First we went to the incredible Scandinave Spa. It was an experience! A group of 5 of us booked hour-long Swedish massages and had access to all the marvelous baths of various hot and FREEZING temperatures. Until this point I had never had a massage before and lets just say I was....nervous. Never having been touched by a complete stranger essentially naked was something that, believe it or not, was not really up my alley!! However, I knew it would be the perfect classy bachelorette celebration for my classy friend and threw caution to the wind and said "What the heck!"
So I spent the week beforehand doing some "preshaving" aka readying my legs for the ultimate shave. Maxi skirts and dresses have been my outfit du summer which allow me to lazily neglect my hairy stilts. Lets just say I'm going to need a new razor HA!
Back to the massage. I was greeted by my petite masseuse who welcomed me into a dimly lit room and gave me my instructions, remove all clothing, undies optional. I of course opted for as much clothing as possible so I kept the undies. I lay on the table, took a deep breath and went to my happy place.
The massage began as calming Solitudes music played quietly in the background. For the next hour I was kneaded like a ball of dough, leaving me in deep PAIN. I feel like I have lifted 14533 pound weights with my upper back only on the surface of the sun (skin feels like it has received a 3rd degree burn). So I would call this massage successful??? After said massage I stumbled out, asking friends if I was bleeding.
Anyways once it was all over my friends and I got changed into our swimsuits and headed for the famous baths. There were a number of hot and cold pools to bounce around in. We were given some instructions about hopping in cold baths (ranging from 13-16 degrees) and then the hot ones (90 something to 104 degrees). I tried to do the cold ones but HOLY they were cold so I mostly stuck to the hot ones. They were glorious and relaxing and just what I needed after an hour of pummeling. There was also a sauna and a eucalyptus steam room that definitely cleared my sinuses that's for sure.
Perhaps the most interesting and challenging part of the day was the part where the entire spa was SILENT. Now, if you can gauge my love for talking and my gift for gab by how much I write here on a weekly basis, then you can probably figure out that I love to talk. A lot. So to "respect the quiet" as I was frequently reminded to do by signs EVERYWHERE was difficult!! I practiced my "hushed whisper" voice all week and definitely developed some new vocal chord capabilities as a result. Nevertheless I maitained a somewhat quiet speech for the day and managed not to get kicked out of the spa for chit chat! A success!
Anyways we spent a couple of hours in the different outdoor baths and then headed to the village of Blue Mountain for dinner. We settled on Oliver and Bonacini by the pond and ate delicious meals! It was a perfect day with gorgeous weather and perfect company. We talked non-stop the whole day and got a chance to catch up on each other's lives and hear some of Katherine's exciting wedding plans! Overall it was a fantastic day and a very cool experience that I will definitely try again.
Tonight I lie in bed in an awkward position as to not anger the beast that is my upper back and shoulders. Tomorrow I will be packing, running errands and exchanging my CDN dollars for US and heading for Buffalo for the night before flying out to Florida on Tuesday morning!! I am SUPER excited to spend some quality time with my best Wemindji girls in the extreme humidity of the south. I am not bringing my straightener. What is the point.
See you soon!
Adam Beach!! I'm jelly too!!
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