Bright and early in the morning I head to my 11th state yoga class at Sun and Moon Yoga Studio in Park Ridge, IL. I have been asked a few times how I find/choose the studios that I practice in on the road. Google Maps. Yeah, it's sort of that simple. I go to Google Maps in the area I will be in, search YOGA and see what pops up on the map. Then I browse through the websites, check the schedules and see which studios/classes speak to me. There is no scientific method. Of all the classes I have taken and/or have planned to date, just one will be a studio chosen on recommendation. More about that when I get to that state!
The class I chose was a Slow Flow Vinyasa class with Julie Penn. At the beginning of class we were advised we could set an intention. Today's intention - Change. Mostly, because the word change popped into my life on March 20th - you know, the day of the new moon, solar eclipse and spring equinox? The word change flashed at me in image and aurally several times, very randomly that day. I noted it. But still haven't quite figured out what that change is supposed to be. And so.. I figured Change would be a good intention for this yoga class.
As fate would have it, Julie read us a passage about Spring. And blooming and growing and starting anew. In my heart, I felt this was for me. Spring. Growth. Change. It's all connected somehow. I think.
The class was not easy for me. Not that most classes are, but it was a good challenge. Julie was very receptive to my needs of modification. Coming by a couple times to make suggestions. I was also more aware of my modification needs. The more classes I take the more I understand where I can tweak a pose, add a block, roll a blanket and make a pose more comfortable for myself. Like the pigeon pose. That I swear we did 6 times! Haha... even a standing version. But the more I do it, the more I find myself comfortable in it. And rolling a blanket to tuck under my hip comes in so handy during that pose. It was a great class. I was sweating a ton. And felt so centered in the class. Centered on my mat. Balanced. Class ended with the usual savasana where I contemplated my intention of Change some more. I still don't know what the change is. But the universe is a mystery and when I need to know, I suppose I'll get another sign. =D
On to the last stop of this short trip - King Spa and Sauna. In my Facebook feed a couple weeks before my trip I saw a Groupon shared by a blogger I follow for King Spa and Sauna. I clicked on it and realized it was in Chicago. Hey, I'm going to be in Chicago! For $30 {or $19 Groupon} one can gain entrance to an amazing world of Korean saunas and spas. Seriously. Amazing. I have never seen anything like this before. I was so intrigued by their website I had to go. And so, 5 hours later... I didn't want to leave. The place is like Disneyland for the leisurely. I could have sat around all day. In fact, they allow you to also sit around all day and sleep over in a recliner - all night, too. For an additional $5, of course.
It felt good to be naked. Not self conscious at all. But I had told myself long before I arrived that just as much as I would not be sizing up other women's perfections and imperfections.... they wouldn't give a shit about my belly fat either. So... naked. WILD AND FREE! In this segregated section are the spas. 3 warm to hot pools with jets and a cold plunge pool with a water fall. There is also a steam sauna in this area. I loved that. Additionally, there are standing showers, sitting showers {where women sat on little stools and scrubbed themselves with mitts}, and the massage tables. Oh, and outside this steamy, warm area are the women's lockers. Where you can securely lock up your clothes while you're there. I almost forgot to tell you about the number on the bracelet. This is not only the number on your locker, but it serves as your currency while there. Because. Well.. naked. No pockets for money. So when you want to buy a massage {or stuff out in the coed area that I will speak of shortly} you just give them your number and they enter it in their computer. When you leave the facility by way of that front desk, they tally up your bill and you pay at that time. {My number was 317. Which, being an Irish American made me smile... 3/17 St Patrick's Day.}
Back to the spas... I spent about 40 minutes between the steam room and the spas. Mostly in the steam room. Watching over the eye-height wall towards the massage tables and envying the ladies getting slapped and scrubbed. So I went for it. Back to the women's front desk I inquired about the body scrub. A 40 minute event where a woman in a black bikini scrubs the crap out of every inch of flesh on your body leaving your skin polished and soft. A body scrub costs $70. It didn't take much for her to talk me into a package - a 40 minute scrub, a 50 minute massage and a collagen mask thrown in for good measure. A sum total of $110. Tip included. 90 minutes of bliss.
 |
| {source} |
I waited in the warm spa with a jet splashing on my back until I was called. They call you over a loud speaker by number. But the accoustics are terrible, there is water running everywhere that echos and I couldn't understand their accents. So my massuese had to come find me. Oops. Into the massage area you instantly notice the bubble gum pink vinyl massage tables. Slick and shiny. I was surprised that not a single woman slid off the table while I was in there. Lubed up with oils... everything covered in water by hoses and buckets... it's an accident waiting to happen. My massuese was petite but powerful. She laid me down on my stomache, hosed me off, and covered some bits and pieces of my body with warm, wet towels {this was definitely for the moisture effect for her scrubbing and had nothing to do with modesty}. She donned mits that reminded me of plastic "Brillo" pads and began scrubbing. And scrubbing. And scrubbing. She flipped me over to my back. And scrubbed. And back to my stomache and scrubbed some more. It was kind of disgusting but also fascinating the amount of dead skin that covered me and the mitts and the lovely pink vinyl massage table. The scrubbing at first is a shock. But when she moves on to other parts... you wish she hadn't stopped. It feels pretty awesome. My favorite part was my stomache. When she swirled all around my stomache with the mits it felt like an organ massage. She proceeded to soap me up and do one final passby with the mits before instructing me to go shower off. But not in so many words. Go. Wash. Come back.
