A wellness spa was exactly what I needed. I realize that sounds a little bougie and maybe even "privileged" to some, but it also speaks to my priorities. I personally prefer to spend my "spare" time working on becoming the best version of myself for both myself AND my kiddos. I realized early on in motherhood that I cannot pour from an empty cup in addition to, I cannot raise healthy children if I, myself are not healthy. So if you are in the same boat and want to clear some chakras and relax a bit... read on!
I have always been into health and wellness, only the last 7 to 8 years have I made it my a part of my everyday life. I stepped away from the medical sales industry and stepped into being a wife, mother, health and wellness coach and fitness professional. I once heard someone say they know they are in the right career without a doubt. I can now say, I feel the same.
For those of you who aren't aware (which I assume most are, but you and I both know what assuming does)..My husbands pancreatic cancer battle recently ended after 17 months. He battled HARD. I was there with him fighting until the very end. I told him I would fight like hell until he said halt. He never said halt, his body did however just a month ago. He was only 47 when diagnosed and we were just getting started with parenthood and life together. We had just had our 3rd child and were adjusting to life as a family of 5 (during a pandemic mind you).
SO here we are. My almost 6 year old, almost 4 year old and 2 year old. Oh and I cannot forget to mention the ladies that have been with us through this battle and helped hold are hands, bodies and hearts when we needed it most. Still standing.. a saying our full time nanny (whom we hired after she was one of Kyles night nurses) always would say to me on days I felt I couldnt go on. She would stand me up, look me inthe eyes and say you are still standing. WE have got this.
I decided right after Kyles diagnosis I was going to take this battle one day at a time. It really ended up being 1 hour at a time. About half way though I surrendered to the fact that this was life as we knew it and I just had to hang on and persivere until either the cancer went away or God called Kyle to heaven. Every thing in front of us was unknown so I had to just cling to my husband, my kids and God to get myself through.
Now, on to this last week at Civana Wellness Spa and Resort. I am as Kyle would say, a bit granola. I believe in the power of positive thinking, I believe in treating your body as a gift and fueling your mind, body and soul with all the things that will help it, not hurt it. So by the time Kyles time had come to an end, I was all sorts of clogged up. The very things I try to help others do to keep themselves balanced and healthy were completely out of whack for me. I did keep boundaries around my workout routine and only for a short period of time stepped away. (Due to some unforseen drama and lack of boundaries by some people around us, some day I hope to be able to open up about this, however, for the sake of privacy, I will only talk to my close friends and therpist about the hurt, pain and trauma others caused).
I took my kids to the beach a couple of weeks ago to let them unload and unwind. They had a blast and I could see the joy in their faces and during and after the trip. Now, it was my turn. I decideed to take 4 full days and couldnt be happier to do so.
The deets of the trip. I stayed 4 nights at Civana Wellness Spa in Carefree, AZ. I landed on this spa for many reasons, one of which was logisitically it was simple to get to and direct flight from STL with decent flight times. I also was ok swallowing the cost of this resort versus some of the others. Side note, I prefer to spend money on health and wellness vs drinking cocktails. As we all know it adds up. I stepped away from alcohol shortly after Kyle was diagnosed for many reasons and haven't looked back since. I am more than willing to talk to anyone who has questions about this. I am an open book:).
So lets talk cost. My per night charge was $450.00. That includes all the activies, unlimited access to the pool and resort grounds. There is also a resort fee of $45.00 a night, however they waved that fee for me beacuse of some errors on their part as far as locations of some of their activites. I first night, I had signed up for a mediation outside and because their sprinklers flooded the green space, all my activites schedled outside, had to be inside. I wasnt super jazzed about that, however, they were accomodating. I would like to note here, that I did still very much enjoy the activites, however, I was really really looking forward to being in nature as much as possible. They had some of the activites in a board room, like the ones you sit in round tables at with your colleagues and learn new sales tactics. Maybe a little PTSD trigger, who knows, but I was slightly disappointed to be inside instead of on the grounds. I would also like to note here, depending on the time of year you come, will depend on what and how many activites will be located indoors vs. outdoors. I would be remiss to mention, thety did have several beautiful room devoted to yoga, meditation, etc..... only some were in the board room :).
Food was not included, however, for 4 nights and 5 days really.. I spent $387.64 on all food and beverages. Keep in mind, I didnt have any alcohol, however, did have bottled sparkling water each night with dinner. I also splurged and got the filet the last night. That was the most expensive dinner coming in around $60.00. I also tipped generously. The total amount I spent came to a grand total of $2,515.07. I also spend $135 for ride to and from airport. They arrived in a Tesla and it was a very pleasant and quiet hour trip all to myself. I looked into renting a car which is what I typically do when travelling, however the cost was much higher and there was no reason to leave the resort. I did take one of the complimentary bikes into town one afternoon to but my kids and helpers a little gift. The resort had gifts, however, I wasnt trying to buy them a $60.00 bracelet they would lose an hour later.
**** Please no judgement or shame thrown at me for this amount BTW. Some of you may think thats ridiculous, some of you may not even take a second look. We are all over the board when it comes to budget and where we spend our money. My suggestion is we focus on ourselves, look at where our own money, time and energy is spent.
My ending thoughts.....I will ABSOLUTELY go again (Which I plan to over my birthday in November). This was perfect for ME. May not be for you, but if you are into enhancing your health and wellness and have or will make time to do so, Civana is the place to be. IMO. I would suggest several nights, 3 or 4 if not more to really experience all this resort has to offer. If you are looking for even more of a bougie experience I have heard Miraval is where its at. One of my best girlfiends from home is going there soon, so I will report back after her trip. I hope to be able to go to other wellness spas in the future as time allows. My children are my priority AS WELL AS myself. A healthy mom, will lead to healthy children. Thats what I am going with at least....
If you are looking to do a wellness retreat and this one isnt for you. I have a friend who owns a luxury travel business. Her name is Lauren Pronger, she and her husband Chris have been to all the places and know all the things. I would suggest reaching out to them on their instagram page @wellinspiredtravels. It costs you nothing to book through them. They do all the work. They have the hookups.
Thank you all for reading and following along. For now, I am signing off. I am on my flight home to see my beautiful children and spend the rest of mothers day loving on them. I am so thankful they chose me to be their mom!
Life is good, Enjoy it.
XO,
Kira
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