After working hard all year and filling our bellies over Christmas, it's time to pamper our bodies and give them a chance to regenerate before the new year's rush!
Medical SPA "Eglės Sanatorija"
With our bags packed in the car, we embark on a 5-hour journey to Lithuania and arrive in the wonderful town of Druskininkai. This time, our choice is Sanatorium Egle, and for 3 nights, we'll indulge in various procedures and therapies. Medical SPA "Eglės Sanatorija"
Our team this time consists of Evita Eidina, Lote Cīrule, Rodrigo, and me.
We left Dobele at 8:00 AM and by just before 1:00 PM, we rolled into Druskininkai, stopped at a store to buy drinks, and 5 minutes later, we were at the Egle sanatorium reception. This isn't our first time at this sanatorium, but this is our first time staying in the Standard building.
According to the Booking website, all rooms here are booked, and it takes a long time at reception until we get our room keys. While we wait for our turn, we are given vouchers and can all go to the adjacent building for lunch. The food selection is very wide, and everything is delicious.
At 4:00 PM, we have a scheduled visit to the doctor, where all four of us go and receive our lists of procedures. The doctor asks us about our problems and, based on our answers, prescribes procedures and various therapies.
After seeing the doctor, we have to go to the reception, where they schedule all our procedures and explain where each one is located. Next to the reception, in a separate room, we try our first procedure, which is an oxygen cocktail with a calming effect for Evita and an immunity-boosting one for our young people.
After the cocktail, we go to our rooms, change into swimsuits, and head to the pool. We leave our young ones there and go to enjoy the dark and light mud, respectively, dark for me and light for Evita. They sit me in a tub full of black mud, make me lie down, and cover me completely with this warm mud, additionally wrapping me in plastic. It's a good thing this procedure only lasts 15 minutes; I was hot and sweating profusely. The woman working there comes periodically and wipes the sweat from my forehead. But sweat is a minor thing; washing off in the shower, now that's not easy. After a while, I went to swim in the pool, and in the mirror, I saw that my back was still black. I sneaked into the pool as if dancing folk dances, moving sideways so my back faced the wall, so no one would see that I was entering the pool dirty!
As soon as they finished warming me in the black mud, they called Evita into the next room and applied light mud to her, mixed with some aromatic oil – just how girls like it. Evita was also wrapped in plastic and foil, and at the same time, a thick layer of this mud was applied to her face.
After the first day's procedures and pool visit, we go to our room to get dressed, because we have to make it to dinner, which is in another building, by 7:30 PM. On one hand, it's a slight disadvantage that you have to get dressed every time and walk across the grounds for meals, but on the other hand, it's a plus because it's very healthy to walk and get some fresh air before and after eating. Dinner also offers a wide selection, and our stomachs are even fuller than during Christmas.
On our way to our building, we also stop by the neighboring building, Comfort, where a concert is taking place tonight. However, since all seats in the restaurant are occupied, after lingering for a bit and tapping our feet to the music, we head to our room, as we need to write about how our day went.
Good night and see you again tomorrow!
Druskininkai, Sanatorium Egle, Day 2!
Medical SPA "Eglės Sanatorija"
The morning starts before seven so we can be at breakfast by 7:20, ten minutes before the first people, because we want to film what's served for breakfast here. There's also a large selection for breakfast, and everyone will find their desired food.
After breakfast, Evita Eidina has her first procedure, an Amber bath with Lavender scent. Amber means those small yellow stones you can find on the beach, not a bath with Dzintars from Krasta Street, who works at Kuršos.
At one o'clock, we had an electrostimulation procedure scheduled, but we moved it to Sunday because we weren't sure if we'd manage to return from the city and skiing. Yes, today we managed to ski at Druskininkai Snow Arena, which is the only indoor arena in the Baltic States, where you can ski all year round. This is the only thing Rodrigo likes so much that he could do nothing but ski all day.
Since this is Evita's first time in this city, before going skiing, we also take the cable car, both to the city and back.
Today, there are quite a lot of people who want to ski, and we have to wait in queues for a while, both when buying tickets and renting equipment. Before going to Druskininkai, we already knew we wanted to ski, so we had appropriate clothes with us, but if someone doesn't have anything, you can rent everything here, even ski pants and jackets.
Once I've dressed everyone and sent them into the arena, I get dressed myself, and I can say that this process is not the easiest or most pleasant, but this arena has free lockers where you can leave all your clothes and there are places to change, so this process becomes easier.
Upon entering the arena, the first thing is the beginner's hill, with a small lift, and this is where all those who are still afraid of the big hill learn. Of course, Rodrigo is already going down the big hill, but Lote and Evita try the small hill to understand their level of friendship with skis and snow. I go to the big hill, try out the new board I just rented, and realize that I still have the skills and have no problem getting from top to bottom. I go to call the girls to the big hill, but from their wide, open eyes, I understand that their fear is great, but their determination to overcome it is greater, because both listen and follow me. Lote, without much thought, starts skiing down the hill, and she does it quite well. Evita tries, but fear is currently greater than her self-confidence that she can do it, so she ends up using her bottom as a way to stop and brake. Lote goes down 3 more times and already asks me to film her from behind, and our video turns out great. Lote skis without a hitch and quite fast, I even have to gather myself to catch up with her on my board.
