McMenamins Edgefield Soaking PoolSpa day! One of my birthday gifts this year was a massage at McMenamins Edgefield Ruby Spa, so the soybean and I had an impromptu girls day. It helps that our birthdays just happen to fall on the same day, so this was our gifts to each other this year. We picked the $45 30-minute massages and then used the soaking pool for a few hours. It was the cheapest option — even though there was a little bit of cringing after paying a few dollars for massages in SE Asia. I’m used to paying around $30 for a half hour massage in Portland, but it’s definitely worth it to use the pool, as the soaking pool is rerseved for Edgefield hotel guests or spa customers.

Like most McMenamins properties, Edgefield is totally kitschy and the Ruby Spa did not disappoint. After our massages we wandered around the [hot!] soaking pool and then used the provided towels to lay out and read. It was really relaxing since the pool is a designated “quiet zone” and we were practically the only people there for several hours. The landscaping (which has more of a high desert feel) and pool are absolutely gorgeous, and when you get too hot you can just pull the cord on the giant sunflower for a bit of a cold shower. Bonus: you can use the pool all day, so the spa girls suggested returning to see it at night.

I’ll definitely be back, but maybe next time I’ll go golfing first or to a concert on the lawn… Oh McMenamins, you’re just too cool for school.

Photo credit: urn