Earl treated Jamie and me to hour-long massage sessions today at the spa here at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. We are just getting back from the experience.
Per the instructions we were given when the reservations were made, we arrived 10 minutes before our appointment and checked in with a wispy, handsome man named Phil. He kept my Disney key card and escorted us to the changing facilities. Once robed and slippered in the exclusive locker room (there are two, one for the fitness folks, one for the spa folks, well actually there are four locker rooms since they’re not co-ed but as a guy there are two available to me), we were invited to wait in the spa lounge and await the arrival of our massage therapist. My massage therapist was a very talented woman by the name of Tenley. She called me John and escorted me to “treatment room #2”. She left the room as I disrobed and got under the top sheet. I never know whether to keep my underwear on or not because I have been in several, em, let’s call them situations, where when it comes massage where one wouldn’t keep their underwear on but I don’t ever know if that’s what EVERYONE does so I played it safe so I kept my underwear on as I got under the sheet. I have no inhibitions about nudity so I think I’m overly cautious about that sort of thing.
Tenley spent 50 minutes kneading and prodding and coaxing every bump in my muscles out to relaxed enchantment. She even coaxed the knot in my right shoulder out; the knot that has been there since the late 1990s.
The ambience was candlelit with serene music pumped in over the speakers; the oil was slick but not smelly. The 50 minutes flew by and I was feeling quite nice. Tenley left me to regain myself and met me outside with a glass of water. We were encouraged to enjoy the amenities in the exclusive spa locker room; Jamie and I headed down and spent some time in the steam room where we sweated out our impurities. Jamie then opted for the sauna but I skipped it because I always feel like I’m baking like a cake in a sauna (and I didn’t flour myself before jumping in and I was afraid I would stick) and I took a nice relaxing shower before getting myself ready for the day. There’s a certain amount of bonding going on in a locker room when you’re grooming yourself alongside others that are doing the same. It was an enjoyable experience. For those that are curious, it wasn’t titillating for me at all (those that worry about these sort of things in the military and such are just silly). I took my underwear off for the shower and the steam room and all that. I figured it was safe there.
All in all it was an amazing experience and I feel like my body has been given the attention that it deserves for carrying this old soul well. Yesterday was a vegetarian day for me (well, I had two chicken nuggets that I probably didn’t need); I need to concentrate on giving my body that proper attention more. I surely feel much better for doing it.
