My time in the spa industry goes as far back as 1991 when I went to school while working as a flight attendant to learn how to do nails because my uniform required then a "fun fact" that I wear nail polish. Okay, gone are the days of having to weigh in semi-annually or requiring your employees to wear nail polish, but it did allow me to earn extra as I soon acquired many flight attendant clients while maintaining my nails for work. My years in spa have evolved along with the many integrative services now available as a resource for good self-care.
I've personally experienced many of these self-care options growing into my healing and expansion process with them. When I travel, I always seek out the nearest holistic spa, sort of like a field trip, excited about the discovery of new concepts and techniques. It's not uncommon nowadays to go into any one of the numerous nail spas, or have a massage or facial, albeit still a treat; we are generally pretty familiar with those. Still, when it comes to the spa, there are now so many fantastic options to integrate (combining) various holistic wellness modalities into your self-care. You've likely heard of some of these options, but what are they, and how do they serve in integrative wellness as the spa moves into the future?
I believe integrative wellness to be an aspect of holistic wellness, meaning that we can use complementary self-care modalities combined with traditional health care to better serve the mind, body, and spirit for overall well-being and a better quality of life. So let's shed a little light on a few of the integrative spa modalities that I and many others offer that are taking us into the future with our self-care and quality of wellness. Many of these modalities can be and are blended into our well know spa services.
Ayurveda pronounced "I-Yur-Ved-A" translates into "Science of life" various Ayurvedic aspects are practiced commonly in spa treatments. A sister practice to yoga and a system used for thousands of years in India, it considers an individual's constitution or physical makeup referred to as a "Dosha" and aims to establish and maintain balance within. It is a well-organized system designed to preserve health and wellness by keeping the mind, body, and spirit in balance and preventing diseases rather than treating them. It's like getting the oil changed in your car; your body requires preventive maintenance also. In the spa, you may see Ayurvedic treatments such as "Indian Head Massage," or "Shirodhara," both are very meditative and tranquil treatments utilizing specific oils warmed and poured over or into the head for opening your third eye chakra (intuitive center) and calming the central nervous system. "Abhyanga" massage is another quintessential traditional Ayurvedic treatment that uses friction-based massage with warmed Dosha-specific oils meant to loosen toxins and enhance the immune system. A commonly used tool in Ayurveda is the "Kansa Wand," made of a metal of copper and aluminum in ancient times called the "queens metal," as various tools were forged from it for its healing qualities. The Kansa Wands metal works to energetically balance the skin and remove toxins through the lymphatic system. It is truly one of my favorite tools, and my clients love it!
Reiki, pronounced "Ray-Key," Reiki is a therapy based in Eastern belief that vital energy flows through your body; a practitioner uses gentle touch to guide this energy in a way that promotes balance and healing. I once was asked to give a Reiki presentation to a group of seniors at an assisted care facility. My first thought was sure; then I thought, humm, this should be interesting. I sat in front of 12 ladies and asked if anyone was familiar with Reiki, and to my surprise, all but one little lady raised their hands to say yes. The one outlier was a retired nurse who said at the time “IDK it sounds weird to me” after she became one of my regular clients for a reiki session each month. Reiki is commonly used as an integrative care modality. Reiki is a terrific stress and anxiety reducer and can assist with pain management. While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion, but some feel it puts them in touch with their spirituality. (Funny how quieting the busy mind does that) It works in conjunction with all medical or therapeutic techniques to induce relaxation and bring about feelings of peace and wellbeing, now that’s healing!
Aroma Touch, Touch is amazingly healing; this treatment is sometimes seen as raindrop therapy or aroma touch and is a technique that applies essential oils along energy lines and reflexology points for restoring balance. While this isn't always a full-body massage, you may have practitioners and massage therapists that will incorporate essential oils into their treatment as well. Essential oils smell great and can help you sleep better, reduce stress, and can even treat fungal infections. They assist in calming the body and mind bringing balance, releasing tension, and soothing joints. While there is a wide variety of use for essential oils, they should always be blended with a carrier oil for use on the body.
Sound Therapy, as far back as 40,000 years with the indigenous tribes, elements of music and sound have been used to improve physical and emotional wellbeing. Various elements of sound such as singing bowls, drums, and vocal toning can be incorporated into a spa treatment to enhance the therapeutic aspect of a session. Treatment can be offered as an independent session for bringing a client into a relaxed and meditation state for realigning and repairing the body. The healing frequencies of sound are regularly used in hospitals treating depression and amnesia. By synchronizing brain waves to create forms of relaxation, we can restore the normal vibratory frequencies of the cells in our body. Sound is very meditative and calming.
Reflexology and Acupressure are Chinese energy therapies. Reflexology is the application of pressure to specific points on the feet, ears, and hands that correspond to organs and other systems of the body bringing about relaxation and healing. Acupressure is often used in conjunction with reflexology and applies pressure to specific points on the body to free up energy blockages and create flow within the body along the meridians. Elements of both are often utilized in many different touch treatments.
Spa is moving into the future as healers and practitioners of these modalities move toward an integrative and holistic approach to serving more fully. The overall goal is to bring balance and restoration to our clients. Do you see the common theme running through these modalities? I think all self-care is creating a daily practice for living well until we die! I once heard a quote that struck me, not sure anymore who said it, but it says "Everyone dies, but not everyone lives." Why not make the most of this life we have and take good care in the best way we know how. Any of those mentioned above along with many others not mentioned here can offer amazing restorative healing enhancing self-care. Blending them into our spa treatments can bring about a more holistic aspect to the therapeutic spa.
Into the future we go!
XO Donna
