A few weeks ago, I treated one of my best friends to her first spa experience. She's been through a lot in the past 9 months, including major surgery, the death of a close friend, the departure of her last child for college and the loss of her job. I hesitate to say that she's been through it all only because I'm afraid I'll jinx her in what has already been one hell of a year.
At any rate, our birthdays are only one day apart (September 10 and 11), so we planned for her and her husband to come down to Philadelphia to spend a day and night with my husband and I. We began the day at one of my favorite places--Terme di Aroma, which I highly recommend if you're ever in the area. Peaceful surroundings and wonderful people who provide guaranteed de-stressing. It was a great start to the day, although Mary and I probably could have used a nap by the time we were finished.
Periodic day spa experiences have become an important little luxury for me, although I only began going in the past few years after my husband treated me to a massage on my birthday. They are incredibly rejuvenating and for less than $100 (depending on what you select) can give you a new lease on life. Or at least make you less cranky.
If you've never done the spa thing before, you might start by checking out this article on how to select a spa and this article on how to make the most of your day.
When you're ready to find a spa, check around with people you know to see if they have any recommendations. Or use one of these spa locators:
When you're selecting your spa, be sure to think through what you're looking for--what's important to you in that spa experience? What kind of environment do you want? Are you looking for something relaxing or invigorating? What part of your body needs some TLC? Or is it more than one? And do you want to go alone or do you want to share the love by bringing someone special along? (Last year my husband and I celebrated Valentine's Day with massages and too many martinis--I highly recommend the former, although not the latter).
A day spa experience can be a wonderful thing. I'm only sorry that I didn't discover them sooner.
Michele