Spa Days

The entry to the Spa area, steam from the pools

Traveling is not the same as vacation. Vacation, at least to me, is when you get to relax someplace nice. A luscious room with a view and naps and drinks and lovely meals.

When we travel there are vacation days built in because when you reach someplace special, you need to stop and savor the experience. So, for the next couple of days we’re at the Thermal Baths around the lake at HotelBalneario – San Juan Cosala. Our room has a Jacuzzi on the balcony, overlooking the lake. Sounds like heaven.  

The lake, lies on a platonic rift in the earth formed by volcano's 100,000 years ago, just to make sure we can have a hot, mineral bath today.

Light blue dots are hot tubs, others are Olympic size pools

When we arrived, it was carnage and mayhem, due to the holiday crowds. The place was packed and it’s a very large property. Today, calmness reigns amongst the thermal pools and hot tubs. After a delightful breakfast on the patio, we headed toward the spa. 

Spa Tlalocan has a series of man-made thermal pools (think large hot tubs) for relaxation. 15 minutes in each pool, starting with the Apple Cider pool, onward to the Infused Flower pool, then the Salt/Magnesium pool, ahead to the Aveeno pool (replete with oatmeal to apply to your face), afterward dipping into the Red Hibiscus pool and ending with a volcanic mud bath. In-between each pool you shower off in a walk-through cave with multiple sprays of hot water. There is also a cold dipping pool, aromatic station, hot sauna cave and wet sauna cave. Warm tea is offered by attendants throughout the experience. It ends with a massage lakeside of peppermint oils. I lied; it ends with crawling back to the room for nap afterward.

 

The view from breakfast

As always, the best part were our partners in the pools. Ruben, Laura and Mama. Ruben is a Mexican native and his wife Laura, is Ukrainian. They have been married 5 years and live in Chicago. Mama was on the last flight out of Kyiv (which Laura instructed us how to say correctly). The powers that be, smiled on Mama, because her vacation to the states was planned prior to the War. Mama’s home is not yet affected by the fighting (she lives near the Romanian border). Laura has already had her mothers visa extended to 18 months, which is a new development by the state department to help Ukrainians here on temporary visitor visas. They are now applying for Laura’s 33-year-old son to come to Chicago. Although he was in the army there, some type of leg surgery prohibits his fighting any longer. They were very hopeful that he will soon be able to pass into Romania and head toward the US. Mama is hopeful that she can go home soon.

And a water slide too!

Laura worked in Crimea for several years and has many Russian friends on FB, many who she says she has had to unfriend, as they are all blaming the US for the bombing of the maternity hospital. She states there has been a long-standing prejudice between Ukraine and Russia. She left her job in Crimea for Germany due to the bias she experienced there.

Her favorite charity right now, is buying tickets for the Kyiv Zoo. The keepers are all there caring for the animals and not being paid, as all their money goes to feeding the animals whatever they can get their hands on. The tragic part? Which animals get to live and which animals get to be lunch. Oy.

Not Lunch.