Just Say.......Oh....! The Eau Spa at the Ritz Carlton, West Palm Beach, FL

You’re lying on a plush, white chaise.  You are surrounded by sheer green and white curtains that just give you a glimpse of the outside.  You pick up your glass of fruit flavored water off the silver side table next to you.  You look up and see a custom-made crystal stemware chandelier, giving off a calming glow.   Its time and you are escorted to your private spa villa.  The blue lighting is low, just how you wanted it.  The calming smell of lavender softly fills the air and with each whiff your body seems to melt.  You lye down on the most comfortable bed you ever laid on and close your eyes.  Soothingly hot bamboo sticks glide across the oils that grace your back , massaging every last muscle.  After an hour of having your worries, stress, and anxieties massaged away, you are now led to the Self Centered Garden.  You find an inviting lounge chair close to one of the garden’s mini waterfalls and just say….Oh.

This is just a taste of what you can experience at the Eau Spa at the Ritz Carlton in West Palm Beach.  I was lucky enough to be invited into this newly renovated 42,000 square foot spa that encompasses the heart of the Ritz Carlton.  From the moment you check in, you realize that this isn’t your ordinary spa. Once you make a wish with a lighted candle in the huge, bronze wishing well, you are on your way to a comfy, terry robe where you can begin your spa experience that is grounded in its philosophy of “Pause, Play, and Perfect.”

The first place you encounter is the Scrub and Polish Bar.  You won’t find martini’s here but rather an array of fresh ingredients such as vanilla, eucalyptus, and sea salts to make your own body scrubs that you or your masseuse can use.  After having fun at the Bar, you go into the Eau Zone relaxation lounge, where you wait until your private villa is ready for your treatment.  This room is equipped for the solo lounger or an intimate group.  You can read up on the latest fashion trends as you sip on fruit flavored water or indulge in their mini chocolate cupcakes.  Once you’re villa is ready, your masseuse comes into the lounge to show you to your room.  The spa has a wide variety of villas –some suitable for an intimate group of one or spacious villas that can accommodate a bridal party.  You can have your villa set up exactly how you want it – from the lighting to the music.  For example, if you feel like you want to “Pause”, your room will have soft blue lighting.  Feel like you want to “Play”, your room will have the red “light” special.  I definitely recommend the “Pause” , like I had when I had my bamboo massage!  It was pure heaven!

Once your massage, pedicure, facial, or any other of the amazing services the spa has to offer  is done, you are free to enjoy the amenities .  You can go for a relaxing time in the sauna, where a pair of penguin statues will greet you.  You can soak in the Jacuzzi, where the ambience can definitely put you at ease (if you aren’t already!).  You can also enjoy my favorite part of the spa – The Self-Centered Garden.  Not only is it centered in the heart of the spa, it is also a place where being completely to yourself is absolutely acceptable!  The mini waterfalls that you can find in different parts of the garden create wonderful, soothing sounds.  If you feel like socializing, you and your group can congregate on the comfy couches that surround the life-size chess board.  If you want to be alone and completely self-centered, you can find one of the many lounge chairs that can be sectioned off by curtains.  My absolute favorite parts of the garden are the swings. These egg-shaped swings are suspended over a shallow pool of cool water.  As you swing, your feet get to play in the water, feeling as if someone is massaging your feet.  I don’t know about you, but that almost put me to sleep!

We ladies are always on the go and it seems like we can never have a moment to ourselves (me

included!).  Although we are in a recession and going to a spa may be the last thing on your to-do list, coming here is worth the investment.  Coming from a fellow frugalist, I cannot tell you how much more refreshed and at ease I felt.  The first step to looking beautiful and feeling beautiful and you can definitely feel so when you come here!  Even if you can only go once a year, it definitely worth saving up those dollars to feel like a Queen for a day!

Have you had a chance to check out this spa?  Is this a place you can see retreating to for a day?

Photo’s Courtesy of :  The Ritz Carlton, West Palm Beach, FL