When I returned she put me back on my stomache and oiled me down for my massage. She climbed up onto the table. Stepped on me. Walked on me. Sat on me. Kneeled on me. {This isn't a place for people with boundary issues.} She had something... a tube? I'm not sure.. but she raked something from the base of my skull up through my hair on my scalp to my crown several times. Then did a little pinching and massage on my neck. She then had me flip over and proceeded to massage my face, wash my face and apply a collagen mask. While the mask set I began to feel a tingle roll up my scalp and realized she had applied peppermint oil to my scalp! Wow! This might have been the best part of the massage! The sensation is pretty awesome and so relaxing. I think that was the point where I stopped worrying about flailing off the table and relaxed.
While my scalp tingled and my mask hardened she finished oil massaging my front. Again... my stomache massage felt wonderful. But the slapping and standing on my calves {when I was on my back} also felt great. My calves were a bit tight from yoga. One last flip, she had me flip 180 - so my head was now where my feet were. She peeled off the mask and massage my face one last time. And then she began to wash my hair. And condition my hair. And massage my scalp. It was a lovely way to end the experience. And then when I sat up - no niceties. Finish. You go. I can take a hint. On cloud 9 I floated to the showers once again and washed the oil off {no oils allowed in the spas} and I'm pretty sure I had a stupid little grin on my face the whole time. =)
I had been at King Spa & Sauna for about 2 and half hours at this point. I figured now would be a good time to check out the coed area. I dried off, went to my locker and put on my pretty in pink shorts and t-shirt. Out the Women Only door I crept into a wonderland of dry saunas. I had no idea where to start. And quite honestly, I knew vaguely that each sauna had certain healing properties and different temperatures, but I didn't know which did what. So... I sauna hopped with reckless abandon. My intentions were to experience the heat and sense the healing powers, if I could.
My first room was the Charcoal Room. The walls are lined with charcoal and amethyst geods. I didn't feel that it was too warm and lied there for some time. It being my first sauna and not too hot, I didn't rest in the waiting area much before heading into my next room...
 |
| {source} |
The Amethyst Room. In the amethyst room the walls are lined with chunks of amethyst, pink quartz and white quartz. I'm not certain where the infrared rays come from... but the room is also said to have them. The temperature was hotter than the first room and I did work up a slight bit of moisture on my brow before exiting.
 |
| {source} |
A nice example below of the uniforms for women.
The men wear gray uniforms and the children have yellow ones.
 |
| {source} |
After exiting the amethyst room I sat for a bit in the lounge and noticed that most folks had brought a towel from the spa area with them. Good idea. As I'm certain to sweat a little more in one of these spas. I made a mental note of the towel and decided to head over to their restaurant at the far end of the coed area. I decided upon the Bimbimbap. I didn't really know what it was, other than some sort of soup. The woman working the counter took my number, entered it in her computer and gave me one of those buzzy things that would alert me when my order was ready. Less than 5 minutes later I walked to the counter with a buzzing disc and discovered a large tray full of unidentifiable foods. This was going to be interesting.
 |
| {source} |
I tasted a little bit of everything, discovered a few things that I didn't like {but still don't know the names of}, and decided I would probably not choose Bimbimbap again, if there is a next time. After I ate I returned to the women's spa section, grabbed a fresh towel, and ventured off to my next dry sauna.
The Yellow Soil Crystal Room felt quite mild in temperature. I wondered if I was getting used to the heat. The walls looked a bit like they had yellow stucco smeared on them. Either way... I was feeling quite relaxed in this experience, but not really feeling much else.
 |
| {source} |
Next up was the Fire Sudatorium. In my defense, I did not know that was the name of it when I walked in. It was DAMN HOT!!! In all of the other rooms everyone lies down on their backs with their heads on little wood block "pillows". In the fire sudatorium, everyone was sitting in a circle, facing inward, legs crossed and with a towel over their heads. I sat down. I burned. The floor was so very hot. Apparently you're supposed to grab a mat before you go in to sit on once in there. I did not notice this until after I was sitting there. Burning my bum. Needless-to-say, I lasted about 45 seconds and bolted out of there and straight into....
 |
| {source} |
 |
| {source} |
ICE ROOM! The ice room temperature is about 35 degrees and I'm not surprised that it is directly next door to the fire sudatorium. I can't be the first person to run from one to the other. I sat here for a good ten minutes cooling down and enjoying the cold air and soothing blue lights. The ice room isn't a lying down room either. It is lined on both sides with benches. I think because of the sitting upright and the cooler temperatures, I didn't feel the same sense of relax-ed-ness that I was feeling in the rooms prior to the fire sudatorium. But I enjoyed the ice room none-the-less.
