I know that what I'm about to say is going to sound entirely spoiled because well, it is. For the past three years I've managed to make a warm winter escape by both work (hosting yoga retreats or writing) and pleasure -- from Brazil to Mexico. For a sun-needy creature and wanderlust like me, the voyages came at perfect timing-- smack dab mid-January or February, breaking up the drudgery of Brooklyn's drab gray sky, and ice-crusted cement. I'd arrive back in my urban abode, refreshed with memories of white-sand beaches, laid-back days and sun-kissed with a glow that re-charged my batteries and left me uplifted until spring's arrival.
Without work taking me away somewhere toasty and tropical, and my yoga studio's demands keeping me local this blustery season, I'm on mission to make not going anywhere entirely OK. As any other wanderlust will attest, this is quite the task.
But as I'd learn this past Friday -- I could, with just a pinch of effort -- contrive an inner glow without taking my annual winter escape. And yes, this busy blogger, yogini, and entrepreneur could somehow manage to swing it in less than 24-hours, in fact four hours to be precise.
Here was my all-star Friday night spa date with myself. For those with with an entire day off, or weekend, can modify to stretch out the staycation. You'll want to make this one last.
The 6:30pm-Stock-Up on Bath Salts
Photo: Comstock Images
It's Friday, 6:30pm, and my meeting with my web designer finishes. In a blistery snow shower, I high tail it from his studio to a neighborhood organic health food store to grab a few weekend provisions: fruit, milk, bread, yogurt and then make a pit stop in the bath/body section to grab herbal bath salts (more on that later). As I near check-out, I see the fresh juice counter closing shop. Oh no! I plop down my basket and make it just in time to order a mixed-veggie juice to go (more on that later, too).
7:30pm: Laze Your Way to a Local Massage Bed
Photo: Maria Teijeiro/Thinkstock Images
I arrive home from the store, no easy fete with snowy sidewalks and two very heavy bags in tow. It doesn't sound like a vacation yet, but it will soon. Promise. I put away the groceries, stick my juice in the fridge, grab my coat and brave the cold once more.
Somehow the cold doesn't feel so cold when you're making your way to a nearby massage parlor, at least not for me. My warm and fuzzies continue all the way through my one-hour acupressure session that included a hot stone massage. Deluxe. My masseuse's petite stature doesn't stop her from giving me the most intensely delicious deep-tissue rub. Like a gambler, I strongly considered staying on the table for another hour but at $55/60-mins. I decide to walk away and keep it affordable. Must. Walk. Away.
The 8:30pm Juice Cleanse
Photo: Thinkstock
...Luckily I walked home straight to the delicious fresh veggie juice sitting in the fridge. The idea of a cold beverage isn't so appealing but once I starting drinking my body thanks me. Fresh juices not only hold a nostalgic space in my heart ever since I sipped the most amazing ones popular in Mexico's Mayan Riviera, as I recently discovered carotenoid-rich fruits and veggies actually bestow a natural glow! My raw juice dinner doubles as a tanning bed sesh-- plus I receive all the vital nutrients needed to re-charge. Score.
9pm: No Computers, TV, or Phone Conversations Welcome
Photo: Thinkstock
To my spa staycation, that is. With an hour to kill before my desired early bed time, a luxurious shower (not too long) is next up. I grabbed my new herbal bath salts sans chemical nasties and hop in for a scrub. Who has time to exfoliate, right? But when you're on staycation, these are the little extras that make the bathroom feel like the beach. Sand exfoliates and darn it, if I can't have sand, I am surely going to have my bath salts. And a post-shower lotion application.
10pm: Me and My E-Reader Snuggled Up in Bed
Photo: Comstock images
Is it sad that this goes down as one of my all-time favorite dates?
I woke up -- no alarm clock needed -- at 8am on Saturday morning. Refreshed, wide-eyed and happy as a clam on the beach -- without having to be on the beach. I did exactly what I set out to do. I sought my inner sun without leaving a 10 Brooklyn-block radius.
More Staycation Ideas:
My Sultry Summer Park Slope Staycation
Staycation Destination: Santa Monica
12 Ways to Enjoy an Island Staycation, Staten Island That Is