Calistoga

 

On  February 2nd, Linda and I met with her orthopedic surgeon regarding her hip replacement.  Linda's new hip has healed and she has no restrictions.  Well done Linda and Dr. G.  With that in mind, I planned a trip to Calistoga for our mud bath experience.

Linda was anxious regarding being in the mud.I  was  enthusiastic . Even though everyone she talked to about Calistoga mentioned that it was going to be marvelous,still, Linda remained nervous.  So, on the following Tuesday , we headed for  the Napa  area and arrived around lunchtime.  We stopped at the Calistoga Inn and shared a terrific Reuben sandwich.  Then ,it occurred to me that , in my other life, I had visited that establishment roughly 35 years ago on a motorcycle trip . The old section seemed the same, but  new sections were added.  

After lunch we strolled down Lincoln Avenue window shopping.  Passing a display of clothing garments outside St. Clair Clothing Company, Linda's eye focused on a fashionable coat. They talked.  Within seconds, we were inside the store and Linda was trying on coats of different sizes .  Yes, she purchased a sharp, fashionable coat for the remainder of her stroll.  We then stopped for a mocha so Linda could catch her breath.

We proceeded and stopped at Shawn  Smith's  Art on the Vine Gallery and Studio .  We engaged with Shawn and found out about his  being a farmer, rancher, carpenter, and so forth until he was able to focus on his  love of painting.  His wife , Lisa Marie , is a schoolteacher and they opened up the store on Lincoln over three years ago.  A fashionable set of earrings caught Linda’s eyes and she purchased them .

Then we headed for our treatment.  We parked, registered and checked into our room.  We were told to come back about 2:45 PM, just wearing our bathrobes.  We were given an introduction and details and then proceeded to the coed mudroom area.  Linda was nervous regardless of reassurance and was told that if it wasn't to her liking, she could leave at any time.  The aide gave us instructions and told us that she would be outside the door and we could call her at any time if needed.  Linda and I disrobed and I had some difficulty assisting her into the tub.  She was somewhat resistant and then was able  to let go and then found herself floating in the mud tub. Linda quickly relaxed and said it was wonderful . I then proceeded and found myself in the adjoining  mud tub.  We floated on the top of the mud and had to use our hands to splash mud  over the rest of our  bodies.  Linda quickly became calm and marveled at the experience.  With soothing background music, we just floated in this special and unusual  mud.  

After 20 or 30 minutes or so, the aide entered and we were shown how to get out of the tub .We then took our showers to remove the mud.  Unfortunately, the shower water  never became hot.  So the aide used the mineral water in the hot tub to remove excess mud.  We then immersed ourselves in the mineral water for another 20 minutes or so.  It was a erotic experience for me and Linda was very receptive and loving as well.  Then, we proceeded to the next phase, which was the cooldown with a blanket wrapped around us and 2 cucumber slices on our  eyelids during the cooldown.

After about an hour and ½ , we went back to our room and engaged in more closeness, warmth, tenderness and pleasure.  Much later, we headed out to the Bricco Osteria  and shared a delicious and scrumptious lamb shank over risotto for our dinner meal. After dinner, we then  drove back to our room to resume the evening..

The next morning after showering and so forth we left for Café Sarafornia for breakfast.  I had oatmeal and Linda and scrumptious French toast with lemon and berries.  I helped her clean her plate.  Then we headed home.  On the way, we talked with Bev and Linda's daughter Sidne.  Linda became a cheerleader again and talked about her wonderful experience in Calistoga.  She told them she was initially scared of the mud bath but once in the tub, it was delightful, soothing and relaxing. Before reaching home, we stopped at Barnes & Noble's for a mocha and book purchases and we talked about a revisit .