Believe it or not, you can nourish your soul in Buenos Aires.  Many different faiths have spiritual retreat centers, and I personally attended a session where I sat only fifty feet from the Dalai Lama as he spoke in English to a few hundred people.   Try doing that in North America or Europe where thousands show up to catch a glimpse of him.  But, as in many large cities of the world, Buenos Aires excels at nourishing the body.  Visiting a Spa is one of the best ways to nourish your body that I can think of. A little known fact is that Argentina has world class Spas and Hot Springs, and they cost a fraction of what they cost in Europe or the United States.  I had only visited the Spas and Hot Springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas before moving to Argentina.  Ten years ago, a bath in the mineral waters followed by a one hour massage to relieve tired muscles cost US $100.  This high cost is what kept me from visiting other Spas. Today in Argentina that US $100 goes a lot further.  My husband and I spent three nights in a Hotel and Spa with its own Hot Springs, like the ones in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  There was a dry sauna, steam sauna, hot tub with whirlpool, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.   We could use any of these facilities any time we wanted during the twelve hour period per day they were open, and we had two meals a day included at the hotel restaurant which was excellent.  We were there for four days and chose three body treatments each from a list that included: manicures; pedicures; facials; and different kinds of massage, for example, aromatherapy, reflexology, Shiatsu, Reiki, and Esalen style deep tissue work.  Our total cost at the Hotel Quirinale was the equivalent in Argentine pesos of under US $300 per person. I do have to confess that the only drawback is that the Hotel Quirinale, www.hquirinale.com.ar, is three to four hours by car or by bus from Buenos Aires.  However, it is on the boardwalk of the river flowing through the small town of Colon, in the province of Entre Rios, and the view from our window was of the river its islands and the banks on the other side.   Everything was green and beautiful even though it was wintertime.  We went in early August (that’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere), and it rained an entire day we were there, but it didn’t bother us.  We were given the loan of white, terrycloth robes for use in the Spa and around the indoor swimming pool.  Wearing our robes over our swimming suits, we took the Spa elevator down from the floor our room was on, to the level where the indoor swimming pool is located.  We never had to go outside and get chilled. Their large indoor and outdoor pools are not filled with normal tap water.  They are filled with the naturally hot water that flows up from the earth.  These Hot Springs, called aguas termales in Spanish, are reputed to have health benefits.  I know our skin has never felt softer than after lounging in that water for three days.   There are more than thirty Hot Spring Complexes in fifteen Argentine Provinces, and Argentines take a winter vacation at these Springs when their children are out of school in July for a winter break.  A great concentration of these Hot Spring Complexes can be found in the Province of Entre Rios where the Hotel Quirinale is located.  Each Hot Spring Complex will have at least an outdoor pool and changing rooms.  Some like the Hotel Quirinale offer indoor pools and complete Spa services. In addition to the Hot Mineral Springs, there is also an abundance of underground drinking water in Argentina.  The Tacuarembo Aquafer that Argentina shares with Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, is among the largest sources of fresh water in the world. Uruguay was drilling for oil in the 1960’s and found hot water instead.  I visited a Hotel and Spa in the old colonial city of Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay.  It is only one hour away by hydrofoil from Buenos Aires.  The name is shortened in usage to Colonia and it is a United Nations Heritage Site.  There are quaint cobblestone streets laid out by the Portuguese in the 16th century.  You can easily spend a day or two browsing the art galleries and shops.   We chose a three day package in the Kempinski Colony Park Plaza Hotel in Colonia,www.colonyparkplaza.com.  It is truly a five star hotel.  They have a Relaxation Promotion and also a Weight Loss Promotion for three nights from Monday to Thursday for $290 US per person.  This included three treatments for each of us, which we could choose from a list.  It also included the use of all the facilities in the hotel, all the meals at the normal restaurant and transfers to and from Colonia’s port.  We didn’t need a car to get here from Buenos Aires and we didn’t need one while in Colonia.  Wine, beer, water and soft drinks were included in the price.  Fruit juices and sandwiches by the pool were also available for those who preferred to stay outside.

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ast but not least, service was outstanding everywhere, at the spa, at the restaurant, check-in, room service.  All in all, the trip was worthwhile and we returned home with a smile and beautiful, glowing skin. 

Note that there is a separate restaurant at the Spa for guests who are on special diets.  For families there is a separate program for children at the Colony’s Kid Club.

