Monday, December 8, 2008

Naked Spa

Okay. So it's been so heartening that people are reading North of Beautiful and chattering about geocaching, my favorite geeking out pastime. If the book gets people out and about, GPS in hand, I'm a happy camper. But why is no one talking about the Naked Spa featured in the book?

It's a real place, people! And it's Nirvana. If you follow all truly blissed out women in the Northwest, you will be led directly to the Olympus Spa--a Korean-style sanctuary where every bit of a woman's body gets scrubbed and exfoliated. And yes, you shed all clothes so that you can marinate in one of several saunas and hot tubs for an hour before the Scrubdown.

I first heard about the Naked Spa (I mean, Olympus Spa) two years ago when my good friend Lauren raved about it after going through a temporary rough patch in her life. And then out at an SCBWI dinner, Ginger Knowlton--the rocking agent who reps one of my favorite authors of all time: K.L. Going--went on and on about her transcendental experience at the same Naked Spa. Well. I had to see the place for myself.

My very dear Ozzie friend, Nicole, was game for a field expedition to the Naked Spa. Two words: life altering. It's not that the scrubbing feels good--it can actually be downright painful...and more than a little unsettling how much dead skin gets rubbed off. But it's uplifting in a way that a massage is not. You feel like you're leaving much more than your skin on the table, but all the daily worries that you wear. Literally.

So a week after returning to the states, my friend Nicole blocked out her entire day to take me to the Naked Spa to scrub the worst bits of my China experience off my body. I literally floated out of the spa; I felt 10 pounds lighter. As if I had shed dead weight I wasn't even aware I had been carrying.

Today I am thankful for places like the Olympus Spa that cater to a woman's spirit as much as her body. And I'm thankful for true friends who know how to care for a sad heart.

7 comments:

  1. Okay. That's it. I'm going to have to finally make a plan to go.

    I'm glad it was more than just a spa experience for you!

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  2. I'd love to be one of those people reading North of Beautiful...any ARCs hanging around I could sneak a peek at?

    Welcome back to the beautiful Pacific Northwest :)

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  3. And I am thankful you have Nicole to go to the naked spa with. I remain your clothed friend, m'dear.

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  4. I was wondering if it was a real place... :)

    And I am deeply sorry your heart is sad. *hug*

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  5. I think it's because I'm a little afraid of it. It's the naked part. I don't know that I'd feel comfortable. At the same time, since I work about FIVE BLOCKS AWAY, and stare at it every time I go to Hancock's Fabric across the parking lot, and know how much you love the place, and I really, really want that scrub... I am sorely tempted.

    I think of you every single time I go near the Olympus, though. Maybe I should go before it becomes a Forks-like pilgrimage spot from all your fame...

    *grin*

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  6. LADIES, LADIES, LADIES! Get thee to the Naked Spa. Really, after five minutes, you won't be noticing that you're nudie pants.

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  7. Hi Justina!
    How are you? Everything fine in far away China?
    Hope to read and review North of Beautiful soon ( and your other books as well, still haven't read them..blush!)

    bye and take care!
    Marjolein

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