
I love this so much, I had to share—so here’s an excerpt from our newest spa review, featuring La Quinta Resort & Club, written by Contributing Editor, Becca Hensley.
“I rush to find Studio One. It takes me a moment to locate it, I expect a normal workout room. When I cross the threshold, however, I awaken instantly. That’s because this is no ordinary exercise space. Rather, it possesses monumental artwork, the sort which ignites the room. Two walls gleam and glimmer, alive with Buddhas—perhaps a hundred of them. The room feels as sacred as a church. Painted by California-based artist and yoga teacher, Amanda Giacomini, the embellished walls comprise a portion of Giacomini’s artistic crusade to paint 10,000 Buddhas, many of them gilded, in public places.
Painted by California-based artist and yoga teacher, Amanda Giacomini, the embellished walls comprise a portion of Giacomini’s artistic crusade to paint 10,000 Buddhas, many of them gilded, in public places.
“The artistic mission, called 10,000 Buddhas, still in progress, was inspired by a pilgrimage to India, where Giacomini embraced the idea to send love and light via this work—a kind of installation piece with simultaneous moving parts. Currently on display from Miami to California, her various creations range from large scale murals to tiny 22-karat gold portrait-style works; they include screen prints on paper and replicas of vintage wooden Tibetan prayer wheels, as well. In Studio One, the Buddha walls welcome and warm my practice. As background, they enhance the wisdom offered by my teacher. They set a mood that finds the harmonic yes spot between calmness and focus. The Buddhas absolutely take me deeper, lighting a flame that had felt blown out.”

Mary Bemis
Mary Bemis is Founder & Editorial Director of InsidersGuidetoSpas.com. She is a pioneering spa journalist, most recently honored as one of the "Top 30 Influential Voices Transforming Wellness." She is an inaugural recipient of Folio's Top Women in Media Award, and was honored by ISPA with its distinguished ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award. In 1997, she launched American Spa magazine, and in 2007, Mary co-founded Organic Spa magazine. A pioneer in the sustainable spa and beauty worlds, Mary is co-curator of Cosmoprof North America's Discover Green Pavilion. She is a Global Wellness Day Advisor, and a co-founder of the Washington Spa Alliance.
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