In today’s busy world, it’s safe to assume Americans no longer have time to relax, right? Wrong. While cell phones, wireless Internet and the mobile office consume more and more free time, there’s also been a large-scale movement toward wellness to combat rising stress levels. To put it in perspective, spas in the United States currently outnumber Starbucks stores worldwide. From massages to skin care, there are more than 18,000 spas dotting the American landscape. According to the International Spa Association, the
number in the United States has grown at an average rate of 20 percent per year for the past eight years. Out of every four Americans surveyed, one has been to a spa. In 2007, that translated to 138 million reported spa visits. That’s a lot of facials.
EMERGING FROM THE WATERS Despite recent popularity, spas are not a new phenomenon. Before evolving into today’s varied collection of services, the early spas were based around healing waters. According to a study by the European League Against Rheumatism’s journal, the word “spa” probably originated from a Belgian town where a curative, thermal spring was discovered in the 14th century. Predating the name, ancient Romans and Greeks already used bathing as a popular treatment for a wide range of diseases. Around 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician widely considered the “Father of Medicine,” believed the cause of all diseases lay in an imbalance of bodily fluids and prescribed bathing, perspiration and massages as curative treatments.
Later, the Romans developed thermal baths to serve as recuperation for wounded soldiers and recreation centers for the healthy. Bathing spread to the general public and, at its height of popularity, free inhabitants of Rome used large quantities of water for daily bathing. Public bathhouses were considered regular gathering places for both social and business activity. Meanwhile, other ancient cultures were using treatments that are also part of modern spa packages, including steam baths from Mesoamerican cultures and facial treatments in ancient Egypt. “Cleopatra was a prime example of a
person who used soaps, powders and essential oils to smoothen and soften her skin,” says Trina Beatty, an aesthetician at the Bellevue Club Spa. After the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476, bathing gradually became unpopular and public baths were prohibited in some areas by the church. It wasn’t until the 13th century that bathing gained momentum again as a healing activity. This time, bathing treatments were mostly reserved for the elite as the art of taking baths were further developed as a medical pursuit. By 1800, spa resorts had begun to be developed with Baden-Baden, Germany, considered the most glamorous. However, with the medical discoveries of the 20th century, spas once again fell out of favor as hospitals and clinics became more widespread. Spas survived mainly as weight-loss clinics or vacation spots, with the healing benefits largely ignored. The public image of a spa became one of sitting in a tub of mud sipping cucumber water. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that spas made a comeback as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. “I think today, western civilization is treating our bodies with more respect, taking care of both the outside and the inside,” Trina says. “The Eastern culture has always treated from within, so we’re catching up with that tradition.”
HANDS ON HEALING Touch therapy is nothing new. Besides water-based treatments in Rome and Greece, massage has been used throughout the ancient world as a healing tool, from India’s Ayurvedic tradition to Egyptian tomb paintings of individuals kneading each other. In Greece, the athletic benefits were realized around 700 B.C. during the early Olympics. “Massage evolved over time. Ancient Greeks would massage athletes for the Olympics and they realized it helped their performance and injuries,” says Club Spa Director Susan Shorett. While massages are still part of many athletes’ routines, the total wellness benefits are much more broad. “The benefits of massage can range from lowering blood pressure, relieving muscle soreness, to mental relaxation and better sleep at night,” says Susan.
Massage practice became a regular component of the modern spa experience as it gained legitimacy in the United States. “In the sixties, massage became popular as people were more interested in natural healing,” Susan says. Industry standards eventually emerged and massage became an accepted form of alternative and complementary medicine in the United States. With huge health benefits, Susan sees massage and other spa treatments as an affordable luxury in a time when many are cutting back. “Compared to a cruise or a trip, a 90-minute massage is a real bargain,” says Susan. “In stressful times, massage is a relief with so many health benefits.”
EASTERN EXPOSURE Hand-in-hand with spa treatments, yoga has boomed in recent years. With origins in ancient India, yoga’s roots as a meditative and relaxing practice run deep. “It grew out of Hindu culture, where people would give up their worldly goods to seek enlightenment with a master,” says yoga instructor Camron McDonald. Camron teaches several different styles at the Club including vinyasa, power vinyasa, hot yoga and detox workshops. Practicing yoga since 2001 and completing her teacher training in India, Camron cites two theories on the origins of the practice.
“One of the views is that the movement part of yoga grew out of preparing your mind for meditation, because they realized it’s a lot easier to sit down and focus if you move a little bit first,” she says. “The other theory is that yoga was a spontaneous thing that grew out of deep states of meditation. These masters would be sitting on the banks of the Ganges River meditating and all of a sudden, their body would move themselves into these forms. Out of this phenomenon, the yoga we learn today was named and codified.” With a bachelor’s degree in religious studies, Camron has some context for understanding the cultural origins of yoga. “That’s part of what I love about teaching yoga, but, for me, it’s always been more about the experience than the theory,” she says. Yoga first appeared on the U.S. map at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 when Swami Vivekandanda shared yoga with an international audience. Yoga went through surges in popularity throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, but largely remained on the fringes of mainstream America. It wasn’t until recently that yoga became a popular relaxation and fitness activity in the United States.
“I think people are initially drawn in by the aesthetics—they hear about famous people with toned bodies that do yoga. However, when they actually get to a class, they realize some of the other benefits. They relax, breathe and slow down a little bit,” says yoga instructor Elisa Bergquist. At the Club, Elisa teaches a variety of classes and private sessions, including Restorative Yoga, Kids and Teen Yoga, Yoga From the Ground Up and Small-Group Yoga for Beginners. She specializes in adjusting yoga techniques for the injuries and limitations of her clients. “For my night classes, the biggest feedback is when people leave they’re smiling, breathing well, calm and relaxed. It sounds so simple, but it’s rare in today’s culture,” she says. Elisa was first attracted to yoga as a means to recover from a severe car accident, but found mental and emotional benefits as well. “I learned how to breathe and relax, and then I started incorporating into my everyday life and began to understand how valuable yoga and meditation practices are to living well,” she says. “A lot of times we beat ourselves up because we think we
need to have at least an hour for yoga, or we have to take a class, but just taking a few minutes out of the day to just sit quietly cross-legged and just breathe can be so effective.” With the stress of today’s society, the ancient arts of relaxation through spa treatments and yoga continue to gain popularity as vital paths to wellness. Elisa aptly sums up the appeal: “It’s so good just to close your eyes and refocus.”
