Ms. Polley

Spas, Health & Fitness

Creating a Buzz with Alternative Therapies at Destination Spas

By Magnolia Polley, Partner, The Green Team Project

Many cutting edge spa facilities have endeavored upon the education of their therapists in age old techniques and practices that live within the cultures that offer us an artistic palette in which to create and re-adapt ancient treatments, herbs, and tools as modalities for healing in our modern facilities. Along with the trainings, the tools, and the product lines, comes awareness, that as practitioners, these therapists do not just “perform” a therapy, treatment, or ritual, but are deeply spiritually, mentally, and physically involved with the understanding, research, and proper application of these techniques. This requires a depth of understanding, research and a willingness to be open to other cultures and varied spiritual traditions. Performing a ritual requires the therapist to be able to step into the shoes of a “guide” for their client and be self empowered by the ritual they are guiding their clients through.

The Spas that have pioneered such work are led by individuals that are innovative, revolutionary, rare and most of all, aware. Aware that the clientele being served is constantly evolving, following trends, doing their own research and healing, and are looking for a Spa that can aid them in their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual pursuits. There are many levels of awareness and limits to what each facility is able to provide, based on the clientele they wish to target or the clientele within a genre that they may have already established.

Alternative therapies include but are not limited to treatments influenced by or coming from spiritual paths such as Asian, East Indian, Native American, South American, African, Turkish, and numerous European derived therapies. An alternative therapy is one that reaches beyond classic services offered at most spas, which include a massage, a wrap, a scrub, or a facial. An alternative therapy is usually one that evolves from one of the previously listed basic therapies and can combine them together and elaborate them with aroma, crystals, guided visualizations, herbal compresses or herbal application, sound therapy through music that reflects the culture that the therapy comes from, etc.

The Carneros Inn located in the heart of wine country in the Napa Valley is a successful example of a luxury spa facility that has incorporated alternative therapies and spa ritual into their permanent spa menu. Spa Director, Jeannie Jarnot responded in this way when interviewed about the spa’s alternative treatment menu:

Ms. Jeannie Jarnot

“Luxury properties are obligated to have distinct spas that create a memorable experience, similar to their restaurants. The spa menu is one of several ways that a hotel communicates the personality and flavor of the area to its guests. Therefore we tend to use a lot of locally produced ingredients for locally inspired treatments. Just like a chef uses local seasonal ingredients, a spa too should look around its surroundings for inspiration. Furthermore, you want to inspire your staff and get them excited about what they are doing. If they are excited and in tune with the treatments they are performing, they can be profoundly memorable for your guest. Spa rituals are popular because they are like going to eat a different cuisine in a restaurant. They feel and smell different and have great benefits. So we blend inspirations from other countries with locally inspired treatments to create a great balance. Specifically, our rituals are incredibly therapeutic and so our guests find great value in them. I think the incredible amount of training hours for our staff has really provided value for our hotel. Guests have one of these treatments and they become the highlight of their stay. That pretty much is the best definition I could ask for. We want to provide value for our guests, spa treatments are not inexpensive, you must do them well or the guest will know, and they won’t come back”.

Jeannie Jarnot opened The Spa at Carneros with original treatments such as their famous soothing goat butter wrap, healing gem and stone massage, the Royal Thai herbal massage, and multiple culturally inspired treatments and products created by the innovative skin care line, Red Flower. The menu has evolved over the years in such a way that the whole menu represents alternative and natural approaches to bodywork, aesthetics, and most surprisingly nail care. The Spa at the Carneros Inn has diligently integrated a full line of products represented through their alternative treatments for retail to ensure higher retail sales.

