The Steamy Side of Vegas

Living The Spa Life

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Five Things You Need Right Now if You’re Stressed

Remedies for These Tough Times

Our world may be beginning to open up again. There’s perhaps a tiny ray of sunshine peeking out from behind the c-virus cloud.

We may soon be able to go to the doctor, see a dentist. Perhaps have a pedicure or have a hair cut. It will come back, bit by bit.

But we’re all still stressed and anxious.

During the time of this pandemic, I am relying on some old stress relievers, but also found some amazing new ones to help move me along.

1. Siddha Stress Relief

A new one for me — and my new go-to—is the stress relief spray by Siddha. This amazing blend of cell salts and flower essences helps the brain fire properly, allowing the mind to relax and become calm. You can use it up to five times per day. I use it first thing in the morning and right before going to bed. I have now ordered another product that helps with energy and motivation. Plus another one — Thinning hair? Check this one out.

 

2. Bioplasma

A similar item is Hyland’s Bioplasma. Again, it is a combination of all 12 cell salts. I keep this on my desk and take it once in the morning and again in the afternoon. It seems to help me stay focused. The bottle says it is “for relief of symptoms of colds, simple nervous tension, fatigue and headaches.” I can’t imagine that nervous tension is ever simple, but who knows.

3. Bach Flower Remedies

I have always believed in Bach Flower Remedies, especially Rescue. I knew it worked for me personally—helping me chill in a time of stress. But one day it turned my crying, screaming, dancing, stripping five-year-old daughter who had tangled with fire ants, into a slightly whimpering, calmer, hiccoughing one in minutes. I carried it in my purse thereafter. You’ll find more information here.

4. Essential Oils

I know, I know — essential oils are everywhere, but they really work (at least for me). I’m using lavender, geranium and bergamot (which I sometimes blend with frankincense and lavender for both fragrance and an extra bit of calming). I am also using rosemary — not so much for calming but to help me wake up and be more alert and motivated in the middle of most afternoons. If you don’t get under the covers, it’s only a power nap (right?).

5. Adaptogens

I’ve used adaptogens for years—ashwagandha, milk thistle, astragalus, ginseng. But my favorite is holy basil. Adaptogens can help your body respond to stress, perhaps by helping regulate cortisol, one of the stress-related chemicals. The research jury is still out. However, that doesn’t stop me from taking holy basil and I believe it helps with stress levels, among other things, over the long haul. Herbally Grounded in Las Vegas sells holy basil as a single herb in capsules, but it can be found in many stress-relieving formulas at health food stores and on line.


Lifestyle

Here is what I’ve been doing to stay sane and healthy during over the last six weeks:

  1. Using essential oils that have anti-viral properties and others that help one stay calm and centered
  2. Taking vitamins and herbs and eating well with almost everything made from scratch
  3. Getting regular halotherapy (salt) treatments for respiratory health (now using a salt pipe)
  4. Not watching the news (lessens the stress)
  5. Getting outside for much of the day — sometimes gardening, sometimes sitting
  6. Smudging the house with sage (sage supposedly has anti-viral properties—strong ones)
  7. Getting enough sleep
  8. Enjoying just being with my husband (married two years yesterday)
  9. Staying in touch with friends and family members (really important — am calling someone I haven’t talked to in years each week)
  10. Sticking to a daily regimen — bathing, make up the bed, skin care, centering time, writing, exercise, lunch, dinner.

  11. Using this as an opportunity to study astrology and deepen my understanding of Feng Shui, the I Ching, and the healing properties of stones, plus making jewelry (did you know a kitchen torch is strong enough to solder sterling silver?).

If you’re looking for other stress-relieving alternatives, please visit 12 Timely Quirky Tension Tamers posted earlier this year.

Please take care of yourself. We’re all in this together.

Moon Notes

Today’s moon moon begins the last quarter of it’s orbit around the earth with the new moon coming in a little more than 7 days. It is 48% full and passing  through Aquarius. The next full moon will be on June 7 when it is passing through Capricorn.

What I’m Reading

 

And I’d Do It Again, by Aimée Crocker — a “true” story of travel and unbelievable adventure by the granddaughter of a railroad barron in the late 1800’s.

