Simply Portland...Utterly Devine

[rachel]

Is the Bath Fountain Hotel now privately owned? When we stayed there, it was run by the government. You could take a mineral bath in the hotel itself but there were no massages (at least that I know of) or anything like that when we were there. A guide took us back to I think the same places you have the pictures from but it was completely deserted back there. We stayed overnight there for something like $35 (we were the only ones that stayed at the hotel that night) and had a really nice three course meal in the dining room for something like $7 a person - it was actually like a nice supper club meal here in Wisconsin.

[JitterBug]

vi, for future trips, rasta steve can do massages inside the hotel if you prefer . . . having said that, i'm not a fan of being massaged out there . . . there is just something very wrong with that for me . . . it's not that you should not have gone to bath, it's just that you should have stuck to your boundries. live and learn.

countless trips there and the massage is not for me. i got upstream a little, there are two very nice natural pools of water and have my own party over there, not with all those eyes upon you. i've spent hours sitting and meditating in that pool with my party with no spectators.

for anyone that is interested, that mud is just that == mud that the young men make up and put some herbs in it, nothing therapeutic about it!!! it's just business.

i do love that area it's serene and peaceful once you leave the hustle and bustle. . . . if one takes the little path above on the other side, the path takes you to a little village, real simple and peaceful and lush, lush.

and taking a mineral bath in the hotel is totally out, do you really believe that the water is changed out after every person?? i don't. it is good for a meal though, real old world charm.

vi, don't mean to hijack your thread, but it's related to your topic.

[Schuttzie]

Oh, I'm so sorry you were so uncomfortable and anxious, Vi! I know how that feels and it begins to get me angry too, when I don't stand up for myself. I don't do spas or that kind of pampering, either so I guess that's mainly why we never went there. But I'd love to see the area and sit in the waters and just immerse in the surroundings. I totally understand why you wanted to go and you were so respectful of not taking photos of other peoples massages. It would seem intrusive. I don't care for crowds and would find some place like Jitters described that is off the path and quietly serene.

As Sammy, said, at least you did learn something about yourself after this experience and it didn't completely tarnish the memory of Bath. Many blessings to you, Vi, and know that you will be more strong in your resolutions in the future!

[goldilocks]

Hey *vi* you did good! You gave it a try and made your escape without flipping, I wouldn't even have tried to get a massage. Jitterbug's little pool sounds good, but I don't like people rubbing on me either, especially my feet!

[*vi*]

Oh Vi....so sorry this happened, so sorry you felt uncomfortable. Glad you saw for yourself what it was about, glad you learned to not compromised your feelings going forward!

The first time I went I had a lot on my mind and Rasta Steve seem to sense this, the bath wasn't crowded and he took extra care. The next time it was way too busy and I felt uncomfortable because of that...so many people all around, but Rasta Steve was the comfort in that mass of people. Still if I went again and felt uncomfortable as I did that second time right from the start I too would leave.

Your feelings are precious and meaningful and always remember NO ONE can read your mind and NO ONE will stand up for you better than YOU, took me a long time to "get that" and I still stumble a time or two.....but it's getting there....You did leave Bath with something positive that day, learning more about YOU

thanks so much Sammy. You truly understand. Here at home I would NEVER consent to doing something I KNOW I hate. Consenting to that massage was like a person eating a big, juicy parrot grouper even though they hate fish. Why, because it was prepared in Jamaica? That was part of my reason for saying okay to the massage. Crazy I know. But sometimes some of us do things there we wouldn't do at home simply because we are in Jamaica at the time.

And yes, I believe Rasta Steve sensed my agitation which is why he continued massaging me. Like you said, he can't read minds so he had no clue of the cause of the agitation. That's why I can only blame myself.

[*vi*]

Hi Rachel, Yes, bath fountain is still owned by the government and yes you can still take mineral baths in the hotel. My intentions were to walk the outside stream area, the gardens and the inside spas. After the massage I forgot about everything else. I just wanted to leave. But a lot of folks on TA talk about the spa rooms so they are still very poplar.

Oh Jitterbug, you are right about sticking to my boundaries. But sometimes it’s hard for me to enforce my own limits. To me it would have been better NOT to even go then to have to tell him to stop. And please don’t apologize for your input, I appreciate and welcome all you want to share. This is helpful for me and others. I do regret not exploring. The path you mentioned sounds like something I would like to walk.

Thank you Schuttzie, lol you don’t do massages either!!! we do have a lot in common. After I saw how personal the service is, I couldn’t take pictures of other people. The place got crowded before I left. Met 6 people coming down the path as I was leaving. Lots of children getting massages. So many do enjoy what they get from Bath. That’s good. It’s just not for me. Yes, I know a lot of me enjoying myself in Jamaica depends on me listening to my heart and mind. I won’t let this experience taint my visit to Bath, instead I will, like you said, be strengthen by it.

[*vi*]

Hey *vi* you did good! You gave it a try and made your escape without flipping, I wouldn't even have tried to get a massage. Jitterbug's little pool sounds good, but I don't like people rubbing on me either, especially my feet!

@ the "big up" and a LMAO at "escape without flipping"!!! Trust me Goldilocks, I was on the edge. To me, it was like torture.

[Summer]

Rasta Steve then points to my ankles and comments on how swollen they are and how bad that is. I look at my driver and wonder if he told him I was leaving. I reminded Rasta Steve that I wasn’t getting a massage. He reached down and squeezed my left foot hard. Looked back at me and asked me to reconsider just having my feet massaged to reduce the swelling.

In my mind I was screaming “no”, but “ok” came out of my mouth.

It didn’t feel good. I was uncomfortable from the very first touch. But I stayed focused on the end result and hopefully that was no swelling so I could close the strap on my cute, brown sandals.

That first barely tolerable touch went from toes to my heels. From my heel to my ankles. From my ankles to my calves. From my calves to my thighs. From my thighs to…

Yeah, you get the picture.



35 minutes later, there I sit on the edge of this rock with my legs, arms, shoulders and a bit of my neck area covered with mineral mud and Rasta Steve’s own made mineral oil.

Vi, the above bolded is what I detest I say no do not touch me I react stark staring violently crazy......to me this was a ploy to continue. I swear they still remember from kijdergarden to High School arrrrrrrgggghhhhh!!

[*vi*]

LOL Summer, darlin I hear ya. Like I said, I can say NO and nothing can change my mind. But for whatever reason, even when I should have kept it a NO when he insisted, I let it happen. Lesson learned.

[Summer]

I hear you Vi, I just snapped there for a minute loving every bit of your report. Great camera u have the pictures have such great clarity its like u can step right in.