Episode 0348

That's right. Today we are going to a beauty spa.

All right, so let's check that out in today's vocabulary preview.

All right, so this place, a beauty spa. It's interesting because it's not just a normal spa, it's a particular spa where you get uh treated for some things.

That's right. So a beauty spa is a place where you go to feel good. So women and men like to have their nails and their faces and their skin taken care of, maybe their makeup and hair as well. So it's not just a place where you maybe go uh for a massage, but you you get a lot of other services that make your your skin nice, make you look and feel good.

All right, so that's where we're going today. We're going to go to a beauty spa and we're going to talk about all the different things that you can do there. So, let's listen to our dialogue for the very first time.

You want to go get a facial with me today?

Not at all. Guys also get facials, manicures and pedicures. There's nothing wrong with looking after your skin and looking good.

True. So what do they do to you at your beauty spa?

That doesn't really sound like something I would be interested in. In any case, I just wash my face every night and use sunscreen during the day.

Uh, no.

All right, we're back. So now let's take a look at language takeaway.

We've got a lot of great phrases and words in Language Takeaway today. The first one though is from the very first line of dialogue.

You want to go get a facial with me today?

That's right. We are asking our friend if he wants to go with us to go get a facial. Now, what exactly does it mean to get a facial?

All right, a facial here is a thing, in this case, a service that we would pay for. Uh, and basically, a facial is just a skincare treatment or a treatment for your face. So maybe you'll get some cream and uh cleansing and uh, you know, in the advertisements you often see someone getting a facial with like cucumbers on their eyes. And so it's just a way to make your skin feel really good.

Okay, particularly on your face.

Yes, your face. And the verb here is to get. So I'm going to get a facial, or I got a facial yesterday.

Okay, very good. Now, um, we apart from getting a facial, getting a special treatment on your face, you can also get a manicure and a pedicure.

That's right. So manicure, pedicure, these we're going to keep together because they're very similar, but they're a little bit different. Manny, manicure. Manny, that means something to do with the hands. So a manicure is actually when you have your fingernails kind of cleaned and taken care of, and then they will apply some paint, so nail polish. So basically, having your nails treated and then colored.

Okay, and then pedicure, I imagine, is the same thing, but for your feet.

That's right. Petty refers to feet. So pedicure is the same treatment, the same service but for your toes. And in this case you'd have very, you know, nice nail polish on your toes.

All right. Now, uh going back to skin treatment, um because well manicure and pedicure are for your fingernails and for your hands and feet, we uh are talking about getting your face exfoliated or or he says, well, first they exfoliate my face.

So exfoliate, you think ex means taking something away. In this case to exfoliate means to to take the dead skin away. And sometimes this can be a little bit painful because you think, um, at first you have some dry skin, some dead skin, you they have to take it away, they have to use something rough. Uh, you can do it on your feet as well. But when they exfoliate your face, they use some kind of cleanser or some kind of maybe um sponge to clear the dead skin. And then afterwards, you have the fresh new skin and it's very smooth and and and nice looking.

Okay, so that's what it means to exfoliate the skin. It can be on your face, your feet, pretty much anywhere on your body.

And lastly, we also are just using sunscreen during the day to protect our skin and to keep it healthy.

That's right. So sunscreen is a kind of cream. Do you use sunscreen, Marco?

Uh no.

No, you don't have to.

Um, well, I often use sunscreen because I'm very, very pale. And so when I go in the sun, maybe at the beach, uh, it's very easy for me to burn my skin, to turn red. And so sunscreen helps me protect my skin.

So that's exactly what it does. Sunscreen is a specific type of lotion that you put on your skin and it prevents you from getting sunburns or from getting uh, or from darkening your skin.

That's right. So, those are the words we have relating to skincare and some of these services at the beauty spa, but we've got some more phrases for you. So let's first listen to our dialogue again and we'll be back in a moment.

You want to go get a facial with me today?

Not at all. Guys also get facials, manicures and pedicures. There's nothing wrong with looking after your skin and looking good.

True. So what do they do to you at your beauty spa?

That doesn't really sound like something I would be interested in. In any case, I just wash my face every night and use sunscreen during the day.

Uh, no.

All right, so now it's time for some fluency builder. Let's check out three key phrases.

So, we've got this first phrase here, not at all. So one person says only girls go to the beauty spa, and what does the other person say?

Right, he says no, not at all. Not at all. So basically, he's responding by saying no, that's not true. Now, you could have said no, but why do you say not at all?

You could say no, but no is almost rude. Uh, not at all is a way to say, actually, in reality, this is different. So, uh, it's a, it's a more polite way of disagreeing with what the person just said.

Okay, so you can say no, not at all. I, I, I guess you can say both, right? Not at all or together, no, not at all.

No, not at all. You could say, um, women don't like to watch football.

Uh, and you can say, oh, not at all.

You could say only men like to watch football.

