We were thrilled to find that the sun had decided to wake up with us Monday morning in Orlando, FL. After a chilly Theme Park day, we were all looking forward to soaking up as many rays as we possibly could, but first: Time to FLY!
According to their website, iFLY is the experiential entertainment company that created modern indoor skydiving. They have 37 and counting facilities internationally, including one in Oakville, ON (in case you are local to Peterborough and wanted to give this a try yourself!). We arrived promptly for 9:30, filled out paperwork, were weighed and then ushered into a training classroom where we met our iFly instructor: Gator.
Now, I should pause a minute to let you readers know that from the moment we landed in Florida, our eyes have been peeled and constantly scanning in hopes of seeing some alligators. We were all made very aware of their concentrated over-population in this particular state and honestly expected to see them everywhere — kind of like the cat-sized black squirrels we see all the time at home… It was officially day 3 in Orlando and we had yet to see one. You know, other than our very chill, very human indoor skydiving instructor.
Easier said than done?
Gator played us an instructional video, then took us through the basics in preparation for our flights. Since it is impossible to communicate verbally inside of a tunnel being blasted with 120mph winds, there are three very important hand signals we all needed to learn.
The first was chin up; just as with all things involving heights, it was ill-advised to look down. The second and third had to do with our legs, the positioning of which was very important to steadying while in flight.
And the third? Relax, of course.
Suited up and ready to iFLY!
With the basics under our belt, it was time to suit up! We each slipped into our flight suits, complete with goggles, earplugs, and helmet, then made our way to the wind tunnel. Everyone would get two turns, each flight lasting one minute each round.
It didn’t sound like much, but we were assured that it would be plenty — especially for us novices.
Those of us who were lucky enough to be part of Team Beast (myself included) would get an additional 30 second per round. 
I was truly in awe of my fellow Team Beast-er Jessica who started us off — she made it look so easy! Mid-flight, Gator got underneath her and spun her around on his helmet like a propeller! Honestly, everyone looked great out there and looked like they were having a real blast.
Melanie Deighton (another BEAST) was so thrilled after her first flight that she was wiping away tears of joy in addition to an alarming amount of drool (which, to be fair, we all had to do).
3/4 of Team BEAST
We were given the chance to upgrade to a “high fly” on our second turn, which meant that guided by Gator, we would be able to catch around 12 more feet of air.
Let’s just say, I was the only one to skip the upgrade…
The rest of our day was spent as chill as possible.
Best photo bomb ever!
Some took in the experience of a good Ol’ American Waffle House before heading back to the house for some R&R.
All dolled up for some shopping!
After some pool/hot-tub time at the house, some of us opted to hit up an outlet mall….
Others enjoyed the Lazy River at
the Champions Gate Club House…..
Meanwhile, Cole and Jen took a field trip to Pulse nightclub memorial to pay homage.
This was the night that “C” stood for Chef, as Spa Challenge losers Team C were tasked with cooking the rest of us dinner. 
We positively stuffed ourselves on their fajita bar and toasted their outstanding meal with a round (or two) of Tequila shots. Then, thanks to their Grocery Shopping Challenge victory, “C” didn’t also have to stand for Cleaning — the rest of us took care of the tidying.
After dinner, Tye got up to make a very exciting announcement regarding the following morning’s surprise event. She was especially proud of this adventure since it was one of the excursions she spearheaded. Plus, she knew what we were all dying to see this trip…. We’d have a much better chance of spotting alligators while riding an airboat in the Everglades!
More on that later 🙂
Mélanie
On behalf of The Urban Spa
Aside from those in the group who had already been to the Theme Park Capital of the World, many of us hadn’t really experienced a Theme Park before. We might have been familiar with Canada’s Wonderland, but we were in a whole new world (or worlds) now. Universal Studios is a fully immersive experience. As you travel through the different sections of the park, you leave the real world behind and find yourself in places you’ve only imagined or seen in movies/TV, such as a film studio backlot someplace in Hollywood, California or cartoonily-familiar Springfield, USA, home of The Simpsons.
