Mommy Needs a Vacation: A Spa-Goers Tale

By Diane Clehane

In my pre-mommywood life, I was an avid spa-goer who was lucky enough to get to schedule a week of relaxation and rejuvenation every year. Often, they were a bit like busmen’s holidays in which I negotiated a better rate by offering to do an evening program or lecture about being an entertainment reporter and fashion journalist, the work that sent me running there in the first place. These trips always seemed to come at precisely the right moment. One year, I couldn’t get on the plane fast enough after finishing a particularly grueling book with a demanding celebrity. Another time, my getaway helped me get back to my old self after having had a difficult year dealing with some crushing personal losses.

In the four years since I’ve been a mother, I’ve spent only two nights away from my daughter—and that was during a particularly hellish business trip to Los Angeles to interview a television star who could have just as easily chatted with me on the phone. I had not been on a plane since our trip to China to adopt our daughter and, as anyone who has been to a major airplane lately knows, air travel ain’t what it used to be. I spent more time in the airport getting to and from than I did in California, the flight was delayed more than six hours both ways, and I swear there were people jammed into the overhead bins on both flights. I swore if I ever got to go to a spa again, air travel wouldn’t be on the itinerary.

This spring, I knew I had to find a getaway that was within driving distance but would feel like I was a world away from school pick-ups, Noggin and my washing machine. I had seen an article a few years back in Vogue on the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut. I immediately was drawn to the photos of the blue-and-white chintz décor of the bedroom where the writer had stayed (all 30 rooms are one of a kind) and could picture myself lounging in the gorgeous Garden Room where spa goers could curl up while waiting to be called for their treatments. I had gone to lunch at the Mayflower years ago before the spa was added to the property and loved it. I was also very drawn to the bucolic environs of Washington, Connecticut. My husband and I have taken many daytrips to the area and always loved its tranquil beauty.

One day when I dropped just about every ball in my motherhood-career juggling act, I decided it was time to check out the spa’s website. Imagine my delight when the room I have been dreaming about for years (Room 35) was prominently featured on the site with special offerings that, with a little doing, I could actually afford. (The Mayflower currently is offering a few spa packages that they are planning to extend into the summer). I booked a two-night stay–and was excited to learn I could get my dream room. A few days later, the spa director, Helen Brown, called me to talk about my preferences on everything from food to spa attire. She inquired about what my goals were for my trip. Since I figured it was impossible to lose ten pounds in three days, I told her it had been a brutal winter in every respect and I’d fallen off the wagon with my diet and fitness plan. Beyond that, I explained, I’ve not had one night alone in four years. I wanted to get back in touch with my long lost spa-goer. She assured me that even thought the trip would be brief, I could get myself together and go back home refreshed and fortified. “When you’re a mother, you’re so busy taking care of everyone, sometimes you don’t even put yourself on the list,” said Helen. “When you feel like you’re taken care of, you can take better care of everyone who relies on you.” She wasn’t going to get any argument from me.

I had planned to arrive on a Sunday to make it easier on my husband, since he was going to have to pick up and drop off our daughter at school during my trip and having him do it for two days in a row was enough of stretch with his work schedule. He usually lets me sleep in on Sunday and I always take full advantage of it, but on the day I was to leave I was up with the birds eager to start my adventure as soon as I could. I was on the road by 10:30. Freedom!

SUNDAY

The drive to the Mayflower takes about 90 minutes. It’s a gorgeous day and I enjoy the gorgeous early spring beauty of the countryside in Washington, Connecticut. The directions the spa sent along are precise down to the quarter mile and I find my way through the hilly, winding roads with no problems. I arrive in time for lunch and am shown to a table in the dining room overlooking a labyrinth and a pretty garden. The menu in the dining room offers both traditional cuisine and spa offerings. I go with the spa menu but indulge in my addiction to Diet Coke. I vow that’s my last one for the duration of my stay.

After lunch, I’m shown to my room and it’s even more beautiful than I imagined. It’s absolutely divine. I perch on the beautiful white matelassé comforter that covers the enormous four-poster bed. I feel like a movie star as I take in the beautiful fabric swirled in an aristocratic canopy above my head. I decide this must be the ‘Hollywood’ room as I spy the charming black-and-white framed photos of screen idols in their boudoir hang on the walls. Across the room is a fireplace that can be turned on with the flick of a switch – which, I decide, will be all the more enjoyable tonight from the chaise lounge that’s nearby. Everything I need is laid out perfectly. My itinerary with a personal note and the schedule of classes is placed in a folder filled with information on the spa’s offerings. There’s even a sheet that lists the music available on the MP3 player that’s mine for the duration of the stay. Fiji water and green apples are perched on a nearby table. The enormous bathroom is filled with full-size Red Flower products and a fluffy robe.

