Spas as the New Classroom: Education for Mind and Body

Spas as the New Classroom: Education for Mind and Body
From custom blending sessions to seminars on the healing benefits of crystals, these hotels across the nation offer an array of classes for guests to experience.

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island | Amelia Island, Fla. (pictured)

Poised on a bluff of dunes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island finds its home in a destination of unspoiled coastal beauty and Southern charm. Paying tribute to the ocean and marshes surrounding the hotel, the Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island offers the “Salt of the Earth” class, during which spa professionals teach attendees about the benefits of using himalayan salt in their every-day routine and how to properly incorporate the mineral, including a demonstration of how to make a homemade salt scrub. The education class occurs 4:00 - 4:30 pm every day in the Spa and is finished off with a complimentary salt scrub.

Price: Complimentary to guests and non-guests

The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota | Sarasota, Florida

Enliven the Senses: Healing Properties of Crystals and Gemstones will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3pm through the end of May, at the Spa Terrace of The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Join Ritz-Carlton Spa Staff and gain a greater understanding of the beauty, mystique and healing energy properties of crystals and gemstones. Learn how to manifest the energy of powerful crystals into positive intentions, self-affirmations and life experience.

Price: Complimentary to guests

L’Auberge de Sedona | Sedona, Arizona

One of Southwest’s foremost luxury retreats, nestled on the banks of Oak Creek in Sedona’s renowned Red Rock region L’Auberge de Sedona offers their own version of a botanical educational class with their L’Apothecary Blending Sessions. L’Apothecary is L’Auberge de Sedona’s version of an apothecary where guests can select ingredients and supplies to concoct and design their own bath soaks and body scrubs with an abundant offering of powerful elements found in Sedona, including rosemary, piñon pine, juniper, and more. At the L’Apothecary Spa, guests are welcome to experience private or group blending sessions; allowing them to mix their own organic herbal bath soaks and body scrubs with salts or sugars combined with a variety of oils and ingredients the guests can select from, including lavender flowers, roasted cacao, rose hips, cardamom, and rosemary, among others. Throughout the session, guests will learn about the botanicals going into their blend, their background, where they hail from, and what medicinal and spiritual benefits they can expect from each.

Price: 2 Ounce for $20 / 8 Ounce for $35

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa | San Diego, California

Spanning 45 lush acres of gardens, nature trails, meticulous olive groves, and casitas, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is ideal for the premier active lifestyle and healthy retreats for even the most discerning travelers. Seeking to inspire resort guests, wellness was a major initiative during Rancho Valencia's recent $30 million renovation. Rancho Valencia offers monthly spa workshop series focusing on different topics each month. Throughout each workshop, Jenny Gadbois, the resort’s resident Pilates Instructor and certified Nutritionist, will offer various tips on pilates, mind and body. The next one is being held on Sunday, May 15 and will cover a plant based whole food lifestyle and how to achieve optimal health by enhancing the knowledge of the body, food and nutrition.

Price: The workshop is open to all levels and is complimentary to spa members and $40 for non-members.

The Spa at Rancho Bernardo Inn | San Diego, CA

Situated in the heart of San Diego North and amid the San Pasqual Mountains, Rancho Bernardo Inn offers meeting-goers a Thai Poultice Workshop through their award-winning spa. The 14th-century wellness workshop provides a take-home treatment to rejuvenate skin and muscles. With the guidance of trained spa therapists, attendees hand-select a variety of herbs and spices — fresh lavender, rose hip powder, green tea extract, orange peel and more— to make an aromatic muslin parcel. The variety of ingredients contain aromatic herbs that effectively treat a myriad of common ailments. While offering comfort, the poultices also work with the body’s natural energy to promote harmonization of the body’s energy flow. Reservations recommended.

Price: $10 per person for leisure guests