Spa Classes, An Expanding Course Catalog

Sign up for Painting, Martial Arts, and Memoir-Writing Classes

Sep 20, 2008

Classes that teach guests yoga, pottery, painting, papermaking, boot camp fitness, the art of making custom spa products, and martial arts are an emerging spa feature.

The teaching trend at spas started with exercise and cooking classes, including gourmet cooking classes that show guests how to recreate mouth-watering healthy cuisine at home. The popularity of cooking classes hinted to both day and destination spa owners that their clients appreciated learning and wanted to make good use of their time. Especially at destination spas, guests look forward to coming home from their getaways with more than glowing skin.

The following spa classes are part of this pioneering effort. Expect to see the course catalog at spas grow in the coming year as competition to attract new clients increases.

At Spa Ojai’s new artist cottage, guests can sign up for classes taught by local artists using a variety of different media including wreath making, paper making, cloth weaving, painting, pottery, painting, and cosmetic making using fresh herbal ingredients. The artist’s cottage has an apothecary in which students learn to distill fresh herbs, which they make into floral water hydrosols containing micromolecules of freshly extracted flower essences. Students use these oils to create natural cosmetic products and household cleansers.

At the Aria Spa, classes are taught 7 days a week. Exercise classes include Yoga - Total, Athletic and Anusara, Pilates - Mat, Low Chair, and With Props, Martial Arts - Children's and Adult, Spinning, Sports Conditioning/Fitness Classes, Strength Training - Muscle Chisel, Body-in-Balance and Washboard Abs,

Guests at the Red Mountain Spa can sign up for body mapping, a unique state-of-the-art evaluation tool that assesses individual movement. It includes a photographed evaluation along with corrective strategies for improving flexibility, postural control, strength training and techniques designed to enhance neuromuscular efficiency, develop core strength and integrate functional strength. Guests can also sign up for a variety of different yoga and meditation classes as well as chi ball classes and boot camps.

The Veracis Wellness Spa offers a Spiritual Warrior Workshop, an Awakening Spirit Retreat, and a variety of Meditation and Yoga Classes.

At the Mandala Wellness Retreat and Spa, guests can stay in private cabins and sign up for courses in Yoga, Qigong or t'ai chi or sign up for a Mindfulness Meditation group.

At the Mayflower Spa located two hours away from New York City, guests can participate in scheduled indoor and outdoor Mind-Body and Active Body classes, including classes in yoga, memoir writing, cross-country skiing, stress reduction, and the Mayflower Mountain Challenge.

The copyright of the article Spa Classes, An Expanding Course Catalog in Spas is owned by Elaine Moore. Permission to republish Spa Classes, An Expanding Course Catalog in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.