(me enjoying the comfort of a bed larger than twin size)
Piešťany is about 1 hour northeast of Bratislava, but the change in scenery is pretty stark. That may be because we are on a SPA ISLAND being treated to some of the most STELLAR SERVICE I have ever experienced. Upon arriving, we each receive keys to our room, which is on the 3rd floor overlooking the front courtyard. We unload our bags and head over to the IRMA spa complex where we are getting a free doctor's consultation and scheduling the 3 treatments included in our package. When we return to the room, we see that there is a bottle of wine, 2 bottles of sparkling water, an assorted goodie tray, and a personally signed letter from the hotel management. Oh right, I forgot to mention...I have the hookup with the main man of the Thermae Piešťany Spa complex. He is a member of the British Chamber of Commerce. I look to my parents, smirking, and say "Stick with me, kids. I'll take ya places". This obviously gets a laugh, since it is usually my father who is connected enough to get us personal recognition and treatment, and then there is my mother who is notorious for making friends wherever she goes.
Our experience thus far has been incredible. It is no wonder that there are more than 5 hotels in this one complex. The place is POPULAR, and for good reason! The staff is very obliging, the meals are put together nicely, the beds are comfortable, and....the treatments they offer are sinfully luxurious. As a part of our "Taste of Piešťany" package, we get 2 nights, half board (meals and stuff) and 3 treatments. A dip in the mineral bath, called the Mirror Pool, a massage, and a mud pack. We had the mud pack today :)
You walk into a room and sitdown, then a staff member knocks and politely asks you to strip and follow her to another bed, where she has rolled in two 5 gallon buckets of this dark brown, chocolaty looking mud, which she scoops out of the bucket and "slops" down on to the protective sheet. She smoothes it out and then tells you to park your keister right in it. Oh yes. It's warm too...and slippery :) So, you lay back into this wonderfully warm muck (muck doesn't do it justice, its like laying back into a dense frosting, enveloping yourself like a pastry) and she packs more around your hips, then wraps you up tight. For 20 minutes you are left to meditate, take a nap, and sweat like there is no tomorrow. I loved every minute of it! Then, you take a shower, trying to rinse off as much of yourself as you can without being able to see, and then she leads you back to the original room where you are left to soak in your experience while wrapped up tight like a burrito. Amazing.
After all that, my parents lounged by the pool and I got a haircut! It's been more than 6 months since my last one because I've been too nervous to get it done in Bratislava, for fear of a language barrier/international incident. I know that hair grows back, but the potential humiliation you face in the mean time is not something I'm willing to mess with. Needless to say, I am happy with the results. Just a trim to update my style, and get rid of the dead ends. That is what this trip is about...getting rid of the crap.
So, now my parents are back and its time for our 3:00 gelato break!!! I shall return tomorrow with more news.
4 comments:
A weekend out of the City, at the Spa. Yes, it was lovely. Quiet, beautiful scenery and flowers (even South American lilly pads), and relaxing.
Kim and Elise thought the massage was a bit rough, but I liked it. The submersion in the thermal mineral water bath was interesting - I finally got used to the smell. But the mud pack - now that was transcendent. It, too, was a bit smelly, but sinking into that hot, gooey pile of muck was actually calming. Then being wrapped up cocoon-like in blankets, sweating profusely, showering it off, being re-wrapped in blankets and sweating some more - restful is too restrained. It was blissful.
That's what weekends are for. Rest and relaxation. Recharging the batteries. The pace at the Spa was slow, quiet, with the only scheduled items being meals and treatments. The rest of the time we were lounging, napping, walking (visiting the peacock cage, complete with three males, and one female with a brood of fist-sized babies that never strayed too far from her shadow), and wandering into town for gelato. The town was pleasant; some areas of prosperity, some in advanced stages of significant disrepair.
One of the interesting things about the Spa was the number of disabled children there for treatment (lots of adults, too, but that wasn't as remarkable). I suppose I should have thought of that before, but it didn't click until I saw the kids in wheelchairs, walking with canes, and whole families out for walks with their child undergoing treatment. From all nationalities, too. Many EU countries were represented (by auto license plates), and even some families speaking English. So, the place is much more than a casual retreat for vacationers. It's a working clinic, offering relief to the suffering.
An interesting and eye-opening experience.
Mud pies, mud slinging, mudluscious!
me = jealous. tell mama and papa cordell i say hi and give them a big hug for me :)
How about some pictures of Kim and Stu!
Jim
jimgrisham1@cox.net
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