Ritual Tranquility: An Indulgence From the Heart

Mani-pedis: what a guilty pleasure! I’ve had more than a few in my day, and I’ll admit that the pleasure of relaxing as my feet soak is tinged with anxiety about the fumes I’m inhaling. As I debate between my habitual polish choices, I worry whether I’m voluntarily exposing myself to hormone disruptors like phthalates. As I tip my manicurist, I’m often thinking about the toxins she’s immersed in every single day.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

On a recent sunny Sunday morning, I found myself receiving the most caring, relaxing pedicure imaginable, in an essential-oil scented room complete with super-luxe salt scrub, a hand-blended herb soak, and a deep burgundy polish free of phthalates but full of sass. Rebecca, who has the gentlest hands this side of the Mississippi, has followed her heart to Ritual Tranquility, her new holistic spa venture. Rebecca approaches a pedicure with the attention, skill, and care you’d hope to find in a great massage therapist or acupuncturist. “From the sole to the soul,” reads her brochure, and I agree.

From handmade salt scrubs with signature aromatherapy blends, Alaffia fair trade lotions, SpaRitual 3-free polishes and products, organic cotton towels, to eco-friendly shea hot oil dips, every detail at Ritual Tranquility is full of care and conscience. Rebecca is dedicated to tailoring your treatment to your unique needs, with aromatherapy, touch, hot tea, and color.

Rebecca carries both a 3-free polish line and a line of water-based, solvent-free polishes for kids and sensitive individuals—I feel completely comfortable recommending her services to pregnant women and very sensitive folks. She also offers foot reflexology, ear candling, tuning fork therapy, flower essence remedies, an amethyst bio-mat, and silk hair shimmers, which I returned to try and was delighted with—choose from a rainbow of subtle to bold shades and they’ll spice up every ‘do.

My toes, by the way, look great.

Find Rebecca at Kate's Day Spa at (360) 970-4643, or online at relax@ritualtranquility.com. You'll be so happy you did!

XO,

Justine, bodycare buyer

Calendula Flower Essence for Creative & Receptive Communication

Calendula is a sunny blossom, welcome here in the Pacific Northwest where we must adapt to very little sunlight throughout the year. As an herb, it is well known for its aid in tissue repair, but it is also anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and boosts immunity through increasing white blood cell production.

As a flower essence, Calendula is used to improve communication skills. It opens the heart, which both deepens receptivity and therefore listening abilities, and inspires more loving and clear speech. Calendula flower essence inspires kinder, more creative and enthusiastic approaches in communication. It energizes both the heart and solar plexus, areas in the body which may feel depleted when the weather is cooler and greyer than is seasonally appropriate.

Sunflower Flower Essence for True Radiance

In lieu of the energetic quality of the weather patterns of this summer, I'm recommending Sunflower Flower Essence as a balancing ally. Since the weather has been swinging between brilliant sunshine and a steely, grim greyness, our inner fires are alternately stoked and squelched. This makes it difficult to radiate a balanced and confident attitude. We reflect the flickering light of this Northwest summer with an inner light that comes and goes. Such fluctuation can lead to either a lack of confidence in one's own convictions, or even a lack of confidence in life itself. Sunflower flower essence transforms these insecurities into a deep level of trust, both in ourselves, and in the world.

Sunflower flower essence is also indicated for individuals who are either too self-effacing or overly ego-inflated. Such individuals either suppress their ego or over-compensate their low self esteem with too much ego. Sunflower balances the ego, so that it functions at a level of balanced, integrated strength. It teaches individuals how to stand tall, how to shine forth, and how to soak up the light that warms and embraces us all.