My wife made fun of me that morning for “going to get my back scratched for work,” which felt like a job and was also entirely accurate. The treatment on my calendar was called “Natural Dry Brush With Hot Towels,” and no matter how many times I reread it, I couldn’t quite make it sound more sophisticated than someone scratching my back. With a brush. Isn’t this what they do to horses? Hey, they seem to love it.
I was game to give it a shot.
Cedarbrook Lodge sits in one of those locations that makes you question your GPS. You’re driving through industrial SeaTac, surrounded by warehouses and airport traffic, when suddenly the road curves and the building appears — warm brick, deep wood tones, a lodge-like quiet that makes you feel in the middle of the woods. On a rainy Friday afternoon, the parking lot was packed. Travelers, conference badges, rolling suitcases. Later, spa manager Kim Jones would confirm that many guests are people coming off airplanes looking to undo what travel does to a body.
I initially booked what The Spa at Cedarbrook Lodge calls the “Natural Dry Brush With Hot Towels” — a 30-minute treatment priced at $65, described as “gentle brushing” meant to boost circulation, help move lymphatic waste, and buff away dead skin cells…