To finish the year off well, I spent an absolutely blissful day yesterday at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary. I arrived in Freestone (near Sebastopol) half an hour early so I could take a walk and sketched the old farm which is two doors down from the spa. When I returned to the spa and changed into a cozy Japanese style robe, I was taken to an ante-room with a view of the meditation garden where I was served special tea and had 15 quiet minutes alone to sip and sketch.
Then it was time for my “enzyme bath,” the most profoundly relaxing experience I’ve had in my life. The bath attendant scooped out and molded the finely ground, fragrant cedar in a deep redwood tub into a perfect hollow to fit my body in a reclined position. The cedar is mixed with rice bran and “over 600 active enzymes that create natural soothing warmth through fermentation.” Once I was perfectly positioned in the tub, she covered me in the heavy, steamy stuff up to my neck. Every 5 minutes she returned with water to sip through a straw and draped a cool refreshing cloth over my forehead while I lay there going deeper and deeper into relaxation.
Next it was time to brush off, shower, and head upstairs for my massage. It was the best massage I’ve ever had; more of a spiritual experience and a healing than bodywork. My massage therapist, Weegi, saw the blissed-out look in my eyes when it was over and recommended that I go sit and watch the creek and walk in the meditation garden before getting into my car.
She was right. I sat by the creek and watched the water flow and hawks soaring above and then walked slowly through the Japanese zen garden and around the Koi pond a while longer. It was nearly an hour before I was ready to return to the “real” world and head home.
I don’t think driving while blissed out is exactly illegal but it definitely wouldn’t have been a good idea. I didn’t even want the radio on in the car; I just wanted to stay in that incredible place of total relaxation. I think the car and I floated all the way home a foot above the road.
To my wonderful co-workers: A huge thank-you for the gift of this spa day back on my birthday in June. It took me some time to get around to using it, but I picked the perfect cool, foggy day in December to use it to finish off my year feeling great and grateful.
Photos of Osmosis used with permission from their website.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
10,000 Days Art Project
As the year was coming to an end I was feeling sad. Since I’m usually a “glass half full” kind of person I did some writing to dig deeper. I realized that each year that ends brings me closer to my own end. Then my practical side kicked in and I calculated how many years I probably have left. I multiplied the number of years by 365 days which came out to 10,000 days.
Wow! 10,000 days feels like it might just be enough to do all the painting, drawing and other art projects in me to do. Now I don’t feel so bad about the end of one paltry little chunk of a year and can even look forward to resting when those 10,000 days are done. But I’m having way too much fun to stop any time soon!
Jana Bouc, Artist 