There are days when you are physically and mentally exhausted and just need a pick-me-up to help you carry on, especially during the stressful holidays. One of my buddies suggested dinner and a massage since he had some gift cards. I don’t know anywhere else but in Orange County where you can get good cheap Mexican food and a cheap massage all in the same night! Although I wouldn’t tend to recommend getting a massage after a big meal, it worked wonders for me.

The first stop was dinner at Albatros in Lake Forest. It is conveniently located right by The Hat – another infamous place that serves sinfully good chili cheese fires and pastrami sandwiches. But our vice for the night was Albatros – it’s open 24 hours and has good cheap fare for the college crowd. For about $6, you can get carne asada fries and be contently full for the rest of the night.

After stuffing ourselves, we hobbled out of there and made our way to the next stop in Westminster at Life Reflexology for our massage! It was a bit late around 8:30pm on Friday night, so the place wasn’t too busy. We specified at the front desk what we would like to have worked on and the pressure. I wanted medium pressure and concentration on shoulders/upper back. Just a tip, for guys, they’ll ask you to take your shirt off which was fine for me as it helped for a better massage. For girls, the best bet is to wear a tank top and request a female masseuse if you want to be more comfortable. They bring a bucket of hot water for the feet to soak. The masseuse did wonders on my shoulders and back. All the knots were being kneaded out and the pressure was strong just the way I like it. It was definitely worth it and one of the better massages I had for just $20!

So remember, you don’t need much money to treat yourself if you’re down in the O.C.!