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The Key Largo Princess

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The Key Largo Princess

As a last hurrah before the start of the school year, we shipped the dog off the the kennel, packed the entire house into a rental car and headed down the road for a long, long, long drive to the Florida Keys.  You guys, Florida is huge!  It took us about 5 and half hours to get to Key Largo and then another 2 hours to finally hit Key West.  Luckily, we broke the drive up by stopping a lot.

We spent three nights in Key Largo at the Key Largo Resort…..a place I had stayed before, but it was new to the kids. They loved it and so did I…again.  While I was out working, the kids and Aaron explored the grounds, the pool and the pricey hotel restaurants.  At night, we went out to great local restaurants and hung out on the beach.  I have a whole post coming up all about the food in the Keys.  Stay tuned.

One day, we played tourist and went out on a glass bottom boat–the Key Largo Princess.  We felt it would give us some time on the water and we had planned to rent our own boat the next day and wanted to kind of get a feel for things out on the ocean.

The boat took us out the the underwater part of John Pennecamp State Park–which was about an hour ride from shore.  Once out there it cruised around a bit over the very shallow reef allowing us an up close view of the beauty.  The crew onboard made sure to point out all the cool wildlife as we were going over the reefs and we were able to see midnight parrotfish, lots of yellowtail snapper (which we ate for dinner later),  and some beautiful corals.  It was a nice ride and perfect for someone that would rather not swim with the fishes BUT I was so antsy to get in the water.  It just looked so clear, refreshing and inviting. I wish we would have signed up for a snorkel trip instead but there were so many boats in the water it might have been a bit scary. Actually, there were so many boats out there that it made us second guess renting our own boat the next day.  Too easy to get into trouble when there are so many boats/swimmers in the water.

We were happy to see a few dolphins following our boat and a few fish skimming the surface of the water.  The ride was nice and would have been perfect for someone afraid of the water but wanting to catch a glimpse of the beautiful reefs.  Unfortunately, it just made me eager to jump in.

 

 

We did do some snorkeling from shore at the John Pennecamp State Park—they had dropped some sinking ship memorabilia in the swimming area so we were able to snorkel around a huge ships anchor and lots of sunken cannons.  The water was a bit murky but it was still fun.

 

I have more posts to come about some amazing restaurants and some other fun stuff we did while on our vacation to the Florida Keys.  Stay tuned!

Disclaimer:  Thanks to the Key Largo Princess Glass Bottom Tour for admission to the tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

 

Summer Bucket List!

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Summer Bucket List!

It is finally summer and we are ready to have fun!  The kids have actually been out of school for a week now and have not really got into the beauty of life that summer brings—lazy mornings, staying up late and doing lots of fun, out of the ordinary things.  The Bean actually asked me if he could go back to school early.  This time last year, I was in the Philippines and the kids were in Hawaii so they had plenty to keep themselves occupied.  This year, I am not sure if we are going to be able to swing a long distance trip; although I am still trying to plan something.

In the meantime, we have come up with our summer bucket list–which contains low cost, medium cost, and more high dollar adventures right around where we live.  To come up with the list, we went around the room and each person gave one idea at a time.  We continued until it got really goofy (i.e. create an angry birds game out of real people, run away and join the circus, build a second floor on the house) said their ideas.  Almost all of the ideas made it on the list; especially after we clarified the ground rules (i.e. no airplanes, no super high dollar activities).  As we complete them, I’ll be sure to post about them here. Oh, and the list can continue to grow…..there is no end to the amount of fun we plan to have this summer!

Do you have a summer bucket list?  What is on it?

