The Naked Truth

European massage -- how do I say this -- observes a different standard of modesty than American massage. Thank goodness I've had a lot of massages and thank goodness for the kindness of Donna Long who'd had one before and clued me in before the experience.

And thank goodness for Norma, the grandmotherly manager of the spa, who hailed from Birmingham, England and spoke English. Otherwise I might have wound up putting my paper panties on my head. Yep, we were each handed packets containing a shower cap and a pair of (Norma's term) paper panties -- more like a strip of gauzy paper on a rubber band!

I carefully arranged myself on the massage table, covering as much of me as possible with the towel I found there. I needn't have bothered. Let's put it this way -- my first panicked thought was "I should have checked to make sure I don't have belly-button lint!"

What the heck, it was a great massage; the masseuse was a professional and, well, I suppose if you've seen one, you've seen them both!

And, in case you wondered, that's me in the Niagara bath -- a jetted tub full of spring water with clay and minerals.

Life in the Fast Lane

I had two days home, a deadline and laundry before heading back to the airport to fly to Rapid City, South Dakota, for the SATW Central States meeting. No time to blog about the great trip to Arkansas. So now that I'm here (S.D.) with no scheduled activities until this evening, I'll try to catch up a bit. Pictures will have to wait until I return home!
One of many highlights of the Arkansas trip was a girl friends' getaway at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa at Lake Ouachita. (That's pronounced Wash-it-aw for you furriners.) My cabin was lovely and included a hot tub on the back deck overlooking the lake. (For any of you who are finicky about hot tubbing, the staff completely drains and cleans each hot tub after every guest! I like that!) The property includes the original lodge with smaller rooms, the cabins and condos.
Also on the property is Turtle Cove Spa -- a lovely facility with a great staff. I had one of their holistic treatments which included body harmonics, tuning forks and heated quartz crystals -- supposed to balance your chakras. I read the description to daughter Zoe who opined that it was either a fabulous and valuable treatment or complete B.S. I'm not sure I was any more balanced when I left than when I came in, but I did feel great -- so, if it didn't help, it didn't hurt, either. And, of course, it included a body massage, so I'll endorse it!