February may be the shortest month, but we’ve always thought it feels unbearably long. Perhaps it has something to do with our eagerness for winter’s end — the days are getting slightly longer, but the weather remains stubbornly dreary. If you have spring fever as badly as we do, here are three daylong getaways.

Visit an indoor garden or conservatory. If you’re in northern climes and it’s going to be a month or two before you can count on comfortably taking a stroll among spring blooms, look no further than your local conservatory or greenhouse. Some, such as the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (shown) in the New York Botanical Garden and the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, have rain forest and desert exhibitions. Wildlife also can be found in some gardens — for example, the Bolz Conservatory at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI, has free-flying birds.

Take a Bikram yoga class. If it’s heat you need, try out a Bikram yoga class, where the recommended temperature is 105° F. Though we’ve been tempted to kick back on our mat with an umbrella-garnished drink, we wouldn’t reap the asanas’ benefits that way. The 90-minute class features two sets of 26 poses intended to improve circulation, relaxation and strength. The high-temp yoga claims to burn more calories than regular room-temperature hatha style, so we hope we’re getting a little extra weight reduction in exchange for our sweat equity.

Treat yourself to a spa day — or longer. We moisturize, but by this time of year, our skin feels dry and we’re pale. We feel like this. A facial and a massage in a relaxing environment would cure our ills. Check out The Spa Project for day spas in your area — or vacation-type spas if you have a few days to spare.

Do you have any quick fixes for the winter blahs?

Photo credit: Joseph DeSciose

Tags: Alternative medicine, Asana, Bikram Yoga, Bolz Conservatory, Conservatory, Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, exercise, Hatha yoga, Human behavior, Joseph DeSciose, Krohn Conservatory, Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, Madison, massage, Meditation, Mind-body interventions, New York Botanical Garden, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Spirituality, Wisconsin, yoga