Summer Bucket List

  1. Camping
  2. Marina Jacks Park (a local park in Sarasota)
  3. Stardust Roller Skating Rink (the perfect Florida summer day activity…cool and active!)
  4. Peace River Kayaking
  5. Fishing on the Ocean
  6. Shark Tooth Collecting (can you guess whose choice this was?)
  7. Disney Waterpark
  8. Ice Cream Truck
  9. Siesta Key Summer Beach Runs (At least 4 of them to get the free shirt)
  10. BMX Track
  11. Pet Store to Pet Puppies
  12. Road Trip
  13. Stay in Hotel
  14. Pool Party!
  15. Camp in Backyard
  16. Bikes Rides
  17. Hot Air Balloon Ride (OK, so this is a little far-fetched.  I think this got on the list when I was sure I would win the lottery.)
  18. Swim in Springs (North Florida)
  19. Sun-n-Fun (Sarasota)
  20. Movies
  21. Gymnastics Open Gym Playtime
  22. Surfing!
  23. G-Wiz
  24. Ringling Art Musuem (free on Mondays)
  25. Bok Tower Gardens
  26. PLaydate with Sade
  27. Playdate with Marlin
  28. Rays Baseball Game
  29. Hiking
  30. Ziplinining (although most places won’t let the little ones go)
  31. Archery
  32. Long Drive to Somewhere Cool
  33. Game Day—play board games all day
  34. Library
  35. Farmers Market
  36. Make Popsicles
  37. Longwood Park
  38. Universal Studios
  39. Moped Point at Lido Beach Park
  40. Art Day with Dad
  41. Create a video game
  42. School Clothes Shopping
  43. Write a Play and Perform It
  44. YMCA Waterpark
  45. Lake Manatee State Park Done, June 9th, 2012 (pictures later)
  46. BBQ Party
  47. Movie Night
  48. Yard Work/Gardening
  49. Make Cookies
  50. Make Ice Cream
  51. Weeki Wachee Mermaids
  52. Bowling
  53. Ice Skating
  54. Miniature Golf
  55. Alafia River State Park
  56. Ocala National Forest
  57. Manicures/Pedicures
  58. Baking Day!
  59. Dolphin Tale Movie and Go See Winter
  60. Dali Museum
  61. Lunch in St. Pete
  62. Tarpon Springs
  63. Sebastian Inlet for Fishing
  64. Fishing in the pond across from our house.
  65. Bike Riding to the Park

I realized as I typed this out a lot of these require going somewhere outside of Sarasota.  I’ll work on the kids to add some local things to our list.

Florida Eco-Safari

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Florida Eco-Safari

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know that I am a nature person.  I need to be out in nature to clear my head and really relax.  Especially after a couple of days of non-stop theme park and vacation craziness.  I also really want to encourage my kids to be nature people–to get joy out of noticing the little things in the natural world.

I knew that on our last mini vacation, we would need to explore some of the outdoor wonders of Florida–but I didn’t want to have to drive too far.  Florida is a big state!  I knew that the Florida Keys were out of the question, as were the beaches of the Panhandle.  After a little research, I found Florida EcoSafaris–about 45 minutes from Kissimmee.  A place that would offer some fresh, clean air and a day out in the wilds of Florida.

Unfortunately, a lot of the tours that Florida Eco Safaris offers, like the zip-line and horseback tours require that children be at least 10 years old.  They look like a lot of fun but my kids were just a little too young.   However, the safari tour is open to folks of all ages and abilities–and gives a guided tour and overview of the preserve.  So, I booked us on the safari tour and crossed my fingers that we would see some big, wild cats**.

Once we arrived and got checked in–we were on our way.  We boarded a huge elevated truck and headed out.

The tour is about an hour and 45 minutes and during most of it you are seated in the truck.  You can stand up to take photos–(which I did a lot of) and the tour guide will stop for each and every wildlife sighting.

Like I mentioned, we were hoping to see a wild cat–a rare Florida panther or the elusive  bobcat–but weren’t lucky on that front.  We did see tons of alligators, including probably a hundred baby alligators.

We saw beautiful birds including the Great Blue Heron, Ibis, and even a few wild turkey.  We saw a few deer, wild hogs, and lots and lots of the ranches cows and horses.   For my city kids, getting up that close to cows and horses is quite the experience.  And, some of them had massive horns!

At one point in the tour, you can get off the truck and walk along a short but impressive  little boardwalk over a creek.  The creek which usually has some sort of current to it, was nearly stagnant due to lack of rain recently.  The tour guide was able to point out native plants and their traditional uses–which I found fascinating.

Would we go back?
Definitely!  Florida Eco-Safari offers horseback tours, horseback camping tours, zip lines, and even a canopy bicycle ride.  But, they also offer camping!  One group at a time, in a primitive site.  To me, that sounds perfect.  The clean air, the beautiful stars—just my friends and family–alone with nature.  For $15 per person, they provide the tent and you bring everything else.  They escort you (in your own vehicle) out to the campsite and then they leave you be.  The same campsite is used on the overnight horseback trips.  I can’t wait till both of my kids are ten years old–we will be booked on one of these trips for sure.

