About Spas

Spas Host "Beauty Boot Camp"

2009-11-05T11:45:56Z

A special two-hour "Beauty Workout Holiday Boot Camp" is going on in November at lots of spas across the country. But don't expect to work up a sweat! This boot camp is two hours of one-on-one demos and coaching in how to take care of your skin by eating well, reducing stress and using the right products in the right way. There are four "circuits" and you spend about a half-hour at each one:

Nutrition -- Tastings of skin-healthy cuisine and nutritional drinks, with recipe cards.
Lifestyle - Learn simple at-home techniques for reducing stress, which ages you.
Beauty Regimen - Mini-treatments and interactive demos to show you how to take care of your skin.
Home Routine - Take-home skin care products recommended for your skin.

It costs $45, but includes a subscription to Spa Magazine, a $25 gift certificate for Skin Authority products, a spa music CD, a 30-day "beauty work-out plan" with recipes and tips, and on-going support from your "personal skin-care coach."

Some of the list of participating spas is pretty impressive -- Read more...

Spas Host "Beauty Boot Camp" originally appeared on About.com Spas on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 11:45:56.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Legendary Greenhouse Spa Reopens!

2009-11-04T19:17:53Z

The Greenhouse in Dallas, Texas, one of the earliest and most famous upscale destination spas, closed back in June. Personally, I didn't think it would be coming back. But I'm happy to report I was wrong! The Greenhouse just reopened, with drastically lower prices and an interesting new option -- all-day packages that include your own guest room.

The Greenhouse opened in 1965 and made its name pampering wealthy ladies in a Southern mansion-style setting while they lost weight or recovered from plastic surgery during week-long stays. It used to cost $5,900 to go to The Greenhouse for a week. Now you can go for $2,850 a week, but they've cut down the number of massages and facials in the package to three each. (Still plenty!!)

Being served breakfast in bed on fine china -- a signature Greenhouse experience that not everyone is into -- is Read more...

Legendary Greenhouse Spa Reopens! originally appeared on About.com Spas on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 19:17:53.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Miraval Spa - I Really DID Leap Off A 25-Foot Pole!

2009-11-02T12:48:09Z

The first day I arrived at Miraval Spa in Tucson I asked, "Will I really be able jump off a platform 25-feet in the air? I have vertigo!" Quantum Leap is considered one of the most difficult of Miraval's "challenges" -- a variety of tasks that take place (mostly high in the air) on an impressive challenge course behind the famous destination spa. They can be both mentally and physically challenging.

I'll admit to you now that I regretted asking that question. I remembered hyperventilating with fear while rock climbing at Red Mountain Spa in Utah, and decided that "A Swing And A Prayer," the challenge that Oprah did when she filmed a show there, would be adequate.

Then someone who worked at the spa said that "A Swing and a Prayer" was not really very challenging. In fact, it the easiest challenge, and "Quantam Leap" was the hardest. So I decided to go for it, to see what would happen when I really did go WAY out of my comfort zone.

Miraval Spa's Equine Experience - No Tears Here

2009-10-30T01:33:14Z

I'm at Miraval in Tucson, AZ., for the week, and today I tried the Equine Experience, where you interact with a horse and learn about yourself. The idea is that the way you do one thing is the way you do most things. So they teach you how to do simple tasks -- picking out a horse's hooves, brushing, walking (that's me and Elvis) and lunging a horse around a ring -- observe how you do it, and give you feedback.

The idea is to at look how you do things and see if it works for you. If it works, keep doing it. If something's not working, don't do it anymore. Try something different (and repeat until it works). And if that doesn't work, ASK FOR HELP....even though it's seen as weak in our culture.

The Equine Experience is something Miraval is known for -- and another one of those experiences that can get you out of your comfort zone. Some people who do the Equine Experience have tremendous fear of horses, either because they've been hurt (trampled kicked, stepped on, you name it), or because they've never been around them.

