I must admit, walking down the sidewalk here is like stepping into Mayberry, with a twist. I’m a mom and all about family time, but sometimes I just like to go out, explore my state and have a day to myself. I recently cancelled a trip to The Pearl Resort at Paragon Casino, for a weekend of camping with the family at Kisatchie National Forest, and I felt I was due for a spa treatment. I opted for a visit to Ponchatoula. Famous for its antiques and strawberries, it is also home to QnA, a spa that offers a really cool new facial.
 
QnA is a medical spa located on Pine Street and I was taken by surprise when, in the middle of all these historic facades, an automatic door opened. I felt like I was stepping behind the Wizard’s curtain and walked in to an unexpected world of makeup and spa treatments. I had been feeling a little “blah” about my skin tone and wanted to try out a new type of facial, the Silkpeel Dermalinefusion Facial.
 
A medical spa has a different feel than a destination or even a general day spa. Although it still offers basic manicure, pedicure, and massages, the medical spa also opens the door to more in-depth treatments that aren’t available just anywhere. If you are looking for the 'bathrobe and slipper' type of experience, you should look elsewhere. This place is for serious skin rejuvenation, and I wanted to be the recipient of a brand new face.
 
The Silkpeel Dermalinefusion Facial took all of 15 minutes. I barely had time for my heart rate to settle before it was done. However, my skin felt all dewy and clean after this extreme exfoliation. I even was treated to a makeup application so that I wouldn’t look all red or blotchy during the rest of my me day.
 
The facial and makeover spoiled me, but of course I needed some sustenance before I hit the shops in search of vintage treausures. The girls at QnA Spa mentioned that Dr. Benson (of QnA) also owned a great restaurant, called Rockefellers, located just around the corner by the railroad tracks. In the past, a few friends had mentioned this hotspot as the place to get the best Strawberry Shortcake. Who was I to pass up a great dessert?
 
My great-grandmother used to eat her dessert first, because she said life was too short (this was at age 93). While I do practice this novel idea on occasion, it would be highly improper to miss out on the wonderful culinary offerings available at Rockefellers. Grilled oysters, Catfish Delacroix (their signature sauce), washed down with a cool sweet tea, and followed by the most wonderful Strawberry Shortcake (flash fried angel food cake served with a strawberry cream cheese filling). Mmmm!
 
I could go on and on about the food at Rockefellers, because here in Louisiana, we don’t just eat to live, we live to eat. I understand why Dr. Benson has such a fantastic restaurant. He’s just fattening us up so we’ll rush back down to QnA Spa to schedule lipo-laser. Well, sign me up, because I just couldn’t put my fork down.
 
It was time to walk off lunch by browsing in the antique and gift shops.  
 
And my word of advice to every mama or working gal: Treat yourself to a me day….with or without the girlfriends. It is not only necessary to have a moment to ourselves, but it is also a wonderful way to discover Louisiana.