Day Spa Retreat

Ummm. Oh that was so good!

For Christmas, Mr. Burns gave me a gift card for a Warm Stone Massage at a brand new day spa just a block from his condo. On Wednesday, I cashed that puppy in!!

Now I admit I have not wandered into many spas. This would be the 3rd. But this had to the be the best Spa EVER!

When I arrived, I was escorted to a small but beautifully appointed locker room where I changed into a luxurious robe and (sanitized) spa flip flops. Then I was directed to a room with big comfy chairs where I could unwind, down some more water (very important pre-massage) and enjoy some fresh, hot Raspberry tea.

And this (besides the massage) was the best part. They gave me a clipboard with a short questionaire. Normally that's a bit annoying but this page was full of the most useful questions! Of course it asked about which muscle groups might be giving me trouble... but another question asked if there were any scents or aromas that I didn't care for.

Praise God!

That's something I tend to forget about so I thought it was brilliant that they asked!! I quickly jotted down; lavender and coconut. Nothing irritates me more than the scent of lavender. That scent goes right to the center of my forehead and produces an instant headache. Since many massage therapists rely on lavender for relaxation - I now knew I wouldn't be confronted with it. Crisis averted!

The next question; even more brilliant!! What level of conversation do I prefer?

That's another thing that is easy to overlook. I don't like constant chit chat during massage. I'm trying to relax after all. Problem is that I'm actually really chatty - so I was very pleased that this MT showed restraint.
It doesn't have to be totally silent, but please don't pepper me with questions - I can't resist - then in the end I'm a little disappointed.

So the massage. Amazing. She had a heated blanket on the massage table so I crawled in all toasty. Then she used stone after stone... each almost hot enough to be uncomfortable ... but not quite... applying pressure with a special zing only stones can provide. Because who would have thought that rocks could feel so good?
Oh Mercy!

Then, when she was done she told me to take my time and come out when I'm ready. ( they all do that) Well, usually I lay there for about a minute and then stretch and get up. This massage was so good... I lay there for quite a while... dozing off a few times... before finally getting up to leave.
Then I sat in the relaxation room for a while, downing some more water and snacking on almonds, dried cranberries and boscotti.

Once I was dressed, I strolled the single block back to Mr. Burn's condo.
Wonderful!