Here’s some spa news worth sharing. And it couldn’t have come at a better time as more and more consumers are seeking treatments and experiences that not only renew and reinvigorate, but help reconnect us to our very core. The team at Four Seasons Rancho Encantado have just launched a Spiritual Enhancement Menu in hopes to give their guests a more meaningful experience. The four enhancements and their descriptions per the spa are:
Smudging Ceremony: Set an intention for the coming day and clear your body and mind with a sage smudging ceremony, allowing for purity of mind and clearing of negative energy.
Chakra Balancing: Chakras are located along the central line of the body, from the base of the spine to the top of the head connecting both energetic and physical bodies, and by using endocrine gland testing and color therapy, blockages dissipate and the body becomes balanced.
Energy Flow: Energy balancing techniques including polarity, cranial sacral, marma, and acupressure are executed to unblock trapped and stagnant energy, allowing for the body’s electrically charged lines to properly balance the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether.
Mindful Meditation: The therapist will lead you through a simple form of meditation, allowing for quieting of the mind, calm thoughts, lowering of blood pressure, and a reduction in stress.
According to Emily Richey, spa director, the most-requested (in the month since launching) are the Smudging Ceremony and the Chakra Balancing. “Since we got into it, the smudging ceremony is very popular, although the one we do most often is the Chakra Balancing. People know more about the chakras because they’ve become more mainstream.” She adds that those who don’t understand energy work can be skeptical about it. While the spa began offering menu enhancements five years ago, the desire to add energy-focused enhancements seemed like a natural. “Santa Fe is super-spiritual,” notes Richey, “and there is an important Native reference.” Indeed, the spiritually rich destination is sprinkled with vortexes, and has a long history of healing and spiritual traditions.
As someone who has been advocating for and writing about spas and healing treatments for decades, the Spiritual Enhancement Menu at Rancho Encantado is welcome news. Will we see more spas adding energy work to their menus? I certainly believe so—and have been watching this slowly take shape over the past few years. It’s a conversation that my husband Stephen Kiesling (who happens to be the editor in chief of Spirituality & Health magazine) and I have had since we met. I shared the news of Rancho Encantado with him, and here’ s what he had to say: “Healing temples have included rituals since the Temple of Asclepius, and the rituals are really important to create an opening for healing to take place. So, looking to traditions like smudging, meditation, and energy work is certainly not a new idea—but it remains a great idea.” Stay tuned.