After completing the Big Sur marathon my friend and I thought we would treat ourselves to a well deserved spa day.
The spa was
Refuge Spa in Carmel. It was so beautiful and very peaceful. That was one of the requirements! They said it was a silent area so there was no talking. And if you are like me you like being friendly and talking to people that you come across. I thought
this is going to be a long day of no talking. But it actually wasn't too bad. In addition to the spa they also offered tennis courts, yoga classes, and even a gym. I'm sure they are for an additional cost but I didn't look into any of that.
The day we were there, the
therapist had said 80% of the clients were from the marathon!
The spa was broken down to a four step process. Who knew there was actually a process to having a spa day? It's called the Refuge Thermal Cycle. It's a mixture of heat and cool. It's suppose to be good for runners because it claims to improve physical conditioning. The sauna and steam open up the body's vascular system and then the cold water enhances muscle recuperation by building down lactic acid.
You are suppose to follow these steps in the proper order to get the most benefit out of it. Repeat 3-5 times.They claim that skipping steps lessens the experience.
1. Heat up (5-10mins)
You go into a sauna or a steam room to sweat out all the toxins in your body. The first time I got in the steam room it was so hot I had trouble even breathing. I couldnt feel comfortable enough to enjoy that. It wasn't until until my third cycle that I realized there was a sauna on the other side of the resort that was much more tolerable than the steam room.
2. Cool down (10-60 seconds)
After sweating your butt off in the steam or sauna room you would think this would feel good. WRONG!
There are two pools. One is labeled cool and the temperature is in the the 50s. And one is labeled cold and the temperature is in the 30s. I was not brave enough to ever try the cold. The cool was cold enough for me. When I finally managed to get in, I couldn't get myself out of there fast enough. I wanted the full benefit so I forced myself to stay in there for a min. That's the fastest 60 seconds I ever counted to!
3. Relax (10-15 minutes)
During this time you are suppose to relax in the recliners outside near the fire pits or indoor zero gravity recliners looking out towards the many hot tubs. Not really sure why you would go inside when you are able to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. I guess this would make sense if it was too hot outside. It was such a perfect day when we went, that I took full advantage of the outside.
4. Explore
This is the time to enjoy all the jacuzzi style hot tubs. Like the cooler ones, these were also labeled but with hot and warm.
5. A deep tissued massage. Ok so this isn't step five. Although, I made it in my cycle. This wasn't included in the refuge thermal cycle, but by adding that it wasn't any more than most spa prices for just a massage. It was very much worth the extra money.
The first cycle I followed in the order you are suppose to. It was so hard to get into the cool pool after getting out of the steam room, but I wanted to do it right. Each time the cycles got a bit easier. The one time after I got out of the steam room I plunged right into the cool pool. I jumped right into the hot pool because I was freezing and thought it would help. Well let's just say they put those steps in order for a reason. It was way too much of a shock from being in cool to go right into the hot. I learned my lesson that time and continued with the cycles in the correct order the following times.
When was the last time you had a spa day? Did you learn anything interesting?
Have you entered our Giveaway Yet?
