Spa (and other) News

Revelation: Good health is a treasure unappreciated until it vanishes.

Which is why I'm now focusing on another benefit from Spatrekking. Both the column and the spa-going.

And that is: when being taken care of in a well-run spa that offers a plethora of treatments, good health may often be restored.

Which happened time and again for me over the past 8 years. Coincidentally, it has been 8 years dealing with a chronic painful nerve disorder that has often left me bereft.

Fortunately, it appears that I have found some relief, thanks to a potpourri of Eastern and Western medicine, for which I am grateful. And this journey has also provided great insight into the numbers of individuals struggling with chronic conditions.

It's not about the spa.

It's about good-health-trekking, wherever that may be found.

And as my health improves (knock wood) I look back and understand my primary motivating factor in seeking incredible spa treatments, outstanding spas and compassionate personnel.

I was "self-medicating."

Not with drugs. With being pampered and comforted.

My "medication" was simply being in a suspended state of unreality. A stress-free, uplifting environment where my physical and emotional needs were addressed. Even for a short burst of time.

I found nurturing people who cared, if only for an hour session.

We all know that it's sometimes easier to open up to complete strangers than it is to bombard friends with troubles and whiny complaints. And a great spa therapist and/or spa director often offers such solace. And boy, did I take advantage. Not in a "poor me" way, but an inquisitive and open-minded way.

Why is Ayurvedic massage so relaxing? What makes Chinese Tui Na so soothing? What's up with hot mineral springs?

I tried to keep quiet during most of my treatments in order to allow myself the luxury of experiencing "the moment," knowing later the deconstruction and critquing would begin.

And now it has finally revealed itself and it's a no-brainer: being in a serene and safe spa is akin to paradise.

It can ease your body into natural self-healing and lead your chattering brain into a positive mental flow.

And those experiences helped my body's self-healing ability to kick in. Whenever I visited a great spa, I left in a state of grace, aware that life is good. Of course, life is good when you can visit spas and have wonderful treatments.

But too often, after a few weeks post-spa, the familiar stress and tension would crawl up my spine and lodge in my neck and shoulders. Until recently.

For now my quest for wellness and peace of body/mind/spirit has expanded beyond the parameters of a spa.

Not into the woo-woo land of wacky spiritual cults or the like, but into a dimension that goes beyond having the greatest facial ever. Even if it's performed like a well-choreographed dance, augmented with caviar or diamonds.

The stress that overpowers most of us at any time during our lives can be diffused in an assortment of methods, from meditation to simply exercising in any way you see fit. See, fit? And fit is what we aim for: fit in body, mind and spirit.

If I choose to turn this spa blog into a more reflective column, so be it. This has been an amazing outlet for my treks in the world. And I welcome more (I'm not stupid!) as they appear. But it is no longer an urgent sense of reportage that propels me.

It is a quest for leaving the stress behind, without necessarily spending a fortune on spa treatments most of us can't afford anyway.

So from now on I will focus on spas (or not) that offer more than merely feel-good-in-the-moment. My focus has shifted in many ways. Value your health.

Take care of your spirit and learn to trust your body.

And you will stay fit.