Ashland, a charming small town in the foothills of the Siskiyou mountains north of the California border, draws thousands of visitors for its world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival and outdoor recreation. But another big attraction has joined them: health and beauty spas.
One spa, in the heart of town next to sparkling Ashland Creek, is the Blue Giraffe Day Spa, with salon and treatment rooms spanning two floors. Believing that touch "heals the body, lifts the spirit, and nourishes the soul," the Blue Giraffe offers dozens of massages, from classic Swedish to Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy. The latter, they claim, is "the deepest, most luxurious massage on the planet."
Hydrotherapy Wraps and Aroma Oil Massages
Aroma oils such as geranium, rosemary, lavender, and mandarin orange are used in some Blue Giraffe massages. Seaweed baths and green tea wraps hydrate and detoxify the skin. In the "De-Age Kamani Wrap," gentle hands slather the body with kamani nut oil and wrap it, mummy-like, in plastic. The oil soaks into thirsty skin, expert fingers massage scalp and shoulders, and Moonlight Sonata plays in the background. Definitely de-aging.
The Waterstone Spa, downtown on Siskiyou Boulevard next to Ashland Springs Hotel, is an escape into delectable decadence. "Awaken the Heart," a treatment with a romantic flavor, includes a soak for two in chocolate mineral salts and side-by-side cacao-oil massages. Chocolate, rose salts, champagne oil, sesame oil, seaweed, and coconut sugar are all on Waterstone's spa menu.
At the peaceful Phoenix Spa, no chocolate is involved, but there's a long list of body-pampering treatments and packages using Aveda products and plant extracts for exfoliating, moisturizing, and aromatherapy. The light, airy salon on the edge of town has a serene quality, just as the brochure claims.
Japanese Tranquility
Chozu Bath & Tea Gardens emphasizes harmony and tranquility through massage, seaweed or herbal body wraps, and Reiki. In one treatment, warm sesame oil streams slowly over the head, an experience said to be "profoundly relaxing and meditative." All these are in rooms surrounding a peaceful courtyard with water trickling into a pond. The spa's small teahouse serves Japanese snacks such as edamame (salted soy beans), miso soup, prawn dumplings, and green tea ice cream, as well as sake and tea.
Natural Hot Springs Spa
Back in 1862, the natural hot mineral springs near Ashland were favored for soaking away ills and stress. Jackson Wellsprings , considerably updated, still holds the mellow, rustic feel of old Oregon. Set on 30 pastoral acres (with spots for camping and RVs), the spa offers yoga, tai-chi, massage, saunas, and steam baths, but hydrotherapy is the main feature. There's a 45-by-90-foot warm mineral water pool and a small therapy pool.
The message: For a relaxing getaway that feeds body, mind, and spirit, revel in an Ashland spa.
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