 

 

The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters — boarders introduce a young woman to the ways of the world in this coming-of-age novel.

 

 

Fire Logic, an Elemental Logic novel by Laurie J. Marks — action couples with philosophy in this story of a woman warrior who operates from the basis of fire logic (an inner knowing). First of the four-book series that I’ve read, but I’ll be getting the others!

 

 

 

 I’ve always been misunderstood because of how I look. Don’t judge me by the cover ’cause I’m a real good book!
Dolly Parton

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Staying Healthy, Staying Sane


The C-virus and a Healthy Lifestyle

The most important thing we can do about the C-virus and its effects is to take care of our families and ourselves.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I should be doing in relation to the C-Virus. I first realized that there are ten things I’m already doing that make me feel more confident about surviving this whole craziness both physically and mentally.

Calming Oils

Anti-viral Oils

In brief, those things include:
  1. Using essential oils that have anti-viral properties and others that help one stay calm and centered
  2. Taking vitamins and herbs and eating well with almost everything made from scratch
  3. Getting regular halotherapy (salt) treatments for respiratory health (now using a salt pipe)
  4. Not watching the news (lessens the stress)
  5. Getting outside for much of the day — sometimes gardening, sometimes sitting
  6. Smudging the house with sage (sage supposedly has anti-viral properties—strong ones)
  7. Getting enough sleep
  8. Staying in touch with friends and family members and being grateful for the steadying presence of my husband (really important)
  9. Sticking to a daily regimen — bathing, making up the bed, skin care, centering time, writing, exercise, lunch, dinner.
  10. Using this as an opportunity to study astrology and deepen my understanding of Feng Shui, the I Ching, and the healing properties of stones

Salt cave at the Salt Room, Henderson, NV

Need more ideas? Visit a re-post of December’s Tension Tamers article.

On a much broader level, I am trying to come up with ways to keep communities engaged and share messages of hope and encouragement. I will be posting much more often as we all move through this together. Next post — the first of several shorts on How to Stay Happily Sequestered with a Partner.

The beautiful flowers — compliments of my husband! We’re enjoying our voluntary quarantine.

My hope is that you and yours are safe. Please share what you are doing to stay entertained and maintain your sanity.
Take care of yourself!

 

Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.

Eckhart Tolle

Moon Time

 

Today the moon is waxing crescent or 35.49% of full.

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4 Easy Steps to Beautiful Flower Arrangements

Who said you can’t make beautiful flower arrangements?

Holiday tables just beg for flowers. Arrangements that exude the colors of the season add not only beauty, but complete a table’s decor.

For some, arranging flowers can be a challenge. But that needn’t be the case! Here are a few guidelines for creating flower arrangements that speak to your personal style, budget, and tablescape.

Step 1—Choose a Vase

I have a wonderful collection of vases of all sizes, colors and shapes. I can go from highlighting a single flower to hosting a dozen gladiolas in no time. It is important to match the vase to your decor and the level of formality of the dinner or buffet.

Depending on what look you’re going after consider these containers cum vases: watering cans, empty food cans (with or without labels), flowerpots (use a glass insert to hold flowers and water); canning jars; crystal candle sticks, teacups, wine bottles, chemistry glassware, wrapped box bottoms or baskets (use a bowl to fit inside for water and flowers). Or vases. Real vases work well too!

For this arrangement, I chose a very simple vase that has a “waist’ about a third of the way up. This gives graceful dimensions to the piece without making it too fussy or elaborate.

Step 2—Place the Filler

The easiest thing to do is to start with baby’s breath—the stems with hundreds of tiny white flowers that you can buy in almost any grocery store. This not only serves as a filler for the arrangement, it also works to “prop up” or hold the other flowers in your vase.

You can tell that I didn’t labor over this step too much. Basically, I grabbed the entire bunch, pulled the stems together and cut off about four inches from the bottom. This gave me the height I wanted, but also allowed me to go a bit taller with some of the flower stems. I was careful to maintain a rough 1:1.5 ratio of vase height to flowers (see “Arrangement Dimensions” below).

