Behind The Counter- February 2025
Welcome to Behind the Counter. Take a glimpse behind the scenes at Thistle & Bess to connect with people who inspire, hear the thoughtful stories behind the goods that I love and find out what is currently sparking joy in my life.
I don't know about you, but my stress level has been quite high this month. From the endless doom in the world to the gloom of winter really taking its toll, I am feeling it. One way I physically feel my stress is jaw pain from clenching. I have been trying to make a conscious effort to slow down and spend some time taking care of myself to help with this stress. One of the most wonderful ways to treat myself is by making an appointment at K. WEST. The owner, Katie Westgate, is a gem of a human with the most lovely energy and magical touch. She recently moved her spa right around the corner from T&B, making it especially easy to pop over for a much needed relaxing treatment.
I usually book a Custom Laurel PhytoFacial with extra Gua Sha massage. Katie's facials are my all time favorite spa treatment. The setting is so tranquil and gorgeous, the all natural products she uses are such a treat and the facial massage is a dream. I not only leave with glowing skin, but feeling truly relaxed and cared for.
Earlier this month at my appointment with Katie I told her about my jaw tension and she told me about a new technique she is offering called Buccal Massage, which is literally massaging the muscles on the INSIDE of your mouth. It sounds strange, but there was so much tension in those muscles and having her work on them for a relatively short amount of time really helped my jaw pain. She said that it is easy enough to try at home as well- just spend some time feeling your cheek and jaw muscles on the inside of your mouth. If you are anything like me, you will immediately feel where the tension is. The next time I book with Katie, I will be trying the Facial Attunement treatment, which focuses more on massage of the stuck tissues of the face and helps ease pesky jaw pain. See a video of Katie performing the Facial Attunement treatment on IG here.
If you are not able to visit Katie at her lovely spa, I also highly recommend this Hydrating Elixir. It is my favorite part of my daily skincare- it smells great and just feels so good going on. I also love her Flame Lip Tint. Katie makes these herself and they are moisturizing, plumping and have a little natural tint as well- a wonderful pick-me-up during these cold winter months. Katie also generously shared a Jaw Tension Release Meditation below. Give it a try and give a little massage to the inside of your mouth as well! Here's hoping for less jaw tension for us all.
We recently got one of our largest Baggu drops to date. We have carried Baggu since we opened the shop in 2015 and it has always been one of our best sellers, but the popularity of Baggu over the last couple of years is wild. Pieces sell out so quickly and we frequently have "Baggu Girlies" from all over the country calling our shop hunting for specific patterns. Did you know that the founder of Baggu, Emily Sugihara, graduated from the University of Michigan in 2005 with an Economics major? Our friend and old shop neighbor Vicki Honeyman of Heavenly Metal was actually one of the very first shops to carry Baggu. Emily personally stopped in Vicki’s shop to show her the new bags that she had created and Vicki placed an order right on the spot. The next time you pick up your newest Baggu piece, you can now appreciate that Ann Arbor connection.
