Paradise Spa at the Inn at Mazatlan. Que Bueno!

Vacations are wonderful! Especially the ones that find you on a beautiful beach in Mazatlan, Mexico. This was my first time in Mexico and I must say that I don't think I could have asked for a better experience to introduce me to the best this country has to offer. The Inn at Mazatlan was a great place to stay. It was right on the beach near peddlers of fresh oysters and also close to a main street where many wonderful kinds of tacos could be found to eat. For those who aren't adventurous, the hotel's on-site restaurant offered high quality food, but I guarantee if you didn't try the locals' quesadillas al Pastor, Sinaloa style ceviche, or smoked Marlin tacos, you were missing out!

Besides eating tacos, exploring Mazatlan's old town, and relaxing on the beach, visiting the hotel's Paradise Spa was definitely on the agenda. After all, what's a vacation without a little professional pampering? I was delighted to find that the prices for spa services were very reasonable! They offered me a package that included a massage, manicure, and pedicure which I immediately snatched up. A woman named Cuca did all three starting with the massage which was wonderful. Often when I visit a spa, I don't book a massage because they can tend to be too light and "foofy." Not Cuca's! She gave a nice firm and very thorough massage that seemed longer than the 50 minutes allotted. When my body was sufficiently "noodled out," I sat down in my robe for my manicure and pedicure. My fingers looked all neat and clean and my toenails shimmered a bright coral color when she was finished. What a fabulous afternoon!

After the good experience I had with the massage package, I couldn't resist booking the Mayan Chocolate Therapy for the next day. Who wouldn't want to be covered in chocolate from head to toe? My friend Kristen(pictured above) and I arrived together, she for the massage/manicure/pedicure experience and I for the chocolatey body wrap and we were escorted to the steam room where we relaxed and chatted while our pores opened up in preparation for the pampering. Then it was on to our separate treatment rooms where we would experience true bliss.

My treatment started with an ex-foliating rub-down where the rich chocolate aromas began. My skin tingled with delight and I deeply inhaled to enjoy the sweet smell. When my skin was properly buffed, I was instructed to hop into the shower to rinse off. Then the real fun began. Cuca began painting my body with thick, dark brown chocolate. When hardly any white patches remained, she wrapped me up in a heating cocoon of blankets to allow the chocolate to absorb into my skin. She gave me a nice scalp massage before leaving me for a while to relish my choco-tranquility. This was all incredibly relaxing and I found myself dozing off into a dream-like state. Another shower to rinse the chocolate off was then followed by a nice massage done with a chocolate/hazelnut scented lotion. Total treatment time: 90 minutes.

So why would chocolate be good for the skin? Well there are two reasons. First, chocolate has moisturizing properties that soften the skin. This is most likely due to the cocoa butter. Second, the anti-oxidants in chocolate are great for fighting free-radicals and may result in smoothing wrinkles. My favorite reason to be covered in chocolate is that I get to smell like dessert for the rest of the day. Yum!

I would certainly recommend the Paradise Spa at the Inn at Mazatlan to anyone who enjoys such indulgences. They were friendly, clean, professional, and offered an incredible value! I have spent a lot more for less in other spas and felt that the quality of the experience in Mexico surpassed some the more expensive treatments I have received here in the States. I am grateful to the staff for being a part of what was a wonderful Mexican vacation and I hope to visit again soon!

Review courtesy of Massage by Jenni, LLC massagebyjenni.com

Peace and Calming in San Francisco

I'm not really a city girl unless the city is surrounded by mountains, but now that I've visited San Francisco twice and spent some time there, I find myself falling in love with the place. The tall buildings are more comforting than claustrophobic and the fresh crab on the wharf is the most perfect food known to man. What I found tucked between the towering buildings in a space in the heart of downtown where people hurry past most of the day never thinking to stop was a pleasant surprise and a wonderful bubble of serenity I was happy and relieved to find after my previous day's adventure which led me to walk the entire way across the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Spa Bar is a full service spa located on 2nd Street near Lombard with a classy yet unassuming storefront that, once inside, opens up into a spacious upscale retreat complete with an oxygen bar, salon, and quiet treatment rooms enjoyed by entering through a private door at the rear.

I had an appointment with Paula for a 90 minute Thai Massage, something I'd never tried before. I've heard it's like assisted yoga done on a mat on the floor and have been curious about it for quite sometime. Paula is actually from Thailand and received her massage training there and she explains to me that she has developed a Thai massage hybrid where she incorporates Thai style techniques with traditional Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Sports Massage which I am more familiar with. I will be on a massage table rather than on a mat on the floor and I will be undressed and draped with a sheet rather than remaining clothed as is typical with a traditional Thai Massage. She says she likes doing it this way better. Should be interesting!

The combination proves to be magic. Paula uses luxurious warm oils and gliding strokes fused with deep muscle manipulation and clever movements of my limbs I've never experienced before. She drapes my body effortlessly with the sheet, often using it to position my legs and arms in various stretches while leveraging my limbs against her own body to apply pressure to my muscles and traction the joints. I am aware of her climbing on and off the table many times throughout my massage as she artfully composes her native Thai style into a complete stress reliever with the aggressiveness to really work out all my kinks. I'd say she beat me up in a good way and pampered me all at the same time. There were moments I wondered, "How did she do that?" when she'd use her petite body to move mine into a position. At one point she was actually underneath me on the table stretching my entire body into an arched position. I have no idea how she got there, but it was seamless.

When the massage was over, I was given tea and sent to wander back out into the city in my blissed out state. With a calm smile on my face, I walked to the nearby Museum of Modern Art, ordered a spinach salad and a glass of wine at the cafe and then strolled peacefully through the sculptures, paintings, and photographs on display there. It was ones of those days in the city where you think to yourself, "I could get used to this." And I really think I could get used to all the fine art, culture, and food mixed with the grittiness and raw humanity that is the city of San Francisco.