Incense and Candles | PRN

Raynella's Sensualities

2010

Raynella. Rayne. Raye. Rayna. Raynelle. Either one is fine with me. Being thirty five, it's a lot for women like me. You have this high expectation about getting your life together before you reach my age, especially by black families. We can never live it down. But, I will say that I am just fine where I'm at. I have my own business and first official home in Minneapolis. My first/away home, the apartment I rented -and still renting- during my college years in Philadelphia and since my family is from there, it's my home away from the business life . I visit whenever I can but, it's not very often. I'm pretty tight with the landlord. Plus, I do her daughter's hair on the weekends. Hey, you gotta get money somehow. I don't plan to do this running back and forth thing forever but, I just need enough money to be able to pay my debts for school and to be able to get my shop off the ground. Working in this field since I was 18, has not been easy and there are days where I get tired and lonely. So much for dreaming about goodwill and fairytale endings. Honestly, I have to be more than just about some fairytale stories, like princesses, that my mom told me when I was a little girl. But she did tell me that one thing that each princess has in common. They each worked hard for what they got. Whether that be able to marry a prince, break a curse or to save a country, they made it happen.

Onto my business, I relocated in Minneapolis about a year ago, from Philly. The depression was so real once I got here and it cost me to make a lot of sacrifices, in order to have my business, Raynella's Sensualities. My spa or beauty treatment center is all about pleasure and loving your true authentic self. There are a lot of differences between us and other shops. I would say that, people just do it because they don't have anything better to do or they're just in it for the money and luxury of it. My shop is the complete opposite. We strive to make sure that every customer is treated fairly and we want them to feel as if they were apart of a big family. Mostly, as expected, women come here to unwind and relax and maybe even, gossip. Men come too but it's mostly with their girlfriends, wives or even their mistresses. But the heavy stuff is all on me. I take care of the bills, make sure we have all our equipment, pay the employees, pay for insurance, the whole 360 pie. For a first year starter , in a new city, the business was pretty good. Even celebrities came to the shop like Jennifer Aniston, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Sherri Shepherd, Johnny Depp, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, even Will and Jada Smith. But, for a little extra pleasure, I do a little something special for the customers. But, that's only if they are willing to pay another $20 for my special services. Most likely, couples or single women will accept my services. I love what I do but, it's a lot for one person, especially in the Midwest. I think that's where this state is located. Anyway, that's beside the point.

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Today is a special day. It's a major holiday. You guessed it, Valentines Day. Business is going smooth and of course, money is never the issue. And since it's Valentines Day, major discounts are happening for the couples. But don't think we're leaving our single people out of the fun, they deserve some love too. Free manicure and pedicure for the day . I know, free is the best price. Decorations were all over the place and the employees, including myself, were dressed in the most appropriate colors for the festivities. Mama always said to be stylish at all times, even if that comes with getting a man. Plus, it's always cold out here.