Food
After your safari, they have a restaurant on site which serves the 100% grass fed, free range beef that they raise on property.  We stopped in for lunch and it fine. The food was nothing special (the photo above was my veggie burger) but it was nice to sit out on the porch and relax.   They were having some issues with service while we were there (we had to send our burgers back twice for little mistakes) but it wasn’t horrible.  Next time, I might pack my own picnic lunch instead.

Getting There
From Kissimmee, it was about an hour to Florida Eco-Safaris.  Most of this was due to red light after red light on the main drag through Kissimmee.  Once we got through the shopping and dining district, it was pretty smooth sailing.

If you are in Florida for a theme park vacation, I highly recommend trying to include some time visiting the natural side of Florida.  There is so much beauty here and you can really experience it first hand at Florida Eco-Safaris.

** While we didn’t see any wild cats, the kids really enjoyed petting the ranch cat, Lisa Marie.  So much so, Rosie wanted to take her home.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Florida EcoSafaris for sponsoring our adventure.  All opinions are my own.

Medieval Times Orlando

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Medieval Times Orlando

Medieval Times is, as one would expect, a place that transports you to another time.  From the moment we crossed the moat into the castle we felt like we were up for an adventure. Castle assistants greeted us and gave  us paper crowns that corresponded with our seating section and the knight we would  be cheering on—we luckily, got the black and white knight.

There was time to spare before the start of the show so we looked around the great hall at the unique souvenirs,  goblets, sword or even a full suit of armor, and a lot more.

After purchasing a tiara for the princess and a mini-sword for the prince we headed out to check out the medieval village. This feature is unique to this particular Medieval Times and is well worth exploring.

You enter through the Architecture studio and walk through the rest of the village including the kitchen and the cozy spot, the bedrooms, and the kids favorite (but my least favorite), the dungeon.

As one might expect, a dungeon should be a little creepy.  But, this one had all kinds of medieval torture tools on display along with little placards that illustrated how they were used.  The kids were fascinated, but I was worried that they might have nightmares about the interrogation chair (a wooden chair with huge spikes), or metal suit that was human sized and hanging from a tree.    I realize that this is history and appreciate that someone went to the trouble to collect this knowledge but I didn’t need to see it all up close and personal.   If you have little ones, or sensitive ones, I might skip the dungeon all together or at least walk through first and see what you think.

After our outside exploration, the show was about to begin.   Trumpeters called groups by color to enter the arena and we headed in.  Since everyone is grouped by color,  (and you are rooting for your particular color), friendly booing ensued by the other groups as each color was brought in.  The kids loved this!  At what other time do they get to boo at the top of the lungs?

As we took our seat and got ready for the show to begin, the waiter came around and filled our soup bowls.

At Medieval Times, they feed you—a lot.  We were served tomato soup, garlic bread, roasted chicken, spare-rib, roasted potatoes, and a dessert.  You don’t get a choice of what you want- –you get what you get.   They do have a vegetarian option.   And, I was quite surprised that the food was tasty.

The fun part about dinner is eating with your hands—as there were no utensils in the Medieval Times.  (Can this really be true? They had sophisticated torture devices but no way to eat food without getting messy?)

While you eat and eat and eat, the knights carry on a jousting tournament.  The audience is encouraged to cheer for their knight and boo for the others.  There are horses and fights with swords and other weapons.   It was really well done.  We were all scared that the knights had been really hurt when they fell off their horses or were sliced by the swords—but they were just great actors.

Our knight didn’t win the tournament—actually he was killed by the evil green knight and carried off stage.  But, we still had a great time.

We left the arena full and happy that we had seen a new and exciting attraction.

For information and show times check the Medieval Times website.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary admission to this attraction but all opinions and thoughts are my own.

Ten Favorite Things About our Kissimmee Vacation!

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Ten Favorite Things About our Kissimmee Vacation!

1)  Seeing the alligators and deer at Florida Eco-Safaris.  I enjoyed just being out in the fresh and undeveloped parts of Florida but the animals were a cool perk too.

2) As a mom, traveling alone with my kids, I always felt safe and at ease.  This is one of the key reasons that keeps me coming back to the Heart of Florida–lots to do in a safe environment.

3) Seeing the kids faces of sheer joy at the Blue Man Group dance party.

4) Being able to just be together, stress free, hanging out at the Gaylord Palms swimming pool.

5) Riding the Flight of the Hippogruff (Islands of Adventure) and the Woody Woodpecker Roller coaster (Universal Studios).  Even though the lines were long.

