Greetings from the

Hello and welcome to our 6th Floating Stone Inn & Aqua Spa e-newsletter.  Our last one was almost 7 months ago.  It's time for an update since we are just weeks from opening. 

There is an old saying that construction projects take twice as long and cost twice as much.  This is the case with the Floating Stone.  And it is also true that before a new venture is open for business, there is way more to do than was ever originally envisioned  - last minute details, inspections, etc.  

While we still do not have our Certificate of Occupancy, our general contractor just today said that we are close.  Our excitement is growing as we establish our initial operations for a simple opening during what is now our "off-season".  

We are calling this our shake down summer at the Floating Stone.  We will be encouraging your suggestions, input, and feedback on how you would like us to eventually operate in the Fall, when our snowbird friends return.  In this way, we locals have the opportunity to develop the breeze that will set our sails, launching us from the Summertime harbor for full sail in the Fall.  

As we approach our opening day, please meet the crew I have assembled;  Sissy Perry (reservations and housekeeping), Joe Frey (facilities managment), Rockwell Driver (water therapy), and Ester (foodservice). Rocky and I complete the roster  - filling in where necessary.  They will be saying more about themselves in our next e-newsletter.  Stay tuned.

We are opening 3 of our 5 pools for the summer:  the main hot-therapy pool, our recreational/lap pool, and our watsu pool.  An additional pool will serve as a cold plunge.  The hot-therapy pool will be at 104 degrees, the recreational/lap pool at 87, the watsu at 98, and the cold plunge in the 70's. 

We will have two treatment rooms for massage and bodywork. Private watsu and physical water therapy will be available by appointment.  While we don't have all the details worked out yet, we plan to partner with the Tubac Fitness Center for aqua aerobics, and other water fitness classes.  Rocky Driver is helping us formulate other aqua physical fitness offerings. 

You will be able to enjoy the aqua spa as a day or overnight guest.  You can arrange to stay in one of our 6 off-site casitas, or in our on-site, two-bedroom Casita Linda that sleeps up to 6 people.  You will also be able to book our 4 historic Charles Poston on-site Inn rooms later in summer. 

During the Summer, our aqua spa is free to our overnight guests. 

For day guests, we offer a pass for $20/day or a 10 pass punch card for $150 (good from when we open until October 1st).  If you live in Santa Cruz County, please ask for the local's discount.   

As far as we know, we are the only aqua spa in North American featuring ionized water.  What you will find is that our water is the best you can drink and bath in for your health and enjoyment.  We use an ionization process to clean all our water for swimming, showering, and drinking, which means NO CHLORINE/NO SALT/NO CHEMICALS.  

We hope that after you experience our water, you will want to find out how you can create your own ionized water household.  You can sign up for one of our demonstration programs when you visit and sign up for a free, 30-day drinking water program.  Among the benefits you will realize from ionized water are boosts to your immune system, increased energy, improved sleep and so many more.   

For Rocky and I, we have been amazed at not only the health benefits, but how all of our food tastes better!!   Most importantly, we cook with the ionized water removing pesticides from fruits and vegetables, and soaking meats in the water to improve the flavor and tenderness. We've removed the chemicals from our household for washing, laundering, skin and dental care. 

Swimming in ionized water is like gliding through velvet.  Because the filtration process reduces the size of the water molecules, there is less surface tension along with an energizing quality.  Best of all, for those of us who have swum in chlorinated pools for most of our lives, there is no skin irritation, eye soreness, or problems with hair and skin dryness. 

The best news, is that you no longer smell or feel the chlorine in your eyes and lungs when showering.  

What to bring when you visit our Aqua Spa

This summer, we will not be offering locker facilities.  We will, however, offer guests bags for their belongings, towels, sandals, and bathing suits (disposable and regular) some for rental and others for sale.  We offer these items as a courtesy for those guests unprepared for encountering the aqua spa  - figuring that many guests will be surprised to travel to Tubac, and to find our aqua spa now open.  We want to make sure we turn no one away.  

For guests in the know, we suggest that you bring your own bags, towels, swim suits, sandals and anything you need to be comfortable in our pools.  Please remember to bring only bio-degradable shampoos and soaps for bathing.  If you do not have these, we will have some to purchase.  We are on a septic system and need to be careful of the chemicals we use for showering. 

Since we do not offer lockers, we ask that you be responsible for your own valuables. 

Our Special Drinking Water

Because we are a water wellness center, we ask our guests to not bring in bottled water, soda, or other drinks from home or that are store purchased.  We offer free ionized water at check in. Bring your own container for the water, or purchase a floating stone water container from our retail store.  We also offer free cups onsite. 

Food Service

We are considering offering healthy lunches from Noon to 1pm from our outside courtyard kitchen.  Since these lunches will be brought in from a local restaurant, we need you to reserve your lunch in advance.  We will post on our web-site, the options available for each day. 

During evenings, when we offer entertainment and other events, we may also offer dinners by reservation.Check our web-site for  events and the available menus. 

At this writing, we are offering morning, afternoon, and evening hours.  These will be adjusted to customer demand over the summer months.  

Morning Hours: 

8am to 1pm

Afternoon Hours:

12noon to 5pm

Evening Hours:

5pm to 9pm (Sunday through Thursday)

5pm to 10pm (Friday and Saturday)

Each pass must be for one of these 3 times.  Exceptions will be made if massage and body treatments extend beyond these pre-set times. 

Reservation Policy

Because our facility offers a small intimate setting for private events, day guests need to call up to a week in advance to reserve their spot.   We will welcome guests without a reservation as long as space is available. But, please, call ahead. We don't want to disappoint you.  When our facility is being used for a private event, or fully booked for the day, we can not offer you our services.

Parking

We provide check-in parking in the front of our building only.  After you check in and receive a gate code to our back parking lot gate and a pool key card, you can repark in the back lot. 

Class Schedule

Most of our aqua classes will be held in the morning, and announced on our calendar. 

Private Classes

Our private, one-on-one classes can be scheduled during the afternoons and evenings. They are available by reservation, and require a minimum one day advance notice.