HIGH RELAXATION

“It’s a synergy of movements,” says Maria Pierce, my spa therapist, of the underwater massage

treatment I select out of curiosity. “It’s very relaxing for me too,” she adds. In a private treatment room with its own small pool, she

carefully and strategically swirls me through the water—sometimes just by lightly touching my big toe—and gently stretches my floating limbs. While there is a lovely skylight overhead, I close my eyes and trust in her movements: “Just go with the flow,” I think as I concentrate on the feel of the water’s current against my skin.

Since I never touch an edge or the bottom, my sense of time and place temporarily evaporates. “The water is strong,” Pierce explains afterwards. “The more you relax, the more tension you

release. You have to let yourself be in the moment.”