Step 3—Add the Greenery

 

Once you have the filler arranged to your liking, it is time to start placing greenery. I like an arrangement to look full and lush, and greenery helps do just that. It also adds texture (nice crisp holly leaves), color (green with spots of red in the berries) and visual interest.

I’m one of those who likes things to be off-kilter a bit. If an arrangement is too balanced, it looks formal and stiff to me. So I’ll often add a hanging or long wispy piece off to the side, or put tall flowers on one side and graduate down to shorter ones on the other.

Step 4—Add the Flowers

I designed the piece here to be viewed from all sides. That way, I can use it in the middle of my island; on the table between meals (it’s a little two tall to put between people who are seated), on my piano, or even in the window. I like the way the red carnations are placed in little “pops” of color, while the white alstromeria tend to create lines of color throughout.

Trust your eye and your sense of balance and style.

We live in a world that likes groupings of uneven numbers. This suggests you might want to have seven flowers, five sprigs of greenery, three secondary flowers, and an accent piece. However, if that doesn’t resonate with you, do whatever looks good! Quite frankly, I have no idea how many flowers are in the arrangement above! I just used all the flowers I had and that seemed just right.

Additional details.

If you follow the steps above, you can create beautiful flower arrangements that speak to your design style. However, some of you may want more details, so here are some things to consider…
  • Purchase flowers and greenery with different texture and shapes — you’ll want variety in your arrangement.
  • Cut off at least 1″ of stem of flowers, greenery and filler. This provides a fresh surface for taking in water so your flowers will last longer.
  • Strip all leaves from any stems below the water level. Leaves tend to deteriorate and can cause water to turn brown, and can even create an unpleasant odor.
  • Use the “flower enhancer packet if you wish. I have used this off and on for years, and have never really noticed that it made a difference in the arrangement’s longevity.
  • Every two or three days, pull out any dead flowers and pour out the old water and add new. With a few light rearrangings , I’ve had centerpieces last up to three weeks (especially with alstromeria — it is really long lasting!).
  • Arrangement dimensions: Determine the final height for your arrangement. Is the arrangement going to be on a dining table where people will be seated across from each other? If so, the arrangement should not be more than 12 to 14 inches tall, unless it is a narrow towering piece where the flowers themselves are above seated eye height. Are you placing the arrangement at the end of the table where no one will be seated? If so the arrangement can be much taller.
  • There are suggested proportions for height of the flowers in relation to the dimensions of the vase. If a container is taller than it is wide, the flowers should be approximately 1.5 to 2 times the height of the vase. For example if you have a 12” vase, the total height of the arrangement should be 18” to 24.”
  • If the container is low and wide, consider creating an arrangement that is 1.5 to 2 times taller than the container is wide. To keep flowers low on the table, you might use a shallow bowl that is 10” wide by 4” tall. In this case, you will want the arrangement to be between 15” and 20” inches tall.

Seating Suggestions

For a cozier meal, seat up to five guests grouped around one end of the table  with one person at the end and the others on the sides. This allows for better conversation, AND leaves the other end of the table open for a more elaborate “centerpiece” that can accommodate flowers, candles, blinking lights, ornaments, etc.

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12 Timely Quirky Tension Tamers

NOTE: This post was apropro for the winter holidays but is even more important as we deal with C-Virus19. Repeated here with only two changes — the title, and “give a hug” has become “give yourself a hug.”

Feeling Fine for the Holidays

Here you are, right in the middle of the holiday season and there is a high probability that you are stressed. You need something quick and easy to take you out of your daily routine to give you just a few minutes to breathe and focus. Here are several quirky ideas to help you de-stress….

1. Twirl a sprig of rosemary.

The smell of rosemary can lift your spirits and give you an extra bit of “get up and go!” More specifically, rosemary essential oil will give you a boost of energy and help you feel refreshed and mentally focused. No rosemary sprigs? No worries. Walmart carries a rosemary essential oil roll-on. NOTE: another widely accepted oil for stress relief is lavender. Walmart carries a roll-on for this one too!


2. Smile at yourself in the mirror.

Don’t just check to make sure there’s no piece of spinach or something between your teeth. Give yourself a big, teeth-showing grin. We all have heard that it takes more muscles to frown than it takes to smile, so give those glowering muscles a rest. Plus, smiling may actually help one release happiness-producing endorphins, remind us of pleasant memories, and even reduce pain. Now go out there and infect everyone you see with smile syndrome (smiling is contagious you know).

