By Lani Gering

It had been a while since I got to spend some time with a couple of my favorite gal pals so I invited my very sophisticated friend, Kathy, to accompany me one afternoon while I took advantage of the MGM Grand’s gracious invitation to take a guided tour of the Casino, spend some time in the beautiful spa and partake in dinner at one of the resorts fine eateries.  Later in the month, I caught up with my slot machine loving friend, Nancy, for an evening that included a bit of gambling, a lot of people watching and some good eats.

Massages & Martini’s

Kathy picked me up in Old Town in her cool Audi convertible aka Chick Mobile and we headed across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the MGM Grand. We opted to self-park in the free lot and found a perfect spot close to the elevator doors on Parking Level 3. Walking through The District – food court and shops – into the Conservatory, we met Bernadette, our hostess for the afternoon and began our adventure. After securing our spa bags in our lockers in the spa, we went down to the ground floor and met the Vice President of Casino Operations, Alex Alvarado, at the Casino’s main entrance. Alex took us on an insiders sort of tour that proved to be very informative. While I have been in the casino several times over the years, I found that there is a lot more to it than I realized. I had totally forgotten that there is an outside area that has gaming machines. You can gamble al fresco – who knew? We were on a timeline since we had massages scheduled in the spa so…no time to test our luck at the tables or with a machine.

When we entered the Spa we were given a very warm welcome and after all needed paperwork was completed, we were given a tour of the facility by Katharine Craig the Spa Director. It definitely has a very serene and calming look and feel. Full disclosure, this wasn’t my first tour of a spa but it was the first time in my 71 years that I had any sort of treatment in one, let alone a massage.  I know, I know. Most of you are probably thinking that’s nuts. For some unknown reason, the thought of being rubbed on by someone I don’t know just never appealed to me and I was actually a little unnerved. Well, I have really been missing out. That was my first massage but definitely isn’t going to be my last. Kathy, however, isn’t a stranger to massage or a spa. Remember that I did say she is my sophisticated friend. We had the opportunity to add enhancements to our 55-minute massages. We both opted for the hot stones and I chose a collagen face massage – this was actually a warm sheet mask placed on my face that is supposed to pull out impurities and leave your face hydrated with a gold-infused serum. It definitely left my face feeling great. After our massages we relaxed with a glass of champagne in the women’s wet room where a spa/whirlpool is located.

After getting ourselves pulled together, we were escorted to Ginger – the Asian fusion restaurant in the hotel – where we enjoyed our post massage martinis and great meal. After dinner, we ventured to Voltaggio Brothers – another amazing fine dining establishment in the MGM – for an after-dinner beverage. It was an amazing afternoon and early evening.

Slots and Salsa

My excursion with my pal Nancy started out at one of her new favorite slot machines just outside the door of TAP Sports Bar inside the casino. When I walked up to her, she had a big grin on her face and the word WINNER was flashing on the screen. She plays a lot of slots and she was on a roll the night we were there. I played a few games of video poker and put $20 in one of the Buffalo themed slots (my favorite) but didn’t have the luck she had. We grabbed a cocktail and she showed me a few of her other favorites and I watched as she hit the “spin” button.  She has a system of sorts and obviously it was working that night.

In between our slot sessions, we got lucky and got two seats at the Bar at Diablo’s Cantina – another of the dining establishments on the property. It was fate that we got those seats. Diana Ross was playing in the Theater and there were lines at all of the eateries but since we didn’t need a table, we were ushered right in. Margaritas were on our agenda. We ordered the Classic Diablo – hers without salt and mine with salt and jalapenos. We both agreed that these margs are some of the best that either of us has ever had. In addition to the chips and salsa (Diablo’s version is exceptional and I am a salsa snob), we ordered the nachos ($13) with beef (add $12) to share. Spending $25 on nachos sounds kind of ridiculous but the plate was huge. We were both hungry but couldn’t finish it off between the two of us.

Since I was on deadline getting this column pulled together, I had to head back to Old Town early. I left Nancy to her own devices and she headed back into the casino to continue her winning streak. I won’t disclose her final winnings total but it was 4 figures.

The Conservatory will be transforming into its holiday theme this month and I expect it will be as beautiful as it has been every year since they opened and there are some impressive acts coming to the Theater. I encourage you to make a play date with a friend and head to the MGM.  It is truly an adult’s playground.