An hour away from downtown Buenos Aires in the opposite direction, inland to the Pampas of Argentina is the Spa, Los Cuatro Amaneceres, www.loscuatroamaneceres.com.   I once read that there are only three enormous natural grass land areas in the world:  the Central Plains in the USA, the Great Steppe in Russia and the neighboring countries of Central Asia, and the Pampas in Argentina. Today these are big wheat growing areas and are considered breadbaskets for the world. 

I grew up in the Central Plains area of the United States, and being in the Pampas is the closest I have ever come to that Big Sky feeling.  I feel a greater sense of freedom and a greater ability to breathe deeply just from being in these big, open spaces.  I have felt the same with a view of the ocean.  And what people say about how beautiful the sunrises and sunsets are over the ocean, can also be said about the sunrises and sunsets over the flat lands of the Central Plains and the Pampas.

The Spa, Los Cuatro Amaneceres, is set among a grove of trees of many varieties, including eucalyptus, cedar, and pines.  The fragrance from the trees and the sounds of the birds made lounging by the outdoor pool even more relaxing than normal for me.  The indoor pool was heated.  And there was a steam room and dry sauna.  The Spa was completely full with thirty two people the day I was there but I never felt crowded in any of the facilities.

So there is no doubt that I enjoy the setting for this Spa, but its services are also excellent.  A Spa Day costs 175 pesos per person.  That is under US $60.  Or you can pay 234 pesos per person and an hour long, Esalen style massage is included along with everything else.  That is under US $75 per person for a Spa Day that includes use of all the facilities, meals, activities (like guided walks, bike rides, yoga classes, tai chi classes, and meditation sessions) and an hour long massage.  I want to go back for the chocolate and gold facials and also try the Thai massage. 

The Spa is an Ayuvedic center and offers vegetarian meals.  They were a nice change.  The beef is so good in Argentina that I tend to go overboard with it.  Eventually my body needs some good, wholesome vegetarian food.  I don’t know if their cheesecake had dairy products or not but it was good.
 

Another Spa, Qenti, www.qenti.com, has three centers: one in Buenos Aires; and the other two, a Spa and a Mountain Resort in the hill country of the Cordoba Province.  We spent a day at the Spa in Cordoba, one of Argentina’s nicest.  It is consistently voted among the best in Argentina.  It is set on a hillside that is peaceful and hauntingly beautiful.  The architecture of the buildings reminded me of southern Spain.  And the food was of gourmet quality, truly outstanding!

A Spa Day (a massage, steam and dry saunas, activities, use of the facilities, for example, the whirlpool and heated swimming pool, and lunch and a snack, cost us 150 pesos each, about $50 US.  Comparable value in the US for a similar Spa Day would have been hundreds of dollars each. 
It was not the high season, and they gave my husband and me a room to use for the day and did not charge us.  What a wonderful marketing technique!  We got to see how comfortable we would be if we return and spend more than just one day there.

The Qenti Spa where I have spent the most time is their facility in Buenos Aires.  Their Urban Spa is in the northern suburb of San Isidro.  I receive quarterly facial treatments for under US $50.  On my last visit, I received a full body scrub, full body cosmetic peel, and massage for US $50.  These are treatments that would cost hundreds of dollars in New York City. 

Many Spas can also arrange additional treatments for you with a doctor.  Following the treatment, you can recuperate at the Spa instead of going immediately back home.  I have considered dermoabrasion to help reduce the scarring of my face from teenage acne.  Other people have procedures like plastic surgery and liposuction.  They say that the savings as compared to the cost in the USA or Europe pays for their trip to Argentina.

There are many more Spas on my travel list for the next few months, including the salt water baths at the Hotel Argentine, in Piriapolis, Uruguay, www.visit-uruguay.com/hotels/piriapolis/argentino_ing.htm, and the five star hotel, Hotel Horacio Quiroga, www.hotelhoracioquiroga.com, in Salto, Uruguay. 

Do you think I am taking advantage of living in Buenos Aires or what?
 

.Picture a place where history and modernity transform a bountiful land into a paradise for those who are willing to simply come and experience a new life.  Now picture yourself traveling there, to live, to settle, to experience all that such a place has to offer.  What once seemed remote - a dream worthy of another dreamer - came true for us and it can be yours too.  With the Moving to Argentina E-Book you will have the answers you need to create your new life.  The Moving to Argentina E-Book contains our detailed experience of moving to this spectaular country.  For this E-book we've collected all of the valuable information we gained from our relocation that will help make your move as smooth as possible, and sprinkled the pages with the colorful details of our new life in Argentina. Moving to Argentina -  How to go about it by Delores Johnson.