Rediscovering Yourself: Emotional Healing at Spas

During times of grief, transition, or other life-changing events, can one find help at a spa? SpaFinder President Susie Ellis touched on this topic last year, and the response is yes.

The notion is echoed by offerings at getaway spas like the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, a historic Spanish Mission-style property, surrounded by the majestic Topa Topa Mountains in Ojai, California. “By creating a true sense of place, you may explore your [creative] consciousness, nourish your body, and challenge your physical endurance amidst a pastoral setting, which enhances relaxation and encourages renewal,” says Gloria Ah Sam, spa director of Spa Ojai at the Inn.

The Ojai property promotes a number of offerings designed to lead guests on a personal journey of self-discovery. Here, the spa shares just a few with SpaFinder:

• Artist’s Cottage. The concept of finding oneself reigns supreme inside this place of introspectiveness and calm, where guests can express themselves through creative outlets like painting and drawing, helping them to heal.

• Creating a Personal Mandala. Mandala, Sanskrit for “the center and the circle,” is a symbol or design that can be used in meditation; the mandala class is ideal during times of transition or when seeking clarity. “Drawing a personal Mandala…is a path to self-discovery and an introspective way to look back and dream forward,” Gloria says. The signature two-hour treatment concludes with a feedback reading focused on the universal meaning of color, symbol, number, etc. used, which helps to  expose a deeper awareness of the guest’s motivations, intentions, and pathways.

• Aromatherapy in the Apothecary. Guests can customize their own personal blend of essential healing oils that can be later used in in spa treatments like massage. The scent is named and kept on file for future production or take-home products.  “Your sensory journey through a palette of essential oils will lead you to a place uniquely balancing in the moment, for the moment,” Gloria says.

Have you experienced a spa as a place of healing? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.

Get a taste of Ojai Valley Inn during SpaFinder Wellness Week™.