A Little Self-Care in Porto
Massages, haircuts, happy feet, and the perfect seafood rice
One of the things we’ve come to appreciate about this kind of travel is that everyday life simply continues, you just happen to be living it somewhere else. Haircuts, nail appointments, grocery shopping... they’re all part of the experience.
So we have been fitting in a little self-care.
We have been to Mirra Porto Spa twice now for a 75 minute couples massage, the first one was so good we immediately booked a second. We paid €160 total for both of us; so worth it!
Shawn found a neighborhood barbershop, Ned Barbearias Boavista, where he got a fresh haircut and beard trim for about €30. It was very impressive given that he had to explain what he wanted all with his translation app. The other guys in the shop entertained me while I waited for Shawn, and we had a fun little discussion using the few English words they knew, plus some pantomime.
And today was the day I broke down and treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. I brought supplies to do my own nails, but after weeks of walking Porto's hills and logging thousands of steps a day on cobblestone streets, it felt like my feet had earned a little attention from a professional, and my hands were happy to be along for the ride. There's something wonderfully relaxing about sitting still for a couple of hours while someone else takes care of you.
I went to NACO II nail salon, about 20 minutes from our apartment. The nail artists were so nice, and one of them spoke English fluently so I had no need for a translation app. A gel manicure was €23.99, and a gel pedicure was €29.99.
After I enjoyed my mani/pedi, and Shawn did some travel planning while he waited for me, we wandered down to the river to have a couple of drinks at one of the bars along the waterfront.
We found a table overlooking the river and spent the afternoon watching the steady parade of boats drift by. Traditional rabelos (the boat in the background of the photo below), sightseeing cruises, sailboats, and the occasional speedboat all shared the water while people strolled the promenade.
We wrapped up our evening with dinner at Casa Agrícola, just up the hill from our apartment. I ordered the seafood rice, because I hadn’t given up on this dish yet. This one was the Goldilocks version. Not bland, not salty... just right. It was rich, flavorful, and loaded with fresh seafood - big prawns and chunks of perfectly cooked monkfish. Our server also brought over a small dish of their house-made spicy sauce, in case we'd enjoy adding a little kick. It gave the rice just enough heat without overpowering all those wonderful seafood flavors. It was the perfect ending to our day.
Tomorrow we are going to walk all this off!
Saúde!