There happens to be a Hello Kitty shop close to the entrance of Universal Studios and there also just so happens to be Hello Kitty’s biggest fan in the Urban Spa Staff. Samantha was so thrilled by getting to start the day meeting her idol, it definitely made her day!
You forget you’re in a Theme Park, it’s all so real and all SO magical. It was a truly remarkable experience. One could spend a full day in this section of the park alone and each moment gaze upon yet another intricate detail that truly brought the place to life. Jen Cowey, an Esthetician at the Urban Spa, spent a lot of time photographing these details throughout her visit and says they were her favourite part of the day.
Sarah helped coordinate this trip with our fearless leader Kerri, and for every activity and surprise they planned for us, they must have got satisfaction ten-fold. You could literally see the immense sense of accomplishment wash over their faces as all of their hard work was finally coming to fruition. Tye also tends to jump up and down.
Inside? no detail was spared. As you wait in line for the ride, you are treated to a detailed tour of the castle, through classrooms and common rooms, past winding staircases, through Dumbledor’s office and even past the Sorting Hat. And the ride at the end of the tour? My own personal favourite part of the day. I rode it twice!
Something truly remarkable and seriously weird happened to our RMT Cole Leptick while wandering around Universal Studios; he met Doc Johnson of Back To The Future fame, who gave him a message from the future! After posing for a photo together, the Doc had to run, but before he did, he told Cole to ‘have fun sky-diving!” Cole didn’t think much of it until later that night when Kerri and Tye were announcing the next morning’s surprise excursion: a trip to iFly Orlando for a bit of INDOOR SKYDIVING!
On Friday, January 6th, I left work exited as all get-out, knowing that in less than 24 hours time my coworkers and I would be soaking up the sun in Orlando, Florida. This incredible vacation was finally about to happen, something we at the Urban Spa had been looking forward to and working towards for what seemed like forever — especially in the weeks leading up to it, which included an incredibly hectic Holiday season where our schedule had been booked at max capacity throughout.
Before too long, the rest of us finally took our seats on the plane en route to Orlando, Florida! After a somewhat turbulent, 3-ish hours (which I mostly, successfully slept through) we began descending into… an overcast, drizzly, humid yet cool day. Needless to say, this was not what we expected from Florida…
With three rental cars worth of luggage and groceries, we made our way to our resort community home-away-from-home in Champions Gate (fitting) and unloaded our things into a beautiful, 9 bedroom house complete with multiple common areas, a games room/home theatre, not to mention a private pool and jacuzzi.
The Melting Pot is a gorgeously decorated fondue restaurant, where we were treated to a three-course FEAST. Each course was prepared before our eyes on a magical marble-topped table with a cook-top insert controlled by what appeared to our deliriously tired eyes as a magic wand. Were we in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter already? I thought that was supposed to be happening on Day Two… I am getting ahead of myself!
Let me tell you about the FOOD:
At The Urban Spa, one of our core beliefs is we want people to put themselves first. Too many people in today’s busy world put themselves last. Whether your favourite airline is Air Canada, West Jet or someone else, our belief is that the airlines’ safety briefing got it right. If you’ve flown in the last 30 years, you will remember the stewardess saying “you must put on your oxygen mask before helping other people”.
In December, winter reaches its peak, and as far as the fashions are involved, an individual conjointly reaches at the height of pleasure at the beginning of this season. December Nail Art design ideas revolve around the events that we’ve got to attend throughout this month. One among the most outstanding styles of Winter Nail Art is snowflakes because snow is usually seen in winter. You can act creatively and use completely different color combos for frost nail art techniques and patterns.
GIFT CARDS:
SATURDAY SERVICES:
This treatment is perfect for those with plantar fasciitis, poor circulation, tired, sore feet, or just love a good foot massage. A combination of relaxing essential oils, hot towels, hot stone massage, and a cool, refreshing balm to finish, treats the feet and lower legs to relax tense muscles, increase circulation and soothe soreness.
This 75 minute full body treatment combines the relaxing strokes of a massage with the exfoliating effects of our Macadamia nut oil scrub and body lotion. Lime Blossom scrub sloughs away dry skin, hot towels cleanse and refresh the skin, and Hydra-Opulence macadamia nut lotion moisturizes and soothes the skin.
