Native beauty: progressive spas offer treatments based on ancient American Indian rituals that encourage introspection

Natural Health, Nov, 2007 by Mary Rose Almasi

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As you barrel through your weekdays--juggling cell phone and laptop, job and family, pets and personal life--the idea of finding your "purpose in life" might seem laughable. The word centered may be the furthest thing from your mind. And therein lies the allure of Native American spa therapies: Whether you sample a luxurious, energizing treatment at a spa or adapt one for your home, these ancient practices, like many Native American rituals, are intended to enhance introspection, to purify mind and body. "When you're centered," explains Dan Mohr, a Cherokee descendant and spa director at the RockResorts Spa at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort in Santa Fe, N.M, "you have a clearer sense of purpose and you can accomplish more."

Many Native American cultures believe that each of us is here for a specific reason. While finding that purpose, you must strive to be the best you possible, and your actions will benefit the world around you. In this spirit, Native American spa treatments, using elements such as heat and water and ingredients like herbs, aloe, and corn, naturally reconnect you, physically and emotionally, with yourself. The spas featured here have all consulted with Native American experts to create treatments that honor traditions, including the use of indigenous materials and sustainable agriculture--practices that have been deeply rooted in American Indian life for thousands of years. The payoff goes well beyond softer skin, prettier feet, or an overall enhanced radiance. These timeless natural treatments are a path to inner and outer beauty.

cedar

A sacred element in Native American culture, cedar is used to both cleanse and heal. Cedar is sprinkled on hot rocks to allow its power to be released with the steam. "Cedar smells almost medicinal--it will clear your sinuses and cleanse your mind," says R.J. Joseph, a Cree Indian and the Native American program director of the Mii Amo Spa in Sedona, Ariz.

at home

Try KORRES CEDAR BODY WATER ($18; amazon.com), a moisturizing skin spritz that contains essential minerals for the skin: sodium, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. For a shortcut, place a palm-size sachet from CLEAR LIGHT THE CEDAR COMPANY'S ($7; clcedar .com) in a drawer or your glove box, or toss one in your suitcase. Each is filled with cedar needles harvested from the forests of New Mexico. Inhale and you'll think you've been transported to a pine forest.

corn

Native Americans used corn for a myriad of purposes, including exfoliation. "They rubbed ground corn on their skin before ceremonies, to rid the body of impurities," says Mohr. But their skin would have benefited in other ways. "As an exfoliator, it removes dead skin cells, but it also leaves behind minerals and vitamins that help the skin," he explains.

at home

Make your own natural scrub by combining two tablespoons cornmeal, 1/4 cup honey, and one to two tablespoons hot water to create a paste. As you massage the scrub on, stroke toward the heart to encourage circulation and hasten waste removal--a technique used at RockResorts Spa. Or try MII AMO BLUE CORN BODY POLISH ($20; miiamo.com), which is mixed with aloe gel for added skin-softening benefits.

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herbs & botanicals

Smudging is a ritual in which the smoke from burning herbs is used to cleanse a person or place and create physical and spiritual harmony and peace. "Smoke is thought to clear away negative energy and to pull in positive energy," says Joseph. The herbs traditionally used are sage, which draws off bad energy, and sweetgrass, which promotes positive energy (it has an uplifting, sweetly herbal scent). To tap the spiritual benefits of smudging in a practical way, spas incorporate these herbs in body wraps, so you can experience their aromatherapy attributes. The Tamaya Mist Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., goes a step further and offers only fresh, local botanicals. "We change the wraps depending on what's in season. It's safe to assume that Native Americans did the same because they used what was available where they lived," explains spa director Joe Herman.

at home

You could soak towels in warm, herb-infused water and wrap them around your body, but it's far easier to get the benefits with a soak in a tub. Karen Watson, spa manager for Skana, The Spa at Turning Stone Resort, located on an Oneida reservation in Verona, N.Y., suggests soaking for 20 to 30 minutes in water that is comfortably warm (92[degrees]-100[degrees]F) and incorporating lavender and chamomile in addition to sage and sweetgrass. Add these to your water to reduce tension: DEEP STEEP LAVENDER AND CHAMOMILE BATH TEA ($18; amazon.com) or KERSTIN FLORIAN KRAUTER AKTA KAMILLE (CHAMOMILE) BATH ($29.50; kerstinflorianusa.com). No time for a soak? Scent your bathroom with NATIVE SCENTS INCENSE IN SWEETGRASS, SAGE, OR CEDAR ($3 each; santosha.com), and inhale it as you get ready for bed--the scents will relax you and clear your mind.

heat

"Sweat lodges--sacred structures made of willow and covered with canvas or animal skins--are shaped to represent a womb," explains Joseph of Mii Amo Spa in Arizona. "They signal rebirth." Hot rocks are brought into the dark interior and doused with water to create steam. "Heat and total darkness alter your reality and can change the way you think," says Mohr of RockResorts Spa in New Mexico. The treatment is also physically cleansing. "When you sweat, your body releases waste products from the skin and you can wash it off--it's a way of renewing yourself," says Tracy Eldevick, spa director of The Spa at Sundance in Sundance, Utah. Some spas offer actual sweat lodges, while others interpret the benefits of heat with hot mud wraps, tub soaks, or hot stone therapies including foot massage.