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| Don’t be like me. Don’t judge this book by its cover. |
This post contains affiliate links.*
Bored and stressed with the drudgery of the everyday grind, my husband and I agreed that it was time for a getaway.
No toddler, dog, or responsibilities — only he and I.
We wanted to do something relaxing, so we took to the internet to see what affordable options were available for a couple who wants to relax.I suggested a couple’s massage because what’s more relaxing than a couple of strangers feeling us up in the same room? (All joking aside, massages are a must for me — they’re like little stress release tune ups that I must have once or twice a year in order to function like an almost-sane adult human being, instead of an uppity adolescent porcupine.)
Searching Groupon for Our Getaway
We looked at Groupon and found a lot of inexpensive local couple’s massages, but one particular deal stood out to us for two reasons: (1) it was an hour away from our immediate neighborhood (Exotic, no?), and (2) it included the most appealing perks.
*Here’s how the experience was described on the Groupon listing:*
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| Screen cap taken from Groupon* |
We fell in love with the idea of, not just a massage, but a two-hour retreat that includes a glass of vino after your massage — an added perk which would only serve to further your relaxation. The place had good reviews, so we bought the Groupon, and prayed that we were going to get our money’s worth.
*My in-laws agreed to watch our daughter for the weekend, so we called the spa to book our retreat. We also booked a night at a nearby hotel.
Click here to read about our hotel stay!
The Plan
The plan was set: a spa getaway, followed by lunch (somewhere spontaneous), and check-in at the hotel (where we’d spend the night), then head home the next morning.
The Trip
The morning of the trip arrived!
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| Look at that couple. They are ready for some serious relaxation. |
The Spa
1. How can I relax deeply in a shopping center that might as well have been built two miles from my house?
2. We drove an hour for this?
I kept my reservations about the appearance of the place to myself, and we walked in.
We were greeted by the loveliest smell of citrus and two smiling faces who located our reservation and checked us in.
We were led to a room with fainting couch, a chair, a table against a wall with some kitschy but Zen knick-knacks on it, and a curtain instead of a door.
The young lady who brought us to this room said, “You can fill out your paperwork in here. Can I get you any water or tea?”
I’d already helped myself to some lemon-infused water on the way into the little room and was sharing it with my husband, so we declined her offer.
She continued, “Ok. I’ll be back to check on you in a little while.”
She disappeared behind the curtain, and we were left alone to fill out our paperwork. The paperwork was extensive, like at the doctor’s office, but I took that as a good sign because the massage therapist could use our medical histories to determine what kind of massage would be best suited to our needs.
Getting Ready for Relaxation
The young woman came back, took our paperwork, and escorted us to the bathroom where we had two white bathrobes sitting in a large bowl, waiting just for us. She explained that we should change into the robes, that they have sandals in different sizes that we are welcome to change into, and when we were done changing, we should store all of our belongings in lockers and take the keys with us to our therapy rooms.
We changed into our soft, freshly laundered robes, and stowed all of our belongings in two lockers.
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| In our cozy robes, taking a selfie in front of the lockers. |
The Massages
Our massage therapists, Nancy and Dolores, introduced themselves and took us to our therapy room where we talked about what goals we had for our massages and where we wanted them to work on the most (neck, shoulders, and lower back for me, and anywhere but his ticklish feet for my husband).
They instructed us to disrobe, tuck ourselves under our blankets, and wait for them face down on the massage tables. The next 90 minutes were heavenly. Dolores worked out all of the knots in the places we’d discussed, and by the end, I felt like I was laying on clouds. I was able to relax so profoundly during the massage that I almost fell asleep a couple of times. My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed our massages.
Dolores and Nancy asked us if we wanted white or red wine or tea. I asked for white, he asked for red, and we both asked for chocolate mint tea (we couldn’t pass up the opportunity try such a potentially delicious tea, and we never decline an offer for a glass of wine).
The Retreat
We put our robes back on and were escorted to a small private room with a couple of chairs, a small couch, and a few tables and some shelves replete with knick knacks. The room was dimly lit — perfect for relaxation.
We were told to take our time and to enjoy our beverages. The white wine was somewhat dry and a little tart, and the red was sweet. I preferred my husband’s red wine, so I finished off his glass, and took a couple of sips of the delicious hot tea.
When we finished with our beverages, we headed back to the lockers, got dressed, and went out to the lobby. While in the lobby, we grabbed a business card for the spa, and a nice man told us that he installed two AC units for the spa and he explained that the air was not only filtered but also purified with UV. That explained why the air in there was so fresh!
Overall Impressions
My first impressions of this spa were totally wrong. The environment and experience was cozy and relaxing — it provided exactly we wanted for our weekend getaway. We would recommend this retreat to any couple looking to relax.
Now, off to lunch…
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You just read Part One of our Groupon Getaway.
If you’re interested in reading Part Two, “Groupon Getaway: The Restaurant,” you can click here.
For Part Three, “Groupon Getaway: The Hotel,” you can click here.
And to end the series: you can click here for Part Four, “Groupon Getaway: The Pit Stop.”
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