Treat yourself to a luxury spa day for $109+ during Miami Spa Months

A few weeks ago, my wife and I took a vacation without ever leaving North Beach.

Inside seashell-shaped rain showers, we listened to the roar of a tropical thunderstorm, feeling as if we were on a Caribbean island. But we were just a couple miles away from home — at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort in Miami Beach.

• The experience was part of Miami Spa Months, which offers discounted deals at 36 different Miami-Dade spas through August, starting at $109.

Our experience: For $139 each, we received a couple's massage and all-day access to the resort's Thermal Hydrotherapy spa — not to mention a day pass to two pools, beach service and free parking.

• The layout of the spa encourages hot-cold shock therapy circuits, moving from the sauna, steam room or jacuzzi into the refreshing experiential rain shower or chilly Igloo room.
• I was a little overwhelmed by this at first, but grew to love it. My favorite circuit was going from the sauna to the Igloo.
• After the spa, we hit the pool, ate lunch and drank some cocktails.

The bottom line: I, like many Americans, often feel stressed out. And studies show just 10 minutes of massage can help your body fight stress.

• But luxury spa treatments can be expensive, and I probably can't afford to do that more than once a year.
• Taking daily walks to the beach is something I do to relax my mind — for free!