Susan's Place Transgender Resources

For those of you who have stayed with Jenny, can you please elaborate on the costs and what exactly is included / not included?  As you know it's a little expensive so I kind of want to know what extras aren't included and what to expect.  For those who didn't stay, what are good alternatives?  Thanks!

The cost for a standard 2 week stay, which is typically the minimum is about roughly 2800 euro.

This includes a place a stay (typically your own private room, unless you are traveling with a friend/family). Depending on which room you are assigned, you may have your own dedicated bathroom, or may end up sharing a bath with a few others. In terms of food,  typically breakfast meals are included. Jenny usually has a variety of cereals for breakfast that she offers to everyeone. It's also not uncommon for her to cook dinner for people who decided to stay at home at night, and not go out to a restaurant. Most nights we went out to a restaurant though even after surgery, but there were a handful of times when she cooked dinner for the folks who decided to stay in. You will want to have money to go buy you're own food though for lunches, snacks and miscellaneous things.

After surgery, she handles all shampooing of coronal incision and transplants if you choose them and she helps you with daily medications by creating a handy paper schedule.

Other than those practical items, the biggest benefit I found is the supportive and caring environment that she has created at the nest. The emotional support that is provided by staying in a house full of trans women all suffering through the same issues not just including surgery, is in my opinion priceless. You have a family to lean on when you are feeling down, and an all around very positive environment to recover in. And it's not just Jenny, you will more than likely create bonds and friendships with the other patients as well. This all adds to a very special experience that I would do all over in a heartbeat if I needed to return for another surgery. When you start to feel better, you have a family to then go and experience the wonder and charm of Marbella with. Whether you like shopping, restaurants or cocktails, there is really something for everyone. I feel that even if I stayed in a hotel by myself, the experience of exploring Marbella would not have been as rewarding if I didn't get to share it with the very special people I met at Jenny's Nest.

I hope this helps with your decision. Some people would rather just be alone through the surgery process, and if you are one of those people, then jenny's nest might not be the best fit. I can't say there was anything that was negative in my experience of working with Facial Team or staying with Jenny. If I had to do it all over again, there would be no doubt that Jenny would be part of the equation.

There have been numerous posts by patients of the Facial Team in Marbella, Spain.  But the Facial Team group also has a clinic in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Has anyone used the Brazilian clinic, and is there any place similar to Jenny's in Sao Paolo?

Thanks Michelle for your write-up ... I trust that your healing process is going well ...  :)

This represents a cost in UK Sterling of approximately £154.12 a night which is an excellent price as from all accounts that I have heard, Jenny will be providing a 5 Star service in 5 star accommodation.

I have a good diet and eat gluten free as much as possible although when I go abroad especially the USA, I tend to pig out and put on weight ... LOL ...  ;D   

Culvers hamburgers in the Mid-West are to die for especially their malt shakes. I dribble at the thought of them ....  8)  http://www.culvers.com/

Makes McDonalds look rather third rate !!!

I met up with Jenny last May when I went to see Facial Team and we visited this restaurant https://www.facebook.com/tanguitomarbella/  in Old Town Marbella with two post-op girls, it was a laugh a minute. So restaurant visits and looking around the area is something that I am really looking forward to.

Prior to leaving the UK, I will be pre-booking a table for dinner the day I fly in to Malaga on March 31st ... :)

Their is a joke with my friends that the only time I have a relaxing holiday these days is when I go to have surgery !!!  :o ... Two weeks in Spain is going to be great ... Cannot wait .... :)

Way back when, Dr Ousterhout had the Cocoon House for patients to recover in, does his successor Dr Deschamps-Braly have a similar arrangement?

This is better than staying in a hotel room although the Staybridge in Glenview, Chicago is excellent.
 

Quote from: michelle82 on February 04, 2016, 08:04:24 PM
The cost for a standard 2 week stay, which is typically the minimum is about roughly 2800 euro.

Thanks for the replies so far.  For that price, I'm not sure about shared bathrooms.. still on the fence about this one.

Any other place that provides some kind of service like Jenny's?

Is tipping or other add-on costs involved other than lunch and dinner?

Hi Shoko,

Are you booked in for surgery at Facial Team?

Quote from: Paula1 on February 05, 2016, 01:20:21 PM
Hi Shoko,

Are you booked in for surgery at Facial Team?

Yes I am

Sorry I forgot, you told me .. Duh !!!!

Getting forgetful at my ripe old age ....  ;D

Hi Shoko,

Quote from: shoko on February 05, 2016, 10:53:52 AM
Thanks for the replies so far.  For that price, I'm not sure about shared bathrooms.. still on the fence about this one.

