Description:
Nowadays Western spa treatments go far beyond skin deep. As Eastern spa owners have known for centuries, the best way to achieve health and beauty is to offer a spa experience that cares for the whole person, not just a person's skin, nails, or weight problem. As a result, meditation classes, herbal tonics, and aromatherapy are now commonplace spa offerings. In Well Being, Barbara Close (cousin of Glenn), the founder of Naturopathica, a full-service holistic spa in East Hampton, New York, teaches readers how to bring these remarkably healing and seemingly elusive spa remedies into their daily lives. Close starts with an inviting chapter on beginning meditation and then moves into practical discussions on how to use fresh herbs for replenishing spirits and healing the skin. She arranges her advice around the four seasons, offering ideas for cold soothing teas in the winter and homemade sunburn salves in the summer. Although this is a practical, hands-on book with very specific advice, it's also exquisitely lovely to look at. Photographer Susie Cushner offers a wide range of sensual images, such as a woman washing her hair, a still life with a cup of herbal tea, and numerous seasonal landscapes. --Gail Hudson
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