Massage Envy

Thursday 12/15

I was thinking of going to Disney Hollywood Studios, but after the hectic day yesterday, I decide to take things a little more easy. There is a spa at the shopping center where the fitness center is called “Massage Envy,” and they are advertising first-time customer massages for $39 for 60 minutes. That’s too good to pass up, so I call them and they can get me in at 1 p.m. today. I pack the gym bag, but with no intention of working out; only to use the pool and whirlpool at the fitness center after the massage. I get checked in at Massage Envy, fill out the paperwork, and am introduced to “Eileen,” my massage therapist.

She does a nice job, concentrating on my neck and shoulders, which I’ve requested. Not the best massage I’ve ever had, but certainly very nice, and Eileen is “chatty,” and gives me a couple of tips about navigating Orlando, specifically to take Universal Blvd. when trying to get anywhere on I-Drive, since Universal parallels I-Drive and is much less busy … all the locals do this. You just have to know the closest cross street, then cut over to I-Drive. And she tells me about Point Plaza, which has all kinds of nifty shops, restaurants, and a movie theater, and is kind of like Downtown Disney, but on a smaller scale, and closer to where I live. She tells me to try “Opa,” this Greek restaurant, and I tell her I’ll check it out. The massage plus $13 tip comes to $54. The people at the front desk proceed to try and sell me on an annual membership, citing 700 locations across the U.S. But I tell her no thanks, since there are no locations close to me. She checks my home zip code of 53536, and sure enough there are none. Another long sales pitch averted. (Dawn later tells me that there is a location in Madison by East Towne next to IHOP.)

Next, I soak in the whirlpool at 24 Hour Fitness and hit the pool for a cool dip. Then off to a Starbucks across the street on Orange Avenue for a tall Pike Place, and reading my Kindle for about an hour.

Back at the condo, I bake the stuffed green pepper I was going to have last night, and it is delicious. I settle in for NBC Comedy night, and damned if it isn’t all repeats, but still fun. I hit the sack around 10 p.m. It’s been a great, relaxing day, the kind of day that I almost feel guilty about. Almost.

Expenses:  Massage: $54, Starbucks $2 total: $56.

Bruce