Relax New York, At the Oasis Day Spa

Hey New York! If you are looking to escape the winter doldrums and need a place that is not far from home I recommend you visit the Oasis Day Spa on Park Avenue. As soon as you walk in the door you will feel the stress escaping you and serenity will become your highest priority. It will no take effort at all to relax at this well known spa; the Oasis Day Spa is known for their warm and excellent service. I promise, once there you will not be thinking about the world on the outside. You work hard and who else is more deserving of this peaceful treat than you? 

I recently visited the spa for their ten year anniversary and enjoyed the great company of their staff as well as the owners Marti Schoenberg and Bruce Schoenberg. Organic products are popular here and so are their treatments. Here is a pampering idea you can give to your Valentine. Trust me, the gift of spa is always appreciated.

Visit their website or call to book your mini vacation that is close to home. Their other city location is at the Affinia on 34th Street.

Spa Offer – The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens

The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens, situated on a luxurious property just an hour outside of Atlanta, has a special spa offer running from now until March.

If you book an eco-getaway, it will include a $100 credit at Spa Prunifolia, known for signature treatments that are customized to each guest.

The 110-minute treatment starts with relaxing rituals and ends with a powerful, 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic healing therapy.

Infused with indigenous scents, the 13,000-square-foot nature-inspired Spa Prunifolia is a distinctive sanctuary that offers treatments, with the backdrop of the Callaway Gardens resort. Guest at the spa are pampered in calming splendor, surrounded by tranquil hues and a garden motif that reflects the resort’s gardens and woodlands.

In keeping with the resort’s longstanding commitment to the environment, Spa Prunifolia focuses on natural products.

Within the facility’s 13 treatment rooms, Callaway’s own style of nature-based massages, nourishing custom facials, herbal and mineral wraps and relaxing bath treatments are designed to relax and reinvigorate every spa enthusiast.

For more information, please visit http://www.callawaylodgeandspa.com or call 888.312.8002. For Spa Prunifolia reservations, please call706.489.3305.

Fitness Issue Spells Renewal For the Mind & Body

Holidays can be stressful but thank goodness for January, which means new year’s resolutions. We all give ourselves ultimatums but the best way to start the year off right is by doing and going. This is why our January/February issue is all bout FITNESS. We invite you to immerse yourself in its wisdom. Fitness restores and re-energizes you in all the right ways so you can start the year being your best. 

Looking for a far away escape? We found a great deal at Kerala’s Leela Kovalam Beach, which is an exotic destination in India overlooking the Arabian Sea. This extravagant and large five star resort houses Divya. Divya is a luxurious spa and wellness center where guests visit from around the world seeking the healing powers of Ayurveda treatments. Ayurveda is a traditional 5,000 years old path to rejuvenation.

Right now the resort is offering an all-inclusive seven-night package that starts approximately at $248 a night for a single and $379 ($189.50 per person) for a double.

Want to know more? Simply visit this serene destination on the their website and explore it for yourself.

The Gift of Spa

To celebrate the holiday, the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is introducing Holiday Presence, a relaxing 90-minute treatment that uses essential oils of frankincense and myrrh. Treat that special someone to this service that begins with a refining body scrub and ends with a blissful massage with these ancient oils. http://www.fourseasons.com

Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary

It took me about 12 years, but I finally made it to Occidental, California, to check out this very unique and very green day spa.

I first “met” founder Michael Stusser over the phone all those years ago when I was researching Japanese spa treatments. Osmosis is home to the Japanese Enzyme Bath—and is the only spa in the States where you can find this.

But hearing about it over the phone and trying it in person are two very different things.

Imagine lying in a large wooden tub covered up to your chin in cedar chips, and you get the picture. Actually, the concoction is an interesting blend of finely ground cedar, rice bran, and plant enzymes from Japan that heats up just so. Because it is a heat treatment, the suggested maximum amount of time to experience it is 20 minutes. (Of course, I wanted to remain in much longer.)

The reported health benefits are numerous and include: relief from aching muscles and joints; reduced tension, stress, and fatigue; detoxification; improved circulation; and, my favorite—elation.

Pre-treatment, I changed into a cozy Japanese cotton flannel robe and was led to a private tearoom that overlooked a lovely Japanese garden. There, I was served a special organic herbal tea made with enzymes of 25+ organic plants.  The attendant explained that the tea was not only a digestive aid, but would complement the metabolic process that would happen during the bath.

After I finished the tea, she led me to a room with two Enzyme Bath tubs. I climbed into a large square wooden tub that had a space dug out where I happily lay down. Once snuggled in, the attendant covered me in the cedar mixture up to my chin. (Note: If you are slightly claustrophobic, this may not be the treatment for you, but keeping your arms uncovered helps.)

Every so often, she would check in on me, offering me a glass of cold water to sip from or a cold compress. I loved the warmth and the earthy scent of the experience, and the fact that the cedar mixture wasn’t heavy. At one point, I did experiment with moving about a bit and dug myself deeper. I wanted to stay in longer than 20 minutes, as I was enjoying not only the warmth, but the view from the large window. (A blue, blue sky, two birds flying about in the distance, and a perfectly landscaped lawn.)

The world, from my cedar bath, seemed clear, all-embracing, and quiet.

When my time was up, I was led to a modest shower where I was handed a large brush to sweep away the remaining cedar. After that, I napped for half an hour on a mat wrapped in a blanket and listened to soothing music. It was a perfect way to end the experience.

I wandered about the property and spent time in the awe-inspiring meditation garden—obviously a labor of love. There is a pretty spectacular colorful cutting garden, too, full of fragrant flowers, and I was thankful for the quick peek, as it is off-limits to guests. I loved walking beneath the enormous bamboo that had been planted years before.

Osmosis celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year, and Stusser (who has an organic gardening background) has made many wonderful improvements to the property over time—most recently a constructed wetlands site that recycles the spa’s gray water. (See the “Sustainable” page of our current issue for more on this by writer Heather Vuchinich.)

Stusser has said that discovering the Enzyme Baths during a trip to Japan was a life-changing experience.

Was it worth my 12-year wait? Definitely. www.osmosis.com

Mary Bemis is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Organic Spa Magazine.