Dolphin Swim - Or Contact Dance under water.

Jens, who holds an incredible dance and movement class called Soul Motion, recently told me about an experience he had that combined dance and water.

A group of people set the intention of moving with each other in a small pool. Everyone had nose plugs and was prepared for full immersion, as well as a lot of body contact. The rules were simple: move slowly and gently and in ways that feel good to your body, keep hands open and relaxed, (no grabbing) eyes closed, come up for air any time you want/need to. They started with a breathing exercise to settle everyone. After everyone was relaxed, the facilitator urged them to start moving around the pool with heads above water before diving underneath the surface. His descriptions were luscious and interesting. We set a date to try it out in the Little Red Day Spa.

We followed the formula above and I was blown away. There were only four of us in the hot tub, and we could have fit 4 more in there! We tended to whirl and curl around each other. Amazingly enough, even with eyes closed, none of us bumped into anything other than each other, and that really felt more like sliding and caressing. After about twenty minutes, I was tired and winded from holding my breath so much, as I found that I preferred to stay under water. Jens said with larger groups of people, you occasionally end up on top of the pile and that gives you a chance to catch your breath. Since there were so few of us, we didn't make enough of a pile to end up out of the water by chance movement.

I am currently trying to figure out how this could be done at the spa. It reminded me a little of ecstatic dance in that it was a fluid coming together of bodies without agenda or plan. Just pure movement and joy in engaging in that movement. I am guessing that it would work best as a group session. 6-8 people could move around quite nicely in the tub. Maybe it could be spa night, where there would be more people allowed than can fit in the tub, knowing that people would not be in the tub the whole time.

Lots to think about. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please email me, Sophia@HengstStudio.com and I will put you on the list of people who would like to be my testers! Experimenting can be fun.

2 Night stand is incredible!

I cried over 2 pieces, laughed numerous times, squirmed with delight a few times, and even squealed once. There is a little bit of everything in this show, dark, light-hearted, sexy, silly, serious, odd and downright fun. If you have time this weekend, I highly encourage you to check it out.

Little Red Studio Presents Two Night Stand: A Dance Concert
Friday & Saturday, March 27th - 28th @ 9PM

Here is Jeff's review and a note about wine:

I just watched "Two Night Stand" tonight. It is LRS's first evening devoted to dance as a performing art. And it is fantastic. It is a fun textured variety show. It starts with an old favorite, Kerry's "Peep Show" number from the Red Show. Richard Jessup has put together a hot all male ensemble piece that is a true crowd pleaser. There are fantastic one person pieces, some thought provoking works and some pure fun pieces. It is going to be a great weekend for LRS. And I know this will be the first of many nights devoted to dance.

And....in case you hadn't heard, the Fremont Arts Council will be providing us with a bar! All proceeds from the bar will go to the Fremont Arts Council.

Two Night Stand at LRS

Tonight I am lucky enough to be in the test audience for Little Red Studio's Two Night Stand: A Dance Concert. Richard, who runs the Men's Spa Nights and does watsu and shiatsu at the spa, has choreographed a dance piece for this show. I am very excited to get to finally get to see him in action doing his other great passion.

Little Red Studio Presents Two Night Stand: A Dance Concert
Friday & Saturday, March 27th - 28th @ 9PM

We are thrilled to offer an entire evening dedicated to the art of dance and movement. Often seen as part of our other shows, we thought it was time to highlight this particular art form for you, our audience, as well as for our choreographers, dancers and physical performers.

"Two Night Stand" will offer a wide array of dance formats - everything from Jazz and Modern to Tango and Swing. Including choreography from Richard Jessup, Cody Strauss, Kerry Christianson, and many more - this show promises to be a delightful visual feast of the physical side of art!

Location: 400 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Tickets: $20

Tickets can be purchased in advance on Brown Paper Tickets or reserved by calling 206-328-4758.

cosmic harmony

Late Monday night, during a routine draining and cleaning, the Spa's hot tub stopped working. Dead to the world. No lights, motors or anything would register that the tub was receiving power. We've had troubles before, but nothing this dire seeming.