3. Practice your power pose.

Amy Cuddy promoted the power pose in her TED Talk titled, “Your body language may shape who you are.” To do this, simply stand with your feet a shoulder-width apart, place your hands on your hips, hold your head up and look straight ahead. The media has dubbed this the “Superwoman pose,” so you should get the idea. Cuddy’s research shows that standing like this for at least two minutes will actually change the chemistry in your body, making you feel more powerful and success-worthy.

4. Find a Doterra Representative.

Doterra’s Peppermint beadlets are amazing. They’re as tiny as the head of a pin and contain peppermint essential oil. Pop one or two of these in your mouth, experience the explosion of peppermint taste and go on about your business. In just a few minutes you’ll realize that your shoulders are no longer attached to your ears, your teeth aren’t clenched, and your hands are open and swaying as you walk, not bundled into fists. Yes, just amazing.

5. Give someone a hug. Give yourself a hug.

Studies have shown that a kind gentle touch can actually lower one’s blood pressure. I’d say get a massage, but you might not have now is not the time. Just hug yourself! someone. They’ll hug you back. You’re good to go. You’ll be surprised how good it feels!

6. Take a walk with a rock.

A walk in fresh air—even a short one—will help you refocus. But while you walk, pick up a tiny stone and put it in your pocket, telling yourself that every time you touch it, you’ll be reminded to stop and simply breathe. Carry it with you throughout the holidays. Of course, any pebble you find on the ground will work perfectly, but for an extra calming experience, you may want to order stones from Amazon or Etsy. Rose quartz, blue lace agate and Amazonite have traditionally been thought to influence a calm state. Tiny gift idea — pick up extras for your co-workers and family members!

7. Give someone a compliment.

It makes a person feel good to make another person feel good. Enough said.

8. Place your hands just so.

Ancient Indian traditions have it that holding your hands and arms in certain poses will take you into a specific state of mind. These poses are called mudras. You might recognize the “chin” mudras often used by meditators sitting cross-legged, where the hands rest on the knees and the thumbs form a loop with the pointer fingers while other fingers remain straight out.  The author of Healing Mudras Yoga for Your Hands, Sabrina Mesko recommends the following mudra for preventing stress: sit with your back straight; bring your hands together palms up and fingers outstretched; lightly nestle the left hand in on top of the right hand in front of your belly. Breath consciously and hold for three minutes.

9. Laugh.

Just start laughing. Laugh hard. Laugh loudly. Once you get started, you will find that it’s easy to keep it up. Give it a big guffaw. You’ll be breathing, you’ll be releasing endorphins, you’ll feel better. (Note: perhaps you should only do this in the privacy of your car.)

10. Pat yourself on the back.

Literally. Just reach over your shoulder and give yourself a good pat, reaching as far down your back as possible. Then do it with the other hand. Then pat yourself by reaching around behind your back, once with each hand. Then do a routine: over shoulder left, over-shoulder right, behind back left, behind back right. Repeat! Not quite yoga, but it’s close. You stretched, breathed (hopefully) and maybe even giggled (you did look pretty silly you know).

11. Pay attention to your feet.

Just take a few minutes and commune with your toes (and your arches and your ankles). Twist, stretch, flex. Your feet will thank you.

12. Flirt with a ficus.

You may have read a lot recently about how plants “exhale” oxygen and help purify the air. But just talking to a plant – complimenting it on its gorgeous greenness or its new leaves—may leave you feeling better. Plants like to be petted and even slightly shaken. And if you feel ridiculous doing this and start laughing, all the better.

There! I hope you feel better and have a stress-free holiday.

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.

John Muir

Moon Time

Today — Wednesday, December 11, 2019,  the moon is 100% of full.

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Spas on the Road

Spa Toscana is a travel treat…

A trip to your local spa is often part of your personal wellness and beauty routine. Perhaps you go every six weeks to get a facial and try to get a massage every month. However, a trip to a spa while you’re traveling can be something else entirely.

