Walk On
The idea of someone standing on your back, pressing her cold, bare feet into your body might not sound comfortable, but an ashiatsu massage relieves tension and is surprisingly relaxing. The massage therapist uses a fixture hanging from the ceiling to support herself and vary pressure. It can be a strange first-time experience, but with eyes closed, it’s hard to tell there’s a whole person above you. While an ashiatsu therapist spends much of the session using her feet, she also uses more traditional styles as well. The result? You may leave feeling a tiny bit sore, but completely rejuvenated.
Find It: Camino Massage Therapy, 1045 W. Garden of the Gods Rd., caminomassage.com
Float Away
Know someone who needs a break? Floating in a sensory deprivation pod literally shuts out the world and feels like drifting peacefully outside normal space and time. In only 10 inches of body-temperature water, the 800-plus pounds of saturated Epsom salts provide tranquil buoyancy and deliver benefits including reduced stress, increased circulation and improved sleep-the latter which we discovered to be hard to resist during the float.
Find It: Luna Float Spa, 202 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd., lunafloatspa.com
Enter the Ice Age
My first minute inside Colorado Springs’ only whole body cryotherapy chamber is chilly but bearable. My third minute-when the chamber drops as low as -300 F-is not easy. Dressed in a wrap towel, long socks, slippers, earmuffs and gloves, my body begins to deeply shiver. I try to focus on the music I selected, but it takes all my willpower to not exit the cold chamber pronto. But I persist, and that fluffy, warmed robe waiting? Totally worth it. Cryotherapy promises help with pain management, sports recovery and sore muscles, health and beauty, and weight loss. I have no chronic pain to cure and didn’t shed any pounds in one session, but I did leave feeling awake, refreshed and never so happy to be warm again.
Find It: Goosebumps Cryotherapy, 2320 Vickers Dr., goosebumpscryotherapy.com
Relax. Renew. Repeat.
Looking for a Himalayan hot stone massage, an indulgent urban escape, a sacred journey or happy hour treatment? Find the perfect spa for you in “Relax. Renew. Repeat.“
