I’ve been under the cloud of Melpomone – the muse of tragedy – for some time and it’s time for me to throw her aside to find another. A muse that taps into my languishing creative side – one that makes me laugh again. I need to find Thalia – muse of comedy and poetry.
So, I’m off to Carlsbad to soak in their magical waters. Carlsbad is a quaint and charming coastal town with wizardly powers surrounding their curative waters. Only 35 miles north of downtown San Diego and 87 miles south of Los Angeles, the town is internationally known as a haven for wellness resorts and spas.
A healing treat for the body
My first order of the day is a spa soak in the alkaline mineral waters at Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa. Located at the edge of downtown Carlsbad Village, it’s easily accessed by car or train. (The Carlsbad Coaster train station is just one block away while Oceanside Amtrak depot is three miles from the historic spa.) Today, Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa is a California historic site and monument that still markets its famous alkaline artesian mineral water, both for drinking and for exquisite spa treatments and healing soaks.
The mineral waters were discovered in 1882 by Capt. John Frazier after drilling a well for farming, tapping both artesian and mineral springs in the process. He soon realized that the alkaline mineral waters cured his long-standing stomach issues. Eager for independent analysis, he sent two samples for testing to laboratories in New York and Chicago. The results showed a chemical similarity to the famous healing spring mineral waters and European spa found in Bohemia in Karlsbad. (The town’s name and country have since changed and are now Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic).
By 1930, after changing hands, the California Carlsbad Mineral Water Hotel was built across the street from the well, making the alkaline mineral waters available for drinking and for bathing to a wide swath of worldwide guests, movie stars, and two U.S. presidents. Unfortunately, when the Great Depression hit, the owners fell on hard times and abandoned the well.
It wasn’t until 1993 that Ludvik Grigoras, a native from Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), came upon the abandoned well and restored it commercially. He also re-drilled another of Frazier’s wells known for its natural carbonation. As a result, the famous Carlsbad water is now being bottled once again for drinking, and is available for healing soaks and spa treatments in an architectural-style building reminiscent of his homeland.
I surrender to the “Royal Treatment” – a carbonated alkaline mineral bath designed to release lactic acids and relax the body. The two-hour treatment also includes a Mud Facial with a soothing face, neck and shoulder massage, the last hour focusing on a full body massage. Afterwards, I am totally relaxed yet feeling a new source of energy.
The Museum of Making Music
Now I’m ready for a lyrical engagement – to embrace Euterpe – the muse of song. The Museum of Making Music is a hidden jewel, a treasure trove of a century of musical instruments and innovations that shaped American popular music.
The museum consists of five galleries spanning a century of American musical genres, innovations, and musical instruments. The focus is on connections between people, instruments, and making music, with each gallery featuring a “breakthrough” instrument – an instrument that changed the course of future music. Oftentimes, the artifact and the current version are displayed alongside a modern version you can play. I enjoyed the interactive areas that let me try my musical genius on a variety of instruments, including drums. I found out, and not surprisingly so, that I still lack musical genes. But it didn’t dampen my joy seeing, hearing, and playing through the notes, or perhaps I should say my musical cacophony.
Healing hands in clay
Next, I engage my creative side by immersing my hands in a moist ball of malleable clay. At the Lynn Forbes School of Sculpture, I can sign-up for one or as many classes I like. All around me are exquisite examples of heads and the human body. Forbes says, “Anyone can do it, and there are classes for all ages.”
Laughing silently at my convoluted clay ball soon to become a masterpiece, I think I’ve finally found my muse Thalia. All is good.
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