Guest post courtesy of Laura Fenske

A weekend with my husband away from my boys (who of course, are the light of my life and adorable and all that stuff) sounds like heaven.

Going to Bend for a long weekend is one of our favorite activities. That plan seemed destined for failure the week before when my 3 year old son had a high fever and that progressed into a double ear infection requiring a good dose of antibiotics. Then on Thursday, I developed a crippling migraine that ended with a day stay in the hospital and our other son running a fever. Friday finally arrived, and I was tentatively back on my feet with a dull headache and both boys dosed appropriate meds and left in grandma’s loving care.

Onward to Bend! We arrived in Sisters Saturday morning, and my headache started to creep its way back. I called my husband’s cousin and asked for a massage referral in hopes of heading off the migraine. She suggested Anjou Spa and Salon, and when I called, they graciously fit me in within hours!

The luxurious front desk at Anjou Spa.

I showed up expecting a typical massage and my expectations were blown away with how lovely the entire experience was at Anjou. After checking in, I was taken on a small tour to familiarize me with all the amenities. The first stop was a locker room to stash my personal items. The staff gave me a plush robe with sandals to wear during my stay. Very luxurious!

The next stop was the sauna. As a sauna virgin, I was a little nervous about ending up passed out on the floor only to be found hours later. Luckily, the staff was happy to answer my rudimentary questions about how to use it appropriately, and I felt comfortable enjoying this perk.

From there, we moved on to the Relaxation Room which brought us through a wall of curtains to a room filled with overstuffed chairs and couches. This room can be used before or after your massage for as long as you would like to stay and relax. There’s an exfoliation hand station in one corner of the room, and a refreshment station in the middle of the room offering cucumber water, tea, almonds, and dried cherries.

The locker room makes a great place to spiff up for your night on the town.

They also offer a complimentary beverage to all clients. Some options include the Anjou Signature Cocktail (Oregon Spirit Vodka or Merrylegs Gin mixed with Crazy Dave’s Ginger Brew and a squeeze of lime), wine, beer, and non-alcoholic options. My choice was the champagne served with a splash of Black Mariah (Oregon Spirit Distillers newest creation, a delicious Marionberry Cordial). At the point that I sat down with my champagne, in my robe in the relaxation room is when I realized I had made it. I truly was in Bend, on vacation…ahh. And I had yet to even have my massage!

My massage therapist was Crystal Neff, and she made me feel comfortable right away.  She has a welcoming and calm demeanor, and I appreciated that she listened to what I wanted and really focused on my areas of concern. I prefer a very firm massage, and she was able to apply enough pressure to make a noticeable difference on my neck and head. A personal preference of mine is to not be chatty while having a massage, nor have to do very much active listening. Crystal offered a very nice balance of asking a couple of personal questions at the beginning to show interest, but then staying comfortably quiet during the experience, except to ask clarifying questions about the massage itself.  The massage room was lovely and the blankets were warmed, which was so cozy on a cold day.

After the massage, I went back to the locker room. There was a fully stocked shower that I was able to utilize with high quality soaps, shampoos and conditioners.  Anjou offered lotion, hair dryers, towels and everything else you would need to get back into the clothes you arrived in and head out again without missing a beat. That was particularly a nice surprise for me, since we were heading out for a nice dinner directly after the massage, and I hadn’t thought ahead to my need for a shower after the massage.

My Anjou Spa experience kicked off what was the beginning of a lovely vacation in Bend (you can read the rest here in Adam’s post). Besides massage, Anjou also offer skincare, facials, wraps, and more. I highly recommend any of the above for anyone hoping to add some pampering to their Bend adventure!

(Pssst….don’t forget to read Adam’s post about their kid-free Bend adventure here).