Desert light, flowers and succulents, snowy mountains in the distance, bands of light. DHS is close to Palm Springs but it's not as happenin' so things are even quieter. And this place has no restaurant and minimal staff so it's even QUIETER. 3 natural pools that get smaller and hotter as they go, one of the only saunas I've ever actually loved (I'm a steam room fanatic but saunas usually make me too uncomfortable---this one, as crazy hot as it could get, felt incredible), one of the best massages I've ever had (I'm clearly into superlatives with this place---when I love something I gush), and buckets of the healing magic of the desert. Sigh. I miss it already.
On our way out we hit some gnarly traffic and both of us needed a bathroom break and the easiest place to stop was, I guess, the capital of In-n-Out. Can't say I've ever wanted to go there, but it seems there are a lot of people who do. It was packed. I'm all for indulging in delicious food when given the opportunity, but I still have a hard time with the fast food thing. But Hey, it was a piece of California I'd never seen before.
You wouldn't know the Spring was hidden in the little neighborhood where it sits. From the second we got there, literally, I felt my body relaxing, my perspective shifting---things one hopes will happen on vaycay. Sky and I slept and soaked and slept and soaked and I journaled and read and he slept some more. We had an amazing talk about the constant conversation I have with myself about letting my life's path unfold and completely trusting that it is unfolding perfectly vs thinking I should know what that path is and be making it happen, and if it isn't happening there's something amiss about what I'm doing or not doing....talked about fulfilling life's purpose and how you do that......conversations that I are so important to me but can feel really stressful in the city. Something about having them out there, with stars and quiet and a palpable sense of whatever it is you surrender to, it was easy to feel open and joyful and not so in a rush to know everything. I recommend at least one deep talk when in the desert, and lots of good meditation time.
Other bits from the weekend:
it's funny to try to talk when your back is on a jacuzzi jet: your voice vibrates as it comes out of you and you sound kind of like a radio robot
Drinks at The Colony Palms are delicious and swanky; dinner is good too but not on Valentine's Day unless you have a reservation and want prix fixe. That would be neither in our case.
Before going in the sauna, apply Moroccan Oil deep conditioning hair mask. Let your hair drink it in while you heat up.
When you need a kombucha or a juice or a large extremely satisfying healthy vegetarian menu, head to Nature's Health Food and Cafe in Palm Springs
If you drink pink champagne with your Valentine, know that he might get crazy and drag you to the casino. It's OK though because while he plays blackjack, you can watch the women who lived through the Mad Men era playing in cocktail rings and coiffed hair and talking like they just smoked their 30th cigarette of the day.
Do lie in the quietest pool you can find, get the sun on your face, close your eyes, and be still. Watch the BS leave your mind and the love of life come in.
Do tell your husband/honey/partner that you love him/her a lot. And tell him/her again and again and again. These weekends get you through the weeks that both of you are running around trying to make life happen and see each other in passing.
Hope you get a weekend away soon
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I will try "The Spring" next time- rather than the "Desert Hot Springs Spa" which, IS great for people watching, but (I am convinced) gave me this horrible flu that I have been trying to recover from all week. Too many people getting drunk and soaking in overcrowded hot springs = breeding ground for viruses. Although, nobody else I was with got sick- so maybe I picked it up elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteAnyway- the city of DHS rocks! There is so much there to explore...