Okay, this is REALLY IMPORTANT, you guys.
If you live ANYWHERE near Tarrytown, New York, you need to book an afternoon at this place IMMEDIATELY.
Do you see all the capital letters I’m using? That is FOR EMPHASIS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
Here’s the thing: I’m always pretty resistant to the idea of going to a spa, mostly because it’s so expensive that I spend the entire time freaking out that I’m not enjoying it enough, and literally lay there with my eyes closed on a massage table calculating exactly how much each second of muscle-rubbing is costing me. (I’m aware that this is crazy; can’t help it.) And the Thann Sanctuary at the Castle Hotel is even more expensive than your average spa (apparently it’s very famous and extra-luxurious and et cetera et cetera), so I wasn’t especially into the idea of going. But it’s a major attraction and a major reason why people visit my town, so I felt like I should probably check it out before we move. At least see it.
And then my friends who live in the area told me that there is a trick to it, and the trick makes the whole thing feel not just “worth it,” but WORTH IT (in caps).
And the trick is this:
Show up like three hours before your treatment (don’t worry; this is actually encouraged). Sit in the jacuzzi, and then hang out in the steam room, and then take a long shower completely uninterrupted by children. Maybe take two. (I totally took two.) Carry your book into the relaxation lounge and lay down on one of the most comfortable lounge chairs you have ever sat on in your life. Cover yourself with a blanket. Open your book. Pour some tea, and maybe grab some of the appetizers sent down from the (apparently also famous and fancy) chef at The Castle. And DO NOT MOVE.
For, like, HOURS.
To make my afternoon even better, the lounge was virtually empty, so I ended up in a chair facing the floor to ceiling windows and watching the snow drift down outside. And then passed out. By the time my massage appointment rolled around, I could have taken it or left it – I was already as relaxed as I could have possibly been.
(That was a total lie. The massage made me so relaxed that I was sort of drifting around thinking about octopuses and it was only when it occurred to me that octopuses are a strange thing to be thinking about that I realized: oh. I was asleep.)
Oh, and after? Get thee up to the bar at The Castle, which (possibly unsurprisingly, but still excitingly) looks like an actual castle, complete with turrets. Sit in the coziest bar in the world, and order a big glass of red wine and french fries. Read more of your book. And finally – reluctantly – return home.
And pass out again.
For, like, HOURS.
(Happy/goofy.)
