Designed or serenity - the Japanese garden at Osmosis Enzyme Bath & Massage - Brief Article

Sunset, Sept, 2001 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

This small Northern California garden recalls the peaceful, all-green gardens of Japan

* Some gardens are filled with brilliant blooms to stimulate the senses. Others--like the Japanese garden at Osmosis Enzyme Bath & Massage in Freestone, California--are green and peaceful. Designed for quiet contemplation, this garden inspires visitors to relax and connect with nature.

"The garden is an essential part of Osmosis," explains owner Michael Stusser, who designed it with landscaper Steve Stucky. "It provides a wonderful transition from the outside world into our treatment rooms." When guests arrive at Osmosis, just west of Sebastopol, they're served tea in a room with views of the garden.

After spending years apprenticing in Kyoto, Stusser is familiar with Japanese gardens. When he planned this one, he knew it had to contain the traditional elements: water, an arching bridge, beautiful stones, and striking plant textures and forms.

Fifty-year-old bonsai trees--pine, maple, and hawthorn--dot the small (24-foot-wide by 28-foot-long) garden; below them grow are low-growing shrubs and ground covers, such as azaleas, dittany of Crete, ferns, and junipers.

The garden is a truly magical place. "Guests find peacefulness there," says Stusser with delight.