Random Review: The Joule Dallas

Happy almost-Friday, blog readers of the internet! Life is beautiful, n'est-ce pas? There is pain, true, and darkness at times, but don't we know in our hearts that this life is a beautiful and amazing gift, and the bitter only makes the sweetness richer?


We recently celebrated the mister's thirtieth (I KNOW! Che emozione!) and for this occasion, I agreed to beggar myself to take us for a little staycation at the Joule, a Dallas landmark. So I thought that I would share the adventure with you all.

I booked the "Recharge and Refresh Package" because it advertised a "spa amenity" and briefly mentioned in-room massages; since Hubby's back has been bothering him and my back (as anyone who knows me will testify) is a landmine of cracking and knots, he requested a couples' massage as part of his birthday extravaganza. Note that if you have occasion to book this package, it does not include massages - those I ultimately purchased separately; in fact, I had quite a bit of trouble finding someone who could decipher the meaning behind "spa amenity". The package does, however, include complimentary valet, complimentary cocktails from the restaurant next door, and $50 credit in "room service" - which includes other food purchased at the hotel, such as poolside snacks.

We chose the "demi Joule" room option, which is a delightfully petite room with a round (!) bed and modern furnishings. For longer stays, I definitely wouldn't recommend, but for one night it was perfect. We checked in about 2:00 pm with no issues. The aforementioned spa amenity turned out to be body oils, which I'm sure are very expensive but which we have yet to use. I guess we just aren't quite there yet...

At 3:30 pm, we headed down an unmarked well-appointed hallway to ESPA, the Joule's in-house spa. We were greeted with a delicious cup of tea and a warm towel and then led down to the locker rooms. The amenities include a sauna, steam room, "infinity shower" with spray hitting you from all angles, and a co-ed "vitality pool". There are complimentary beverages and champagne on offer, along with fuzzy robes. It seems that the women's locker room is better attended than the men's - though I received shoes and a robe in my size, along with multiple drink offers, my hubby was left on his own to wander and discover. I tested out the sauna and vitality pool - steam rooms have always struck me as slightly gross - before heading to the waiting room to sample the spa cookies (obviously) and wait for my masseuse. The massage itself was fantastic - the whole space is underground and dimly lit, which I felt added to the aura of tranquility. She listened when I told her where my tight areas were (there are many) and focused on those, all the while checking in to see if the pressure was okay. Afterwards, she made me a cup of tea and advised me to look into regular massages (all that's holding me back is my wallet, lady!). The tranquility was slightly ruined when I tried to exit - there are no signs anywhere in this hotel, and I may have accidentally opened the door on someone else's massage by mistake! Fortunately I found a passing employee to point me out. Signs, people. Some of us are directionally challenged. The spa was a big hit to my bank account, but hey, you only turn thirty once, right?

In the late afternoon we wandered over to the pool on level 10. If you're a Dallasite, you may remember this pool from their summer movie nights. It is fantastic. There are cabanas with couches for seating, there are drinks, there are snacks. The guacamole is awesome - although if you want more chips, be prepared to wait for half an hour. The pool overlooks the city with an infinity edge and it seems like a perfect place to enjoy when the weather is right.

The Joule is located in the middle of downtown, very close to everything. We walked over to Klyde Warren Park for dinner - a little ambitious, maybe, but we knew we had a ride back. Hubs saw Conan O'Brien jogging his 6' 5" self through our fair city, so our night was basically made. By the time we got back, we were ready for sleep. Too bad our fun round bed felt like a concrete block. I will say this, though - it was very large.

In the morning, we treated ourselves to room service. Please note that if you are a vegetarian, you should check whether what you're ordering has meat in it, even if the menu doesn't say it does. I had to ask for a new entree, but the hotel staff were very gracious. The french press coffee was phenomenal, and my [vegetarian] migas were tasty with fresh avocado.

