Defining Happy

After a failed attempt at a decent birthday on yesterday, due in large part to the visitor I mentioned in the last post, I managed to salvage my day on US west coast time by indulging in 3 hours worth of spa treatments. No need to go in to detail about my birthday madness but I will say this.. I will no longer be picking up strays during my travels.  😐

With a million and ten spa and massage parlors around Bali it can be quite difficult to make an informed decision as to where to go.  I prefer not to be in a roach infested spa while a small child with no experience rubs on my back.  I took to the web and did a little research and chose a Bali Green Spa which just so happened to be in the top 5 list of things to do in Bali. With great reviews and a 3 hour package of only $40 that included a pickup and drop off service, I knew I had nothing to lose.

After receiving a very prompt response from my reservation email sent the day before I was told that they would be at the hotel at 10:30 am.  They actually arrived 10 minutes early and drove me to a tiny store front store within a strip mall.  The front lobby area had stark white walls and was about as big as a bathroom stall and I thought for sure I had made a mistake.  I was led down a long hallway to the outside garden and this is when I knew I was in the right place.  There was a lush green garden with several wooden huts. The smell of incense and calming sounds of nature quickly set me at ease.

I was given a tray filled with various bottles of oils and scrubs and asked to choose the scents I wanted to use for my treatment.  I chose lavender for both my body scrub and massage and was led in to the hut.  The three hour treatment included a massage, traditional facial, body scrub, body polish, hot bath with aromatic fresh flowers, and fresh ginger tea with cookie.

Although I completely enjoyed the experience I’d only go back for the massage.  All of the other treatments seemed to be a bit mediocre.  I’m still a sucka for a traditional Korean bath house and have been indulging in them since I was 18 and living in South Korea.  If I will drive two hours over the Canadian border, with border patrol interrogation so heavy that I was asked to get out of my car and instructed to further verify that my BMW actually belonged to me, to be rubbed and scrubbed by a Korean senior citizen then you know it has to be the bomb dot com.

My birthday re-do ended with a nice lunch and a taxi back to hotel to relax. What a great day….