 The Inn Credible New England philosophy that spending your travel budget on a spectacular experience within a comfortable driving distance from home typically is preferable to budgeting $1,000 or more on airfare and airfare-related expenses remains more true than ever during this worst of times that does not offer much hope of the best of times. The same concern that has kept me under house arrest with virtually no time in the yard for the last month and that will keep me close to home even when paroled in a few weeks is keeping me away from the not-so-friendly skies until at least May 2020.
More than ever, all of us who feasibly can do so should up our game by booking a trip that is guaranteed to offset income insecurity regarding toilet paper and hand soap in addition to being very tempted to hack away at hair ala a toddler hopped up on an entire box of Froot Loops. The trick to this is picking a spa-hotel where they are in it for the love of the game, rather than staying at a corporate hotel that has a small massage-and-facial (no pun intended) facility that is viewed as a cash cow. A combination of doing as I preach and of putting my money where my mouth is behind booking a stay at the Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts during what is hoped to be a sweet spot between life largely being back to normal and les freres Winchester shoving me back in my cage next November. Anticipation of my stay is a huge help keeping me from totally losing it these days. My "Shining" jokes stopped being funny a few weeks ago, and I often do not find anything of interest among my more than 10,000 DVD and Blu-ray sets. A sign of this is getting very annoyed that the "Gilligan's Island" gang does not call The Professor "Roy." He is not their teacher. I will be the guy at Canyon Ranch talking about classic films and television while living in his spa robe when he not trying to shed decades of angst on the massage table or in the steam room. My having a smuggled-in Diet Coke in my pocket should not be interpreted as my not being ecstatic to be there. "Students" who already are familiar with Canyon Ranch may go out to recess. You are among those who get it. I have had nice stays at quasi-corporate properties with laudable spas and never wanted a day of pampering at a top-notch facility outside San Diego to end. I KNOW that none of that will compare to my three days at Canyon Ranch. The "curse" that goes with the "blessing" of Canyon Ranch is that I likely will alienate friends by not shutting up about the place the next few months. They already have been subjected to hearing about the "Goldilocks" pillow menu that allows you to choose wisely, having your own spa locker with a code-lock while you are there, even the basic room having a good-sized sitting area with a comfy arm chair, every room having a DVD player, free washers and dryers so you are not stuck with stinky exercise clothes, etc. The ONLY downside is that, although the amenities likely are as wonderful as the hotel and the spa, they do not have fabled Aesop products. Those personal-care items simply are the best and have been another lockdown luxury.
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