October 12, 2025
by Gloria Vanderbrick, Bricklyn Eagle People in the News Correspondent
Introductory note from Bricklyn Eagle Editor Walt Brickman:
As we promised you, our highly capable People in the News correspondent Gloria Vanderbrick is interviewing nine past Brickardy contestants. They’re a cross-section of Bricklyn residents with a wide range of occupations, not celebrities like Federal Council President Hilma Plater Zybrick, or Dunk Them Donuts mogul Dave Tiler Broffman. Our aim in this is to give you, our Outland readers, a better feel for daily life in Bricklyn.
Today, we’re publishing the first of Vanderbrick’s nine interviews. Her conversation is with Meredith B. Days, manager of the Bricklyn Brick Spa.
Meredith B. Days brushing a client with a specially designed circular motion hand brush. All photos in this article taken by Eagle photographer Ann Tiler Anderson, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI.
By an interesting coincidence, we recently reported on “Clean Day Bricklyn.” Just as Bricklyn’s streets and buildings periodically need to be cleaned washed and scrubbed, so too do the LEGO people who live here.
The Bricklyn Eagle Interviews Spa Manager & Former Brickardy Champ, Merry B. Days
Gloria Vanderbrick for The Bricklyn Eagle: Hi, Meredith. We’re glad to speak with you as both a past Brickardy champion, and as one the people in our Realm whose job is to keep Bricklynites sparkling clean.
Merry Days: Thanks, Gloria. I always love reading your columns for The Eagle. But please call me Merry Days. Not everyone is going to realize who I am if you use the name “Meredith.”
Gloria Vanderbrick: No problem. Well, let’s start by talking about your job, which is really quite fascinating. Then we can end with a couple of questions about your being on Brickardy.
Steps in the Cleaning Process at the Bricklyn Brick Spa
Gloria Vanderbrick: Let’s turn to your job. As everyone in Bricklyn knows, getting cleaned regularly is key to good health, as well as to looking attractive. A large number of Bricklynites now go to cleaning spas, such as yours, instead of trying to thoroughly clean themselves at home.
Can you tell us what the steps in the spa cleaning process are, especially for our Outland readers who aren’t as familiar with what Bricklyn spa workers do?
1. The Hot Tub
Merry Days. Of course, Gloria. First of all, and I think most importantly, is creating a relaxing environment for our clients.
That’s why the first step on entering the Brick Spa is spending several minutes in one of our hot tubs. It’s a great way to unwind, especially for our many clients who come to the Brick Spa directly from work.
Gloria Vanderbrick: I could use one of those hot tubs right now! What’s next in your cleaning process?
2. The Sauna Room
Merry Days: Sometimes it’s a bit hard to move our clients out of the hot tub! But everyone loves the next stop, our sauna room. We use radiant heat. Usually clients stay here for just five minutes or so.
Again one of the main goals is relaxation, but the radiant heat also provides benefits such as improved circulation and relief from body aches — and, yes, LEGO people can have aches and pains!
3. The Scrubbing Room
After the sauna room, our clients head over to our scrubbing room. We use either a long flat brush or a circular motion brush. [See the photo of a circular brush near the start of this article]. Scrub brushing by hand is key to making sure all the dust and fine particles are removed from our clients’ bodies. In that photo below I’m in one of our scrubbing rooms with a client.
As an aside, I assume all your readers know that Bricklyn is located in an Outlander’s basement. Even though this Outlander — whose name I don’t know — does occasionally clean his basement, it’s not very thoroughly done. That’s one reason why Bricklynites need to take their own cleaning seriously. I strongly recommend that Bricklynites stop by a spa — whether ours or someone else’s — at least every other month. It’s really essential for good health and hygiene.
Gloria Vanderbrick: Thanks, Merry, for that suggestion. Full disclosure: I’ve been to your spa a number of times for cleanings, so I’m quite sure there are two more rooms left, right?
4. The Paint Coloring Room
Merry B. Days: That’s right, Gloria. The fourth step in the spa cleaning process is the magic of the paint coloring room.
This is where our clients’ clothing and body colors get touched up. For an extra fee, they can get the color or style of their hair, or the patterns of their clothing, changed.
A growing number of Bricklynites have been asking for changes, sometimes making one or two changes each time they’re here! You know, some now like a change for every season.
Sometimes Bricklynites will splurge on new attire, or a change in hair style, for their birthday or anniversary, or even for their child’s high school prom or graduation.
