How An All-Girls Staycation Weekend Reminded Me of My Fearlessness

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

"When you feel like you don't fit in anywhere, find the people who fit you because there is no one else like you." ~ Issa Rae

The G6 minus Nanthale who was taking this pic (Left to right: Me, Jonquel, Fabiola, Brooke and Marlena)




So I'm going to totally admit something that may shock you...


I'm 47 years old and I have never been to a spa.


I always wanted to go but to be honest, I thought I couldn't afford to (now I know different, thanks to Groupon) and I was simply afraid to go. I didn't know how I would be received. Plus, I used to be so uncomfortable changing in front of people, wearing swimsuits and... let's not even discuss the nudity involved when showering at the spa (hello, open stalls!).

To some that might seem silly, but my feelings are valid and anyone who feels that way, I understand. We are all at different places in our journeys but we all deserve respect and compassion regardless. 

So when the girls of the G6 told me that we would be doing a spa during our staycation weekend, I was apprehensive at first but then I realized, it's my birthday and it was time for a spa day. I needed it in my life. More than I even realized.

I'm comfortable now with wearing swimsuits and after spending almost two years of changing into numerous pieces of clothing at Gwynnie Bee, undressing in front of others was not a big deal to me anymore. The nudity either, for some reason (I mean, I have had sex with the lights on so why not?). I felt okay about it all. So I went for it. Yay for fearless moments!

Me with Brooke aka Cardi B., lol
We went to the Premier 57 spa after our Sunday brunch at Alice's Tea Cup, which I blogged about here.

Premier 57 is basically amazing. As a first time spa goer, I was in awe. We were ushered in and each given a robe and slippers. We were told to lock up our shoes in small lockers assigned to each of us, located towards the entrance, as shoes are not allowed inside within the spa.

We were all given watches that were actually our "key" to our lockers. All we had to do was place the face of the watch over the front of the locker's black square to unlock them. The watches also act as a "open tab". Every time you buy something, whether it's food/drink or services, your watch is scanned and then you pay the full total upon your exit. 

We were shown to the locker room where we changed into our swimsuits and locked away our stuff. Please note, if you don't return your robe when you leave, you will be charged $15.

Speaking of robes, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my robe fit my upper arms and while it did not flap over in the front, it closed enough where it fit well AND the tie belt was long enough for me to tie at the waist. This made me feel soooo much better and not feel like I didn't belong there.



We were then given a tour of the spa. I have to be honest. The spa is three floors and there is no elevator. I'm not a fan of stairs and have anxiety over the idea of falling (it has happened to me before where I broke my ankle). But I took my time and did it. Another fearless moment!

First floor is the offices, second floor is the saunas/dining area/indoor heated pool/massage area with chairs. They also have a nap area and a place to charge your phone while you relax. There's plenty of water machines around because they encourage you to stay hydrated as you can become dehydrated quickly from the heat. 


Indoor pool on second floor
Third floor has an outdoor pool and a hot tub. There's a full bar on the second floor at the indoor pool. They even carry non-alcoholic frozen drinks!


There were 6 saunas to choose from or you can go in them all. There's also a heated pool for those who want to go nude. 

Me in the color therapy sauna - of course, I chose red!
 

You read right, 153 degrees! This one has no benches to sit. You lay or sit on the floor.
There's an Igloo sauna that helps you cool down after visiting the hot saunas. I hate heat and it was almost 92 degrees on that day outside (so I came into the spa, hot to begin with). The Igloo was a welcome retreat for me. Ahhhhh...





Once in the spa, the girls hung out in the indoor heated pool on the second floor and then we split up to do our own thing around the spa. Marlena and I headed to the saunas where we actually did 15 minutes in the Gold sauna, to which I was shocked I survived. 160 degrees, people!!!!

It was so hot in there that you can't even sit on the benches without putting something over them or else, you're burning your booty and any other body part that touches the walls and benches. Yikes.





It was hot but it legit felt SO GOOD. The indoor heated pool was Heaven as I have arthritis in my knees and ankles and there were spots in the pool where the water massaged certain body areas. There were benches placed within the pool's outer area so you can sit and enjoy the heated water (it was 91 degrees).

I felt so relaxed after my day at spa. It was so awesome that some of us were talking about doing a monthly spa day. Entrance fee is $75 + tax but you can stay the whole day. I'm going to start a spa fund where I will put $5 - $10 in a jar when I can. Seriously! Self-care also includes treating yourself and this is an amazing way to do that.

More info on admission into Premier 57 and what it includes is here.

Here's some more images from our spa day:




And of course, I have to mention my swimsuit from swimsuitsforall.




I will admit that it was a challenge for me to find a cute suit in my size. I wanted a two piece with a skirt bottom but I also wanted a nice color or print and not black. I love this print swimdress I chose but the inner shelf bra was not super supportive (I'm a 44G). It may work better for a smaller busted woman. I did not feel sexy in this suit but it served its purpose of the spa day and I felt pretty.

I would have loved to get a GabiFresh suit but none are my size right now. I have hope that swimsuitsforall will add more cute and sexy styles above a size 24 to give me and other women my size some options. Fingers crossed!

Special thanks to Premier 57 for having us and thanks to swimsuitsforall for the swimsuits. What an amazing way to close out this staycation and my birthday weekend!

SwimsuitIvy V-Neck Swimdress (I'm wearing a size 26)

You also can get FREE 3-day shipping + 30% off with code 17AUG1 at swimsuitsforall by clicking here.

*This post is in collaboration with Premier 57 and swimsuitsforall but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains some affiliate links and I'll earn a small commission if you shop through them.  This is one of the ways I can continue to bring you inspiring content. Thank you!

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