6) Finally going on a  roller coaster where you are below the track. “Flying School” at Legoland was a blast and since it was geared toward younger kids–it didn’t even scare me.  Oh, and the apple fries at Legoland were also great!

7) Cheering on our knight (Yay! Black and White Knight!) and booing all the others at the Medieval Times Dinner Theater.

8 ) Being in awe of the talent at the Cirque Du Solei La Nouba.  Since we have been back, the kids have been trying to create their own version of it.  So inspiring.

9) Feival’s playground and the water slide at Universal Studios.

10) All of the activities at the Gaylord Palms–the amazing atriums, the pool, the Dreamworks Expereince, and the extra comfertable rooms.

We had a great time and can’t wait until we can visit the area again.

Legoland! Legoland Florida!

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Legoland! Legoland Florida!

During our spontaneous vacation,  we knew we would need to make the trek to Legoland.  From Kissimmee, the trip is about 45 minutes-an easy drive especially if you have tired kids in the car.  (Hopefully, they are sleeping instead of screaming.)

Legoland recently opened their largest park in Florida and they have been getting so much attention, that we felt we needed to go.

The rides are all designed to appeal to the 2-12 year old set and nothing is too scary or too adventurous.  (Although, I thought some looked a little scary.)

The kids loved this place.  They got to drive their own cars!  They got to drive their own boats!

And, because the park wasn’t very crowded, they had more of a free range than they normally do at theme parks.

My favorite attraction was the Legoland Mini–miniature recreations of famous landmarks including, New York City, Washington DC and Las Vegas.

They  even recreated various landmarks from around Florida including the Spanish Fort in St. Augustine, Kennedy Space Center,  Miami, and the Florida Keys.  It is very cool.  The Bean wanted to sit there and try to figure out how he could recreate them at home.

This was the kids favorite ride.  The Beetle Bounce–which is a much, much, much milder version of the Tower of Terror.  It basically brings them up to about thirty feet and then randomly drops them down.  They loved it! And, I gladly had to stand back and take photos.

I let the kids bring birthday money to spend  at the Legoland Store–but the place was crazy.  We headed to the store at closing time, and so did everyone else.  Next time, I might visit the store during a lunch time lull or skip it all together.  They do have some neat stuff but a lot of the stuff they have you can find at most retail stores or on LEGO.com.

I caution visitors to the park to make sure to check their calender.  They are usually closed on Tuesday and Wednesday and their operating hours are much more limited than other theme parks.

Coming soon:  Legoland Water Park!  I think I read that it opens this summer.  Now, that will be a lot of fun!

Have you been to Legoland Florida?  What did you think?

Disclaimer:  I received complimentary admission to Legoland Florida but all opinions are my own.

On Vacation: Kissimmee

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On Vacation: Kissimmee

I don’t think my kids realize how lucky they are. Not only are we leaving town for a spontaneous vacation–we get to check out all kinds of amazing attractions in the Kissimmee/Orlando area as I blog for the Kissimmee Visitors and Convention Bureau. Be sure to check out their website with stories of our adventures as well as other families who have made great memories in the area.

We packed up the car and headed out on our ‘road trip’. Although we don’t have to travel very far, it felt like we were leaving for a cross country trip. The kids had the backseat full to the brim with lots of non-electronic distractions (the electronic ones are only allowed on really far trips) and we even got to stop in at Starbucks for breakfast snacks. Only on vacation do the kids get chocolate milk and sweet muffins for breakfast.

We are so excited to be getting out of town. It has been awhile and we need a few days to recharge and de-stress. OK, so I need that. The kids just want to have fun. And fun, we will have. We will be doing so much and seeing so many cool attractions and I’ll be writing about all of them right here. We plan to visit Legoland Florida, Gaylord Palms Hotel (an attraction in itself), Florida Eco-Safaris, Cirque Du Solei, The Blue Man Group, Medieval Times, as well as the theme parks. Not to mention time to just relax by the pool, to sleep in and to eat some great food.

Can’t wait!

Sarasota Chalk Festival 2011

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Sarasota Chalk Festival 2011

Today, in between painting and major cooking production–Rosie and I headed downtown to check out the annual Sarasota Chalk Festival.  As you can imagine, on a beautiful Florida autumn day, the place was packed.  Packed with people viewing and some amazing artists displaying their talents.

The art was widely varied….

There were the realists….

the messages…..

the bright….

and the playful.

