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What to Wear & How to Pack

Fear not-----packing for a spa vacation is easy.
Here's what you need to keep in mind

For Working Out
At any spa, chances are you'll spend some time out-side, so be sure to take clothes appropriate to the weather. If you plan to hike or take power walks and the climate is cool, pack layers of loose, comfortable clothes that wick sweat away from the skin (avoid cotton-it absorbs sweat and tends to stay wet). Also, be sure to take the right athletic shoes. If you plan to take exercise classes at the spa or work out on the fitness equipment, pack whatever you would normally wear to your local gym. Clothes that move you're your body are always best. And, again, the right shoes are key.

For Getting Treatments
You don't need to take special clothes for spa treatments. At most destination and resort spas, as soon as you enter the spa facility, the receptionist or your therapist will provide you with a robe and slippers to wear between treatments. While waiting in the relaxation area, You'll also be given a locker and key to store your street clothes. Certain types of bodywork can be performed through clothing, shiatsu, Feldenkrais and so on. For these, just wear some thing comfortable. Also, for your comfort, when you go for treatments it/s a good idea to take along a case and some solution to store your contact lenses, especially if you're getting a treatment involving heat or a facial or oily massage.

For Soaking it up
If you plan to soak in a communal bath or pool at a mineral water spa or hot spring, be sure to throw in a bathing suit, just in case. Sometimes they are required, sometimes not. The same goes for outdoor mud baths (it's best to throw in an old bathing suit for these).

If you're heading to a hot spring or mineral water spa, the question might be this: to skinny dip or not to skinny dip? The answer depends on where you are.
In the public baths at European spas, for example, it's not uncommon for guests to bathe in the buff. Sometimes nude bathing areas are single sex, sometimes not. At the communal pools at the Fredrichsbad in Baden Baden, Germany, for example, several days each week are set aside for one gender or the other, while the remaining days are mixed. If the dress code at a spa is bathing suits only and you've forgotten yours, you can sometimes rent one, but we recommend bringing your own.
In the U.S. communal bathing is not so common, except at outdoor hot springs. Hydrotherapy treatments (underwater massages, Vichy showers and so on). However, are popular, and most hydrotherapy, with the exception of watsu, is taken in the nude. Even the most modest spa guest, however, should not feet intimidated: treatment areas are private, so other guests won't be peering at you, and spa therapists are trained to be extremely considerate o your personal space and comfort. Whenever you are not submerged in water, your private parts will be discreetly draped with a towel. Or you'll be given a robe.

Spas are generally neat but casual places. For evening meals, guests sometimes spruce it up a little (thing elegant resort wear). Take perhaps a few nice but simple outfits and good shoes. And remember, this is vacation-dressing nicely shouldn't mean dressing uncomfortable. Spas are meant to be places of relaxation. Some upscale resort spas even have separate dining rooms where guests can take meals in their robes. After reading up on a spa, if you're concerned about dress, simply call and ask.

Lighten Up! Tips for Savvy Packing
If you want to start any vacation on the wrong foot-over pack. If you want to start it right, go light.
Most travelers find out the hard way that the first three letters in the work "luggage' are 'lug'. Pack only as much as you would be comfortable carrying for one mile without putting it down.
Here are a few top tips.
· Pack clothes, shoes, hosiery and so on in one or two basic colors, if you can, for easy mixing and matching, and make sure each item can be worn at least two ways.
· Pack items that you want to keep together inside your suitcase or carry-on in large reseal able plastic bags. This is great trick when traveling with small ids. Whole outfits-socks, pants, underwear, shirts and shoes-can often fit in one big freezer bag for easy accessibility.
· Pack a few scarves and, if you have one, a sarong. Scarves help extend a limited wardrobe by redefining the look of the outfit you had on yesterday, and sarong can be used as a shawl, a skirt, a bathing suit cover-up and so on.
· When traveling with a companion, inter-pack your luggage, put half your stuff in his/her bag, and vice versa. If one bag gets lost, you'll at least have something fresh to wear.
· Take a photo of your luggage before you leave home. This makes it much easier to find if it gets lost.
· Purchase one of those colorful security straps that wrap around the outside of your luggage. This does two things for you. One is the extra security for your luggage and the other is so many luggage's look the same, but with the strap you will be able to pick yours out quickly and correctly. · Pack your toiletries a couple of days before your departure, and go through your morning routine using those packed items. This will keep you from forgetting necessities.
· When traveling overseas, keep all medications in their original labeled containers to avoid hassles a you go through customs.
· Finally, and the hardest to learn. "When in doubt, leave it out!"

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