Pura Vida

I’ve been vacationing in Costa Rica for five days and before you feel a twinge of jealousy, understand that it’s the rainy season, which means torrential downpours stating around 1 p.m. and continuing into the night (how do you think Costa Rica stays so lush and green?). But that’s not the point. The point is, that a spa massage, my second this week, is an excellent way to spend a rainy afternoon, and I just finished a 60-minute rub down that the Los Sueños Marriott calls “Pura Vida.” Anytime I stay at a hotel with a resort-y vibe, I like to grant myself the indulgence of a spa massage, besides, a trip (or two) to the Marriott’s new Sibo Rainforest Spa was impossible to pass up.

Yes, it’s expensive, but from the moment I step inside a spa it feels worth every penny, or in this case, colones. There’s a sense of instant tranquility, from the unfussy earth-tone décor, to the soothing instrumental music laced with nature sounds, to the glass pitchers of chilled water and floating fruit (to add electrolytes??). All that before you even lay down on the massage table.

After my treatment I hit the private spa Jacuzzi overlooking the ocean, I rested in the lounge and munched papaya and pineapple, and I drank fruit-infused water (per my masseuse’s instructions, of course). As I floated back to my room, I tried to figure out how long it’s been since my last high-quality rub-down… it was in January at Capella during a Telluride ski vacation. You see the trend.

This has me thinking . . . why do I perceive massage as an indulgence only to be taken while on vacation?

Think about it. Massage in your (or my) hometown is half the price, and typically just as good a treatment, at least if you live in a town with a reputable school of massage therapy. The location may not be as posh as a destination spa, but you’ll have your eyes closed anyway. The offerings might not be as varied, but who really goes to a destination spa for the ancient algae eye treatment? Most of us just want therapeutic bodywork with some essential oils thrown in once and a while.

I exercise every day – biking, hiking, running, climbing, lifting, or yoga—and along with the abuse of everyday stress, my body could really use it. Regardless of how much I exercise, now that I’m into my mid-30’s, well, I could probably use it anyway. I should have learned already from the 2008 Olympic Marathon Champion, Constantina Tomescu, who I interviewed last year. I asked her the secret for being the oldest person in the history of the world to win gold in the Olympic marathon (she was 38). She said: massage. She got two, sometimes three, massages a week!

I’m not implying that my athleticism is on par with Ms. Tomescu is, but why not add one massage a month to my regime? So I’m doing some web research as I type this blog and my town has a TON of massage therapists and a lot of them offer special deals if you purchase packets of six or 10, or commit to one massage a month. Wait… did they say one massage a month? It’s like it was meant to be.

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Jayme Otto is a contributing editor for Women’s Adventure and a freelancer at large. She manages to go more places in a month than most of us go in a year, but she’s sweet enough to share her insights with us, nonetheless.