Just say… A(hhhhhhhhh)TA!

¡Hola Florencio!

The life of a typical linguist in Miami is not all about doing T&I work during the day and going salsa dancing at night, you know? We spend lots of crazy hours sitting in front of the computer screen craning our necks and hunching our shoulders, pulling our hair and fraying our nerves with deadlines and interpreting assignments. So what do we Miami translators and interpreters do when on the verge of a nervous breakdown?  Hit the spa, of course!

And there are plenty of them around the downtown area, just walking distance or a short cab ride away from the ATA’s conference site, the Hyatt Regency. Although very high-end, unfortunately the Hyatt does not have a spa. But the Hyatt has made arrangements with its next-door neighbor, the Epic, and that hotel’s fantastic Exhale spa offers Hyatt guests a nice discount on all therapies, including massages, facials and acupuncture. Exhale also has beautiful studios where they offer an outstanding array of yoga classes, as well as their signature workout, an intense hour-long class called Core Fusion. Oh, I almost forgot: There’s a special 20% discount for ATA Conference attendees! Be sure to stop by the Hospitality Desk to learn about the promo code!

Across the street from the Hyatt is the JW Marriott Hotel (second Conference hotel) with a smaller but very pleasant spa with all the amenities one would expect: massages, body scrubs, facials and mani/pedis. A bit farther down the street is MySpa, at the InterContinental Hotel (third Conference hotel!) Beautiful views of the city, a full spa menu and great amenities make this wellness facility an excellent choice as well.

A five-minute cab ride away, on Brickell Key–a man-made island right on Biscayne Bay–is the very posh Mandarin Oriental. Its extremely zen-simple but ultra-luxurious spa facilities are breathtaking. The treatment  will set you back some hard-earned translation dollars but it’s worth it. The theme is Asian, of course, and the Thai massage and reflexology are not to be missed. You can also request to have your therapy done al fresco in a cabana on the private beach. Miami weather is lovely in November.

Also a cab ride away, but very accessible right on Brickell Avenue, is the Spa at Conrad Miami. An urban oasis on the 24^th floor, it is wellness and beauty just waiting for you. It offers a complete spa menu with staples ranging from Swedish to hot-stone massages, high-tech facials and express manicures and pedicures (mojitos in hand are optional but highly recommended).

So, mi amigo, Florencio, no reason whatsoever to go around the conference with a stiff neck or achy back. But do reserve your late-afternoon spa appointments in advance–they go fast! You gotta get in before us Miamians who like to unwind a bit before we put on our dancing shoes and mambo the night away. Yep, that’s how we do it.

Just relax, enjoy, and say… A(hhhhhhhhh)TA!

José J. S.