Meanwhile, Evita tries to get friendly with skis alone, and by the end, she's starting to succeed. While the girls are still learning, Rodrigo is already jumping off ramps and skiing like a pro.
It's two o'clock and we have to rush back to the Sanatorium because lunch is until 2:30 PM, and we don't want to miss it, as the food is really delicious.
After making it to lunch, we rest a bit after our athletic afternoon, and by 3:30 PM, Evita and I go for a 30-minute meditation in a dark room, where we lie down in comfortable leather chairs, put on headphones, and quiet music and a story start playing. But as soon as I had to imagine a corridor and a door at the end of it, I fell asleep and didn't hear the rest of the story. I woke up when it was all over.
After meditation, together with the youngsters, we head to the pools and saunas, enjoying the water for an hour. But after an hour, the youngsters stay in the pools, while Evita and I go for our next procedures: electrostimulation for the back, a blood pressure-lowering bath with cool water and carbon dioxide bubbles tickling the body. After the bath, I measured my blood pressure, and it had indeed dropped, even by 20 points, compared to yesterday. And the final procedure of the day was a 20-minute waterbed massage, during which I fell asleep again and woke up only when Evita photographed my sleeping face.
After the procedures, we get dressed and go to dinner. After dinner, we go back to the Comfort building to listen to a concert and then return to our rooms to write about today's adventures and prepare for tomorrow.
Good night and see you on day 3 in Druskininkai.
Sanatorium Egle, Day 3! Blood Pressure Problem!
Medical SPA „Eglės Sanatorija“
Before I finally got around to writing about Day 2's adventures yesterday, I slept for at least an hour, then spent 30 minutes trying to force myself to get up and go to my desk. I felt a level of fatigue I hadn't experienced in a long time. This is completely uncharacteristic of me, so I started to wonder what might be causing this exhaustion. I had suspicions yesterday, but confirmation of my suspicions came this morning: my blood pressure has dropped far too low. If my normal pressure is 140/90, this morning it showed 112/68. On one hand, it's unpleasant to feel such great fatigue due to low pressure, but on the other hand, I'm glad that a way to lower blood pressure without medication has finally been found. This is not an advertisement, but a real-life experience story, and since the doctor prescribed all the procedures that lower blood pressure, hats off to them, they really succeeded. Of course, the question is how long this pressure will remain within normal limits and when it will start to rise again, but for now, I am very satisfied with this outcome.
Our morning at the sanatorium starts at 7:00 AM, we go for breakfast at 7:30 AM, and to the first procedure at 8:40 AM, which is a 30-minute relaxation in a dark room with a strong lavender aroma, while the youngsters go for morning exercises and gymnastics at 9:30 AM.
After the morning exercises, I promise to take the youngsters to Snow Arena for skiing. After I drop them off, I rush back for a back massage. Evita messages that the youngsters shouldn't go skiing alone without an adult. Two minutes pass, and Rodrigo calls, saying they can't get on the slope without an adult. I tell them to wait until my massage is over and I'll come back.
Snow Arena Druskininkai
After the massage, I drive to Snow Arena, find one of the last parking spots, park the car, and go inside. Luckily, there's no queue, and we quickly get to equipment rental. We rent equipment for the youngsters, let them into the arena, and I go up to the cafe balcony, watch their first run, and then head back to the Sanatorium.
Evita Eidina before lunch, there's exercise in the pool. Actually, I should be there too, but I feign a leg injury and stay in the sun lounger. It's so good to watch others exercise from the sidelines that it even gets chilly, so while the whole big team is exercising in the pool, I get into the jacuzzi to warm up.
Today at Egle Sanatorium, we discovered a surprising fact: the exhibition of paintings displayed in the sanatorium's hallway belongs to local artist Māris Čačka. As it turns out, Māris Čačka is a scientist, head of the Department of Arts at Daugavpils University, a lecturer, head of the Mark Rothko Center, and a curator of exhibitions.
After exercising, Evita goes to lunch, but I go to pick up the youngsters. I thought I'd quickly gather them and rush back, but things don't always go according to plan. Half of Lithuania has converged on Snow Arena; cars are parked on the road, people are everywhere, queues are as long as in Soviet times for sausages, and there are as many people at equipment rental as at a Rammstein concert. I'm even surprised they have enough equipment for everyone to rent. I find the youngsters, help them with a locker that won't open, we sneak out through the cafe side and rush to lunch, making it in the last 5 minutes and eating our fill.
Our evening passes as usual every day: procedures, dinner, concert, pool, and saunas, but this time in the Comfort block. This block has one large pool with various bubbles, a lap pool for athletes, a small pool for various group activities, two large jacuzzis, and eight saunas. It's a great place to relax and unwind. Of course, our block also has a decent pool area, but in terms of sauna selection, the Comfort block is better.
Knowing that I have low blood pressure and to avoid yawning in the pools and falling asleep in the saunas, I drink 3 cups of coffee with dinner and feel great. I could write and write, but nobody reads such long articles anyway.
So, good night and see you in new adventures!