In a panic, I called the construction foreman, Jim, on Jeff's crew that is building out the Bistro at the Little Red Studio. He graciously offers to come by when he is finished with his dinner and take a look at it. During that time I went about my business, cleaning the tub and then refilling it. When you have a persnickety piece of equipment you learn little ways to working around it's trouble spots to keep everything running smoothly. I did all those things. Nothing worked.

When Jim arrived with electricity current tester in hand, the tub still was showing no signs of life. He tested the breaker box and determined that the tub was indeed receiving power. That was not good news. Next he opened the brains of the hot tub and tested all the fuses. No blown fuses. Ok, now it's getting scary and weird.

He laid on the floor next to the hot tub and checked all the connections. We talked about possible causes. On a whim, he said to turn the breaker on. The tub started! All systems go. Jeff and I profusely thanked him. He was mystified why it started and why we were thanking him! We assured him he must have done something and that he deserved out thanks, if for no other reason that being willing to come out on a late Monday evening.

In Tuesday morning's email, the Dictionary.com word of the day was thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy is the working of miracles or magic feats. I think there was definitely some thaumaturgy happening in my Spa Monday night.

Art is my world.

More so than usual. I spent the weekend helping to proof the catalog for the Seattle Erotic Art Festival. My brain is awash with images and themes. I am already scheduling out for when my hands will be as full as my brain with Festival duties. I will be unavailable for sessions 4/30 through 5/3. I will be answering the phones and all my other practitioners will be ready to pamper you. Having an indulgent time in the Spa, attending the Erotic Shorts playing at Little Red Studio and the Festival would be a fabulous way to have a decadent weekend!

I still can't give away what the art is, but if you want to get a sneak peak, and be involved in the Festival, you can volunteer to be a docent with me. I am organizing all the training meetings for this year's Festival Docents, and that includes a chance to preview the art that has been accepted or invited to be shown. The training also includes a lecture by Jeff Hengst, the owner and painter of the artwork within the Little Red Day Spa. He is devoting the Tuesday Art Talk Night on April 7th to the topic "What is Erotic Art?"

So, I am looking for people who would like to dress up and talk to people about sexy art April 30th and May 1st - 3rd. This year's Festival will be held at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall and is going to be a grand combination of art, performance, spectacle and socializing.

This Festival, like the Studio, promotes the combination of the three things most near and dear to my heart: art and community and sensuality. Please contact me at seafsophia@gmail.com to sign up, for training schedules and more information. Learn more at the Festival's website.

The Docents of the Seattle Erotic Art Festival are much like the traditional docent: a person who gives tours and information at a museum or gallery in order to facilitate an enjoyable experience for the visiting guests viewing the art. At the Festival, we have taken a page from the Little Red Studio and will be putting a slightly more personable spin on the traditional docent duties to reflect the community strengthening ethos of the Sex Positive Community Center. A general knowledge of art is appreciated, but not a requirement as there will be basic trainings for all volunteer Docents. Jeff has graciously agreed to give a short lecture, "What is Erotic Art?"

A Docent at the Festival will have the responsibility of:

~ Being available to answer questions about the art and artists in the 2009 Festival
~ giving art tours (training is provided)
~ maintaining and communicating an enthusiastic attitude about the variety and diversity of erotic art
~ making guests feel welcome and comfortable

Please note, we are encouraging Docents to dress in accordance with this year's theme, "Indulge Your Senses." Each evening of the Festival will have a variation of the theme for the feel, dress and performances presented.

THURSDAY 4/30: Tease -- Artist Reception: A White Tie Affair. By invitation only. Formal wear appreciated.
FRIDAY 5/1: Seduce -- A Silk and Satin Soirée. Dress to seduce.
SATURDAY 5/2: Indulge -- A Celebration of the Senses. Extravagant attire encouraged. Prizes awarded for the most indulgent and outrageous costumes.

