I have a massive smile on my face as I write this from bed! I am feeling giddy with feelings of calm and peace. My mind and body needed this day of rest. The body does keep score!
I feel centered, strong, and have a renewed sense of purpose for this journey. I also just feel prepared for tomorrow’s walk.
I will be honest; I woke up feeling crappy — with a headache, dry mouth, and foggy.
I was awakened not by my alarm clock… but by a phone call to my hotel room floor! I slept through my phone alarm and dozens of texts and calls from loved ones.
I was THAT tired.
The spa receptionist woke me up to remind me that I had my spa appointment at noon. She also asked me if I had a robe, slippers, and a swim cap. I had none 🙁
When I told her I didn’t, she appeared in my room within fifteen minutes with all those items.
She was so kind as she handed me my spa attire because I could only imagine what condition I looked like as I tumbled to open the door. Haha
I spent the 45 minutes before my spa appointment hydrating and trying to reorganize my thoughts and plan for the day. Although it was a rest day… I still had a few errands!
I needed to do laundry and attempt to get my clothes to be the driest they’ve probably been in days.
I needed an athletic store because I wanted to buy small massage balls for my feet and seek advice on why my bag was causing pain to my collarbones.
I also wanted to buy a water pack. I was going to head to the Decathlon, but that would have been 30 mins away by bus. However, a fellow pilgrim from the Camigas Fb group recommended Caminoteca, so I decided to save my energy check that out.
Then lastly, I needed to stock up on some fruits and bars for my journey.
So, on my agenda was a long day of rest, but also a day of preparation.
Spa review:
I went to the spa at my hotel. I will post a picture of my hotel name from bookings.com because the hotel/spa has another name on Google Maps.
It is 25 euros for 45 minutes in their spa treatment center.
You must book an appointment because they can only have one or two people in the center at a time. I’m not sure if this is due to COVID or the limited size of the area. Also, they are closed on Sunday and Monday!
The spot is on level -2 of the hotel. It’s very private and quiet.
The sweet receptionist will welcome you at the front desk of the spa center. She gives you all you need and will walk you through the center and let you know how to use everything.
It isn’t the most luxurious spa I have been to, but it is WELL worth the price, and clean.
The center had everything I needed. I was given a small water bottle, plush cozy robe, slippers (but I used my own), and a swim cap.
I had the whole center to myself! Which was quite the treat, especially after using shared spaces for so many days. I felt pampered.
The spa center is quite a bargain for 25 euros for 45 minutes. It was more than enough time, around 30 minutes, I could have left, but I just kept stretching and extended my rehab routine.
The spa has:
- Jacuzzi
- Steam room
- Dry sauna
- Cold “misty” jet shower
- Another jet shower that has water rush out at various temperatures of your choosing. The water shoots at different intervals from starting from the base of your feet to the top of your head.
- And there’s some sort of ice bowl thing where you can use ice. That was the only part that was kind of odd because I didn’t know how to apply the ice. I didn’t want to make a mess for the attendant to clean up, but I ended up just taking a whole bunch of ice and planting it on my feet, and then taking ice and putting it on my shoulders.
The sauna wasn’t as hot as I normally would like it because I am a sauna baby, and I like then HOT! But when I told her, I think she raised it a little bit. I also kept my robe on in the sauna to raise my body temperature, and it worked!
After years of training in different sports. I have a routine in terms of how to rehab my body. I use hot and cold, and this is what I did in the center:
1 min Cold shower then 5 min Jacuzzi x 2
Then go back and forth with an ice/cold shower and steam room/sauna.
I finished off with a sauna.
I also did stretches in the steam room and sauna. It was GLORIOUS 😬☺️ I did this for the whole 45 minutes of my time there.
I walked out of that center feeling like a million bucks! Ha!
I felt so “loved” & happy.
If you have time and the means, then do this if you can, especially after that walk from Orisson 😩
After that, I did laundry at a place around the corner, which I highly recommend. It’s kind of expensive, but the price includes soap. However, I did wash and dry in under an hour.
And it’s all automated and very easy to use, and I could rid of the coins weighing me down!
Then I went to the sports store and for my collarbones—I was told I just needed cloth paddings like socks or clothes rolled under my straps!
I went to a grocery store near the sports store. I bought fruit, bars, and neon green dry-wicking small kitchen towels for my collarbones.
I was on the hunt for a rice dish after so many days of eating bread and potatoes.
And I was in luck! I spotted Irunazarra, and they had a rice and chicken dish, that’s what I got! It was delicious 🤤I had dinner alone and read a nice romantic novel while eating. Anyone else looks Julia Quinn 🙃
I walked around town for a little bit and took pictures of interesting doors and shops. And then I went home with hot chocolate and a cookie for dessert.
I will spend the rest of the evening cuddled up in bed watching Virgin River on Netflix and psyching myself up for the next day. 😆
I feel very excited about tomorrow. I’m anxious to get started early; I plan on leaving around 630 and heading to Puente La Reina.
Liosuelo 