Daughter L, her boyfriend's mom and I went to an all-inclusive spa getaway (St. Anne's) recently, it was an overnight stay and we were pampered. The food was also very good. I am sharing their scone recipe (click on the photo to enlarge), and I finally got to enjoy those with clotted cream and jam. It was a delicious treat as the scones were still warm.
We had facials, Swedish massage and foot scrubs. The therapists were wonderful. My favourite part was the outdoor hot tub, it was an experience dipping into the hot water while it was freezing outside. I remember looking at the almost full moon and chatting with some nice women. Daughter L also used the cold plunge pool next to the hot tub for a bit, I decided not to. They also have an indoor eucalyptus steam room.
We had signed up for a snowshoe walk scheduled upon our arrival. The instructor said snowshoes were optional that day as the trail was pretty packed down. So some of us were lazy and decided not to use them. It was a big mistake as we had trouble going up a hill in knee deep snow. Our boots would plunge right down to the ground on most steps we took. Fortunately it was at the end of the walk and we made it back safely! My heart did get a good workout. The instructor apologized for making a bad call. Daughter L and another lady decided to abort the walk at the beginning, so she was fine.
My foot scrub was done by a young 19 year old aesthetician. It included a scalp and leg massage on a warm bed. She told me she has a serious boyfriend who is still in university and they have 'made plans' having known each other for over 2 years. I enjoyed my conversation with this pretty young woman.
My Swedish massage was done by a young male therapist. I asked if he had kids and he said no, he is living with his girlfriend, they have just found a wonderful apartment. He thought she might be ready for kids, but he wasn't! He is 30, she is 28, I encouraged him to get moving on that! We also spoke about careers. I asked him about the hot stone massages and he said they use hot stones to massage your body as opposed to the more tactile experience of someone's hands. He added that it might be something better done in cooler temperatures although many do it in summer. He gave me a receipt for the massage which may be covered under my health plan. As I bid him goodbye, I noticed he had lovely, bright blue eyes.
For my last treatment the next day, it was an hour long facial which included back, scalp, neck and arm massages if I remember correctly. I chose a vanilla oil as I had for the previous treatments. This young aesthetician told me that her girlfriend worked at a Wendy's hamburger restaurant and will now only eat at Wendy's, compared to the other fast food restaurants. It seems their beef is never frozen and the toppings require minimal handling, mostly squirted from machines in the ceiling. Maybe we should eat there more. I mentioned that at this point, I was tired of hearing soothing music everywhere I went in the building. She said she doesn't even hear it anymore she is so used to it. She said if anything, the darkened rooms make her very sleepy. I told her she likely needed regular massages herself, and she said it was mostly her back that gets very stiff from all the arm movements required by her job.
Anyway the spa followed up with me several days later to inquire about my time with them. In retrospect I would definitely go back, maybe try the place out in a different season. They do have a lovely outdoor pool and the walking trails will be quite different at that time. I would wait for a special offer as it is expensive.