Yael Alkalay, owner and creator of Red Flower has dedicated her life to traveling the world over, spending great amounts of time researching exotic herbs, fruits, trees and plants connected with the cultures she promotes through her professional and retail product line. Yael spent years in Japan experiencing the tradition of “sento” or Japanese bathing rituals. This was her first inspiration for her line and the rituals created for their use. Most of these treatments are 2 hours in length and incorporate many esthetic and bodywork techniques. Yael’s company is successful because it is providing facilities with high levels of integrity authentic trainings and a product line that sells itself and at the same time offers the populace with a genuine experience. Red Flower creates amazing products, but the true essence of the company and its general aim is to promote rituals for well-being. SpaExecutive interviewed Yael Alkalay inquiring about the inspiration and passion she has towards her company and its offerings, she passionately replied:

Ms. Yael Alkalay

“I believe that the bathing rituals still thriving in Japanese onsen and the Finnish sauna provide a simple and deeply pleasurable path to health. To me the word ritual is closely linked to ceremony and tradition - ideas that are passed on from one generation to the next and with every layer imbued with meaning and purpose, to engage in a ritual is to allow ones self to connect more fully. If a spa treatment is about only a few things it must at the very least offer pleasure, health and a feeling of connectedness. Drawing on practices that have been enriched over centuries, Red Flower spa treatments are able to offer an incredibly rich experience. Culling ingredients that are true to their source like rice bran and kinmoxei from japan, rhassoul clay and neroli from morocco, fresh berries and wild mushrooms from Finland brings a level of authenticity and sensorial escape like no other. As one of my favorite authors Anne Lamont put it in her thoughts on the importance of ritual, “It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony.” So with a Red Flower treatment you might find yourself going in for a massage but during the treatment discover that it was the ceremony itself that has healed you.”

The most important aspect in providing alternative therapies at a luxury spa facility is for the therapists to be knowledgeable in its delivery, to have a clear intention of how they are trying to affect their clients, and to convey the spirit of the place, culture, or spiritual discipline that the therapy is derived from. Proper training, extreme creativity and authentic tools are imperative to meet the goals of a luxury hotel spa establishment. An alternative therapy or spa appropriate ritual is not something being taught in certified massage schools or business courses at most universities or collages in hospitality. Offering these treatments becomes a next-level spa experience, because spa directors and therapists reach beyond their given educations and degrees to deeper levels of multi-cultural and spiritual awareness because they crave it, need it and readily incorporate it into their lives because it is vital. The outcome is an authentic offering created for a genre of clientele willing to make a resort spa a destination for a rare experience. The Esalen Institute located in Big Sur California, offers a library, campus, grounds, movement studio and an array of top-notch eclectic courses to support the spa professional while building their awareness of “alternative” healing therapies and broadening their spa menus. (www.esalen.com)

Tips for creating signature spa rituals and alternative therapies for a treatment menu

• Look local for ingredients that create the inspiration for “signature” spa rituals or alternative therapies
• Guided meditation, breathing, and stretching techniques enhance the treatments general aim and effectiveness
• Organic, clean, hand-made product lines from local artisans can be the perfect accent that makes a treatment special
• Be willing to give initiative to qualified employees in helping to create new, creative, alternative offerings/therapies
• Reiki, color/light therapies, watsu, Ayurvedic modalities, crystals, high-end essential oils, vibration and sound therapy tools such as tuning forks or singing bowls all can be amazingly transformative when applied with knowledge and can create a more specialized experience
• Give Honor and reverence for individual lineages or cultures through reflective elements within your signature treatments or rituals

Magnolia Polley comes from a creative background that includes elements of journalism, verse, and is the author of The Diamond Path: A Guide to the Art of Healing. She began writing for her local newspaper publication at the age of 15 years old; she was awarded and gained recognition through the Washington State Newspaper Association in 1994, being the youngest writer awarded from the association. Ms. Polley has been a student and professional of the healing arts and hospitality for over15 years. Her unique experience within the luxury spa industry offers a unique and cutting edge approach for progress and the incorporation of authentic healing into the forefront of public interest. Ms. Polley can be contacted at 509-393-1810 or polleynapa@aol.com Extended Bio...

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