It’s a new experience with different treatment offerings, AND you leave the spa and return to your travel schedule, not a pile of laundry or a dinner to cook.

Recently I visited Spa Toscana at the Peppermill Resort, Spa, Casino in Reno while my husband, Randy, was attending a conference. I scheduled a short 50-minute scrub/massage and planned to check out the spa. After lunch, I was going to the Georgia O’Keefe exhibit at the Nevada Museum of Art. That never happened. I spent five hours at Spa Toscana, lounging, luxuriating, and feeling pampered. I also went back to the hotel and slept almost two hours before the conference banquet. I can tell you, I was totally relaxed.

An old-world experience

Not a sparkly new spa like some I’ve visited recently, Spa Toscana has a soothing old-world vibe with marble everywhere: on countertops, walls, floors, columns. It feels rich and gracious; like you’re visiting the home of a generous relative or friend. Because it is huge — 33,000 square feet— there are innumerable spaces on three floors that provide you with plenty of room to move around in and explore.

Hidden Surprises

Of course, the dressing room floor has all of the basics: showers, toilets, lockers. But there are some lovely surprises. There are separate vanities with individual sinks that host a magnifying mirror, hair dryers and curling irons, and such things as hairspray and mouthwash with additional amenities available upon request. It’s fun to have your own space and tools so you can spread out your makeup and take your time.  On this floor, you’ll also find a women’s only hot tub (large enough for large groups), and a eucalyptus steam room, sauna, and cold-water plunge, all right outside the dressing room.

Treatment rooms are on the second floor and are accessed by a private elevator (the men have their own on the other side). If I were to give a theme to my visit it would be “unbelievably comfy places to sit.” The seats in the lounge were like white clouds with ottomans. Headphones were available with calming spa music and there were snacks, water and teas. My scrub/massage was great. I love it when there is a shower in the room and no one has to try to rub off all the grit with a towel before the massage. Light and sound and multiple spray heads made for a nice bonus. Afterwards I found myself back in the lounge for a little more chair time.

Salt and More Salt

The halotherapy or salt room featured an entire wall of salt, lit from behind, that gave the impression of having entered a room made of amber. Seating here was basically a bench, but there were footstools underneath that pulled out for extra comfort. I was already pretty relaxed so I don’t know if the salt room helped relieve tension or not. It was certainly pretty and peaceful.

Next was a ride up to the fourth floor that had another lounge area and what is called the Caldarium. It was spectacular with an indoor pool with three small hot tubs at its edges, and huge French doors that opened to an outdoor sun deck. This is where my original day’s plans started to dissemble — I knew I had to spend time here. Huge plants (alive and lush) filled the room and warm, natural light filtered in through the open doors and floor-to-ceiling windows.

And there was food!

In some spas, when you ask about getting something to eat, they’ll look at you (almost rolling their eyes) as if to say, “and now you want to eat something too?” And then they’ll bring you a tiny menu, make you wait for what seems like forever to be served, and then charge an exorbitant amount with service fee on top of service fee.

Not so Spa Toscana!

There was waitstaff eager to serve you. The menu had many options. In no time I had a salad and California roll, a glass of wine, and — you guessed it — a great place to kick back, read a magazine (current I might add), and relax. The lounge chair itself was amazing. You could raise the foot and head to any level, or make it completely flat. It had headphones and an iPad in a drawer that allowed you to choose the type of music you wanted and you not only heard the music, you felt the vibrations through the chair. So fun.

Yes, there’s more

There was so much to see and do, I didn’t get it all in. I couldn’t find the deluge showers , but admittedly didn’t look too hard. I only stuck my head in the relaxation room with its almost dark room, movie theater recliners, and star studded screen. I slipped through the salon just to see it (they serve wine there too). It was a big space and the chairs were so comfy…

The rating

Spa Toscana gets a five-towel rating. You probably guessed that. And because of its many spaces, it gets both a Martini and a Yogini designation. In other words, it has plenty of spaces to get loud and party a bit, and others for real rest and reflection.

Final note:  As always, I paid for my spa treatment and food in accordance with my commitment to ethics.

