Spa Weekend at Gartenhotel Heusser

This past weekend I had the chance to run away with some girlfriends and have a relaxing kids free weekend. My one friend found this amazing hotel, Gartenhotel Heusse,  in Bad Dürkheim and the best part was it was less than an hour away! We stayed 2 nights and booked a "Girl friend's" package. We had 2 relaxing days full of facials, massages, yummy food and lots of girl talk! The Spa had so much to offer but what really made it was that we were the only ones in the Spa! We really lucked out because the three of us had free range over all the amenities.  No one else booked any appointments that day so we had the place to ourselves!

The Spa had so much to offer and we took full advantage of it all. The Spa had numerous saunas, a steam room, quiet rooms, an indoor pool with jets and waterfall, a snack bar with tea, coffee and other drinks (from 1400-1700 & the bottled drinks were extra), a water bed that has massagers, 5 different types of showers (massage showers, rain shower heads, waterfall showers, multi-head showers and high and low pressure jets in singles or multiples.) They even had tanning lights on the ceiling over some of the lounge chairs. 

This pod looking thing is a floating sensory pod. I booked an appointment to use it for 50 minutes and it was a very cool experience. Floating in the pod is compared to a baby in it's mother's womb. It is relaxing and has many beneficial effects from being a stress reliever to relaxing your body and muscles. Floating in this man-made pod mimics those found in nature: the Dead Sea in Jordan, known for its high salt concentration, attracts thousands of visitors each year to relax and treat various medical conditions by immersing themselves in the water. After floating on the surface of this super-saturated salt water, you will need to take a shower. I had salt in my ear the rest of the day, lol. They have a shower right in the room and ask you take a shower before and after using the pod. 

I thought this was a neat little thing that I have never seen before, a glasses holder! 

They had these all around the spa.

The beautiful indoor pool

the snack bar

After a day at the Spa, we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner at the hotel and 

walked around the hotel's Japanese garden. 

On our way home ,we passed through Bad Dürkheim and came across this huge wooden structure. 

We just had to investigate and one of my friends knew exactly what it was; a salina or graduation tower. They are commonly found in Germany, Austria and Poland in spa towns because they artificially create salt concentration in air similar to sea shore area. You can pay a couple euros to walk around the tower on the covered walkway and breathe in some fresh saltwater, woodsy air. They say it helps with respiratory issues like asthma. 

~Tips for Gartenhotel Heusser~

*Only a few hotel workers know English so brush up on your Deutsch!

*Check in is at 2pm and check out is at 11am

*When booking your room, ask for a garden view.

*They do accept VAT! Drop if off at check-in so the manager can fill it out. 

*They have a good selection of wine and even have a "make your own" sample glass at dinner.

*This is a very nice and calming place. I recommend leaving the children at home.

*Our package included a basket with a robe, slippers and extra towels for the Spa. You can also get these for 10euro at the front desk.