Life in the slow lane

Let' see...for once I'm at a loss for words describing the "water massage" experience.  Like all massage, it mostly requires doing nothing at all, except in this case you're floating like a corpse on your back in hot mineral water.  The masseuse puts an inflatable pillow behind your neck, and then supports your other sinking appendages with those pool "noodle" things.  I have a mortal phobia about getting water in my ears, so ear plugs were also provided. Of course I didn't trust them and that sort of added to the anxiety.

Finally you just surrender and lie back while he does his full body massage work. To be honest, it takes a while to relax into the experience, but in the end the hot water wins out and you have no choice.  The last time someone carried me trustingly around in water was probably in 1952!  An hour later, I was as limp as a piece of cooked pasta. Well, I'd call that a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We're checking out of the lovely Lido Palms this morning, and moving to the Coyote Inn in downtown Palm Springs for our last 3 nights.  It's pretty hard dragging yourself out of the mineral water, but we wanted to save time for some excursions in the nearby mountains and the Joshua Tree National Park.  The wind has died down, and the weather each morning is absolutely exquisite.