Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF TABACÓN GRAND SPA THERMAL RESORT 109 you want me to play music?" the massage therapist asks me. "Or do you prefer the natural sounds?" I have to stop myself from laughing. We're standing in an open-air bungalow in the jungle of Costa Rica. I can hear the hot spring water spilling over stones just steps away from us, drowning out all other noises except for the faint whirring of cicadas and the occasion- al squawk of a toucan. "e nature will be fine," I tell her. She leaves me alone, and I strip down and lie on the table under- neath a towel, breathing in the almost-alive air. ere's a reason people come all this way for a little relaxation; a reason we drive to Logan at 3 a.m., only to deal with flight delays and cramped coach seats; a reason we brave the winding roads leading from San José to this retreat in the rainforest. And the reason is this moment, which would be impossible at home. We might burn a little incense or schedule a massage in a strip mall, but we can't turn the world around us green. We might play a tape of nature noises, but we can't quiet everything but the sounds of the jungle for days at a time. We need a new setting to truly transform our mind set. And so we come here. I ring the bell to let the therapist know I'm ready, and she comes back into the bungalow and begins rubbing honey into my arms and shoul- ders (I've opted for the Honey Temptation treatment). As she makes her way to my scalp, my mind begins to wander, thinking back over the past three days. In an instant, I'm transported back to my arrival. It's early evening, J U N G L E IN THE SHADOW OF COSTA RICA'S ARENAL VOLCANO, TABACÓN GRAND SPA THERMAL RESORT OFFERS A TRANQUIL BASE FOR RELAXATION AND ADVENTURE. TabacÓn Grand Spa offers luxury accommodations in a rainforest setting. BY CALVIN HENNICK