In general, I thought that the staff were very friendly and accommodating in person, but not very knowledgeable by phone (see: attempts to book unknown spa treatment). The hotel is fabulous for a one-night stay, but I can't see staying for more than a week. It was very expensive, but more reasonable of other luxury hotels in the area. And by all means, if you do go - visit the pool.

The Joule can be booked at http://www.thejouledallas.com/.

Nourish

What a beautiful weekend it was, Dallasites! As always when the spring weather finally returns, I try to take advantage by spending every second possible outdoors. I love the return of spring, at least for the nine milliseconds before it turns into the blazing inferno of Texas summer. Without fail, I find that it renews my energy in every area of my life - which is great, because between jobs and job changes and grad school and future grad school and beginning to think about moving (Yes, again - I know, I know. It's a necessity unless we want to spend our retirement savings on gas money), not to mention friends and family and birthdays and happy hours and cooking dinner and feeding the cat, I need all the energy I can get!

Lately I've been trying to adopt a new mantra in my life: "Put goodness in, get goodness out." It seems simple enough. Anyone who runs or trains regularly knows that what you eat before you work out makes a big difference. For instance, if I eat a lot of dairy the day before a long training run, it is guaranteed to be a long exercise in torture. Once, I had an evening run scheduled, but I ended up going to happy hour with friends instead, resolving to go home and run afterwards. And I did - fueled by an IPA and approximately a pound of truffle fries. Mistake. HUGE mistake. Never again. The point is that what we put into our bodies matters. Whether you make a conscious effort to eat healthy or don't, you need to know that you are not an exception. Your body isn't made to run on nachos and cheeseburgers and Dr. Pepper.

Let's say you own a Ferrari (I wish, right?). It requires premium gas, but maybe you decide to put in regular to save a few bucks. It might get the job done in the short term, but eventually that fuel is going to mess up your engine, and it's going to cost more to get it replaced than the premium gas would have. Your body is a finely crafted piece of machinery. It might require more effort to take care of it now, but down the road? Believe me, you'll be happy with the choice to put goodness in, because you will get goodness out, too. When I stopped eating meat, it was like waking up to a whole new world. I had so much energy and I felt so much better. I'm not suggesting that you, too, should be a vegetarian - I think everyone's body responds differently to different things, and I know that many of you are diehard meat lovers. Okay. But consider whether you are nourishing your body, and what it might be capable of if you made a couple of changes. Five years ago, I had never run more than a couple of miles in one go. Today, I have completed two full marathons and six half marathons, and I'm hungry for more. I know what my body can do when I take care of it... and I know how terrible it feels when I demand a lot from my body without giving it what it needs.

An old photo... but a view that
nourished me, for sure!

"Goodness in, goodness out" doesn't just apply to your physical body. It's true for your spirit and mind too. Am I putting goodness into my life through spending time with friends, family, and God? What am I reading that challenges my mind and causes me to consider what I know and what I believe? Here's a big one for me - what am I putting into my soul? Is it positive, or truthful, or meaningful? Or is it trash, like gossip or reality TV (hey, I love a good Top Model marathon as much as the next girl, but it's not like it's altering my worldview)?

No one is perfect at this, myself included. My primary vices include cheese, wine, dessert, and Top Chef marathons. I'm not suggesting that you get rid of all your guilty pleasures - far from it! In moderation, there are many "frivolous" things that can add richness and fun to our lives. But it is important to remember that we are only given one body, and one life. We only have one shot at today, and we never know when our time will be cut short. That's not a cliche. Ask anyone who has suddenly lost a friend, a parent, a child. You do not know that you will live a long and healthy life. But regardless of when your number is up, we should live in an awareness that life is beautiful, and precious, and a thing not to be wasted. And if you do live a long time? Your body will age, you will gain weight, or lose muscle tone, or get injured and be unable to exercise - whatever hasn't happened that makes you feel immortal. But today, you have the chance to nourish your body, mind, soul, spirit. You have an opportunity to make it count.

