I'm shrinking. I've always been short, but ever since I turned 35 last month, I've been getting smaller. Of course, I did give up the platform heels for more comfortable shoes. But alas, that's not it. Trying to get my first novel published has proven to be a humiliating experience thus far. Feeling small is not always physical.

So when I heard about this Women's Wellness Retreat at the Cliff House Resort and Spa in Maine-three days of spa treatments at a resort overlooking the ocean-needless to say I signed up. I had a little extra money from a recently completed project. The theme was "The Art of Transformation." I needed to transform before I disappeared completely.

I left my husband and apartment in New York, flew into Portland and caught a taxi to the resort. If I were going to be there for longer, I would've rented a car so I could explore the area more. On the drive from the airport I got a tantalizing glimpse of the towns of Wells, York, and Ogunquit. But this trip was all about the spa, so I didn't stop. I bee-lined to Bald Head Cliff, on which the resort is perched, to my room in the adults-only "Cliffspa," the relatively new building which houses the spa and fitness center. Children are welcome in other parts of the resort, but I was looking forward to quietly shuffling around in a spa robe as much as possible. No offense, pipsqueaks.

I arrived a day early so I'd have a chance to relax before the retreat started. First thing I did was settle into my giant room. The bed was so large I could fit my entire Brooklyn apartment on it; the dressers were big enough to hold all the clothes I've ever owned at once. Uh oh. I was still shrinking. The resort is set on a curving shoreline, so every room has an ocean view, with a little private balcony. Mine looked out over one of the pools, part of the parking lot, and beyond that an endless stretch of sky and ocean, framed by trees that had not yet acknowledged spring.

While I rested on my couch, I read about the history of the place. The Cliff House was started by Elsie Jane Weare, yes, a woman, in the late 1800s, and is run today by Kathryn Weare, her great granddaughter. Transformation has been a way of life for the resort: over the years it has added indoor plumbing (this was in the early 1900s), electric lights, and it was the first place in the area to have private baths. During WWII, the Weares were actually kicked out of the resort when the U.S. Army took over so they could look out for Nazi submarines. The Weares did eventually get the resort back, and have continued to change with the times. Since Kathryn has taken over, they've added the full-service spa (which was the draw for me), among other things. While I was there, construction on an amphitheater was underway. (CONTINUE...)