Good news!

It seems our spa dealer is doing their best to make up for the inconsistent, often poor, customer service we have been subjected to over the last year and a half. Our part has been ordered and will soon be here. By their estimate, we will have our tub up and running either end of this week, or early next week. Cross your fingers for me that it will be the former.

In the mean time, I have been thinking about new things to do at the spa. McAuliflower made a mention of using produce as a basis for body treatments and that reminded me of my trip to Hawaii two years ago.

In September of 2005, the Little Red Studio troupe took a trip the the Big Island of Hawaii to have our annual retreat and perform at the Kalani Oceanside Retreat. During this trip, I had my first experience with Watsu. Dwight, our host and Visiting Artist troupe member, has been practicing Watsu for many years, not only in his own heated pool, but also in a natural thermal heated pool located at a nearby beach.

One evening, Dwight and his partner escorted 10 of us into the heated pool for an introductory lesson in Watsu. We spent the first half of class learning how to float and move our partner, and for the second half, we switched roles. To this day, I am still unsure of which experience moved me more; receiving or giving the Watsu.

The next day, Dwight planned a "spa day at the beach." He instructed us to gather up as many avocados and papayas around he property that we could find. He organized an assembly line of people peeling & cutting and mashing the fruit. Once we had a five gallon bucket 2/3 full of avocado and papaya paste, we all marched down the Red Road to the black sand beach. He claimed the black sand, being pulverized lava rock, was exceptional material for exfoliating the skin. There were conflicting opinions on the preferred method of application. What I settled on was to stand in the breaking waves, rubbing the sand over my whole body and then coating myself in the fruit concoction. Leaving it on for as long as I could stand before jumping back into the ocean and letting the waves wash all the paste off.

I would love to recreate that experience in the spa. I bet I could make an essential oil blend that was reminiscent of the oceanside. Black sand isn't really feasible, but regular sand is. And while the avocados and papaya would be spendy certain times of the year, they are easy to come by here in Washington. More will be reported after some research happens.