I am as tightly wound as they come. 

Type A

Anal

High-strung

Whichever adjective you choose for someone who lives a life heavy on self-imposed stress and light on relaxation, the description fits me. I work hard. I work out hard. I wish I could say I played hard too, but with three small children, two careers, and one house that I struggle to keep from being condemned for unfit living conditions by my town’s authorities, there’s not much time for that.

Sleep is for the weak, right?

And so it’s surprising that prior to my visit to The Spa at Midtown a few weeks ago, I was a spa virgin.

I had not experienced so much as a manicure, facial, or neck massage. I was under the mistaken impresson that spa trips were something other people did.

You know, more relaxed, more zen, more chill people. Definitely not me.

Don’t worry. I know what I’ve been missing now.

About a month ago, I sustained a painful calf strain during the weekly long training run for my half-marathon. When the pain didn’t subside, I called a chiropractor recommended to me by trainer Bruce Hedlund. He suggested I get a calf massage. And desperate to heal my injury quickly, that’s exactly what I did.

Once I entered the waiting area of the spa and closed the door, I instantly forgot that I was at Midtown. There was pleasant instrumental music playing. The lighting was soft. I could not hear a sound from the club. The spa is really its own insular, peaceful entity amidst the bustling energy of the rest of Midtown.  

I was soon greeted by Aimee Brodeur, who is one of the spa’s Licensed Massage Therapists. And while I was a bit apprehensive about what to expect, she immediately put me at ease with her calm and welcoming demeanor.

She led me into a dimly lit room, and then left me to get situated. Once she came back in, we chatted a little, but then I allowed myself to just…relax. This is something I do not do on a regular basis. I lead a pretty hectic and highly scheduled life. And while I pride myself on my ability to keep most of my balls in the air at all times, doing so requires a lot of effort.

During my 30-minute massage, I was somehow able to completely let go. I was comfortable. The massage felt wonderful. And perhaps most incredibly, stressed-out, sleep-deprived, chaos-driven me was thisclose to falling asleep mid-massage.

Image courtesy of Annville Inn

It felt that good.

And it was over too soon.

If I had know that that was what I had been missing all those years of shunning spa services, I would never have let 34 years elapse before receiving my first one.

And it certainly won’t be that long before I get my next one.

I have nothing with which to compare spa experiences, but in showing The Spa at Midtown brochure to several friends and to my mother, a spa veteran, I learned that the extensive services offered at the club’s spa are extremely affordable when compared with some other spas in the area. You do not need to be a member of Midtown to book services at the spa.

And Aimee was fantastic. She is friendly, professional, and extremely good at what she does. If she could make someone like me feel completely relaxed and practically fall asleep on the table, I’m confident in saying that she must possess some magical powers in her hands. Book a massage with her. You won’t regret it.

What do you like best about spa services? What’s your favorite Spa at Midtown service?

1 COMMENT FROM NessWorld Magazine September 6, 2010 at 12:29 am

I went for a proper manicure the other day, and while I’ve had my nails *done* before, it was always a gel system, and this time it was a full manicure, along with hand/wrist massage. OMG I wanted to curl up right there and go to sleep – and the nail therapist was only massaging my hands and wrists. As women we give ourselves so many roles to fulfil, mother, breadwinner, wife, cook, maid, bombshell – but these are all for someone else…so when we finally take some time to ourselves it’s hard not to feel guilty, but at least the pleasure factor is off the charts!

2 COMMENT FROM Kristi September 9, 2010 at 5:48 am

Agreed! For 30 minutes, I did not think of anything or anyone else. Heck, I was barely thinking at all, I was so relaxed!

3 September 10, 2010 at 7:29 am

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