Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!
I would have been remiss had I not visited the Senses Spa so I could share the details with my beloved readers. (Yup, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Literally as you'll see in a minute.) But while my colleagues indulged in massages, facials, and pedicures, I decided to try something a little bit different. For me, cruising is all about getting to try new things whether it's petting a sting ray, trying escargot or, in this case… getting acupuncture!
That's right – acupuncture is now available onboard the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy. For $150 for a 50-minute session, I decided to throw my usual fear of needles off the port bow and go for it! And I'll say up front, I'm glad I did.
I arrived at the Senses Spa on Deck 11 forward for my 3:00 appointment. I was greeted at the desk and given paperwork to fill out. The paperwork includes a fairly extensive medical history since acupuncture is a wellness treatment. Once I completed the paperwork, I was greeted by my acupuncturist, Stacy. Typical of the staff at the Spa, she was instantly very warm and friendly. She stood out a bit as she wore a white lab coat instead of the usual sage green uniform of the Spa. While chatting on our walk to the treatment room, I learned that Stacy has a Master's Degree in Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine and studied in China for over a year.
We entered an interior treatment room. Sadly, no glorious ocean views during this treatment! After a lengthy consultation regarding my particular health issues, a treatment plan was determined. I remained fully dressed and face up for my treatment.
Ok, here is the tough part. The needles. They are extremely thin and do not look threatening. This put me at ease immediately along with the clear attention to proper sanitation and disposal. But I would be lying if I said the treatment was painless. I definitely felt the needles going in a few different places. However, 75% of them, I did not feel at all! And the ones I did feel were in areas that correlated with my particular areas of concern.
Once the needles are in place, my eyes were covered with a cloth, a blanket was placed across anywhere that did not sprout needles, and I was left to relax. Stacy let me know that the experience is different for everyone. Some people simply feel a sense of relaxation, others feel soreness or achy in their problem areas. I experienced increasing soreness followed by a twinge or spasm in my sore joints and then a sense of relaxation. My right (bad) shoulder was the most uncomfortable but also experienced the most relief! (Come to think of it, I have been largely pain free in that problem joint ever since!)
When Stacy returned, she had the needles out in the blink of an eye, rubbed some cooling gel on my lower legs, and made a couple of supplement suggestions for me for when I returned home. No sales pitch of Elemis products at all which was a welcome change!
I left feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed! Now whether this was from the treatment or simply getting to relax in one spot for 50 minutes for the first time in days, I'm not sure. But either way, I felt better when I left than I had when I arrived. And for me, that is what a visit to the Spa is all about!
And now, for your amusement, a few pictures… (The things I do for my readers… 
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Be well and make magic wherever you go!
Sara Varney
Travel Planner
