NNG: Great health spa in Golden, Colorado!

My friend Chuck and I were looking for a new health spa since our one in Como is only open during the summer. Our friend Dave, who sometimes goes to Como, suggested one in Golden where he is one of the personal trainers. He told us that it is open year round. Chuck and I have only been there twice and I felt I had to tell everyone about it because it's fantastic!

The lead personal trainer is Gus and Art is the expert who teaches us new exercises. Most of the exercises have to do with moving around what looks like gravel but we were told that it is really something called "ballast." (Please be aware that the Como spa doesn't use ballast so this was new to us.)

There are many ballast-related exercises, some of which are:

• Shoveling snow off ballast.
• Breaking up ballast with shovels.
• Digging up ballast to place metal devices called "jacks."
• Moving ballast away from long wooden beams that are called "ties."
• Using shovels to push the ballast under the ties.
• Using bars to tamp ballast under ties.
• Shoveling additional ballast from the bucket of a front end loader.

It is a beautiful outdoor location with a variety of weather including hot, cold, wind, and snow.

There is a beautiful restroom located in an unusually shaped building called the "roundhouse." The roundhouse appears to contain many advanced exercise machines that I haven't yet learned their function.

There is a mysterious man named Jeff who uses something called "the 491" to create new exercise venues for us each week. I think he may be the Grand Master.

The highlight is at the end of the day where this same 491 provides a coal smoke scented steam bath that moisturizes the skin and really opens your pores.

I also learned that if you keep working long enough you may be able to achieve the level of "brakeman" whatever that is.

The best thing about this spa is that for some unknown reason the membership dues are free!

I highly recommend that others join. I know that Chuck and I plan to be lifetime members!