October 16, Thursday – Two for One Day

When we drove up the gorge the day before, we unhooked the land dinghy (also called a toad by some. I never did understand why until just the other day. It is the ‘In-Tow’ vehicle or “toad” for short…) and headed to a place that some of the local La Conner women go to called Carson Mineral Springs. The spa is located on the Washington side of the river near Stevenson. The mineral springs was in the middle of an identity crisis. It did not know what century it was in. The old St. Martin Hotel and the Bathhouse were of the 1920’s but the lodge buildings were definitely 1990’s. Mary and I asked if we could check the place out and off we went exploring. The woman at the desk threw out the hook. “Tomorrow is two for one day. Total price is $20.”
But before we indulged, we went further upstream to the famous Maryhill. When I was there last week, it was overcast and almost empty. Today it was electric clear with hundreds of elementary school kids. Loved the contrast. After a meander through Sam Hill’s collection of fine art, we drove up to Stonehenge to make scarifies and take photos before returning to the land boat for a supper on the river.
From there we headed for the date with a tub. I was surprised that after our soaks and comparing notes how different the mineral springs was for men and women. The sexes are divided into their appropriate parts of the Bathhouse. I was shown to a room with eight comfortable narrow beds and was told that the basket at the end of the bed number 6 was for my clothes. On Mary’s side the women had private changing stalls with baskets placed in a rack. The bath attendant took me to room with eight huge claw foot tubs and again I was number 6 with a room full of guys. Mary had a privacy screen around her tub.
So into the mineral water I slid and adjusted both mentally and physically to the change. The water temperature must have been 106. For the next 45 minutes I soaked alternating between submerged to hanging my legs outside the tub. When I thought that my poor heart could no longer take it, I pulled my limp body carcass out and swayed to the bed for a wrap. First the attendant put a steaming hot towel across my back then had me lie back on the bed, then he wrapped my whole body in a sheet followed by a light blanket then a heavy blanket tucked in tightly around me for a final cover and there I roasted in my own heat like an Egyptian mummy. Because my head was also wrapped, I could hear very clearly my arrhythmic heart beat in my ears. Sweet ,sweaty, hot, death……….. Death for only $10. Can’t beat it. Finally I threw off my suffocating cocoon and staggered to the showers. I must live! I have daughters to teach about life.
As I left the Bathhouse I found Mary sitting on the benches outside in the night time air. I collapsed next to her and we spoke of our soaks and wraps at Carson Mineral Springs. It was worth every penny.