Off with a Kraków, Poland
Polski zdrowie & ideas for SPA packing intentions
Hello from the sauna at my hotel in Kraków (Hotel Grodek, very old timey and fun for a first stop) this city is great! So far super gorgeous, clean, and full of kind people + lots of tasty sweet treats like cake, icecream, and candy shops every few blocks.
It was a travel in from LAX, partially I blame KLM and their very sensitive seats. The guy sitting behind me was tapping his touchscreen TV VERY staccato, effectively waking me up nearly every time I fell back asleep. I probably shouldn’t have boasted about my plane sleeping abilities, and maybe that was karma? Anyway, it’s been hovering in the 70s and full sunshine here for the last day and a half. Naturally, our first thought was pierogies and massages - highly recommend the Thai Bali Garden Spa just north of Old Town Square. I was blessed with Suatri’s hands - she was incredible, really getting into some of the knots of my shoulders and neck. She also employed a new-to-me technique, using both her hands and forearms, which involved “tearing” my calf muscles in opposing directions, perpendicular to the bones.
Editor’s note: I am JETLAGGED and was awake at 3am in the bathtub finishing this post. Days and tenses are blending.
Yesterday we went for a natural bathing experience and headed off to the old quarry, now Lake (?) Zalew Zakrzówek. The lake is known for its cliff jumping scene (however, not formally encouraged). Since it has only been deemed a park and sanctified nature reserve in the 1970’s, this space for recreation and water leisure is relatively new. Fun fact: there are many diving “props” at the bottom of the lake from the past now used for scuba diving lessons PLUS an Elvis Presley rock memorial in the park. A must-visit while in Krakow during the summer months.
The water was super clean and perfectly refreshing. We scrambled down a hillside and found our own little nook of the shoreline. VIP travel item goes out to my BATH PILLOW yet again!! What can’t she do? A perfect neck plane pillow + back/butt rest for sharp rocks in the lake + personal floation device! Truly, it has changed the game - thank you Ranney for this glorious Christmas present. Outside of the pillow, I’m super happy with my final shoe selection for this trip and can confirm the row dup3s are perfect for swimming and a bit of hiking.
more on packing soon and my last-minute suitcase switch up - bringing me to »»»»»»
WIYSB (Travel Edition)
Starting the travel theme off right, I asked Lily Scott i.e. what’s in her travel spa bag after reading the gorgeous Georgia sanitorium adventure on stack. A bio from that feature: “trying to live a quiet life of truth and beauty in Montana.” Without further ado
Things to pack if gourmet bathing is on the itinerary: (clearly a WET girlie with the gourmet bathing reference!!)
Tapochki: Plastic slides are the most essential item for almost all spas and springs. For foot health, yes, but mostly for foot comfort. Mine are birch-leaf themed from the legendary (this is always the descriptor) Sandunovsky baths in Moscow, but due to ongoing horrible war/sanctions, they are not currently available or advisable for purchase for most. But luckily, the world is full of great tapochki!
Robe: elbow-length, knee-length, pockets that can fit a book, thin fabric – like the one from Ten Thousand Waves. I am mostly off of merch, but damn if these tees came back... Ojo Caliente should consider this a challenge! (Great minds think about New Mexico - see comments here )
Korean spa scrubby mitt: Exfoliate your body from coarse to fine, as you would an antique table! You could pack all grits of mitts, but I just pack a green one.
Towel: Terry cloth will only bog you down and ensure that none of your stuff will ever dry.
Bring one or two smallish-sized Turkish hammam towels instead – this shop in Antalya is really good.
Depending on the spa/springs, some other things to consider: hat (sun, rain, snow, banya), face mask, salt scrub, lotions, vennik, headlamp (if hiking in or out to springs at night), water bottle (especially for potable springs so you can bring a bottle home).
Travel in general:
Small cashmere/wool sweater. I took the dark green version of this sweater on a recent month-long trip through many different cultural and climatic environments, and it was the MVP – never lost its shape, practical in the wilderness, polished in the city.
Not glamorous, but this is the hardest-working garment in my wardrobe.
Folding fan for weddings and travel -- I have this one; there are some nice Nishikawa Shoroku Shoten fans online for better prices and some nice-looking ones here.
Sometimes, cheap is better. A headlamp to read in bed, find things in the night or in a dark corner, for night walks/hikes – if I didn’t already have the battery-powered one, I’d get the rechargeable one.
The Eres cotton cover-ups are better than I thought a little cotton dress could be. An incredibly thin (almost sheer) but tight weave that holds its shape and folds up small enough to fit in a sandwich bag. I sleep in these, wear them to the beach, and use them to cover my face to sleep on the plane.
For Georgia or most anywhere in the Orthodox or Muslim world: a silk scarf to cover your hair.
Incredible recos, thank you Lily!!!
We are heading to ZAKOPANE, Poland » lots of stars on the map coming your way soon. Drop me a line if you know somewhere SPA should review between Zakopane, Gdansk, and Polcyn!
xoxo,
Coco
P.S. I’ve just had my FIRST textile-free sauna experience in a coed public space woowoooo
sandunovsky tapochki 💓