A shower is not simply a shower for me. A shower is a way of acclimating myself to the lucidity required to engage in everyday life. It is a way to mentally and physically prepare myself for whatever may lie ahead for me for the day. It's a routine that borders on a spiritual ritual to allow myself to function in the world at my maximum potential.
I am not exaggerating, then, when I say my shower at The Inn and Spa at Loretto was one of the most uncomfortable experiences in my life.
I awoke early in the morning in eager anticipation to enjoy everything Santa Fe has to offer, and as I watched the sun rise over the Sangre de Christo Mountains, marveling at the beauty of the New Mexico sunrise. All that was left for me was to take my shower and prepare for the day. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.
I stepped into the bathroom and made my way over to the shower, and turned the knob as I always would to roughly halfway to initiate the process. As I anxiously waited to begin my shower routine, the bathroom quickly filled with steam. After the cool morning air this felt nice at first, but of course I didn't want to scald myself! I turned the faucet back towards the cool side as I stepped into the shower, expecting that I understood where I would reach a "warm" temperature. Within seconds I was blasted with ice cold water as if straight from a glacier. Pain shot up my spine to my neck as the icy water rained upon me, and I reflexively turned the knob back towards the hot side, thinking I surely had found the "happy medium". Within moments I was engulfed in red hot water that felt as if it had just been boiled in a tea pot across my face and neck, stunning me yet again. Frustrated, I moved the shower head directly to the floor, spraying my feet with the same steaming water. I then carefully moved the faucet, one centimeter at a time towards the cold side, gauging the point at which the water would begin to cool. Amazingly, there was no change. After 10 or so careful movements of the knob, the water began to cool, to my great relief. However, within moments the ice cold water returned, once again sending shivers up my spine. After more experimentation and constant discomfort, it became clear that there were only two options for this shower: burning hot or ice cold. The rest of my shower was spent doing a horrible dance of moving between excessively hot and cold water, moving my body out of the water frequently to minimize the pain. I ultimately managed to do the bare minimum necessary to get myself clean, with the chance of a relaxing and revitalizing experience clearly being out of the question.
This is not how I would want anyone to start their day, and I feel this should be unacceptable for a hotel with the stature and reputation of The Inn and Spa at Loretto. While the rest of my experience there was quite nice, this shower left me with an awful feeling for much of my day. I hope they are able to ensure that future guests do not have to go through an experience like this.
