Virtuoso Insights - February/March 2009 - (Page 50) into the sky. Utterly at rest on our plush recliners, we talk about how good life can be and thank our lucky stars we’re in Texas. LURED BY THE WATER THE NEXT MORNING, Adrienne and I wake early and, following a light breakfast, embark on our first Hydro-bike ride. Moving upstream requires some work, but we are instantly rewarded when, after pedaling as far as we can, we spin our vessels 180 degrees and simply let the river carry us. Transported at once into another zone, we watch sunlight sparkle on the surface of the water and winds dance in immense cypress trees standing on the shore. Beneath the fluttering giants, guests glide past on bicycles or strike yoga poses on the docks, immersed also in this sweet slowness we’ve just discovered. It’s all about time, I decide as we float downstream — about slowing down sufficiently and long enough to actually see and experience the life that we’re living. This newfound revelation and Huck Finn–like freedom is intoxicating, and for a moment I’m tempted to just keep on keeping on, but as Adrienne reminds me, our appointments at the LakeHouse Spa are calling. Boasting more than 100 therapies and over 25 treatment environments, including couple’s suites and outdoor cabanas, this 25,000-square-foot Shangri-La of spas stands on a nearby ©Joel Puglisi hilltop above the water. And as with any path to Nirvana, our ascending, spiraling stroll there first leads us through various stages of enlightenment and bliss. We pass beneath trellises draped with wisteria, over stone bridges spanning ponds that pulse with koi, and through vibrant gardens thriving with lupine and Texas sage. When we at last arrive at the summit, Adrienne slips off for her Gifts of Our Gardens body treatment while I, unsure what to expect but keeping an open mind, embark on an 80-minute session called From Sweden to Tibet and Back. Beginning with a Swedish massage, my treatment culminates with sound therapy generated from Tibetan singing bowls. Laying one bowl by my head, another by my feet, and one on my stomach, my practitioner repeatedly rings each bowl until my whole body begins to ring like a Buddhist chime. The vibrations, my practitioner explains, are meant to cleanse and restore energy after being absorbed and transported via water in my system. Afterward, still buzzing from the experience and walking back down the path from the spa, I feel utterly awake, aware, and in tune. Bold colors erupt from the gardens and from the belly of a cardinal I see perched in the center of a pecan tree. The sound of water flowing from the spa’s fountain to the river is the only sound I hear. utterly at rest on our plush recliners, we talk about how good life can be and thank our lucky stars we’re in Texas. 50 Virtuoso insights ©Joel Puglisi
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