A 19th-century barn in Aurora houses the Spa Sanctuary, a cutting-edge, holistic spa owned and operated by the adjacent Mario's International Hotels and Spas. Services range from yoga to massages, facials to foot treatments and therapies that incorporate the principles of Ayurvedic medicine and color therapy. Offering a combination of modern technology and the wisdom of ancient traditions, this spa easily lives up to the name “Sanctuary.”

The very atmosphere of the Spa Sanctuary encourages visitors to leave everyday worries behind for an experience that nourishes mind, body and spirit. Upon entering, I was transported to an age of simple country living imbued with a pre-industrial confluence of eastern and western décor. Sparsely adorned with new-age decorations, the original barn's troughs and a Japanese-style low wooden table are laden with appetizers for the guests.

As I settled into the rustic ambiance, I answered a list of questions designed to determine my Ayurvedic body type, or dosha, so that the spa staff could choose the best products for me. Ayurveda, a Sanskrit word meaning “life knowledge,” is an ancient Indian healing system rooted in the belief that health exists when there is harmony amongst mind, body and spirit. In Ayurveda, body types are classified by metabolic rate into three categories, or doshas: Vata, Pitta or Kapha. Each of the doshas is a combination of the five elements: air, fire, water, earth and space (or ether). Vata is mostly space (ether) and is associated with lightness and movement. Pitta is primarily fire and is associated with transformative metabolic processes such as digestion. Kapha is earth and water and is associated with structure and stability. Although each dosha resides in the energy balance of every individual, usually one is dominant.

After my dosha was determined, I elected to experience a Shiro Dhara massage and a color therapy facial. The Shiro Dhara massage is an Eastern Indian Ayurvedic therapy that restores inner calm to the mind and balances the emotions. The massage therapist, Ann Kovalchik, first gave me a pressure point massage over my scalp, neck, shoulders and the reflex points on my feet. This techniquepacifies and calms overly excitable Vata energy by aligning breathing patterns, stimulating the release of toxins and negative emotions, and promoting intense relaxation. Next, she streamed warm oils over my forehead, known as the "third eye," to calm my nervous system and soothe my senses. Ann completed the treatment by soothingly shampooing the oil from my scalp. The entire treat-ment brought me to a sanguine, deep state of calm and well being.

In addition to Ayurveda, the Spa Sanctuary specializes in color therapy treatments. They provide color therapy facials, manicures, baths and body treatments. Color therapy is the use of various forms of color and light for physical, emotional and spiritual benefit. Bodies absorb energy through the vibration that each color gives off, and the therapists use color to change or maintain vibrations in the body. Each color of the spectrum has its own specific frequency that corresponds to one of the body's seven chakras, or energy centers.

The spa manager and esthetics director, Pat Bilek, gave me a deep cleansing facial and a hand and foot massage. Then she applied a blue and yellow mask that was matched to my specific skin type. She explained that some colors, such as red, stimulate, while others produce calming effects. She selected the blue to calm my acne and the yellow to help with cystic areas on my chin. Next she waved a light conductor pyramid along my face at specific points. It transmitted different waves of light energy to my body. Finally she placed vibrating, heated spoons made out of gold along my face to penetrate vitamins into my skin. I truly noticed less redness and inflammation on my face following this treatment.

Most of the services at the Spa Sanctuary range from $65 to $125. Some of their other interesting and unique holistic treatments include arthritic therapy, Ayurvedic pedicures and manicures, fluidotherapy, rain drop therapy, pressotherapy, oxygen acne treatments and panthermal oxygen infused massages.

My experience at the Spa Sanctuary fulfilled my dreams of an idyllic, holistic spa experience. The transcendent atmosphere in itself brought peace to my busy mind, and the treatments restored calm and relaxation to my body and spirit.

 

 

Medspa - Spa Sanctuary is located at 35 North Chillicothe Road in Aurora. They can be reached by calling (330) 995-5397 or visit online at www.marios-spa.com.

Photos by Bob Perkoski - www.Perkoski.com.