Mexico: Day 4

Ah the Spa. We woke up and had breakfast which oddly I have done every day on this honeymoon. Breakfast is amazing with tons of choices and really the best cafe con leche on Playa. Our hotel owes a chunk of beach with complimentary cabanas for it's visitors so we walked down to the Caribbean shoreline and enjoyed a gorgeous morning at the beach beign waiting on by Pancho.

In the afternoon our Spa day officially began. Spa Itza is a part of the Hotel La Tortuga. Apparently, Eliot had read somewhere that it used to be called Itza Spa but they got tired of all the American giggles, so they made a little change. It still makes me giggle. Our first appointment was for a Sauna, Steam and Herbal bath. We were excorted to the lockrooms to slip into a thin white sheet and robe and then taken to the roof. When we arrived at the roof there was a tiny little hut, much like an igloo, with a even tinier wooden door. They openned it for us and asked us to crawl in. The tiny hut had steaming black rock. Within 10 minutes I had had enough of the steam clean effect and switched over to the Sauna. It was a traditional Sauna with rocks which was not any more successful to me than the hut. You combine an already tropical climate with a person that is from a tropical climate and whose entire bloodline comes from a tropical climate, you can't imagine that a tiny hot box is going to be the highlight.

Shortly after we were taken to our bath. The room was decorated with candlelight and beautiful flowers that were floating in our bath and placed all over the room. We slipped in and relaxed. Our escort took turns giving us head and neck massages. It was lovely. Once we were finished we retreated to our room and took a nice long nap.

Afterwards, we returned to Spa Itza and were greeted by our earlier escort for our Maya Clay treatment. Once again we were asked to remove all our clothing and wear only the light robe provided. Once we arrived to our treatment location there were too twin beds that had simple white towels on them. Eliot and I were instructed to put on the tiny foe-paper underware that only covered what the leaves did for Adam and Eve. We were to lay in our beds head to head. Our treatment specialists entered and it began.

The soothing music was in play and the ladies first began to exflolitate our entire bodies with a concoction that was in a small ceramic bowl. Every inch of us was lathered and then thin foam flipflops placed on our feet and we were lead to the showers. We rinsed phase one.

Once again we were placed on the beds but this time there was no white towel but instead it was yellow plastic seran wrap. Phase two was the Mayan Clay. From toes to hairline we were covered in Mayan Clay. Warm tea bags were placed on my eyes as the process was being completed. Then, like giant burritos the layers of wrappings began. First the yellow seran wrap. Second a canvas weight cloth. Third a leather something or other. (Note I can't move since I was clayed up and I can't see through tea bags, so this is all based on what it felt like.) Finally some sort of straps were placed on top to make the perfect burrito. She whispers in my ear to let me know that she will return shortly. The lights are dimmed and the exit stage right.

Instantly I start laughing. The absurdity of being wrapped up like a burrito in a Mexican Spa. Eliot is over there meditating or something. I believe that this response is...I'm relaxing. I can't really relax. I am naked with a paper thong and wrapped up so tight, plus I can't see a thing. Our Mayan Clay rubber returns and slowly opens us up. It is now that I understand. It is magical. We are bought once again to the showers to rinse. Now we through our paper skivvies and our skin is softer than a baby's bottom. We ahve been restored.

Phase three begins. We are cleansed, softened and now mint lotioned from head to toe. The slight tingly feeling of the lotion is an amazing feeling. Even now, the day after, my skin is still unprescendently soft.

After our Mayan Clay wrap, the pampering continued with his and her pedicures. Not only was this recommended by our very own Tracy but we did feel it was a perfect treat for us considering our love our feet. Eliot had never had one before so that was even better.

I have been thinking about this feet thing. Why feet? Well, feet help you travel from one point to another. Feet always force you to take things one step at a time. To enjoy the journey. Feet hold you up on days that even when your heart or mind can't seem to. So our feet together just makes us remember that we walking together, side by side, in tiny little huts or lathered up in strange clay, together we venture on the journey.