Many experts agree that instituting some sort of cultural theme to your spa offerings, you can invite a new breed of client, searching for an exotic brand of rest. Many indigenous cultures have rituals, scents, meditation practices, that find their way into popular western culture, and for the spa business it's no different. Here's a bit of Dayspa Magazine's article by L. Brooks Baldwin:
Glistening mountaintops above and snowdrifts below encircled the rustic and cozy cottage where I, face softly planted in cradle, lay comfortably smothered under a sacred Pendleton story blanket, inhaling the fragrances of natural balancing oils as they were waved below my nose. Through the mellifluous tribal American Indian chant resonating in my ears, my therapist Kim softly asked which of the oils, dubbed “East,” “South,” “West,” and “North,” most appealed to my senses that evening. All four smelled divine, but one seemed to invite another sniff. “I’ll take East,” I murmured, already adrift in a vapor of calm that lent a perfect finish to my rigorous day of skiing.
“The Native Americans seek guidance from nature’s elements, what they call the Four Directions,” Kim explained as she applied warm basalt stones slick with oil to various body parts, each representing one of the Directions. “East is the element representing Spring, a time of rebirth, renewal and awakening. Its color is red and the red hawk is the animal that represents it. Your choice suggests that you’re entering a time of new beginnings ... ”
Within every culture lies a wealth of wisdom, and no one knows this better than healers. Cultural healing manifests itself in modern theories and ancient rituals, botanical potions and physical practices, all with the common goal of bringing healthy balance to the human body, mind, soul and spirit.
It’s inevitable that today’s spa practitioners bring ideas developed within ancient and modern cultures around the world to their clients. Today’s growing global sensibilities practically demand this. Whether you’re looking to turn your spa into a sacred haven, or to just tweak your menu (and your clientele’s interest) with a few heavenly options, there are many ways to incorporate cultural fare.
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