This is not me. I use to ride a bit and love horses, even though I fell off them and was once bitten by a horse named Angel! Another thing that comes up: people who are used to being in control have a hard time when the horse doesn't pick up its foot. This a place where tears can flow, and more than one person told me The Equine Experience changed their life.

There wasn't much drama in our group, but I still got a lot out of it. I noticed some things about myself as I went about the simple tasks. Read more...

Miraval Spa's Equine Experience - No Tears Here originally appeared on About.com Spas on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 01:33:14.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

One-of-A-Kind Spa Treatments: Miraval's Spirit Flight

2009-10-29T01:27:59Z

I'm mid-way through my stay here are Miraval, and today I had "Spirit Flight", a 100-minute metaphysical spa treatment that is truly unique. In fact, Dr. Tim Frank, the naturopathic doctor who created it, says it's not a spa treatment, it's a ceremony. Miraval is known for pushing you a bit past your comfort zone to get you to a better place, and Spirit Flight definitely does that.

As we walked to the outdoor heated tents, (see my photo) , Dr. Frank asked me why I had come to Miraval. I gave a glib answer, but he said people come to Miraval to change their lives, and promised me that the Spirit Flight could help me do that through the power of the prayers that were passed on to him by his grandfather, a Cherokee.

The purpose of the ceremony is to get rid of anything hurtful or negative that had ever happened to you, and access the higher realms for healing. He asked if there was one thing I could let go of, what would it be? Well, we all have something we need to let go of. So I gave him my answer, and we set that as an intention for the ceremony.

The One Minute Health Habit That Can Change Your Life

2009-10-26T21:20:06Z

I'm fitting a lot in here at Miraval in Tucson -- hiking in the Catalinas, yoga, a great massage (ask for Lolita!), a drumming class where I felt like a five-year-old (joyous and free!), a cooking demonstration, and three talks by Dr. Andrew Weil, the leading expert in integrative medicine in the country. And this is just day-two! Weil also taught us a simple technique that he says can dramatically improve health. I'm practicing it in this photo by a hiking buddy -- more on that later!

"Weil on Wellness," a four-day program with lectures by Weil and like-minded health experts, is going to be offered a few times next year. It's been an amazing opportunity to spend time with this brilliant individual, who cares passionately about wellness. (He just published a new book on reforming our health care system called "Why Our Health Matters." (Buy Now).

Weil's message is that we don't HAVE a health care system in America. We have a disease management system, because there's almost no emphasis on prevention! And he doesn't think we can really expect politicians to do much about it, because they can't go against their big contributors.

So it's up to us! Spas have a role to play in health and wellness, including teaching us how to take better care of ourselves. And I'm going to pass on a simple tool that Weil claims has the capacity to improve your health, if you do it twice a day, consistently, over time.

Weil on Wellness At Miraval Spa

2009-10-25T19:19:39Z

I just arrived at Miraval in Tucson, Arizona, one of the great destination spas in America and Oprah's favorite spa. I've wanted to visit Miraval for a long time, and I'll be here ALL WEEK, trying one of their famous "challenges" (will I really be able jump off a platform 25-feet in the air? I have vertigo!), learning about myself by working with a horse in the renowned Equine Experience, and trying unusual spa treatments like Spirit Flight, a 100-minute "ceremony" that combines massage, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy and spinal alignment with healing practices of spiritual Shamanism and drumming. (Sounds good to me!)

Can you tell I'm excited? I'm also here for a special three-day special event called "Weil on Wellness." It features talks by Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard-trained physician devoted to natural, preventive health care, and other experts. Weil is one of the country's leading experts on integrative medicine and one of my personal heroes since I first heard him speak at a conference at The Culinary Institute of America more than ten years ago. (Getting the health message across to classically-trained chefs isn't easy! They're all about the butter.)

Anyway, the sun in shining, the quail are making their little hooting sounds, a half-moon hangs in the blue sky over the Catalina Mountains, which I can see from my room, and I want to soak it all in before I go to the first talk by Weil tonight. I'll keep you posted!

Photo by Anitra Brown...of Anitra Brown.