Goodness in... goodness out. It's our choice, and we will receive the consequences, whatever we choose. What will your choice be?  

La Bella Vita

Well, since this bipolar weather has given me an extra thirty minutes before I have to brave possible ice and Dallas' terrible drivers who faint at the sight of a snowflake and run their cars off the road, I decided to take advantage and update my poor little neglected blog. My goal in 2014 is to post twice a month, and obviously I am 0-for-2 so far, so we'll see if I can do better in March. Hold me accountable, readers of the internet! 

It's hard to believe, as I sit in a suburb of Dallas, TX, that just five years ago at this time I was roaming around Europe. I believe it was about this time that I was in Rome, which is one of my favorite cities. There are many people who don't share my love of La Citta Eterna, but I love the mix of ancient history, recent history, and the modern. (It didn't hurt that we spent the evening with an entire Australian rugby team in a bar in Piazza del Fiore, either). 

But I digress. When I first decided to study abroad in Italy, it was mainly because I didn't know when I'd have the chance to go to Europe again, and I didn't want to miss out. Florence was my city of choice because I could go to school without a two-year language requirement. I didn't think through who I would meet or befriend or where I would live or what I would do on the weekends... I just took a leap and figured it would all work out. This kind of behavior is very uncharacteristic for me, but in retrospect I'm so glad that I made the choice I did. Italy, for me, is not just that place I spent six months in college. Florence is my home, though not the home I was born into. Florence is the home I chose. 

Three women I didn't know before we moved into a beautiful apartment hidden behind a tiny door that looked like it led to a broom closet became my surrogate sisters. I learned to love running down the Fiume d'Arno to La Cascine and back, or across the river and up the steep steps to Piazzale Michangelo. I wandered the Giardino di Boboli on sunny afternoons thanks to my awesome museum pass that let me into all the museums for free, ordered the most delicious sandwiches on earth from the hole-in-the-wall (literally) restaurant I Fratellini, spent my weekends jumping on trains and heading out on another adventure. The count of countries I've visited expanded exponentially that spring, each one leaving a mark on my heart. But Italy is special. From sunning on the beach, sipping limoncello, and a very expensive cab ride in Positano to hiking the cliffs of Cinque Terre with the man I would later marry, Italy is part of me, the best six months of my life. I feel it's only fitting that I should pay homage to that time, five years down the road when so much is different. 

There are places that change you forever, and Florence will always be that for me. It's a thin place, a place where the sacred and the everyday collide on a regular basis. There were moments when I would walk down the street, breathe in the strange air and feel overwhelmed by how fortunate I was to exist in such a place. And it did change me. Without that time on the other side of the Atlantic, I wouldn't be a runner, I wouldn't be a vegetarian (ironically), I wouldn't be endlessly seeking ways to get myself back on a plane and back to the other side of the world. I will always be grateful for late nights walking home with friends, for the secret bakery it took us three months to find, the carousel in Piazza della Reppublica that we rode on one of our final nights, and the dance club at the park that didn't open until right before we left and was completely worth the wait. Italy is about food, so of course I'm thankful for membories of the balsamic vinegar at Il Gatto e La Volpe, the burrata at La Giostra, a beautiful lunch with great wine in the hillside of Tuscany. Once we took about an eight-mile walk (didn't know it was so far) up to the hills above Florence to see the city. My feet were sore, but my heart was happy as we saw the country spread out below us. 

When you live somewhere, it's different than when you visit. Visiting means you have to rush around and see all the important stuff before you leave. But living in a place means you get to take your time, slow down, appreciate the ordinary pieces of how other people live their lives differently than you, the rhythm of their coming and going, pausing at the cafe for a cappuccino, bartering at the market. It's a whole different world, and you learn to be humble, learning, observing, asking questions and finding out that people really like sharing their culture and way of life with those who are willing to engage with them. Those months, days, hours are marked in my heart forever, and I'll always be searching for a way to bring that feeling back to my life. 

Plus, I got a great leather jacket.