Soak

Yesterday, as the snow fell quietly, Housemate and I ventured out to a new establishment in town.  It is called "Soak" and bills itself as a "teahouse and foot sanctuary."  It was Housemate's birthday, and we decided to find out just what one does at a teahouse and foot sanctuary.

Turns out you get your feet soaked, while drinking tea.  And it is great.  The upstairs is a little cafe.  A woman was eating lunch, some kind of yummy looking grilled salmon salad, maybe?  There is a serious tea selection -- a dozen or more each black teas and green teas, five or six white teas, a double handful of herbals, and mates. 

You go downstairs to this funny room that looks at first like a furniture store basement. 

There are all these big soft chairs and sofas, elevated on boxes or crates, so you have to climb up on a little stool to get into them.  On little rolling carts there are these big huge ceramic bowls, for soaking your feet.  This isn't about beautifying your feet -- no pedicures here -- but about foot health and wellness.  That's not something I think too much about, so I asked a lot of questions.   

So the helper takes your order -- both of us ordered the cleansing soak, a sudsy hot broth, with an added essential oil -- and rolls away the big bowl to fill it up with water.  She rolls it back and puts a towel on the rim of the dish and you plunge your feet in and lean back in this cushy chair.  You discover that there are small smooth rocks in the bottom of the bowl, and you can move them around with your toes, and their warm round shapes feel good around your feet.  The attendant has disappeared for a moment but comes back with warm towels and these warmed-up shoulder wraps.  It's a hard thing to explain but it's like a small beanbag that wraps around your shoulders, only filled with something softer, maybe barley, that smells green and relaxing, and a little bit like hay.  The minute those went around our shoulders, with our feet soaking in this fragrant warm water and our cups of tea right beside us, I just closed my eyes and melted.

We stayed for a little more than an hour.  Partway through the attendant offered us a "cold splash" where she took our feet out of the soak and poured tingly-cold water on each foot, one at a time.  Yikes. Then she put them back in the warm water and came back with an extra pitcher of superhot water, to warm the foot bath back up.  My feet tingled in the water, and I felt the blood and the nerves, awakened and confused, getting re-accustomed to the new warmth.   With our eyes closed, Housemate and I talked about taking care of ourselves, and the things we're each struggling with right now.  It felt like a completely safe place.

It was a great couple of hours.  I'm not a spa person and I suppose reading this it sounds a little ridiculous, but it was a great way to spend time with a friend.  Lest you think it extremely indulgent, a foot soak cost $20, with aromatherapy essential oils an extra $5.  You could do even more elaborate things that cost lots more, but our package, the cheapest one, felt pretty wonderful.      

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UPDATE:  It seems that Soak has found this entry and linked to it on their promotional page.  The bummer is that I'll never go back to Soak.  I'm disappointed about this, because it was a great experience.  But I had plans to go there with two of my girlfriends for an evening treat recently.  As our appointment time approached, we were running late at our dinner and talked about cancelling and postponing rather than cutting our dinner short to rush to appointment.  We called to ask them about it, and were quoted a cancellation charge.  It was significant ($37.50), but not unreasonable, and so we agreed to take the charge and finish our meal unrushed.   If we'd been told a different price, or given the impression that we couldn't cancel, we would have made sure to get there. 

But Soak charged my friend's credit card three times the quoted price to cancel, which was considerably more than what we would have spent if we had all gone and gotten basic soaks.  When she called to ask about it and to point out that she'd been told something different and had made our decisions based on what we'd been told, the owner was extremely rude to her.  It went beyond what you would expect for a misunderstanding.  It was a real bummer of an experience.  My friend runs a business herself, and is friendly and reasonable, but the owner was abrupt and very snotty.  Portland is too small a town to be rude to customers in a service business.  I won't go back there, and don't think you should, either.  It's too bad, because the service is a good idea.  Nine Stones is a good place, though, with some interesting and relaxing treats, and Akari does some fun things for feet. 

Comments

[Hondo]

It will never last. It sounds far too civilized.

[Amy Cimellaro]

If you haven't experienced this lovely, quaint Foot Sanctuary and Teahouse, "it's a must".. An experience you won't forget. Thank you to my daughter Julia for a wonderful experience of "wellness" for her mom.

[Beth]

Soak is a wonderful place! I went there once and got a soak. The tea selection is great, I didn't know which one to chose. It seems that they are a little shorthanded, and are always busy, that makes it had to get an appiontment. The prices are good, and the people there are great. It is truely an experince to remember! I do recommend going there, it was the most relaxing moment I've had in years!

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