FEATURE
STORIES
Going Native: Native American
Spas in the Southwest
By Susan Lanier-Graham
I relaxed on the massage table, expecting a "normal" massage.
When Concha, a Zapotec Medicine Healer walked in
with a glowing pot of herbs and touched my shoulders,
telling me it was time to begin my journey, I knew
this would be no ordinary treatment.
Throughout the Southwest, Native American culture
is evident everywhere. I had read about Native
American-inspired spa treatments and set out to
find the most authentic ones — the ones that could
show me the true nature of a culture steeped in
tradition and ritual.
Sunrise Springs Resort Spa, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Sunrise Springs is located about 15 miles out of
Santa Fe and is the home of Concha, my Medicine
Healer in what the spa calls a Medicine Helper
Massage. The session, I'm told, will help increase
my capacity to feel joy in life and to find a renewed
connection with the world around me.
Concha told me she'd combine modern massage techniques
with prayer, ceremony, and the healing rituals
of her ancestors. In today's complicated world,
the need to feel joy was a lofty ambition. I was
ready to seek it out.
I entered a small treatment room glowing with candlelight.
The smells of the native grasses and herbs grown
in the resort's gardens enveloped me. We discussed
my personal journey – what I wanted to accomplish.
She told me to examine the desires within my heart
and to keep those in my mind as she performed the
personalized treatment. I relaxed and let Concha
work her magic.
First was the smudging, an aromatic blend of herbs
burned to cleanse my body. I soaked up the aromas
and felt my body unwinding. After the smudging,
she said a prayer, both in her native language
and in English, asking for an open mind and the
ability for me to understand what I needed to take
out of the session. Throughout the massage, she
chanted, prayed, and quietly spoke to me. She told
me to learn to be in the moment, to enjoy each
second of my life. I found the treatment, with
her lilting voice soothing me like a mother's lullaby,
deeply moving. It's the first time I had tears
during a massage. The experience left me peaceful
and I walked around the resort afterwards, enjoying
the grounds, watching the ducks on the pond, and
truly relishing each moment with a sense of calmness
and joy.
Mii amo, a destination spa at Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Arizona
Mii amo is an incredible spa located at Enchantment
Resort in Sedona and probably my favorite of all
the spas I visited. When I made my travel plans,
I had no idea how much I would enjoy my stay. The
red walls of the canyons, so steeped in history
and lore, mesmerized me from the moment I arrived.
The intriguing thing about Enchantment is that
there are programs focused on the Native American
culture along with the various spa treatments at
Mii amo. They even have a Native American Program
Director, RJ Joseph. "It's all about the canyon," RJ
told me. I believed him even before I settled in
for my spa treatments.
My first treatment was an Inner Quest. RJ and Tribal
Elders helped create it to honor Native American
ceremony and ritual. I entered the room—after having
relaxed for half an hour in the steam room, sauna,
and whirlpool downstairs—and breathed in the quiet
peace. The therapist, who'd been specially trained
in the ceremony and blessed by the Elders, promised
to combine ritual with a light massage. I got on
the table on my back and she wrapped me in a ceremonial
blanket, blessed by the Elders, that helps simulate
the warmth of a sweat lodge. I snuggled inside,
took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. My journey
began.
The therapist lit sweet grass for a smudging. I
soaked up the luscious smell and felt 
myself begin
to float away. There was a ritual honoring the
four stages of life in the Native American Circle
of Life or Medicine Wheel. Slowly, against a backdrop
of haunting flute music, the therapist massaged
my legs, my arms, my shoulders, and my head. I
felt myself drifting off, resting in that place
where I wasn't quite asleep but not quite awake.
When the treatment was over, the therapist raised
the blinds and the vista was breathtaking. Only
then did I realize my room was encased in glass
on three sides. It was late in the evening and
the sun was setting on the deep red hills of the
canyon, casting shadows experienced by centuries
of visitors before me. I definitely felt as if
I'd made a journey.
To my delight, I discovered winter is a time for
stories in the Native American culture. "The
ants have gone," said RJ Joseph, "so
now is the time to tell stories." In Native
American culture, the rest of the year, when the
earth is warm enough for the ants, is time for
working. I found the storytelling captivating during
one of the most moving experiences at the spa.
The Native American Talking Circle, held in the
Crystal Grotto, is a ritual held each Tuesday evening—even
when the ants are out—and is available to anyone
staying at the spa or the resort.
It was one of the most moving of all my experiences
at the spa. The Talking Circle is a time of story-telling,
of speaking what is in your heart, and mostly,
a time of listening. It was an emotional hour during
which we all shared our thoughts, fears, and dreams.
It was as if each stranger came together for just
a short time to help each other along life's often-rough
path. I went in feeling relaxed after two days
at the spa. I left feeling emotionally fulfilled
and at peace.
Aji Spa at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, Phoenix, Arizona
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass is part of the Gila River
Indian Community, so I expected authentic Native
American treatments. I wasn't disappointed. I started
off with the Ancient Shegoi & Salt Pedicure.
The Shegoi, also known as creosote, has a sweet
intoxicating aroma. It reminds me of the smell
of the desert after a rainstorm. Cool. Clear. Fresh.
The therapist doing my pedicure told me stories
of her grandmother who collected the shegoi and
used it for many purposes throughout her home.
She told me stories of her grandmother's home with
its dirt floors and mud walls and how the family
had come together each year to repair it. She told
me of the loss of culture among the younger generations
that is now, with the help of the Elders, re-emerging.