The Seattle Erotic Art Festival continues to be a volunteer driven
event. We will provide crew meals during the set-up week and the
Festival; for each 5 hours you volunteer, you will receive a pass (for
yourself only) to attend the event. This is a labor of love for art,
freedom of expression and a great opportunity to wear your most
provocative attire.

Many other volunteer positions are available. If you are interested in
getting involved, please contact seafinfo@gmail.com Please feel free
forward our call to your e-lists and post us on your blogs, social
networks, etc.

Thank you!

Sophia
Docent Director/Velvet Package Liaison aka your Spa Queen

Werid web site stuff.

Periodically, I get a phone call from someone wanting to RSVP for the now defunct Couple's Spa Night. Each time, they give the the same answer to my query of how they found out about an event that we haven't had on the calendar for about four months: "I did an internet search and I am looking at the page right now." And then a discussion about new web pages and refreshing and updated pages takes place. It is usually very frustrating because each of us are claiming to be looking at the page and yet we aren't seeing the same information.

I finally remembered to do my own search for a couple's spa in Seattle and found the page people have been telling me about. And there it is, the old web pages from last summer, before we did the big overhaul on the Little Red Day Spa site. For some reason, those old pages are still stored on the server that hosts our web sites. Talk about embarrassing.

Refreshing doesn't get you to the new Spa pages, you have to type in www.LittleRedDaySpa.com into the address bar to get to the current pages. I have a message in to the person who updates the web site for LRS and the Day Spa and hopefully that confusion will be resolved.

As for the question of the return of Couple's Spa Night, it looks like it's not to be. It was a very difficult evening for us, as staff, to run efficiently and with clarity of vision. My current proposal on the table is to turn the SpeakEasy party/performance nights into a partial spa night. If you were at the last SpeakEasy, then you may have been a part of the body mud extravaganza that took place after the final act. It turned out exactly how I wished the Couple's Spa Nights would have turn into. We'll see. It's still another 2-3 months before the next SpeakEasy, plenty of time to scheme and gather feedback.

Saturday's Royal Blue Show at LRS

Last night I attended the dress rehearsal for the Little Red Studio's Royal Blue Show. I had such a good time. Mind you, I have been a bit travel weary since I got back on Monday and wasn't looking forward to staying up late for a dress rehearsal. But the show was so light-hearted and pulled me in effortlessly.

The sword fighters are both skilled and comedic. The Queen, who really is a queen, sings a rousing and slightly naughtier rendition of "Big Balls" by AC/DC. The court painter narrowly escapes being sent to the Tower and the Royal Inquisitor and Judge is quietly intimidating as he dispenses swift, yet "liberal" punishments: When you are found guilty of a crime (speaking ill of the king, talking to royalty with your hands in your pockets, etc...) you get your choice of punishments, the worst of which is having to listen to limericks. Those were so silly, I volunteered to read limericks for Saturday's show!

Little Red Studio Presents
The Royal Blue Show
Saturday, March 14th @ 9PM

Your presence is requested by his Imperial Highness, at the Little Red Palace. Prepare your senses and your attire for a lavish affair. His Highness looks to impress and woo a new Queen. Jesters, Jugglers, Courtiers, a Court painter and other characters will all be on hand to assist in the courtship!

Magical, enchanting, always erotic, Little Red Studio welcomes you to our most Regal presentation yet.

Reservations are recommended. Of course there's always plenty of room in his dungeon...

Where: 400 Dexter Ave N.
How Much: $30

Tickets can be purchased in advance at Brown Paper Tickets or reserved by calling (206) 328-4758

Self care reminder.

How many of you work on a computer, drive or write for more than an hour a day? These three activities are the biggest culprits that cause forearm, wrist and hand tightness, pain and discomfort.

You can keep every day tension from turning into a Repetitive Stress Injury by performing any number or combination of these self-care techniques.

*Stretch. Take 30 seconds out of every hour you are working at a computer to do one or two stretches. Rotate through various stretches throughout the day. Hold stretches for 10-30 seconds.

