How to stay cool on work trip to Nashville this week?
June 12, 2022 12:42 PM Subscribe
I'm traveling to Nashville this week for work. I need to look very professional the whole time, think business suit, full face of makeup, hair with no flyaways, etc. The forecast says it's going to be in the mid to high 90's the whole time and very humid. My hotel is a few blocks away from the office I'll be working in and I will have to walk to and from. I'm looking for your best tips and tricks for looking polished in this situation.
You need a battery-operated fan for keeping cool. Just point it straight at your face. Also, if there is, eg, a Starbucks right near the office, I'd stop and get a cold drink or just a cup of ice to cool you down.
Also, for me, the issue wouldn't necessarily be walking there, it would be that after I arrived and took a moment to pull myself together I would get ... re-hot? I think of it as like rebound sweating. I don't think it's a universal experience, but if you've experienced it, make sure you allot enough time to really cool down before your first meeting of the day.
posted by kate blank at 1:08 PM on June 12, 2022 [8 favorites]
Also, for me, the issue wouldn't necessarily be walking there, it would be that after I arrived and took a moment to pull myself together I would get ... re-hot? I think of it as like rebound sweating. I don't think it's a universal experience, but if you've experienced it, make sure you allot enough time to really cool down before your first meeting of the day.
posted by kate blank at 1:08 PM on June 12, 2022 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Someone I trust for these kind of recommendations is Things I Bought and Liked, who lives in Houston. She recommends Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray for taming frizz and Milani Make It Last Setting Spray for makeup. I've also had good luck with L'Oreal Infallible Mattifying Primer. I bought this USB fan that she recommended and it is pretty powerful for its size (pro tip: store it in a foam koozie to keep stuff in your bag from getting tangled in it). Keep an insulated bottle of water with you; I like the Contigo Ashland Chill.
posted by neushoorn at 1:13 PM on June 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by neushoorn at 1:13 PM on June 12, 2022 [6 favorites]
Regardless of how far it is or isn't, walking carrying any amount of stuff is going to be brutal. My number one recommendation would be to take a cab or Lyft/Uber.
posted by Medieval Maven at 1:43 PM on June 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Medieval Maven at 1:43 PM on June 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
leave off the blush and foundation
if sanitizer is provided at the venue, put some on the back of your neck and wrists: the evaporation will help cool you.
posted by brujita at 3:13 PM on June 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
if sanitizer is provided at the venue, put some on the back of your neck and wrists: the evaporation will help cool you.
posted by brujita at 3:13 PM on June 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
A strong setting spray for your makeup and a hairspray designed for humidity. Also, strongly reconsider your plan to walk to the office. Getting a ride for a few blocks and tipping well is far more preferable than walking and getting very messy on your way. If you’re not accustomed to a hot, humid climate you’re going to have an even harder time staying put together as your body isn’t used to it and you’re going to get very sweaty and overheated.
posted by quince at 4:03 PM on June 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by quince at 4:03 PM on June 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you’re working with people who live in Nashville, the way they’re managing it is to go from air conditioned houses to a cooled off car to the office’s parking garage and limiting exposure to outside as much as possible. Try to replicate that.
posted by jeoc at 4:33 PM on June 12, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by jeoc at 4:33 PM on June 12, 2022 [7 favorites]
seconding a Lyft, or maybe hotel shuttle? in Memphis, the heat index has been around 110°F (43ish° C) this weekend - Nashville is a bit away but not that far away so your temps will be similar (as confirmed by friends that live in that general area), and it's not going to get any better this week. I'd be thinking twice about foot travel unless you're very familiar with doing that in 100°F+ heat and Southern humidity or it's literally just a block away. failing that, a microfiber or cooling cloth type thing, dampened and wrapped around your neck, may help some.
posted by mrg at 8:03 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mrg at 8:03 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I live in New Orleans, walk a lot, and have to dress professinally for work, so I have experience in this area.