There were romantic drawings…..

and fantasy scenes.

My favorite, and likely the favorite of the show…was this sketch by artist Leon Kerr brought to life in 3D.  I am still so confused about how the artists are able to make it seem as if the pieces are coming out of the ground with the use of perspective.  Just look at how awesome of a job he did….

And if you walk to the opposite side of the drawing….

you see this.

Like I said, I don’t understand how they can do this.    Very cool.

One thing that I found interesting was the use of Lego men in this drawing.   Recently, in Sarasota, a giant Lego man, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 100 pounds washed up on the beach. The Sarasota police took it to jail and now are holding it until the owner turns up.  I’m wondering if the artist that did this piece has something to do with the giant Lego man.  Hmmmm….maybe I should be a detective and get to the bottom of the Lego Man mystery. I guess someone else already has the same theory…..and I thought I had a special talent.

Anyway, Rosie and I had a great time at the chalk festival and even go to do a little drawing of our own.  One thing that I really appreciated about the festival was that it really was about the art.  There were no vendors selling crafts or other such things—except the occasional drink stand–which really made it possible to focus on the art. The downside–it was crowded.  But, it wasn’t too bad and it just means that Sarasota supports the arts –which is all I really want anyway.


Happy Daylight Savings Time Day!

Mt. Rainier

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Mt. Rainier

When we were in Washington last week, we were able to squeeze in a quick trip to Mt. Rainier.  The weather was so beautiful, the air so crisp and clear, and the kids were in great moods. It was perfect.

I don’t have much to say about Mt. Rainier except that it meant a lot to my family when we were growing up.  I remember living in Texas for my middle school years and then my parents annoucned we would be moving back to Washington.  “Why?”, I asked my dad.  He replied that he missed his mountain.

We also had a family tradition of hiking up to the glacier lookout point and getting someone on the trail to take our family picture.  I have those hanging on my wall.  We did that this time too–with my dad, the kids and I.  The resulting photo looks similar to the photos on my wall—except the glacier is much smaller and I am  bigger.  (But, I think I can pass for my mom.)

I have family memories of camping here, learning to cross country ski, snowshoeing, and just hiking.  It is a special place for my sister, my brother and I-and I want it to be special to the Bean and Rosie too.

We did a four mile hike uphill to the glacier lookout but were treated to snow patches, wildflowers, and a marmot sighting.  The kids were SO DISAPPOINTED that we did not summit the mountain that day.  From where we were, they thought we could just wander up to the top of the peak.  Both the Bean and Rosie have decided that we will climb to the top someday.  Seems like a good goal-don’t you think?

I feel so bad that there are people who have grown up in Washington and have never been to Mt. Rainier (or to any of the amazing mountains there).  It looms large on those rare sunny days and begs for people to come and explore, to enjoy the natural world, and to leave recharged and refreshed.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest or are planning a visit, please go to the mountain.  There is something about the air, the massive-ness of the volcano, and the beauty that makes you feel good.

Please go and let me know about your trip—I would love to hear about it.

Soundtrack:  I was listening to Bon Iver, “For Emma, Forever Ago” while I wrote this post.  It reminds me of Washington–the seasons, the rain, and my old friends.

Olympus Spa: The Best Spa In Seattle and the World

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Olympus Spa: The Best Spa In Seattle and the World

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you will know a few things about me.  I am a mom, I am super busy, and I rarely have time for myself.  While I was in Seattle last week, I felt like I had never ending time to myself.  I would attend my conference and then during the L-O-N-G lunch periods or breaks, I would wander around Seattle popping my head in at favorite shopping places like Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and H&M.  I shopped like one of the Kardashians.

The conference ended at 5:00 pm everyday and without the kids, I didn’t quite know what to do with myself.  One evening, I headed up to Lynnwood (about 15 min north of Seattle) to the Olympus Spa.  This spa is no ordinary spa.  This is the best place in the world.

From the outside, it looks like nothing special.  It is in a shopping plaza sandwiched between the Lynnwood Convention Center, a Chuck E. Cheese, and some workout places.  Very nondescript.

Once you enter, you are in a completely different world.  I am serious about this.  This is not paid advertising–this is just one woman expressing her true love for a place.  I love the Olympus Spa!

Olympus Spa is a Korean Spa–and has all of the typical spa like things you would expect: massages, body wraps, pedicures.  But the highlight of the place are the special sauna rooms, the hot tub areas, and the Korean body scrubs.

