Floating Away at Eau Spa at The Ritz-Carlton,
Palm Beach

Suspended chairs in The Self-Centered Garden

As the editor of a spa magazine, I pride myself on trying out any and all spa services, no matter how obscure. One thing I’d never experienced until recently, however, was a Sensory Dry-Float Bed. I’ve been hearing news from spas around the globe about treatments that incorporate a nap on these weightlessness-inducing beds, and I’ve been dying to try it. During my recent visit to Eau Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, I was thrilled to discover that one of my scheduled services included it. The Clock Stops ($325, 2 hours 10 minutes) treatment, which included a wrap, a scalp and foot massage, and a full-body massage, also involved a 30-minute snooze in a Sensory Dry-Float Bed. My therapist told me that after my nap, I would feel like I had a full, eight-hour night of sleep. I was a little dubious, since I rarely nod off during spa services, but she was right. After being wrapped in the warm cocoon, and feeling the bed fill with water beneath me, I conked out in a matter of minutes. And when she woke me up 30 minutes later, I felt amazingly well-rested and rejuvenated. I was so relaxed that I spent the rest of the afternoon in the sublime Self-Centered Garden, swinging in a suspended chair, nibbling on an Eau Spa Lunch Box, and reading a book, all the while wondering if it would be possible to replace my bed at home with a Sensory Dry-Float Bed. For more on the treatments, gardens, and other enchanting aspects of this south Florida spa, check out the September issue of American Spa.