Amusement Parks = The New Spa?

by | Oct 29, 2007 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Last weekend, to celebrate my sister’s birthday, four of us went to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, an oceanside old-fashion amusement park with two roller coasters and a lot of rides with names like “Rock n Roll,” “Cyclone,” “Hurricane,” and “Tornado” (they all seemed to be natural disasters, only, this being the Bay Area, none were called “Earthquake”). We were all nervous that we would be too old for the rides. I had distinct memories of my father being doubled over on a bench at Rocky Point, the rinky dink amusement park in Rhode Island, and I feared that would be my fate. Genetically destined for post-ride nausea.

We had the exact opposite experience. Bethany, Ali, and I rode the CRAZIEST rides, and often, we were the only non-teenagers. The roller coaster threw out my neck a little bit, but for the most part, we found the rides exhilarating. But what was most curious to me was our common reaction. We found the rides bizarrely soothing. We stepped off rides that turned us upside down or simulated handgliding with a common refrain: “Wow, that was so . . . relaxing.” The crazy weird sensation of spinning around at such a fast velocity made us scream and had a way of cleaning out our mental insides in a way that yoga can’t quite accomplish. We wondered, should the amusement park be the new spa? Granted this was not Disney World. There were no lines. But seriously. . . I felt more relaxed (though exhausted) than I have at yoga retreats. If you’re looking for weirdly relaxing thrills, and you live in the Bay Area, go.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi! I’m Sasha

Executive and Life Coach on a mission to help women connect with their bodies to pursue their truest desires in the bedroom and the world.

Author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics (HarperCollins) + To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us (Simon & Schuster).

At work on a memoir called Wet, about adventures in healing through sensuality.

Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter (my primary way of staying in connection with readers and clients).

Follow me on Instagram where I share snapshots of my own turned-on life with advice on how to live your own.