When you walk into the spa, you are given a cotton hair covering, a robe, a bath towel and a hand towel.  You remove your shoes and walk down an Asian inspired hall way to the locker room.

Once at your locker, you remove all of your clothes and put on your robe and hair covering.  Here is where it gets interesting.

If you chose to use the hot tub area–which consists of various hot tubs of different temperatures–you must be naked.  This throws everyone off for just about two minutes.  After you enter the area, remove your robe and enter the pools–it becomes a non-issue.  I have gone with my mom, sister, and friends and though everyone giggles at first—the body nervousness disappears almost instantly.

There are showers, pools of mugwort water to splash on yourself, and a sauna and steam room. By the way, the mugwort smells great and has lots of healing properties.  Not sure of what they are but it is supposed to be good for you.

Every once in a while you will notice women leaving the pools and laying on vinyl covered massage tables.   These lucky ladies are going back for their Korean Body Scrub and Moisturizing Treatments.

The Korean Body Scrub is one of the weirdest/coolest things I have ever experienced  and I think every woman should try it.  Basically, you lay (yes, still naked) on the massage tables and a woman (clothed) begins to scrub your body with little rough gloves.  This is no massage.  The point is to get the dead skin cells off your body and leave your skin perfectly exfoliated and smooth.  The woman who perform the body scrubs have no issues with bodies.  They just get to work–scrubbing each little nook and cranny.  I mean, every nook and cranny.  They are not shy about it and not necessarily very gentle either.  The point is to SCRUB–and that is what they do.  Every so often they dump hot water on your body to wipe of the dead skin and then they start again.  The whole process take about 45 minutes as they scrub with gloves of varying harshness.

During my last visit, I splurged on the moisturizing treatment as well.  This basically was a massage, facial and moisturizing treatment all in one.  For this, you stay laying naked on the table and they begin to cover your body in warm olive oil and warm milk.  These are massaged into your skin and then they put a thin layer of honey all over your body.  They do something similar to your face but then they put a thick layer of freezing cold food processed cucumbers all over your face.  It feels great.   After about 45 minutes, the body moisturizing treatment is over and you feel like the most pampered person in the universe.   You can’t use the hot tubs after moisturizing but you can go into the saunas—one of my favorite things.

These are not normal saunas.  I think they have about 6-8 rooms that are heated to varying temperatures and have incorporated the healing properties of salt, sand, charcoal and jade.  My favorite rooms–the sand and jade rooms are heated to 170 degrees and 150 degree respectively.  They each have a little sign outside to let you kn what healing properties the room might have.  I think sand was good for achy joints, salt for respiratory issues, and charcoal for poor circulation.  The saunas are kept quiet and dark allowing for rest and complete relaxation.  (And, you wear your robe while in the saunas.)

You truly can lose sense of time while in these saunas—and that is the point–relax, fall asleep, read magazines (an assortment is provided).  Enjoy and pamper yourself.

One of the signs in the spa says something like, “Do Not Hunger Yourself”–referring to the need to keep yourself well fed and hydrated so that you don’t pass out in the spa.  They have a cafe to help!  A really, really good Korean cafe.  The funny thing is the cafe is filled with women in the robes and hair covering –and it looks like you may have walked into a mental hospital dining hall.

It just looks so odd to have groups of women dressed in bathrobes eating Bi BimBop or spicy tofu soup.

The entry fee is $35 which includes unlimited access to the facilities for the day.  The other services cost extra–the body scrub is $65 and massages are $80.   I have read a bunch of reviews where people complained about the price of the spa–which I don’t quite understand.  I spent about $200 when I was there–and stayed for as long as my body could have possibly handled.  This isn’t something I do very regularly and I feel that it is important to splurge on myself  a couple of times a year.  And since I hadn’t been back since 2006–I felt I was owed a long session.  To me, the money was well spent.  I left feeling relaxed, refreshed, and smooth as a babies butt.

For more information on the Olympus Spa, check out their website.  And, let me know if you go there and whether or not you enjoyed it.

Olympus Spa Lynnwood (just outside of Seattle)

Olympus Spa Lakewood (just South of Tacoma)

Until the end of 2011, you get in free on your birthday.  Beginning 2012, you get 50% off on your birthday.  Go on and pamper yourself.

(All photos in this post (except the top photo) were pulled from the Olympus Spa website.  The don’t allow cameras in the spa for obvious reasons. )