Right. And then if I disagree or you say actually, I can say no, not at all. Actually, girls like to watch football as well.

That's right.

Okay. So, now continuing on with the skincare topic, we saw this interesting verb, to apply some moisturizer. So, the verb here is to apply something on your skin.

All right, so the verb to apply means to put on, okay, or to use. And this is a verb we often use with beauty care products like apply the shampoo to your head, or apply some fingernail polish, means that you're going to, yeah, to put it on yourself.

Right. So, when we say apply some moisturizer is um to use moisturizer.

Yeah, to put it on your skin. Like I apply my makeup, that means I put the makeup on my skin. In this case, moisturizer is a great cream that we use when our skin is dry and we want it to be more healthy, we want it to be um less dry and we we add this.

Okay. And lastly, after you exfoliate, you apply moisturizer, you do everything, he says that you leave the beauty salon feeling like a million bucks.

Right. So you go there because you want to feel like a million bucks. So you feel very, very, very good.

So I guess the other form of this word will actually be, you look like a million bucks. Someone can look like a million bucks.

All right, so let's listen to our dialogue one last time. Let's review everything and we'll be back in a bit.

You want to go get a facial with me today?

Not at all. Guys also get facials, manicures and pedicures. There's nothing wrong with looking after your skin and looking good.

True. So what do they do to you at your beauty spa?

That doesn't really sound like something I would be interested in. In any case, I just wash my face every night and use sunscreen during the day.

Uh, no.

All right, so facials, this sort of thing is commonly mostly associated with women, but as we saw in the dialogue, more and more men are actually taking care of their skin and their appearance.

That's right. So while this might have been traditionally a woman's event, going to the spa, having a girl's day at the spa, you're right, Marco, a lot of men like to do this. Just because you get a manicure doesn't mean you have to have pink fingernails. You can actually just have your nails taken care of and cleaned and cut and your cuticles taken care of. So it feels really nice.

That's right. Actually, it's a common new trend that we've even heard in the news about and uh the term that men are labeled with when they uh take excessive uh care of their skin and their appearance, they say they're metrosexuals.

Metrosexual. Now, this is a man who, like you say, likes to dress nicely, takes care of his hair, has nice skin, someone who really takes care of their body. And it's different from um from being a homosexual, for example, where maybe that's a stereotype that we have, where we say, oh, well, um, you know, some some people who are homosexual like to dress very well and and take care of their skin. Metrosexual people, men are straight, they're not gay, but they still like to to do these things, to go to the spa or to take care of their appearances.

Right. So it's a very, it's a very interesting topic specifically nowadays where uh this type of thing is more and more common and yet still in many places and cultures, it's very much uh taboo. Obviously, um being uh manly man associated with that is, you know, you don't really take care of your appearance, you know, you wake up and you still look kind of uh messy and

Half asleep.

Half asleep or uh, you know, guy has scars and beards and stuff. So you don't really uh associate it much, but it's very interesting to see these types of uh different cultural aspects. So, we would like to know if in your culture, your country, this is a common practice, is it is it acceptable or is it very, very rare?

And if you go to the beauty spa, whether you're a man or a woman, what's your favorite service? Do you like the facials? Do you like the pedicures? Let us know. Our website is Englishpod.com.

The English part audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

A treatment to beautify the face.

Facial.

A cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails, including trimming and polishing of the nails.

Manicure.

Professional care and treatment of the feet.

Pedicure.

A luxurious resort or resort hotel.

Spa.

To remove the surface of something, such as skin and dirt.

Exfoliate.

A substance formulated to prevent sunburn, skin cancers, and other conditions caused by excessive exposure to the sun.

Sunscreen.

Let's try that faster.

A cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails, including trimming and polishing of the nails.

Manicure.

A substance formulated to prevent sunburn, skin cancers, and other conditions caused by excessive exposure to the sun.

Sunscreen.

A treatment to beautify the face.

Facial.

A luxurious resort or resort hotel.

Spa.

To remove the surface of something, such as skin and dirt.

Exfoliate.

Professional care and treatment of the feet.

Pedicure.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Sunscreen.

Don't forget to put some sunscreen on today.

Sunscreen.

Sunscreen.

If you don't put sunscreen on you could get skin cancer.

Exfoliate.

I have a lot of dry skin. Maybe I need to exfoliate.

Exfoliate.

It's good to exfoliate once in a while to let your face freshen up.

Exfoliate.

Facial.

Hey girlfriend, do you feel like getting a facial?

Facial.

I'm so stressed at work. I need to get a facial and relax.

Facial.

Manicure.

Your nails are really long. Maybe you should get a manicure.

Manicure.

I think I'll get a manicure before my wedding.

Manicure.

Pedicure.

Your toes are disgusting. You need to get a pedicure.

Pedicure.

I think if I get a pedicure, I won't be afraid to walk along the beach.

Pedicure.

If I get a pedicure, I can play sport again without hurting my toes.

English Pod audio review.