Weil on Wellness At Miraval Spa originally appeared on About.com Spas on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 19:19:39.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Sweat Lodge Deaths: Survivor Weeps On CBS Today Show

2009-10-23T14:11:55Z

Beverly Bunn, an orthodontist from Texas who is the first to speak out about what happened in James Ray's sweat lodge, appeared on CBS's Early Show Friday, Oct. 23. If you're following the story, I recommend you watch the video. Kirby Brown, one of the people who died, was her room-mate during the "Spritual Warrior" retreat.

Bunn appears to be completely traumatized by the experience, going from flatly describing events to struggling to contain her tears. The details she gives are grisly. Participants weren't allowed to leave the lodge if the door wasn't open to bring in more rocks, even when people told Ray a woman WASN'T BREATHING.

When the sweat lodge was finished, "it was a crisis situation...it was a total triage situation. There were many people lying around who were not conscious. I saw people with mucous coming out of their nose...mucous coming out of their mouth. I saw their eyes rolled back Read more...

Sweat Lodge Deaths: Survivor Weeps On CBS Today Show originally appeared on About.com Spas on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 14:11:55.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Sweat Lodges & Spas: A View From Canyon Ranch's Spiritual Director

2009-10-22T15:17:04Z

I recently asked the question, "Do Sweat Lodges Belong At Spas? in response to an email I received from David Brown Eyes, who wrote, "I have my doubts that any sweat run at a spa will have any real spiritual or sacred energy. The reasons are all wrong."

Not everyone agreed. "I have talked to many people who have had transformational, healing and spiritual experiences while visiting spas (with a sweat lodge component or not)," said Jeremy McCarthy. "There are so few opportunities in the modern world for this kind of experience. We should cherish all of our societal institutions that provide authentic opportunities for people to connect, reflect, and improve their spiritual well-being."

I'm with you on that, Jeremy!

Now another interesting viewpoint comes from Canyon Ranch, Tucson's Spiritual Director, Dr. Jonathan Ellerby (see photo), who runs a weekly interfaith-style sweat lodge and gave an excellent interview to Beliefnet.

"The borrowing, selling, or misrepresenting of Native American traditions is never okay," says Ellerby, who holds a PhD in Comparative Religion and is an expert on ceremonial steam baths and cross-cultural use of spiritual practices. "If they want a safe interfaith experience, I can provide that."

Ellerby says he was mentored over a period of 14 years and eventually "recognized" by a Native American community as both Read more...

Sweat Lodges & Spas: A View From Canyon Ranch's Spiritual Director originally appeared on About.com Spas on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 15:17:04.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Sweat Lodge Deaths: A Survivor Speaks

2009-10-21T18:08:02Z

We've all been wondering what went on in the sweat lodge at the James Ray retreat near Sedona, AZ. that resulted in three deaths. Now we have a better idea. Texas resident Beverly Bunn, who was in the sweat lodge, is the first survivor to speak up. She told the Associated Press that people began vomiting, gasping for air and collapsing within an hour of entering the sweat lodge.

More hot rocks were brought in every 15 minutes over two hours -- 8 "rounds" that got progressively hotter -- rather than the typical four. "People were not physically forced to stay inside, but chided by Ray if they wanted to leave as he told them they were stronger than their bodies and weakness could be overcome," according to the AP story.

Bunn heard someone say, "I can't get her to move. I can't get her to wake up." But Ray said, "Leave her alone, she'll be dealt with in the next round." By the time they went into the sweat lodge, they had already gone through days of physically and mentally strenous events, including 36 hours of fasting and a game in which Ray "played God."

Read the full AP story.

Many people have been posting here that this is not how a sweat lodge is conducted. They're upset that the profound Native American cultural heritage was used and abused by someone who charged nearly $10,000 for the "Spiritual Warrior" retreat. It really gets back one of my earliest posts on this topic. When you want to make a change, be careful who you trust.

Sweat Lodge Deaths: A Survivor Speaks originally appeared on About.com Spas on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 18:08:02.

Permalink | Comment | Email this