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

The Buddha

 

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Using Your Spa Voice

They want you to be happy

Perhaps more than any place you pay to visit — restaurants, hotels, theaters —the people who work in a spa want you to be blissfully happy and relaxed. They want you to have an experience that transcends the day-to-day.  In a spa everything focuses on that goal, including décor, lighting, services, and amenities.

But they can’t read your mind! They want you to tell them what you need and want. They don’t know if a massage touch is too firm or the steam room is not hot enough. They simply want you to be happy!

Sometimes you just need to speak up!

You need to use your spa voice. This is not your inside voice, your library voice, or your screaming, mad voice. It is not the whispery voice you use with hand over the phone as you leave a meeting to take a call. It is a calm, assertive voice that simply shares your needs and desires with everyone at a spa.

Many of us don’t think of ourselves as being calmly assertive, and yet we do it all the time. “Please pass the butter.” “Can you turn the music down a bit?” “No, on second thought, I’d really rather go to Ventano’s.” All of these sentences are usually uttered in a calm, assertive manner—no drama, no need for any kind of anger or forcefulness. But when it comes to our own comfort, our own personal experience, it may be more difficult to speak up.

Speak Easies

Here are some simple examples that I bet you too, could handle:

I am extremely hot-natured, and the heated treatment beds that most people sigh at the thought of, leave me over-heated and exhausted. I always ask to have them turned off. Not a big deal, but it dramatically improves my experience. The opposite of this might be true for some of you — feel free to ask for an extra blanket or back-supporting pillow if you’re on the chilly side or uncomfortable.

On occasion, I’ve left a spa service and gone directly to an event or to meet a friend. I usually don’t shower after a treatment, preferring instead to leave the moisturizing oils and lotions on my skin as long as possible This often translates into wild hair! When I know I’m going out, I request that we skip the head massage and that product not get in my hair. I’m the one who misses out—a head massage is heavenly—but it is worth it to me to leave the spa looking presentable.

Sometimes (but not often), a stylist or masseur simply talks too much. They may ask too many questions or be overly chatty. If you are wanting to zone out and be in the moment, you need to learn to say, “This feels good, and I’d really like to enjoy a quiet time now.”

If you need to go to the bathroom—simply ask. It will take a few moments out of your scheduled appointment, but it sure beats being uncomfortable.

Challenges

One time in Chicago, I had a male therapist who I just didn’t mesh well with. He made some remark as we walked to the treatment room that I think was meant to be funny, but wasn’t to me, and I just didn’t like his attitude for some reason. He talked and talked throughout the entire session, complaining bitterly about his job, his life, his car. I was so irritated, that I don’t even remember the quality of the massage. After it was over, he tried very hard to sell me one of the oils he had used. I was more frustrated upon leaving than when I arrived.

In retrospect, I should have asked for another therapists or cancelled the service. Difficult to do? Oh yes! Not even sure I could do it now, but I believe it would be the right thing. Maybe I need to practice my spa voice in the mirror.

For some reason, telling someone that the touch is too hard, or that something hurts is very difficult for me. I go to a massage therapist because I trust him/her and I feel like they know their jobs better than I do. However, they don’t always know me. I want deep rubbing on shoulders, back, and arms, but I have tender feet and toes. If I don’t communicate that at the beginning, the massage would not be as pleasurable. Trust me. A massage therapist or esthetician would much rather have you speak up at the beginning, then yelp in the middle of a treatment. The yelping makes them feel really bad!

One of my first massage experiences (more than 33 years ago) was in a crazy alternative bookstore in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a massage studio above. The place had new age books and crystals and smelled of a sweet, pervasive incense. At the time, I didn’t know what an “appropriate” massage included. In retrospect, I should have said, I’m not comfortable with being touched there,” realizing that breasts and derrieres were not places for massage therapists’ hands. This has never happened to me since. Let me assure you that all recent experiences have been very discreet and modesty has been maintained. But trust me, I would certainly speak up if this ever happened again.

So my recommendation to you? Practice your spa voice. It will lead to spa experiences that fit you perfectly!

Moon Notes

Moon phase is waxing crescent and 26% full. We are currently in the moon sign of Sagittarius and will have a full moon on the 12th.

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
Pable Picasso