Summer Spa Safari, Stop 2 – The Spa at St. Julien
If you read my last post, you know I’ve been on a mission: a summer spa safari, that is. Yes, by the end of this very harsh Philadelphia winter, my skin was scaly, my body was far from buff, and rest and relaxation? Never heard of ‘em.
I started out my spa safari at the Loews Ventana Canyon Lakeside Spa. My next stop? The Spa at St. Julien in Boulder, Colorado. This spa is humungous – 10,000 square feet between the spa and fitness center, and it has every kind of treatment you can think of, including signature Boulder-esque (read: natural, relaxing, unpretentious) treatments based on Colorado’s indigenous plants and elements.
My morning before my spa visit had been a little stressful: lots of work, too little time. Best time to visit the spa, right? You bet. The Spa at St. Julien’s robe were super-comfy, and the lounge where I waited for my massage therapist was cushy and quiet, with all the latest magazines and flavored waters, to boot.
But when I got into the room for my Rock On! Massage – that was when the fun really began. The spa’s literature said that the massage would “ease discomfort and promote a feeling of holistic well-being” – just what the doctor ordered. The massage therapist worked my muscles with the hot stones, but not too hard,and I felt the stresses of the morning melt away. I didn’t sleep, but I did fall into a kind of slumber, just enough so that my brain was no longer on overload and my muscles no longer hurt from my morning workout.
At the end of the treatment, the therapist told me to drink lots of water. While that’s typical advice after a massage, it was even more important here in Boulder, at the base of the Flatiron Mountains; at 5280 elevation (or thereabouts), it’s easy to get dizzy and dehydrated. My solution? I sat on a cushioned lounger by the lap pool, inhaled the water, and closed my eyes for a restful afternoon.
Next stop on my summer spa safari? Stay tuned!