I just got back from the spa. I feel so much better, even though I am still sweating. It was a wonderful experience and deserves its own blog entry because I want to remember how great it is. Not only did it help with the culture shock crankies I was experiencing, I think it helped to get rid of the last remnants of the flu.
I went to Aqua Vita Medical Spa, which is located two blocks from here on Arenales. I found it through the website of BA 4 U apartments, where I am renting my apartment from. It is such a treat to have this place.
It is not a large spa industrial complex or anything like that. It is basically just the 2nd floor of a building on Arenales with a reception area and a few treatment rooms, sauna and jacuzzi and changing rooms. It's quite simple, but it's enough for me.
I started off with a sauna. I entered the sauna that was filled with steam and aromatic herbs and felt the stress of culture shock and flu begin to melt away. I was being attended by a nice woman in her early 30's who was really kind with me. She told me my Spanish was good, and when I told her "at times" she said they would speak very slow with me. But as we conversed, she again said my Spanish was good. I like that she pronounced everything very slow and clear, and it was like a mini-language lesson. For example, she pointed to the robe and said, "this is a 'bata'" I could have figured it out when she first pointed to it and told me it was my 'bata', but I liked that she was taking extra care to help me with my Spanish.
After I came out of the sauna I was met my a young man named Mauro. He brought me to the massage room and told me to lay on the table "boca abajo", which translates to 'mouth down'. I thought I understood what he meant, but it would not have been the first time that I thought I understood and didn't, so I asked him using my hand to demonstrate if it was face up or face down. He then said in English 'face down'. It turned out Mauro was going to give me the hot stone massage and from that point on, he spoke to me in English, which was just fine with me. I was there to relax, not get more stressed out by things like mouth down.
The massage was good, not great. I liked the hot stones, but Mauro was not the best masseur I've ever had. Still, it was very relaxing.
From there I went back to the little lounge chair by the sauna and had some water until I was met by Christian, another young man, who was going to do my facial treatment. He lightly scrubbed my face, put different oils and creams on it, gave me a little neck massage and did some other things to my head, neck, face area that I can't remember. I was so relaxed I dozed off until I woke myself up snoring (another reason why I get cranky, I never fall into a deep sleep due to sleep apnea).
We finished the facial and Mauro took me back to the lounge chair while he prepared the hydrotherapy for me. Turns out that was a jacuzzi filled with bubbles. It was very nice though, until I slid down and accidentally hit the drain and opened it. I didn't realize I had done this until I noticed that the jets were kind of shooting above the water level. I was able to figure out how to turn the water on and fill the tub up a little until the jets were back under water.
It was all the perfect flu recovery treatment. I am sure I sweated out a lot of the remaining toxins in my body, and being relaxed and pampered and having a glowing face all help to speed the road to recovery.
I have errands I want to run but I was so hungry I came home and finished up the shrimp marinara sauce I made the other night with some pasta I bought at Jumbo. I figured I would blog until I stop sweating. I think my body temperature is almost back to normal and I am ready to go run some errands before I come back and take a nap. Tough life in Buenos Aires.
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