My first look at the Resort!

written Jan 8, 2008:

Today was my official start date and my first official full tour of the property. Amazing really. Hard to describe….but I’ll try. As the guests arrive, they first see stunning arrangements of local foliage in a beautiful outdoor lobby which over hangs a large pond full of colorful fish. As they wind down towards the private pavilions, a 300+ year old banyan tree appears around the corner to take their breath away. The path continues to wind through the elegant silk shop, the private yoga studio, the indoor pool/hot tub/sauna/cold plunge house, the Thai Massage hut, the arts & crafts room, the cooking class kitchen…until you enter the Spa area. There are 57 treatment rooms (and by the way, there are also 57 guest rooms….making it probably the only spa in the world to have a 1:1 ratio of rooms to treatment rooms).

The list of spa treatments is endless. There is also an entire dermatology division, physiotherapy division, hydrotherapy division, and of course the part I’m involved in, the holistic health and wellness division. Part of my job is to guide guests to the treatments that will best fit their health goals for their stay. So of course, in order for me to do this, I must receive some of the treatments!…which is exactly what part of my training entails!

The resort has security guards at every possible entrance. Unlike most resorts, the grounds are absolutely closed to the public. I am not even allowed to take any photos, nor is anyone else for that matter. Computers, cell phones, and PDA’s are only allowed in the guest rooms, not in any of the public areas because this place is all about Health, Wellness, RELAXATION, rejuvenation….I just got the whole Welcoming-powerpoint-for-new-staff presentation today and was very impressed. They take health and wellness very seriously here…and they should at a price tag of $500-$1500 per day!!…but hey, that includes a daily massage, 3 meals, the fitness classes, yoga classes, and daily meditation classes…which of course are also part of my next 2 weeks of training. All the spa treatments are extra.

On my off hours, I am allowed to use any of the facilities…the gym, the classes, the indoor pool house with hot tub, steam room, and my favorite, the cold plunge! The only thing I’m not allowed to do is use the outdoor pool, lay by the outdoor pool, or eat at the guest’s restaurants. But apparently, we are understaffed in my division so I will be working 6 very full days a week. My meals are served in the staff house and I’ve been very happy….full fresh salad bar at every meal, and always at least 4 different hot food options, usually with tons of veggies….yipee! The fruit is all new to me and is great! The rose apple. The dragon fruit….yummy new flavors to add to my lifetime experience of mother nature’s delights.

As all of you are about to wake up shortly, (I’m 15 hours ahead of Seattle so add 3 hrs and then flip day/night) I better head to bed…tomorrow is day 2 and I am scheduled for hour long overviews of all the different departments. And come Wednesday, I receive my first spa treatment, followed by Thursday in which I receive 4! Stay tuned!