The salon is located at the entrance to the spa. We arrived early and decided to take advantage of the central pool and hot tub area because it was so inviting-looking and because we hadn't done anything in that space yet.

An Olympic-sized pool surrounded by chaises and chairs sits in the center between the women's wet room and the treatment rooms. It's visible through a large window when you enter the Spa at Pinehurst, sun-dappled from the skylights above. We were too lazy to swim any laps (and also to use the fitness center located to the left of the reception desk) so we put on our spa slippers and headed off to the salon.

Angela dutifully sat in her haircut chair while Carol and I got into elaborate pedicure "environments."

We've had pedicures before, usually sitting in a salon chair with our feet in a pan of water while the pedicurist sat on a lower chair in front of us. Not this time, not at the Spa at Pinehurst, no sir. The chair is designed for pedicures in ritzy spas, and to say that it was hard to leave it is an understatement. It's contoured and comfortable, the water basin is attached (like a sink at the bottom) and vibrates and swirls the water. The chair itself has a control pad on the arm; choose from a full back massage, a shoulder massage, heat or no heat and any permutation in between. Or nothing at all. Given the fact that this was unique, I could hardly sit in an inert chair, so I tried everything. Then someone came over with a warmed neck roll. My tootsies were in warm swirling water, my back was being vibrated, my neck was supported and warm, and I dozed off, barely opening my eyes when my pedicurist started massaging my feet, ankles and calves. THIS is what a spa day should be!

Angela, in the meantime, decided to go the (very) conservative route and had just the ragged bottom of her hair lopped off. Carol was dozing in her pedicure chair too.

After our salon treatments we sat on the veranda with our strawberry smoothies for a good long time, all of us too relaxed and noodle-like to accomplish much more than getting the glass to our lips. Carol and I shuffled off in our spa sandals, not wanting to mess up the polish on our toes. We spent the remainder of the afternoon doing almost nothing at all. A little window shopping in the Village, tea in the Library at The Holly, more veranda sitting and rocking, chatting about our kids, about important things and totally unimportant things. Bonding. Heavenly.

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