Is your mind desperate for a break? Does your body whimper at the mere mention of a Moroccan soaking tub? It is possible you have been driven crazy and don't even know it.

Sometimes solutions are stumbled upon. Or fallen into. Or collapsed upon.

I arrived at The Sanitarium, having no idea what expect. I had assumed I would check-in, be briefed, and then head back out for a sultry evening on the salty streets of San Luis Obispo, CA.

Upon entering my room I was stunned by its simple beauty. It was full of art. What to touch first? The cold basin of the deep hammered tub standing unfettered in the corner? The bumpy, crazy colored, lovingly worn patchwork quilt and fluffy pillows? The cool tiles of the bathroom floor. I lingered over every item - all seemingly selected to seduce me.

I succumbed. Silently disrobing, I lay prone, gazing up and out to the swaying tree tops.

After months of constantly moving, making, minding, and musings, my mind and body came to a complete stop. A stillness not acquired in months. When I awoke it was dark and cool. Faint music and laughter floated up the stairs and slipped under my door. I lay quietly for awhile hoping I might fall off to sleep again. But curiosity moved me up and on. I freshened up–determined to still do something in San Luis Obispo other than sleep.

Tiptoeing downstairs I found the innkeeper in the front studio puttering and muttering. He was surrounded by multiple painted canvases of all sizes and styles, several 20 gallon tin buckets filled with hundreds of squeezed tubes of paint, and dozens of jelly jars with brushes standing at attention.

"Here, you can paint too" he offered. Really? Maybe, but first I should go out. I spent the rest of the evening in a used bookstore downtown, huddled in the arts section. I discovered a Sotheby's auction catalog devoted to Latin American art. I felt like it was waiting for me to discover it.

I returned to The Sanitarium eager to completely submit to its care. An hour long private steam shower loosened the last twist in my mental and physical spine, delivering a state of utter submission. I weaved dreams so vivid and clear at the time - all lost to me now.

In the morning, all plans for seeing the sights were silenced. Instead I flirted with the innkeeper amid his artwork, moved by his insights and sensitivities. I settled on the parlor sofa and fingered through several neatly stacked four foot piles of art books clearly lovingly collected over many years.

I would paint. I could paint. Please may I paint?! I am so pleased at the notion of painting.

Two hours of page turning flies by. Still stumped. What to paint? Okay. Focus. What am I feeling? Cleansed. Naked. Beautiful.

Starting with a simple lead pencil I generated an outline nude form. Assured, my fingers reached for a brush and a tube of paint and I began. Colors layering, light and shadows building, a self portrait emerged. Uninterrupted for several hours I sang through my fingers. I remember me.

Nearly finished–it was time for check-out. I felt transformed. Loosened. Lighter.

So simply made happy in 24 hours. What a gift to my solo self. Thank you. Thank me.

Stay here as soon as you can.

The Sanitarium Spa
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San Luis Obispo, CA

Seven intimate rooms with private baths. Original art in every room. Sun drenched private decks. Darling breakfast pantry. Garden. Art studio. Grand piano. Walking distance to downtown. Massage room. Visit the website for full details.
But call – the owner Suzy hates email and computers.
805-544-4124

This review first appeared on TangoDiva.com

We stayed there for 2 nights. It was nice and unque but way overpriced. It is in a good location which is a plus but you pay for it. The hosts were great, didn't eat breakfast there but everything was clean and nice.

The breakfast was seriously substandard. I’ve made much better breakfasts, for more people, over a Coleman stove and a cast-iron Dutch oven while camping.

NO, I repeat NO housekeeping during our two night stay. We are a couple. We are in love. We are staying at a B&B. We have needs. We need fresh sheets, and fresh towels. NO SUCH LUCK!

Speaking of housekeeping, no face/hand towels, no extra TP, no Kleenex in the room.

The chairs in our room and on our deck were not suitable for sitting in for more than 15 minutes. The chairs in the”Living Room” were non-existent, the chairs in the outdoor patio were garage-sale left-
overs.

Our Shower did not drain. See the housekeeping item above.

It was quite warm when we stayed there. The rooms don’t have air-
conditioning. That’s OK, but the rooms also don’t have screens on the windows. And our room had a stagnant pond below one of the windows. Thus, we had mosquitos in our room, all night.

We’ve got maybe a dozen more complaints of a lesser nature, but here’s one as an example. We arrived back at the inn to find the gate to the parking area closed. The owner had shown up, and brought her dogs with her. In order to keep them inside the property, she had shut the gate to the parking lot. No street parking available immediately around the facility. Nice touch.

We think that this inn was dramatically over priced, even at the weekday price. We can’t imagine how ripped-off we would feel if we had paid the weekend rate.

After reading reviews I thought I had a good idea of what to expect, I am not one for excessive service so, I thought it would be fine. & SLO doesn't have many options so we thought we would give this place a try. Decor-fun and tasteful. We enjoyed the asthetic & fun atmosphere. But the positive feelings end there.
My experience overall was disapointing. The worst offense was what I see as disregard for safety of guests. Random "friends" of the hotel, (gentleman in his 60's who looked like he just climbed off the curb) not only hung around the place(eating, showering) but stayed overnight in extra rooms. This was a getaway trip with two twenty-something girlfiends. And the last thing you want is to feel uncomfortable, when after coming home for the night, some random old guy (a friend of the inn)followed us upstairs, holding a large bottle of lotion, went into a room next to us and retired for the night. Creepy! Also, the inn keeper gave us a master Key, eventhough there were other guests one of the nights.
Poor security/unlocked doors, absent & poor/un-trained service, no cleaning service, food was not as advertised (gormet). If I wanted to crash at a friends house I wouldn't have paid $300 per night to do so. I could go into excruciating detail, just skip it unless you want to pay 4star prices for a hostel experience.
As a side note I did compain to the owner she did apologize & offered another free stay. But I would not go back unless they change mangement, and pubicly address problems. Too bad because with a little effort, this place could be an asset to SLO.