Examples:
-Stand up and roll/shrug your shoulders in circles both forward and back.
-Bring your hands together (both palms facing and backs of hands facing) to stretch the muscles that flex and extend the wrists.
-Roll your wrists in slow circles.
-Extend elbows and gently pull fingers back and then fold fingers toward palm and pull gently.


*Strengthen. Making sure that your muscle groups are balanced can prevent the pain that results from one group of muscles becoming significantly stronger than it's counterpart, resulting in the counterpart having to work extra hard to "keep up." It also gives the main muscles you use in your work a much deserved rest.

Examples:
-Wrap a rubber band around your fingers and thumb at the second knuckle. Start with fingertips touching and spread them out so you are stretching the rubber band. Remember to open and close slowly.
-Use a very small hand weight (or water bottle, soup can, etc...) and rest your forearm on your knee or a table. Let your wrist extend from the table unsupported with your palm facing down. Extend your wrist up so that you are lifting the back of your hand up. Always move slowly.

A book I highly recommend is called Save Your Hands! by Lauriann Greene, CEAS & Richard W. Goggins, CPE, LMP. While this book is written with massage therapists in mind, almost all of the stretches, exercises and self-care techniques can be used by anyone who uses their hands for their work.

Post Ladies' Spa Night Bliss

What a wonderful evening! I am still thinking about it and wishing there was another one today. Last Monday, 11 women joined me for the evening. Many regulars brought friends along to visit the Little Red Day Spa for the first time and it made for a pleasant and lively crowd.

If we have one more Ladies' Spa Night like last week, Jeff says I can add a second Ladies' Night to the Spa's monthly calendar. So please tell your friends or bring them with you next month on Monday April 6th, 6-9pm.

Dream Work Class by LRS member

At the last Gold Show, Kirsten headed up a project entitled "Lightening Dreamwork" which was a 3 part interactive performance piece. The first part invited guests to share a dream, either recent, old, a daydream, and go through a 5 minute long process of delving into it's meaning. The second part pooled everyone's dream imagery together and crafted it into a "collective dream". The third part was the enactment, or Dream Theater.

I was involved on all three levels and had an amazing experience. What was just as interesting to me as gaining insight about my own dream, was watching other people recognize their dream imagery in the performance piece. One person, who relayed a recurring nightmare, excitedly said "You changed the dream! You gave it a new ending!"

What I like most about this system of dream interpretation is that it relies on you finding the kernels of meaning in your dreams, not someone else telling you what they mean. Every time Kirsten has taken me through the process, I get some valuable insight into myself. I highly endorse her workshops.

Greetings Beautiful People,

As many of you know I am a facilitator of Systemic Constellations and a teacher of Conscious Dreaming. I am writing to invite you to a Facilitator Showcase event sponsored by the Seattle Constellations Network.

From the website:
March 10th - Kirsten Lauzon will be presenting a demonstration of her own unique synthesis of two very powerful experiential processes: Systemic Constellation Work and Conscious Dreaming. She says, “we will be introducing ourselves to the many unconscious archetypes we embody everyday, and that reliably come knocking on our dream doors each night. By consciously acknowledging and exploring the archetypes at play in our lives we just might free ourselves from old destructive patterns and effectively make them our allies. Come participate in healing play in the realm of your own dream world!”

The event is held at the Puget Sound Yacht Club near Gasworks Park in Fremont at 6pm and runs until 9:30pm. Feel free to bring a friend . . . or two. RSVP is not necessary but is appreciated - just reply to this email or give me a call if you have any questions. There is room for everyone - feel free to come and participate fully, or just observe.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Kirsten A. Lauzon
www.healing-earth.net
206-851-7125

I'm out of town but spa is open.

Today I leave for a short vacation, really just a long weekend, to Chicago. Well, Skokie, IL. to be exact, to visit a friend and teach a workshop at a conference. Since it is only a little bit of work, I'll be able to enjoy relaxing and hopefully get a chance to shop at this amazing hat shop that was closed the last time I was in Skokie.

Cheri is graciously taking control of answering the Little Red Day Spa's phone and scheduling any appointments. Please be understanding if she takes a little bit of time getting back to you.

Have a great weekend!