Heather and I have been friends since High School so when she invited me to join her at her Aunt Rene’s home in San Diego I could not resist. I made the journey to California early January 2008. Heather was on leave from Iraq where she is currently serving an 18 month tour.
Among all the wonderful moments spent at the beach, experiencing Cirque d Solie under a big top, dining in the Gas Lamp district at Chianti’s Restaurant, sipping delicious California wine, spending time with Heather and Roy (they were engaged in Airport days earlier as Heather arrived home from overseas), a Mexican BBQ at Aunt Renee’s, sipping more wine, the best day was our Trip to Glenn Ivy!
Glenn Ivy Hot Springs is located in Corona CA. Upscale and pretty big as far as springs go. It was not crowded on this sunny California 80 degree day in January.
I arrived like a kid at an amusement park. Wanting to try everything first then picking my favorite to go back to again and again. We viewed the locker room that housed a Roman Bath. “I want to go in here first”, I said. But it was too nice outside.
Poolside we dropped our gear and made way for the Sulfur Baths. Narrow, deep, hot, cemented, individual pools of bliss. I have always loved soaking in the sulfur pools. Your body soaks up the minerals and smell of course and you just know it’s doing something good for the body. We drank lots and lots of water.
I ran from pool to pool dipping and swimming in various temperatures. I caught a glimpse of Heather and Roy in the sun pool floating hand and hand on rafts soaking in the sun. I announced that I was off to play in some mud. The rest of the gang followed soon after.
“Club Mud” was a concrete enclave of palm trees, lounge chairs and piles of beautiful mineral rich mud in the middle of a pool. Wading toward the mud my legs took on an orange hew from the muddy waters. I grabbed a handful of cool mud and began rubbing it all over my face and body. Heather and Roy joined me for a little mud slinging and help with those not so easy to reach areas. After we are fully covered we leave the pool of mud and head for the Waffa. A baking chamber designed to dry the mud. Similar to a sauna but with less heat. Heather is pictured in the Waffa in the above picture on this blog. The mud began to dry and flake off our skin. Movement was restricted as to not break the mud and loose any effect! We waddled to the outdoor showers where the mud removing began. I left Heather and Roy in the showers and didn’t see them till much much latter….I had to hurry back to my towel to get ready for my massage.
I arrived at the cabana with anticipation. I was clear in my request for a relaxing, Swedish, make me float kind of massage. My therapist gave a firm, therapeutic with some deep tissue massage in a somewhat robotic fashion. I was disappointed on the table and a pile of mush afterwards. Upon returning poolside I went to lie down and actually fell through those plastic stripes on the lounge chair; a hand here and foot there. It was quit the scene and plenty of laughter. Heather was relishing in her facial while Roy was showing off his new toes. Yes, Roy is officially Metro now with a pedicure! No polish.
There was one more attraction at Glenn Ivy we crammed in for the day. The Grotto. A man made cave below the sun and pools. We descended and were greeted by friendly staff ready to paint our bodies with a green mixture of aloe Vera and moisturizing butter something. The application felt wonderful only too short. The cave was similar to the Waffa only cooler. We were told to hang tight for 20 minutes and then hit the showers again.
Up top the sun was setting and it was time to go. One last trip to the lovely locker room and I waved goodbye to the Roman Bath I never did soak in. One of the few I missed. The experience will last a lifetime and I couldn’t of enjoyed it more with my best friends!
Bridget Riley brings the spa experience into NJ client’s homes based on the theory that an hour of body work should be followed by an hour of rest. She is the owner of Pampered Spirit, the premier mobile massage business in the State of New Jersey. Pampered Spirit has a boutique location which serves as a dispatch center for mobile massage therapists and a serene enclave for onsite clientele.
Ms. Riley’s wellness empire has been featured on national television and has grown to 40 team members strong. In addition to being an established body worker and certified massage therapist, as a wellness coach she has orchestrated workshops for several universities and companies.
Notable clients include NFL Films and the Atlantic City Convention Center. As the industry continually evolves, so does Miss Riley. Her current focus is Wellness Coaching after studying the subject at Duke University.
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