A Day at the Spa

With the Beloved's water of life, no illness remains
In the Beloved's rose garden of union, no thorn remains.
They say there is a window from one heart to another
How can there be a window where no wall remains?

~ Rumi


I am racking up a list of my favorite things about Taiwan, and one of them are the spas, sometimes coined as baths. I've had the pleasant opportunity to try out various different kinds, and let me just say, they're best thing ever. Popular in Asia, the bath or spa experience is one of ultimate pampering and relaxation. I love it. When done, I feel about as fresh and pristine as a shiny new penny.

In Chiayi, I was taken to a hot spring spa up in the mountains. Here the water was routed into various pools. Soaking in a mineral fortified bath is undoubtedly healthy for body, mind and spirit. They also had mud you could put all over yourself to help in drawing out toxins and impurities. When one pool gets too hot for comfort, you then hop into a cold pool. Invigorating. There really is something to going from hot to cold, hot to cold. It's great for the nervous system, and highly stimulating in a relaxing sort a way.

When in Taichung, I was treated to a totally different type of spa experience located in a high-rise building. Here we started in the sauna, then went to steam. After baking for a while there was a pool that was so cold little flakes of ice were forming. You talk about a shock to the system! It was all I could do to stay in for several minutes. The bath was so utterly frigid it turned my feet white. Crazy. Then from the cold, it's into the hot spa.. to then, start the whole process all over again. Ahhhh...so nice.

While in Kaoshung I've been to the best one yet. It had the whole gamut. The best way I could describe it is that it's very close to being a water park for adults. There are a whole slew of stations, in a large pool with various canals, that by a push of a button send powerful jets of water to massage various parts of the body. My personal favorite is the waterfall that hits the shoulders just right. Also, there is a whole collection of different hot spas with essences of sandalwood, rose, and eucalyptus. Can't say enough about how great those are...and, to top it off, there is a steam room and sauna. Wednesdays are our designated spa day now. I come walking out of there feeling like a million bucks.

Now I know what's been missing all this time that completes my health maintenance regimen. A day at the spa...aaahhhhhh.