My next treatment was "Healing" by Belen
Stoneman, offered as a "healing journey of
body, mind, and spirit." The treatment began
with a quiet conversation with Belen. Just as with
Concha at Sunrise Springs, Belen asked me to tell
her something about myself. After our brief conversation,
I climbed on the table under a warm blanket. She
used a combination of traditional massage, polarity,
and ancient Pima healing doctrines. She said my
body and spirit guided her healing hands through
techniques handed down by Medicine Healers of the
Pima Tribe for centuries. I felt relaxed and thought
back to our brief conversation as once again I
floated in that magical space between sleep and
wake. My body relaxed and my mind became clear
and light.
Aji Spa also offers a variety of programs that
take advantage of the Native American 
knowledge
at the resort. There are daily sage offerings,
used to cleanse the air of negative energy; medicine
trail walks that offer walking tours showcasing
indigenous desert plants and how they've played
a part in the lives of the Pima and Maricopa peoples;
and native teaching classes that offer insight
into the ways of the people who make up the Gila
River Indian Community. All the programs are free
to resort and spa guests.
Golden Door Spa at The Boulders, Carefree, Arizona
The Golden Door Spa at Carefree's The Boulders
Resort offers a variety of Native American-inspired
treatments. While the Golden Door Spa draws on
Asian influence, it also combines some of the Southwest
elements to create an experience that draws on
the Native American culture in Arizona. The Turquoise
Wrap, for example, honors the power of turquoise—the
healing properties of balance and protection—through
a blue cornmeal product. I soaked up the smells
of the indigenous herbs, let the cornmeal scrub
wash away the worries of the world outside, and
left feeling relaxed.
The spa also offers a Shamanic Journey once a month
with shamanic healer Luisa Kolker. The sessions,
held in the tipi at the spa, address the causes
of imbalance in a person's overall health. According
to Jennifer Wayland-Smith, the spa director, the
shamanic services "provide guidance into a
meditative journey that helps people escape and
leads to self healing for the future." The
sessions take guests to another place where they
can begin to heal themselves.
Wo' P'in Spa at Buffalo Thunder Resort, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Wo' P'in Spa—which means Medicine Mountain—is located
on the Pojoaque Pueblo near Santa Fe. The signature
treatment, the Medicine Mountain Journey, once
again uses the Medicine Wheel to take guests on
a spiritual journey. The therapist shares stories
and uses native plants from the Pojoaque lands
along with modern massage techniques.
This time I opted for the Sage and Stone Facial.
Rather than always using her hands during the massage
phase of the treatment, the therapist used cool
and warm stones—turquoise and obsidian—to help
bring balance. The native sage helps relieve the
dry skin of the extreme climates in the area. I
loved the soothing feel of the stones on my skin
and soaked up the scents of the sage.
El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa, Taos, New Mexico
El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa in Taos
embraces world cultures, including the Native American
culture. Their Signature High Desert Body Treatment
blends wild-crafted, indigenous plants, flowers
and aromatic oils from the Taos area and uses a
Zuni salt mixture and a wrap of volcanic ash to
exfoliate and draw toxins from the skin. I was
skeptical of the volcanic ash, but my skin absolutely
glowed after the treatment.
In addition to the traditional treatments, El Monte
Sagrado also offers a variety of programs that
draw on the Native American culture. For example,
there is Spiritual Cleansing with Adasti Gadahee
(Grandmother Jean). Grandmother Jean is a Cherokee
Ulunsuti, or Master Crystal Worker, spiritual teacher,
and ceremonialist. She uses sacred animal skins,
rattles, traditional song, prayer, smudging, and
crystal healing in the restorative ritual.
Legend and Lore
I found all of the treatments to be rewarding,
each one unique enough that I never felt as if
I'd done the same thing twice. My therapists told
me fabulously rich stories that I will take with
me forever. One of my favorites, though, comes
from the Aji Spa. They have a treatment called
the Blue Coyote Wrap. This signature treatment
replicates the cleansing found by the coyote in
a famed Pima legend.
In the legend, the coyote is envious of the bluebird's
beautiful blue color. The coyote follows the bluebird's
instructions and his own coat turns blue. However,
the coyote realizes the blue is not the natural
state and finally sheds the blue color to return
to his true earth color…but more beautiful than
before. The Blue Coyote Wrap is designed to have
that changing, revitalizing effect on visitors.
Photos courtesy of Mii Amo a Destination Spa at Enchantment Resort (top two); Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa (bottom two)
If You Go
Sunrise Springs Resort & Spa
242 Los Pinos Road
Santa Fe, NM 87507
www.sunrisesprings.com
800-955-0028
Mii amo a destination spa at Enchantment
525 Boynton Canyon Road
Sedona, AZ 86336
www.miiamo.com
888-749-2137
Aji Spa at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa
5594 W Wildhorse Pass Blvd
Chandler, AZ 85226
www.wildhorsepassresort.com
888-218-8989
Golden Door Spa at The Boulders
www.TheBoulders.com
866-397-6520
Wo' P'in Spa at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino
20 Buffalo Thunder Trail
Santa Fe, NM 87506
www.Buffalothunderresort.com
505-819-2140 for the spa
505-455-5555 for the resort
El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa
317 Kit Carson Road
Taos, NM 87571
www.elmontesagrado.com
800-828-8267