Walk slowly. Don't give your body the opportunity to create any sweat as a result of exertion. Wear your hair up, either as your all-day style or at the very least during the walk so it's off your neck and doesn't get sweaty. Obviously bring a comb so if you must wear it down you can smooth it throughout the day when you use the bathroom. Get some dress shields/underarm sweat pads. Bring deoderant. When you arrive, wipe your armpits with cool water, re-apply the deoderant and put on a new set of dress shields. Also wipe the back of your neck, your knees (are you a knee sweater? I'm a knee sweater) and your crotch if necessary.
But honestly if it's any longer than like 5 blocks max I would be taking a Lyft too. Good luck!
posted by CheeseLouise at 11:07 AM on June 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
Walk slowly. Don't give your body the opportunity to create any sweat as a result of exertion. Wear your hair up, either as your all-day style or at the very least during the walk so it's off your neck and doesn't get sweaty. Obviously bring a comb so if you must wear it down you can smooth it throughout the day when you use the bathroom. Get some dress shields/underarm sweat pads. Bring deoderant. When you arrive, wipe your armpits with cool water, re-apply the deoderant and put on a new set of dress shields. Also wipe the back of your neck, your knees (are you a knee sweater? I'm a knee sweater) and your crotch if necessary.
But honestly if it's any longer than like 5 blocks max I would be taking a Lyft too. Good luck!
posted by CheeseLouise at 11:07 AM on June 13, 2022 [4 favorites]
I live here. If you want to walk, walk slow. Really slow. Bring cold water and drink it on the way. Leave your hotel as early as possible. Can you arrive at work by 8am? 7am? It will probably be really muggy in the morning, so try to hit the time when the sun is up but the dew hasn't started evaporating. Pay attention to the heat index. 85 degrees but feels like 95 is no joke and it'll be that high by 9 or 10 am. Nashville is deceptively hilly, walk even slower going up hills. Leave yourself plenty of time to use the tips others have given to cool off and dry off when you arrive.
posted by Is It Over Yet? at 3:09 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Is It Over Yet? at 3:09 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]
Yep, nthing the advice to walk slowly, if you walk. And take a car if it's farther than a few blocks.
posted by limeonaire at 7:52 PM on June 13, 2022
posted by limeonaire at 7:52 PM on June 13, 2022
No one mentioned bugs. This is another point for going from a.c. hotel to a.c. vehicle to a.c. office, because going past a trash can or other area that attracts gnats and flies is abysmal. Also, you may bring the odors along for the journey.
Getting a ride in hot humid weather is the same as getting a ride in the pouring rain. You can't look professional for the rest of the day after walking several blocks in rough weather.
Is using a bike/skates/skateboard an option, and then switching into your office attire? Otherwise, budget your time for a long slow stroll with a four-wheel travel bag (no sweat stains on your back).
Keep a change of clothes, footwear and toiletries at the office, just in case.
Getting back to the hotel in the afternoon amid the superheated buildings will be more of a slog, but how you look will be less of a problem as long as you can get out of the office while wearing sneakers and your hair in a ponytail.
posted by TrishaU at 3:36 AM on June 14, 2022
Getting a ride in hot humid weather is the same as getting a ride in the pouring rain. You can't look professional for the rest of the day after walking several blocks in rough weather.
Is using a bike/skates/skateboard an option, and then switching into your office attire? Otherwise, budget your time for a long slow stroll with a four-wheel travel bag (no sweat stains on your back).
Keep a change of clothes, footwear and toiletries at the office, just in case.
Getting back to the hotel in the afternoon amid the superheated buildings will be more of a slog, but how you look will be less of a problem as long as you can get out of the office while wearing sneakers and your hair in a ponytail.
posted by TrishaU at 3:36 AM on June 14, 2022
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Honestly, plan for at least 30 to 45 minutes to cool down before you start to change clothes, because it will take at least that long for your body to recuperate from the heat and humidity. If you get there and immediately try to change, you're going to find yourself soaked in sweat in your good clothes.
I'm guessing there is a reason you can't take a cab or a ride-share, but if it were me that's exactly what I'd be doing. Can you see if your hotel has transport to this office building?
posted by ralan at 1:03 PM on June 12, 2022 [10 favorites]