Healing Lifestyles/March/April 2008
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With seemingly everyone going green these days it’s no wonder
that an industry focused on the health and well-being of its
clients and employees continues to break ground.

In Viridian Day Spa in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, just outside Charleston, is housed in a former medical building now outfitted with calming colors, inviting furnishings, and environmentally sound products, including countertops made of recycled glass, throws made from corn bi-products, cork and bamboo flooring, and no-VOC (volatile organic compounds; thought to be detrimental to health) paint.

Keeping with its green mission,Viridian’s treatments feature earth-friendly practices, services, and products. A signature treatment, the Voya Seaweed Bath, uses the Voya product line, which features 100 percent certified organic seaweeds harvested off the coast of Ireland. Viridian is the first spa in North America to offer the product line.

Amidst the hustle and bustle ofWashington,D.C., Nusta Spa offers tranquility in a sustainable setting. Non-toxic, rapidly renewable, and recycled materials were implemented in creating the spa, resulting in high-performance green design. But that’s not all—Nusta Spa carries its green ethos from the product lines used in the treatments to the paper and ink used in printed pieces.

As part of California’s first environmentally sustainable hotel in Napa Valley, Spa Gaia follows in the footsteps of Gaia Napa Valley Hotel: all the lumber is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified; the paints, sealants, and adhesives used throughout the property are low-VOC; the carpeting contains recycled content; the stone found in all restrooms is made from recycled tiles and granite; and the toilets and showerheads are low-flow. In addition, Spa Gaia recycles, uses environmentally friendly cleaning products in the hotel and spa, and relies on solar panels for 12 percent of the property’s electricity.

These three diverse spas, stretching from Washington, D.C., to Napa, California, are true testimonials that it is, in fact, easy to be green.

Healing Lifestyles/March/April 2008
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WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT ABSOLUTE NIRVANA SPA IN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO, FOR THE BALINESE BOREH TREATMENT, BE PREPARED FOR TWO HOURS OF ABSOLUTE NIRVANA.

The Balinese Boreh, meaning spice body mask, begins with a ritual footbath, which is believed to both honor the divine within and help guests become grounded and centered. A glass of golden champagne combined with jasmine pitake is served during the ritual to help induce a state of relaxation. A body massage and body scrub follows the footbath.

The boreh used in the scrub is a combination of organic cloves, sandalwood, ginger, cinnamon, coriander seeds, rice powder, turmeric, and nutmeg—ground by hand in the spa’s kitchen. The combination warms the body and is said to soothe aching muscles, fever, headaches, and arthritis. It’s like a “natural Bengay to sooth aches and pains,” says Absolute Nirvana founder and owner, Carolyn Lee.

Lee opened Absolute Nirvana after two extended trips to Bali,where she experienced and learned about the Balinese spa treatments, tranquility, and an absolute sense of relaxation.

Guests may opt to continue the sense of tranquility and relaxation atThe Madeleine, a bed and breakfast, which houses the Absolute Nirvana Spa. For more information visit www.absolutenirvana.com.