You are welcome. Shared bathrooms does not worry me because the other advantages are enormous. Also I share my home with my partner ... :)

Any other place that provides some kind of service like Jenny's?

I have no idea but doubt it.

Is tipping or other add-on costs involved other than lunch and dinner?

Tipping I am sure is not required but if you want to that's up to you but I think that Jenny might be offended. Why don't you ask her all these questions/concerns direct with her otherwise you will not be fully in the picture before making any decision

It's a little hard to ask someone if I have to tip them lol

That's true ...  ;)

I should have made myself clearer and said ask her any other questions but not about tipping ...  :)

Quote from: shoko on February 05, 2016, 05:53:47 PM
It's a little hard to ask someone if I have to tip them lol

Think of staying with Jenny and Nicola (Jenny's assistant) more like living with a family away from home for a few weeks. Would you tip your family members? It's not that kind of environment.


There are other ways of showing your gratitude towards Jenny and Nicola. If you are out for drinks pick up the tab, or if you are taking a taxi trip with one of them, offer to pay the taxi fare, etc.

It's a very informal type of setting. In terms of meals, they will help you go grocery shopping, so you can have food in the fridge, if you want to mostly stay in and prepare your own food. I went out for dinners about every other night. And some days had lunch out at a restaurant or cafe, if I was out shopping or site seeing. For breakfast, even though some cereal was available, I bought some additional things from the grocery store for breakfast like yogurt, fruit, etc.

In terms of bathrooms it really depends on how busy the house is. I would recommend reaching out to jenny, and see if you can reserve a room with a private bathroom ahead of time if you have concerns. She is very accommodating.

Thanks for the reply Michelle ...  :)

The more that I hear about Jenny and Nicola, the more excited I am getting.

Last May, I saw Jenny's old nest and that was very nice but this new place looks even better.

Some cultures think that tipping is obligatory but I don't know where Shoko comes from.

So maybe this is the case in her country or simply a custom.

Have a nice day

Paula 

Quote from: michelle82 on February 04, 2016, 08:04:24 PM
...Other than those practical items, the biggest benefit I found is the supportive and caring environment that she has created at the nest. The emotional support that is provided by staying in a house full of trans women all suffering through the same issues not just including surgery, is in my opinion priceless. You have a family to lean on when you are feeling down, and an all around very positive environment to recover in. And it's not just Jenny, you will more than likely create bonds and friendships with the other patients as well...

This was true for me, too. It was so wonderful to talk or just hang out with the other trans women. Instead of "hiding out" in my room, I found myself making the rounds from the kitchen to the patio to the living room just to connect with people. I don't think I've talked that much in years (maybe never). ;)

Well I asked about staying a shorter period of time but the price remained the same for 11 days vs. 7 days.  It just doesn't make sense to pay the 4 days before and after surgery while in hospital.  How much is it supposed to be for just 7 days?

I'm from the USA so tipping is common but I personally don't agree with it, especially for such a high price.

Anyway the only advantage I see is the companionship, which is great.  But why such a high cost for that?  Have others been through this without staying at Jenny's and been okay?  Are there no alternatives?

Quote from: shoko on February 06, 2016, 10:48:27 AM
Well I asked about staying a shorter period of time but the price remained the same for 11 days vs. 7 days.  It just doesn't make sense to pay the 4 days before and after surgery while in hospital.  How much is it supposed to be for just 7 days?

I'm from the USA so tipping is common but I personally don't agree with it, especially for such a high price.

Anyway the only advantage I see is the companionship, which is great.  But why such a high cost for that?  Have others been through this without staying at Jenny's and been okay?  Are there no alternatives?

Many people have done facial surgery alone, in far less pleasant places than Marbella. Jenny's Nest isn't for everyone, but I would agree that companionship is the biggest part of the equation. Which if you were like me and never had surgery before, I had many trepidations about being alone in a foreign country and recovering by myself. In retrospect I can probably say I could do it alone now, if I really had to. But I wouldn't trade the friendships and the memories for any amount of money. Being around other people who know the process and are there for you helps tremendously with the emotional/mental recovery of having your face re-arranged. In my experience having the emotional support was beneficial. The positive psychological health I feel helped promote my physical body to heal its wounds much faster.

It is certainly cheaper to rent an apartment for 11 days in Marbella for probably about 300 to 500 euro depending on the time of year.Jenny's villa is absolutely beautiful though, and much more spacious and comfortable than a small hotel or studio apartment is going to be.

What a wonderful alternative to staying in a suite at a hotel or Air B&B! 

