Extending the Spa Experience

Part 1: Home-Crafted Remedies

We want guests of Southall to be empowered in their wellness journey, which is why education is a key component of our spa experience. We make deliberate connections between the products we are using in our treatment rooms and the crops we have growing on our farm. Teaching you about the healing power of the botanicals featured in your treatment will extend that spa experience beyond the confines of your visit, and enable you to foster wellness practices on your own.

One way to do this is by creating healing practices at home. These recipes and rituals don’t need to be complicated. Fresh ingredients, chosen to align with your wellness goals, will do the work themselves.

A favorite of ours is a simple Rosemary Foot Soak. We grow Rosemary at Southall, and it is likely that you grow it as well. If not, Rosemary is a great starter herb for newbie gardeners. It is easy to grow in pots, so long as its home is in a sunny spot. With its strong piney flavor, Rosemary is a favorite on pork and chicken but also has tremendous healing powers. We like it in a cold water bath to provide relief for aching feet and to help combat fatigue.

Rosemary Foot Soak

Fill a large bowl or dishpan with cold water.
Add 1 sprig of Rosemary Leaves into broken pieces.
Add 6 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil.
Add a dozen ice cubes and agitate to disperse oil.
Dip one foot into water for 30 seconds, remove and rub foot vigorously with towel. Return foot to bath and repeat until foot becomes red. Towel off and dry. Repeat with the opposite foot.

Simple as that. Exhaustion is gone and energy is back, thanks to a little initiative and nature’s healing powers.

Diffusing essential oils is another easy way to cultivate wellbeing. Use our simple guide to bring the benefits of aromatherapy into your own home:

• To invigorate and energize: Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Cardamom
• To ground and calm the mind: Vetivert, Sandalwood, Chamomile, Pine
• To relieve depression: Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon Verbena
• To ease anxiety: Rose Maroc, Lavender, Marjoram

*Recipe courtesy of Barbara Close at Naturopathica, our trusted skincare partner and provider.

Part II: Enhancing Your Connection to Nature

A visit to Southall will have the power to sustain you well after we say good-bye. The effects of coming here to unplug and get outside, eat fresh foods and relax in the spa, make new discoveries and gather with others—all of this can nurture the body, mind, and soul long after the visit itself. The best way to extend the bliss post-visit will be by committing to further immersion in nature.

To carry the wellbeing you will find at Southall back into the everyday, consider trying these simple steps to get more nature, and therefore more nurture, into your life.

1. Step into the sun.
   Studies have shown that the closer people live to green spaces, the better their health-related quality of life. Stepping out into the sun, if even for just a few minutes, gives you a hit of Vitamin D that can boost your energy levels and spirits. Vitamin D has also been connected to bone health, and can help reduce the risk of certain diseases.
2. Walk in the woods.
   Being in a forest has a slew of positive health benefits, form boosting the immune system to lowering blood pressure and improving sleep. Being among trees can enhance our ability to focus and our basic ability to enjoy. A walk in the woods fosters presence of mind and awareness for the bounty and beauty of nature. The bottom line is getting outside helps us get outside of ourselves. It’s the perfect antidote to the “monkey brain” and the negative side effects those endless thoughts tend to have on our health.
3. Bring the outside in.
   You may not be able to spend as much time outside as you would like, but you can certainly bring the outside in, transforming the places where you live and work into natural havens. Indoor plants improve air quality and reduce pollutants. As a result, they can boost mood and enhance focus. Two of the best houseplants for good health are the Boston Fern and the Snake Plant.
4. Eat fresh health-boosting foods.
   When considering how to access more nature, think beyond just what surrounds you. The foods you take in, especially ones that come directly from Mother Earth without treatments or preservatives, can be critical to good health. Ayurvedic teaching stresses the importance of diet in maintaining balance and wellbeing. Some preferred foods for whole body health are juicy seasonal fruits and green leafy vegetables. If you don’t grow them on your own, head to the nearest farmer’s market or join a CSA. Eating the best of what nature has to offer is the ultimate Southall takeaway.

*National Center for  Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20413584

Department of Environmental Conservation: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/90720.html