I am seriously screwed up.....I returned from Turning Stone and Skana to Washington.....on purpose! But....I really don't think I'd be functional if I had waited any longer to return. So maybe it's good.
Must remember to tell financial planner that we need to add a yearly trip to this place to my plan.
The Hotel
Absolutely amazing hotel. I stayed in a suite with a gigantic fluffy feather bed, huge gorgeous bathroom and a separate living room, beautifully decorated. Breakfast views in the spa cafe:
Dining
In the spa cafe, the fruit platter (one came with star fruit the first day) and my egg white, sprouts and boursin omelette was great. Oh, and a whole grain crossiant!
Great restaurant staff.
Some of the food - scallops with melted white chocolate, brioche (great!), donut soup (awesome idea), tableside Caesar salad, black cherry compote, french fries (also awesome).
Kobe beef prime rib
The very best though, was the appetizer of scallops with white chocolate sauce and microgreens. Fantastic!!
Activity options are good - yoga classes (mine were private since there were very few people there), snow shoe treks, hiking, golf, pool, oh and the attached casino. The view from the yoga studio:
The hallway to the spa (Skana, means peace)
Skana Spa
Good things:
Great spa staff - Wendy, Robin, Amy, Michael
My first treatment was called Leaves and Flowers... ---This unique treatment begins with an invigorating mineral salt and essential oil exfoliation, after which the body is immersed in a floral and herbal mineral bath to soothe the body and mind. A luxurious aromatherapy massage application of your chosen essential oils follows the bath. --- the huge suite for this was gorgeous, candles, nice music, heated massage bed. The adjoining bathroom that I was led to for the bath was beautifully strewn with tons of rose petals (in the water too) and cool water to drink and in wash cloths to put on your forehead.
The next day I could barely move after the Dandelion and Mint foot cure (reflexology extrodinare). The day after that the facial was good and the last day, the Harmony Massage by Michael was amazing. Going through Christmas and having a "big" birthday the week before this trip, I nearly cried during the massage because it was so good and perfect. Perfect pressure, long strokes, perfect communication by Michael, complete harmony achieved.
Interspersed through all treatments I could go into the coed mineral pool and the ladies jacuzzi, both had the rotating light cycles under water. And I'd sit (for several hours) and read at either the mineral pool or in the lounge with the fireplace on a great lounge chair with bunches of strawberries and other fruit and nuts, and either tea or Fuji water.
There were really fantastic fireplaces throughout the lodge - in the great room, entrance to the spa, outside at the entrance to the hotel. They were mostly huge fire pit type fireplaces so very dramatic.
Needs work:
- I burned myself with my curling iron one evening and went back to the spa in search of some aloe. The desk clerk gave me a funny look and said I could check in the product area but she didn't think they had any. I never succeeded in finding any...Hmmmm......
The WOW!
- Michael and the Harmony Massage
- Leaves and Flowers treatment is a great mix of a little bit of several treatments
A note:
I have an idea for a new business: spa flight concierge or some title like that. This is greatly needed because the travel TO and FROM a spa vacation is sometimes very tough going and you don't want to lose what you gain at the spa. So....for instance, when you are taken by limo to the airport and your 7:30 flight gets delayed 20 mins (then 30, then 1 hour), a spa flight concierge would arrive at the first delay and bring you to a quiet area, unpack their folding recliner, serve you some Fiji water (I drank 2 liters a day in the spa....free!) and put some nice Native American music on the head phones. Then when your flight was delayed an hour, they would give you a nice neck massage, away from the dozens of people on their cell phones freaking out when they realized they are missing their connections.
Of course there wouldn't be anything the spa flight concierge could do when the lady with the 2 and 4 year old has given all her luggage and strollers to the luggage guy, has sat down in her seats and arranged the screaming kids, and THEN gets a cell phone call that tells her she won't make her connections in DC so she requests that they LET HER OFF and GET HER STROLLER from the luggage compartment! delaying the flight still longer. Thank you, nice gentleman who carried those kids off the plane for her (you saved us a good 15 mins I'm sure!) Doesn't this sound like a good idea? spa flight concierge.....
0 comments:
Post a Comment