We'd decided to do the run a day early not because of the great weather but because we had plans in the evening to meet friends at Banya 5, Seattle's Russian-style bathhouse, an "urban spa." This is the third or fourth time we've been and I love it. Admission is steep compared to going a hot springs in Japan, but beggars can't be choosers. I finally booked myself a 40-minute salt scrub. I just had to try it after Matisse's description.
It was heavenly, though not as abraisive as I imagined. I went through the whole hot tub/steam room/tepid pool/sauna/cold plunge cycle twice before plunkin myself down on the table, so I was already nice and rubbery by the time the scrub started. Basically, you're doused in warm water, latered in honey, covered in sea salt scrub, shampooed, rinsed, and turned over for the same treatment on the other side. Mmm. It was wholly invigorating, and I came out of it refreshed enough to take another bout in the platza and even beat on Justin with the oak branches for a bit.
We came home famished, ate a huge amount of ravioli, and watched Hard Candy (which I'm not sure I'd recommend-- it was interesting but not really thought-provoking OR entertaining) and crashed. Somehow we managed to do all this, run errands, and clean the house on one Saturday, which made me feel awesomely productive.
So today's been more relaxed, a nice change of pace because I'm used to spending Sunday mornings running. We walked up to Walingford and had breakfast at Julia's Bakey and since then we've been sitting around on the couch, watching movies and poking at our laptops.
Because the weather was so warm yesterday, it seems like forever since I went snowshoeing with co-workers, but really it's only been a week. Go figure that it would take me that long to get all the pictures edited. Here they are: you can see that the distance between a 70-degree Saturday and 3-feet of snow is just an hour-long drive into the mountains.
Also, I forgot to mention that Justin and I revisited a very nostalgic place for Valentines Day-- Chez Shea, the restaurant we last ate at for my high school prom in 2000. He had to attend clinicals at Children's Hospital on Valentines Day actual, so we went out the next night. Dinner was an amazing five-course special with an exquisite wine pairing. I think the Hokkaido sea scallops I got for the main course was one of, if not THE most, delicious dishes I've ever gotten at a restaurant. So while I'm not a fan of the holiday in general, we did have a wonderful celebration of our romance and enjoyed remembering the 7-year journey our love has been so far.
Posted on February 18, 2007 @ 2:03 PM | 4 comments
Comments:
My gawd I wish we had a spa around here, I could use that kind of pampering!!
By 
LazyLightning, at
5:46 PM, February 18, 2007
Next time you visit.
By 
Justin, at
5:51 PM, February 19, 2007
The new banner graphic is just so GREEN and CHEERY and I love it. Really. It makes me feel happy and hip just looking at it!
Fun and good times with the snowshoeing. And... mew... can we go to Banya Five when next visit? Mew?
By Rachel, at
6:59 PM, February 19, 2007
you guys seem to know / appreciate quite a bit about food. ever thought of writing reviews?
By , at
7:39 PM, February 20, 2007
