By Robert Spuhler
The slowdown starts miles before the front gates of Castle Hot Springs: as guests turn off the highway and onto an unfinished, dirt-and-rock road, the speed limit is cut by more than half immediately. The gates to the resort open slowly, and drivers make their way down the palm tree-lined driveway. After checking in, they take a relaxed tour of the property.
“Slow” is a quality that comes to mind often when thinking about vacations generally; the day-to-day grind rarely has time to allot for a leisurely breakfast. But at Castle Hot Springs, it is less of a quality and more of a mantra, with nearly every activity giving guests the opportunity to move more leisurely.
Studies and experiments have long taught us that slowing down many of our daily tasks can be helpful. Eating slowly has been associated with feeling full earlier and, therefore, eating less. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman’s work has shown that “slow thinking” can lead to more logical decisions while also freeing up creativity. There have been “slow” movements in areas as diverse as fashion, education, and travel.
But it is in the realm of stress relief where slow movements really shine. The excess stress of being late, of getting enough done in the day amid a crowded schedule, or even getting an unappetizing task over with as quickly as possible adds speed to every action. When you slow down, you can make the world slow down for you.
At Castle Hot Springs, “slow” seems built into every activity. Morning yoga and meditation ensure that the day starts unhurried, and the popular evening soaks in the hot springs feel unmoored from schedules.
“Slowing this,” says yoga and meditation instructor Colleen Inman, pointing to her brain, “enough to have quietude seems to be the thing they may not consciously be looking for, but it’s subconsciously driven.”
But those activities that focus on relaxation, like a yoga class or massages at the spa, aren’t the only ones that benefit from a leisurely pace at Castle Hot Springs. Take, as an example, dinner: The day’s final meal takes the form of a five-course menu at Harvest Restaurant. The time between those courses allows for both better digestion and the chance to enjoy the food, rather than rushing through to get to the next activity (it’s actually difficult to spend less than 90 minutes on the meal). Unlike at home, there’s no homework to help the kids finish, no television show to catch, and not even a bedtime to make. It’s the same at Bar 1896, where a slap-and-dash rum and Coke is often replaced by multilayered drinks, ones that take time to create and are best enjoyed sip by sip, rather than shot by shot.
Even the resort’s most adrenaline-laced activity is, in its own way, about slowing down. Scaling the via ferrata can be exhilarating, but any mountain climber will tell you that the process is best done slowly, making sure each movement, each foothold, is chosen intentionally. It’s a discipline of thought that requires slowed-down processing.
“There’s an intention of focus,” says Glenn Slattery, Castle Hot Springs’ lead guide. “You need to be able to put a focus into the moment. You don’t need to think about the summit, because we’re not there yet. We’ll get there. But if we don’t stay focused on the moment, that might not happen.”
The Canadian songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen once sang, “You want to get there soon/I want to get there last.” In a rat race where every clichéd instinct is to sprint, setting the intention of slowing down and savoring moments often leads to greater relaxation — and at Castle Hot Springs, that intention is baked into every part of the stay.