I never write reviews. It's just something that I don't do. But, not only do I want to write this review, I feel obligated to do so.
Whenever someone asks me, "If you could have either a chef, a maid, a gardener, a chauffeur, or a nanny, which would you choose?" My answer? Always the same. "A masseuse!" It's one of the few things I've allowed myself to splurge on and one of the things I love most in life. I've had massages for decades. I've had massages all around the world. Some good. A few, very, very good. Most, at what I would consider to be entry - mediocre level. As massages are a bit of a financial luxury, it's been very frustrating to me spending good money, trying different masseuses, privately owned as well as massage chains, all in search of......a REAL massage, that one, singular experience which actually delivers what you expect to receive and catapults you into another level of being. But, aside from those rare, very good massages, I have learned to go into a massage session just hoping for a little bit of relaxation and that the masseuse would simply apply enough pressure without trying to dig holes into my body. And, of course, such was the expectation we had when I recently treated my daughter and I to a mother-daughter massage at Absolute Wellness Healing Spa in South Burlington, VT. And, my daughter, who has grown up getting massages with me from around the globe, - always calling them 'the treatment' - adores them as much as I do. Yes, excited we were for 90 minutes of relaxation. BUT, neither of us was expecting to receive the singular BEST massage each of us has ever had - ever, anywhere!!!
From the moment we entered the door, there was a palatable aura of genuine tranquility - soothing, calm, and peaceful - an environment so serene and relaxing, we immediately felt our tension melting away. Not only does Colleen greet you as a cherished, long-time friend, she has designed and created the perfect prelude to massage, an atmosphere that not only serves to stimulate pre-massage relaxation, but one that utterly delights and engages each of your senses: the spa's cohesive and soft visual beauty; the gentle and airy breath of melodic notes; an aromatic bouquet of lemon and lavender permeating the lounge; some warming tea or deliciously refreshing fruit and herb-flavored water. And then.....
We were escorted into the heavenly treatment room, sinking into the very fluffy, truly heavenly, blanketed layers of the treatment table. And, in an instant, my daughter and I both began our slow, sweet descent into true relaxation: with massage techniques that utterly envelope the entire body -- not as distinct sets of separate and individual muscle groups, unrelated and unconnected -- but massages that integrate the muscles, connecting them all together as one bodily essence. This very skilled manual dexterity technique combined with perfectly firm, yet gentle, pressure; long, sweeping, wave-like body strokes; and very gentle, yet fully releasing, body stretching - not to mention the aromatherapy and absolutely incredible hot stones, towels, and heat-packs of these Signature massages. And, to top it all off, unlike most massage facilities, the one-hour massages are actually a full hour -- 60, not 50, minutes. Our 90-minute massage was a full 90 minutes. (This 10-minute shortage has become quite a pet peeve of mine.) My daughter and I, both awash in our all-encompassing massage 'experience,' actually drifted away and transcended into something akin to a zen-like zone of 'meditative being,' with both mind and body completely and wholly relaxed and unified. Surprisingly - or perhaps not -- our bodies could still actually feel the very palpable muscular relaxation of our early morning massages well into the evening. Just WOW. I've never felt anything like it before. But, I know I will again. And soon.
Under Colleen's adroit inventiveness, I am certain each and every masseuse at Absolute Wellness would deliver the same masterful massage; however, I would be remiss if I did not give a 'shout out' to Sarah (my daughter's masseuse) and Donnie (my masseuse). Donnie's massage was, in fact, so amazing that even though I'd only known him for 90 minutes, I told him I was thinking of asking him to marry me!
Absolute Wellness is truly a sanctuary of relaxation, healing, and therapy for inner relaxation, outer beauty, and pure bliss.
Annellie Vallone read more