Sometimes even the lyrics of a song can influence someone to want to change the color of their clothes. This was the case for an 18 year old young man who, after hearing this song, wanted to start wearing purple. With our equipment, repainting to a purple outfit (with some touches of white and blue) only took about ten minutes — and not a bad result I’d say!
Our stylists can offer suggestions, and — using our proprietary computer program — show our clients how changes they’re considering will look.
I should note that Brickcare insurance currently will cover the cost of modifications made during just one spa visit per year, so multiple modifications can get costly. I also need to add, for those who don’t know, that Bricklyn law prohibits spas from making any facial or skin color changes. This law has been challenged, but I’m not a lawyer and can’t really speak to that.
We use a special paint removal and application process to remove the old colors and then paint on the new colors. [See photo above]. As with our roller, the equipment we use was developed in coordination with LEGO master technicians.
Our stylists will then add, by hand, final touches to achieve just the final look the customer was hoping for.
As you can imagine, paint coloring is often the most time-consuming part of the spa cleaning process. It also calls for skilled stylists.
We require all our stylists to have a certificate from the Bricklyn Health Department attesting to successful completion of BHD’s three month course in LEGO hair and clothing styles, and demonstrate complete knowledge of the LEGO color palette.
Our spa also has an additional three month apprenticeship requirement, during which our new stylists work under the direct supervision of a senior member of our team.
I should also point out that any Bricklynite 16 years of age or younger requires parental permission for a change of attire or hair style. We know that many young people find the age limit repressive or stifling of their identity, but that’s what the law requires. Our spa is also licensed by the Realm of Bricklyn to print out new identification cards for anyone changing their attire or the color or style of their hair.
5. The Polishing Room
Gloria Vanderbrick: We’re nearing the end of our tour.
Merry Days: Yes, Gloria. After having finished in the paint coloring room, our clients head over to their last stop, our polishing room. They lie down on an adjustable platform next to a large, but soft, specially designed spinning roller.
The roller is then lifted off its base and slowly moved over all of the body. It truly bring out the sheen in each Bricklynite’s plastic.
I do want to add that the roller we use has been developed by LEGO to ensure just the right amount of firmness, as we don’t want to mar our plastic-based bodies.
So that’s an overview of what we do at the Bricklyn Brick Spa. I should add that while I’ve worked at all stages of the cleaning process, I’m now one of the spa’s managers. I usually oversee our staff; work on training; and fill in when someone is out sick.
After Hours:
Gloria Vanderbrick: What do you like to do after work? Can i guess it has something to do with Brickardy?
Merry B. Days: You got it. When I’m done work I often head over to the public library and pull out a volume of the Bricklyn Encyclopedia to learn more about different aspects of Bricklyn, from literature to music, from geography to history.
Gloria Vanderbrick: What first got you interested in Brickardy?
Merry Days: When I was growing up, just about every evening my parents, and me and my older brother watched Brickardy. My brother used to get mad when I got more answers right than he did. From the start. Brickardy is great for people like me who love all sorts of topics — and there sure are plenty in the Bricklyn Encyclopedia!
Gloria Vanderbrick: If you had to give one tip to someone who wants to be a Brickardy winner, what would that be?
Merry Days: For me, it’s knowing when to buzz in. If you buzz before host Zen Brickthings finishes reading the clue, you’ll be locked out of buzzing again for a brief period. You need to be quick, but if you aren’t very sure of your answer, it’s better to hold off and let the other contestants buzz in first. A wrong answer can be costly, as it was on my final Brickardy appearance!
Gloria Vanderbrick: Thanks so much for the tour, Merry. But before I leave, I’d like to book my next appointment!
A smiling (and why not?) Bricklyn Eagle Editor Walt Brickman seen inside a one-person hot tub at the Bricklyn Brick Spa. Photo by Merry B. Days, with assistance from Dall E-3 AI. ✥
We welcome Letters to the Editor. How do your own experiences at spas compare to those described in Vanderbrick’s interview? Please email to: bricklynvt@gmail.com
To the Editor: The Pastries by Patsy team has arranged for reciprocal discounts with the Bricklyn Brick Spa. In fact, Pastries by Patsy has recently expanded its product line to include freshly made vegetable juices, rich in electrolytes, which are essential when using the infrared sauna. Look forward to seeing Bricklynites at our café for some pre- or post- spa beverages. — Patsy Brickerson, Bricklyn, VT.
