Travel Shorts:

Freestone, CA

Japanese Day Spa - Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary

Holidays getting you down? Or maybe it is just time to tell your body that it is loved. Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary (pay attention to that last word) is a wonderful place to take yourself and maybe a friend for a body and spirit tune up.

They offer massages, but I must recommend the Cedar Enzyme Bath. First you get a soothing enzyme tea in the meditation room shown above. Then you are led to a room where you step into what looks like friendly, steaming quicksand. Fermentation of the special cedar shavings makes them hot, hot, hot and you get a bit buried in them (not in a claustrophobic way) to relax for about 20 minutes. After the bath, you shower and go up to a room to listen to mind-balancing music (okay, I did burst out laughing listening to it because I felt like I was in the final scene of 2001 A Space Odyssey, but I did feel strangely calm after it was done.) And don't forget to walk in their beautiful meditation gardens after the entire treatment.

(a note to my more hirsute friends - the little wood shavings which brush off of us smooth-skinners may be around with you for a few days...)

 

Bakery - Wild Flour Bread

And once you are done with your relaxation at the spa, you will be hungry!! You must stop at this artisan bakery, just a short hop away from Osmosis Spa. Their breads are amazing and they will let you sample the loaves they have to offer for the day. I ordered an Egyptian loaf with pear, fig and candied ginger, and it was the most decadent yeasted item I have ever eaten! This really is a must-visit place. Consult their web page www.wildflourbread.com for their hours.

Have a great time!