After a short break in the lounge I went into the Pyramid. A 23k gold-lined metaphysical wonder. The temperature was nice and warm. The gold painted walls felt a little cheesy. I guess I didn't feel the energy in this one as much. It was a very bright room, contrasting the more subdued lighting in the others.
2 saunas left to try {actually 3 left that I haven't tried, but one was an additional $5 fee and I didn't feel the need to check it out}. My least favorite experience was the Bul Ga Ma room. It was hot, but a good hot. Not a scorch the skin off your body hot. But it was also they largest sauna in there. Therefore holding more people. Inviting more chatter. All of the saunas have signs to be quiet and no cell phones. And in the other saunas there was very limited talk. This room though people {white Americans} felt it was okay to chit chat and hold idle conversations. This annoyed me. It takes away from the kind of zen energy that exists in the other saunas.
Last dry sauna - the Salt Room. This room is quite small. 4 maybe 5 can lie down together at a time. This was the room that I felt it though. Felt an energy, a peace, a stillness come over me. It was very meditative for me. It was wonderful. The walls are lined in giant salt rock crystals. The room just felt very different to me. It was a perfect way to end my time at King Spa & Sauna.
One last thing... the eggs below are baked for 3 hours every night in the Fire Sudatorium {which does not remain open 24 hours like the other rooms}. Apparently the spots that are all over the shells are the toxins and impurities that are baked out of the egg itself during this process. I didn't have any eggs this time. Next time I will try them. I do want to give this experiment a try at home though. Bake eggs in my oven and see if I get the dots. Or if it's a fire sudatorium only thing.
 |
| {source}
|
After 5 hours of leisure I showered one last time {feel free to bring your own shampoo and conditioner or whatever you need, but they do supply things like shampoo, body wash, q-tips, hair dryers, lotion, body oil and more}. I got dressed, headed out to the main front desk and settled my bill. $122 for the massage experience and bimbimbap and 5 hours of bliss. {Don't forget, I had already paid $19 for my Groupon, but the regular entry fee is $30}. The only reason I was leaving? I had a plane to catch. Otherwise, I could have stayed another 5 hours. I think next time I have a couple days with nothing to do {read 2016} I will return for an overnight at the spa. It was that good.
Most of the photos in this post were not taken by me and have been sourced. I left my cellphone in my locker at King Spa & Sauna... you know, no pockets!
....................................................................
Unrelated... or maybe not, Chakra awareness, for lack of a better way to say that, has been present with me the last few weeks. This first came to light when I received a citrine cluster in my first Sapphire Soul monthly subscription. {I've been fascinated with monthly subscriptions for awhile now. They're like little surprise gifts to oneself. But the subscriptions I have tried in the past didn't really do it for me, so I had quit for more than a year. Recently I discovered a few new-to-me boxes that I think would help nurture my yogic journey - Sapphire Soul, YogiSurprise, BuddhiBox. So far so good!} Anyway... back to the Chakras. I didn't even know what kind of rock the citrine was. But after a little google help I discovered lots information - particularly that it was associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra. Then I kept reading and learned there are specific meditations that you can do for each Chakra and well... this goes on and on. Anyway... I am much more schooled in the Chakras now and am venturing into meditation that is Chakra centered and stuff. Well, curious... I haven't actually ventured there yet. {I have no idea what I am waiting for! Haha} That said.... all 3 yoga studios on this last trip through IN, WI and IL had nearly identical Chakra posters. For all I know every yoga studio has this poster. But I am just more aware now of Chakras in general, that maybe I am just beginning to notice these things! {I do recall the studio in MS had one... and the studio in NM had a giant chalkboard with Chakras drawn on it.} None of this is really relevant. Well, none of this is really relevant to you... but to me, I'm just curious. Curious about energy and balance and well-being. I don't know what Chakra awareness will bring to the table to satiate my curiosity. But I guess that is part of the journey. Namaste friends.
....................................................................
And one more random thing... when I got home from this journey my husband was at work. He had left me a bouquet of roses from our garden with a lovely little note. I told him a few days later that I had channeled love energy to him from my class in WI and that's why I think he left me the gift. He said he would have left it anyway. He is so thoughtful, loving and supportive. I don't know what I've done to deserve his love, but if I ever find out... I will do more of it! xoxo
Check out the other states from this trip - Indiana and Wisconsin... or all my 50 States of Yoga adventures!
No comments:
Post a Comment