Vast and sprawling, my adopted city of St. Petersburg, Florida, is booming. Palm tree, crane, palm tree, jackhammers.
Pete scene: Woodhouse Spa. But at the same time, it oozes a particular brand of Floridian Southern charm. Take the Quiet Room, for example. Before popping in for my treatments on a scorching hot mid-October day, I had a brief phone consult with the owner, Ginger Lettelleir. Because the St. Pete location is one of 63 Woodhouse Spas sprinkled across the U. Not surprisingly, Ginger knew just the thing s : a Vichy shower and beaucoup seaweed. Sure the bladderwrack hails from the icy coast of Brittany rather than steamy Tampa Bay, but no worries.
What Ginger had in store for me was all very watery and totally apropos. I never wanted it to end. A long-time beauty editor who has fretted her way through many a weekday spa visit, itching to get back to the office, for me to lay there without squirming is a testament to how much fun it was.
To truly get the most out of any adventure in relaxation, you might need to do some preliminary de-stressing first. But back to the Vichy shower. Once the scrub is all rubbed-on, polishing the skin in the process, the water starts. Back and forth, shoulders to toes, over and over. By the time it all ended, it was all I could do to scrape myself off that padded table, slip on my robe, and waddle back out into the hall.
But waddle I must, because it was on to my next treatment, an minute signature facial known as the Minkyti. Designed to be both relaxing and anti-aging, it also makes heavy use of seaweed. In fact, at one point, my mug was so encased in bladderwrack I felt like a piece of human sushi. In a good way, mind you; it was cool and dark under there, and once again I was on the verge of dozing off.