If I end up getting my FFS with them, I will stay there. :)

Hi Shoko, if you're still looking for alternatives... Will you be doing jaw/chin work (stitches in mouth)? If yes, you might need some sort of kitchenette in your hotel or serviced apartment to cook soft foods. I don't have too much information about this (serviced apartments) but I did notice a few listings when I browsed the area on google.

If the insides of your mouth will be untouched, this would simplify a lot of things as you can eat mostly normally (I think rhinoplasty also restricts chewing). The nearby hotels to HC hospital are Bluebay Banus and Gran Hotel Guadalpin. The latter is actually super close to the beach and sea. How sweet would that be to walk along the shores as you recover? :) When I was considering FT, Guadalpin was the hotel that I liked and would've chose.

The only info I have about jaw work recovery is from women travelling to Korea to get V-line. They bring along those powdered meal replacement (ones with protein, carbs, fibre, etc) and they use the water kettle in the hotel rooms to boil water for instant porridge. Room service also might have some soft foods like soups, etc.

When do you think you'll be able to chew bits of food (if jaw is done)? I heard it's about 1 week. FT's hospital stay is 3 days right? So you'll have appropriate meals for those few days. After that, do you think you can handle a soft food diet on your own (or w/ a friend)?

thank you^^

yes i'll be doing jaw and chin work as well, though i'm not sure i really need to.  better to do it all at once though

i think i made the right choice by going it alone this time, i'm saving over $2500 USD for the entire stay (which helps because the surgery is over $35k!).  FT gave me a list of recommended hotels in the area so i just chose one of them in old town.  i've had a rhinoplasty alone in seoul several years ago and managed just fine, so i think i can take care of myself this time also (just worried about the hair care after transplants).  great idea to bring powdered food mixed with hot water.  but is it easy to find food around town?  anyway, great way to lose some weight perhaps (without sacrificing nutrition for healing).

they told me after hospital discharge i only need to come back on the last day for stitch removal.  i wonder what i'll do with myself during that time?  do people walk around with beanies and masks on all day?  too bad i won't be able to eat the local food :(

Hi Shoko ...  :)

See my post #5 on my thread here https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,191017.0.html  - "Where to stay in Marbella"

I am sure that you will get to meet up with Jenny, Nicola and her patients for dinner or something ...  :)

Afterall we are a close knit family.

Quote from: Paula1 on February 10, 2016, 04:40:07 PM
I am sure that you will get to meet up with Jenny, Nicola and her patients for dinner or something ...  :)

Afterall we are a close knit family.

I wouldn't be so sure about that.  I asked if we could meet while I was there, and the response was "Due to demands at the Nest it is unlikely we will meet"

Fair enough, she is incredibly busy but you never know.

Also the new "Nest" is nowhere near as the old one which was just around the corner to the hotel that I was staying in and now you are.

You will really like it as it has everything that you can possibly need.

The staff are good too.

When do you arrive in Marbella?

Hi Shoko,

Any news on your surgery?

Hugs

Paula

Hi everyone,

Whoever gets to read this message, I am trying to get in touch with a member called 'Shoko'.

She commented on above subject (i.e. Jenny's Nest), trying to find a more reasonable place to stay post surgery. Shoko then also mentioned the figure of 35k she would have to fork out for her FFS!

My question to her really would be the following:

What sort of procedures did she have, or is she going to undergo, for such a high figure? I myself am about to embark on that same journey (i.e. FFS surgery with FacialTeam, most likely in June/July 2018) and I really would have wanted to know what makes it so enormously expensive...

If Shoko could kindly respond to my message by sending me a list of the procedures she is having in mind, or already undergone, that would be immensely appreciated.

Many thanks  :-*

Hi SoonThere77,

  I'm Laurie. I want to say hello an to let you know that Shoko has not been active since March. Don't despair though because there are others here that have had or are going to have FFS at Facial Team. I am sure some of them will respond to answer your questions.
  Now, So please let me say, Welcome To Susan's Place! Come on in and take a good look around.  Perhaps I can even get you to hop on over to the Introductions (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/board,8.0.html) Thread and  create a post to tell us a little bit more about yourself so we can get to know you a little better and greet you properly. I'll add some links and information below that can help you get more out of our site. Please take time to become familiar with them especially the RED one as we are always getting questions that are answered there.

Laurie
Global Moderator
Laurie@susans.org

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Hi.

I have booked FFS with Facialteam in February and also booked Jennys nest. Jenny moved her Nest and prices now have gone down due to it not being as luxurious anymore, but I hope it still will be nice. I am also having a figure of about $35k (29k €) with Facialteam. This in my case includes jaw, chin, forehead type 3, orbital shave, rhinoplasty and hairline modification with hair transplants plus two nights in hospital, CT scans, anaesthesia etc.