The idea of going on holiday and lounging pool side for days on end does not appeal to me. Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m as much of a sloth as the next guy, but seriously, lying on some rickety outdoor sun bed, trying to pretend like you’re not cold or bored? Give me a break.
Suffice to say, it was with some trepidation and skepticism that I approached our recent trip to the Penninsula Hot Springs in sunny Mornington.
To me, the whole operation seemed like a glorified bath in someone else’s dirty water. Goddamnit, the whole shebang was just going to be some oversized, expensive, diseased, heated puddle in the middle of no where. Jesus Christ, I’ve got a perfectly good tub in my bathroom and I don’t even have to leave my house to use it!
At the end of the day, though, I’m an open minded sort of a person, so I was willing to give it a try.
Off the bat, the service at this place was fantastic. They gave us bath robes and slippers. They sent us into a lavish waiting room stocked full of herbal teas and high brow lifestyle magazines. We had to wait about 15 minutes before our bath was ready. My cynicism got the better of me and I assumed they were skimming the layer of scum off the surface, kind of like when you make soup. After all, there were a lot of elderly people visiting that day and we all know how their skin can occasionally take on a life of it’s own, especially when confronted with near-boiling water. Porridge, anyone?
By the time it was our turn to jump in the swamp, I was so engrossed in an article about the benefits of natural feminine hygiene products, that I didn’t really want to go anywhere. I begrudgingly slammed the magazine back on the table and took the freezing walk from waiting womb to our bath.
After setting the temperature and explaining the rules to us, our guide shut the gate and left us to relax, unwind and maybe even develop some ungodly skin disorders.
Firstly, the water was hot. Really hot. However, once I got past that extreme shock to my system and my body managed to acclimatize, I actually began to enjoy myself. In fact, I’d say, for the entire half hour, I felt absolutely relaxed and at peace with my surroundings. Dare I say, I was even a little upset when it was over.
So there you have it. I can handle relaxation-based holidays, as long as the relaxation is in half hour blocks.
Tags: Melbourne, Mornington, Peninsula Hot Springs, Spa