I change into the spa T-shirt (which fits perfectly) and warm-ups, which are folded at the foot of the bed, and take my Mayflower tote bag that contains a pretty journal. When I arrive at the spa (a pleasant two-minute walk from the inn), Sue, the manager, greets me at the door. Before you enter, she says, you leave your shoes outside and put into Sensi slippers. The locker I’ll use for the duration of my stay is stocked with an umbrella and a raincoat. These people think of everything. I am literally breathless when I am ushered into the Garden Room, a sanctuary in tones of taupe, grey and white with a row of chaises in front of floor to ceiling windows overlooking the sprawling grounds. After taking a tour of the pristine 20,000-square- foot spa, which is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, I pour myself into one of the chaises in the Garden Room. As I settle in, I see a family of deer frolicking in the distance. It feels like I sit and watch them for an hour. Am I really here?

At 5:00, I manage to rouse myself and arrive for the Stretch and Release class. It’s a quiet week at the Mayflower, so I’m the only guest to do so. My instructor, Nora, turns the experience into a private session giving me great advice showing me gentle yoga moves to help open up my tensed back and hip muscles. She even draws a diagram for me so I can do the exercises at home.

That evening, I have dinner in the dining room and ask to have my dessert sent to my room. The delicious crème brulee that’s 220 calories arrives seconds after I do. I find my bed has been turned down, slippers put at the ready and my nightgown draped across the bed. The silence is absolutely luxurious. I slip into bed between the Frette linens, drift off to sleep dreaming of my first full spa day in years.

MONDAY

After enjoying my spa breakfast (oatmeal and fruit), which is delivered exactly on time, I am driven over to the spa (it’s a short walk but it’s misting outside) by an inn staffer. I arrive for yoga class at 9:00 am and there are four other women there. Two are locals who have ‘memberships’ to the spa. The instructor is amazing and works with each of us to help us with our positions. Although it’s an athletic class, the spiritual side of the practice is given equal attention. I feel centered and calm afterward. At 10:00 am I opt for the High Definition Sculpting Class. The workout I get using bands and light weights is surprisingly challenging. I actually break a sweat and feel my muscles starting to wake up. At 11:00 am, I’m the only one in the pool for Aquatic Splash. At noon, I’m ready for lunch and dive into the beautifully presented spa offerings which I have with ginger tea.

I decide, after spending nearly three hours exercising, I’m due for some rest and head to the Garden Room with my journal. I am practically asleep when the technician gently calls for me an hour later for my treatment. I’m so relaxed I’ve forgotten about the time. We go downstairs to a treatment room that is bigger than my first apartment. She shows me all the ingredients she’ll be using for the Japan Treatment (a Mayflower signature) and explains the properties of each one. For the next 90 minutes, I’m scrubbed with an ohanna ginger grass, polished in a warm shower with a cherry-blossom rice buff and hydrated with rose, camellia, and plum. A wonderful shiatsu massage with wild lime silk oil sinks me into a Zen-like state that lasts for the rest of the day.

That evening, I have dinner in my room so I can soak in every detail of my fantasy getaway. I cannot believe my Carrot Ginger Soup with toasted almonds is only 92 calories and my spiced grilled Colorado lamb with saffron cous cous is 280 calories. It is to die for. I eat every last drop. After a call to say goodnight to my husband and daughter, I watch Dancing with Stars from my princess bed and it’s lights out at 10 pm. This is living!

TUESDAY

I can’t wait to get to the spa. When I’m greeted by Sue, she informs me my husband has called and wants me to have an extra treatment before I leave today. I don’t want to miss any classes this morning, so I decide to do a body wrap which also includes a scalp and foot massage after the morning sessions. I’m glad I don’t miss the 9:00 am Have a Ball class, in which I finally learn how to best use those various sized balls that line the walls at my gym. I catch my reflection in the mirrored walls in the front of the class and I swear I look thinner. It could be that my belly bloat is almost completely gone now that I haven’t had a Diet Coke in two days. After that class, I go to yoga at 10 am and jump into Aquatic Splash at 11:00 am. Instead of worrying about the drive home, I’m able to stay in the moment determined to wring every last drop of this experience. At 12:30, I indulge in my extra treatment which feels great and then get my hair blown out at the Mayflower’s salon so I can look as good as I feel for my return trip home.

I’ve lost four pounds—and regained my fitness mojo. For the trip back, the spa has packed me a delicious lunch of crudités and Fiji water. When I get back to Scarsdale, everything is still in one piece and my daughter gives me a big kiss and a hug. My husband is happy to see a woman who once again resembles the one he married. I learned an important lesson: I can take time out for me and everyone will be fine. Especially me. That night, I make myself a cup of the same ginger tea I came to love at the Mayflower and vow to make the spa glow last as long as it can. It’s a dream, I know, but a beautiful one.

The Mayflower Inn & Spa
118 Woodbury Rd Route 47
Washington, Connecticut
860 868-9466
mayflowerinn.com for rates and special packages available for this summer