodness Cakes - Jill Mills, 513-828-5365
• Massage Envy - www.massageenvy.com (Dayton, OH)