DAYSPA is the business resource for spa & wellness professionals! Each issue covers the latest in skin care, spa treatments, wellness services and management strategies.
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The spa: Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort and Spa in Tucson, Arizona The gardener: Jeffery Schott, spa director When did you plant your seedlings? November 2014 What grows in your garden? "We have at least 20 different herbs and plants" Schott explains. "Sage, thyme, several types of mint, rosemary and lemongrass; fi g and calamondin trees; prickly pear; aloe vera; blueberries; a cross-bred lemon-eucalyptus; plus non-medicinal plants that help attract butterfl ies and hummingbirds." Why do guests love your greenery? "We planted our garden to provide an interactive, sensory experience," says the spa director. "Clients pick their own herbs for their treatments—they get a chance to smell, crush and taste them. The feedback has been amazing, and our body treatments alone increased by more than 40% last year because of the hand-picked garden ingredients." The spa: Deer Lake Lodge Resort & Health Spa in Montgomery, Texas The gardener: Carrie Harmon, spa director When did you plant your seedlings? December 2013 What grows in your garden? "In early 2014, we had a group of teachers visit us from Sedona, Arizona. They brought an aloe vera plant, which has since multiplied all over the property!" says Harmon. "We also grow thyme, spearmint, lavender, oregano, sage and rosemary." Why do guests love your greenery? "Our entire resort is built in converted shipping containers using refurbished materials, and we're very eco-friendly, so the garden fi ts in well with our spa. Guests love the aromatherapy and organic ingredient classes we teach outdoors. Many of them pluck sprigs of lavender to take to their rooms, or add oregano and rosemary to their meals. I tell them they can take whatever they'd like as long as they don't pick my plants clean!" she laughs. The spa: Stowefl ake Mountain Resort & Spa in Stowe, Vermont The gardener: Surinda Oberai Cavanagh, spa director When did you plant your seedlings? August 2003 What grows in your garden? "We have a variety of herbs— sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, calendula and mint, to name a few—plus crab apple trees, strawberry and blueberry plants," explains Cavanagh. Why do guests love your greenery? "Because we're up in northern Vermont, we face rather harsh growing conditions through much of the year," laments the spa director. "But we purposely chose plants that bloom in early spring and late fall, and guests appreciate that our labyrinth garden gives them an opportunity to be outside. They also love that we encourage them to pick the strawberries, blueberries and herbs to take home or eat while they're on site!" The spa: Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary in Freestone, California The gardener: Michael Stusser, spa owner When did you plant your seedlings? July 1989 What grows in your garden? "We have fi ve distinct gardens on our 5.5- acre property," explains Stusser. "Within them we've planted a range of trees, including laceleaf maple, Monterey cypress and Japanese varieties of birch, maple, red and black pine. We also have creeping raspberry, wild currant, coffeeberry and elfi n thyme." Why do guests love your greenery? "We encourage all of our guests to visit the meditation garden, to take some time there to experience the palpable tranquility of the space and fully absorb the impact of their relaxing spa treatments," says the spa owner. "The spa includes guided meditation within its programming, and our day-long spa meditation retreats incorporate the garden as part of a full-day immersion into nature." These four spas have cultivated gardens just outside their doors in order to incorporate their very own organic ingredients into their spa's experiences and treatment menus. Gorgeous Gardens CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHOTOS COURTESY WESTWARD LOOK WYNDHAM GRAND RESORT AND SPA; STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA; OSMOSIS DAY SPA SANCTUARY; DEER LAKE LODGE RESORT & HEALTH SPA 28 DAYSPA | APRIL 2016