Holiday Happenin's

Alas, I guess it can't always be Full Serenity at the spa. Busiest week of the year, spa full of families relaxing together...
and...
the fire alarms decide it is time for them to announce their need for new batteries.
LOUDLY.
ALL AT ONCE!

Aye, aye, aye.
If that weren't bad enough- if you can only imagine- turns out our lovely clients had their own home burn down 2 years ago so their daughter was not so able to relax for her massage after the alarms quieted. :o(

A special thanks to the massage therapists at Drift Away tonight for making a rough start to an evening end with a smile.

A month of Plenty

Today as I enjoyed a holiday meal with my small family I reflected on the many blessings available to enjoy. Along with the aforementioned 'small family' I am blessed to have the larger family of our talented spa staff. Larger than that still is our ever-supportive island family.

This month our island certainly had its share of abundances! First to mind comes the rain... then more rain... and more again. How nice it is to be able to take a long hot shower without the water worries of our dry season!

Then there was an incredible amount of crystal clear days and cooler weather to remind us that we will yet pull out of the summer season, with our in-season being closer than we think.

And who does not have pictures of those dazzling sunsets? There were certainly about two weeks solid of photo-op sunsets.

At the end of another Thanksgiving Day I am so grateful for many, many things. Thanks to all our customers who took advantage of our October Groupon Savings. They were a smashing success and as a result you can look for them again in promos to come!

I am happy that our busy season is starting again and invite you to take advantage of our December promotion- 10% off of all gift certificates sales over $150. Break this up however you like- 15 $10 gifts, 3 $50 gifts, etc for an easy gift idea for friends, employees, coworkers and yourself.

Groupons On St. John?

Our October promotion is very exciting. We are building on the new marketing concept of Groupons. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term- Groupons are incredibly discounted deals offered online for various businesses in a particular city. While St. John is too small to be on their list, we are a resourceful island community and Drift Away brings you its own flavor of St. John Groupon.

During this month, we will offer incredible savings on services through the sale of gift certificates online. There will be many different types of offerings posted, each with its own limited time available so you will want to check our website often to take full advantage.

Savings to keep an eye out for will be 2-for-1 massages, 50% off certain services, free service couplings and so on. Just purchase the gift certificate online through a secure site and your gift will be emailed to whomever you select to receive it- don't forget one for yourself! This can be printed at home and brought in for use at the time of the appointment.

We do sell gift certificates in this manner year round on our website- keep your eyes open for our yearly December gift certificate promotions. Such an easy way to purchase last minute gifts when you've been too busy working to make it out shopping.

Takin' care of a Baby's Momma

On August 22nd we held our second Prenatal Seminar at the spa. Building on requests and feedback from our first seminar in January, the lovely expectant moms started out with mango smoothies, blueberry spice bread and a morning yoga session designed to relieve the common aches of pregnancy while enhancing the muscle tone needed for the upcoming event. A light lunch of quinoa and salad bar led into the seminar portion with Erin Witbeck. The moms always love Erin's warm and thoughtful approach. Her training of the Birthing From Within techniques gives her many ways in which to discuss topics such as fear, expectations, pain management, disappointments and much more.
Rounding out the day with a spa service and some take-home products was the perfect end to a wonderful day.

Drift Away is excited to have plans for more prenatal seminars in May and November of 2011. We've been discussing all kinds of fun ways to design the day- let us know of any special requests! And if you're not pregnant and feeling left out of all this fun- never a better time to start trying! ;o)

Hurrican Earl brushes St. John

While St. John is an old pro to hurricanes, this was the first major exposure for Drift Away and the Greenleaf Commons Building- they did fabulous!
Everyone on island locked things up tight Sunday no knowing what to expect in the next 12 hours. Earl was expected to pass us around 8am Monday, so we expected that winds might be crazy in the early hours of morning. When I left the spa Sunday, I pulled some rugs off the floors near the doors but had to keep my fingers crossed about all else. This was a new experience to the building and it had not shown us its weak points yet.
Monday morning opened up gloriously. Winds and seas were high and boats were already starting to show up onshore, but it wasnt until Monday night that things really started to get spicy. Many residents lost power Sunday night, and I think I can safely say that ALL residents were thinking Monday night "How much longer is this going to last?" Wind gusts were recorded on STT at close to 70mph. When Earl passed us it was 300 miles wide, the wind just kept coming hour after hour all night long.
Anyone who could sleep awakened on Tuesday to the sounds of chainsaws and generators. It is a beautiful thing to see neighbors pulling together to clear roads and offer assistance where needed. Our little island was fortunate for the most part, tree damage was what most people had to report.
And as for Drift Away- after the curfew ended my husband, son and I drove down with baited breath to see if the roof remained intact- there were about 5 leaves that had managed to sneak in. NO OTHER DAMAGE AT ALL!! Another day to give thanks for our many blessings.

Enjoying the Honey of Life

Working on St. John as a massage therapist means often being called out to a guests villa to provide your services there. The majority of the time this means having the opportunity to see alot of beautiful houses. It also means a fair share of poor directions, unfamiliar roads, narrow staircases and working within a cloud of mosquitoes. This week, I experienced an all new villa experience- guarding the entrance to the gate was a hive of bees and although I tried to be respectful of them, giving plenty of space, I still caught their eye.

Or they caught mine?...

One of the bees suddenly made a "bee-line" for my eye. He stung me approx. 3 times just centimeters away from my lash line. Fortunately I am not allergic to them, so aside from the minor discomfort I was able to continue with the work ahead and provide a wonderful massage.
Reflecting on this later in the day, I decided to do a search for what the bee might represent. For some reason it had felt more like a lucky charm rather than something to be grumpy about. I mean, really? How many people do you know who have been stung in the eye?
I was rewarded and inspired by what my search produced.

According to animal totem sites:
The Bee is the symbol of accomplishing the impossible. Aerodynamically, its body is too large for its wings and should not be able to fly. Although now we understand how it does fly (high rate of wing movement), the Bee remains a symbol of accomplishing anything you put your mind to.

Bee shows us we can accomplish what seems impossible by having dedication and working hard. It asks us to pursue our dreams with incredible focus and fertilize our aspirations. Bee teaches us to cooperate with others who have similar goals so we can learn how to help each other.

They ask us- Are we making time to savor the honey of life?

What a great message for a business owner and mother!
This message falls right in line with our July special at Drift Away. This month when you book a 2 hour massage you get a free tarot card reading with Deva. Meeting with Deva is a great opportunity for insight on issues you have been pondering. Through relaxation techniques and insightful questions, she helps you along the journey of your thoughts to see answers you might have been blocked from seeing.
A great $55 value, yours free with purchase!

(The week following the bee sting meant a very swollen and red eye! janeiredale cosmetics to the rescue! A little conceal-delete #1 with a dusting of warm silk loose powder and it was hardly noticeable at all. Headed back to same villa today for return request- I hope I have learned the message the bee was telling me well enough!)

May brings a temporary quiet to St. John. It is a great time for locals to go out to their favorite restaurants and even find the coveted Cruz Bay parking spots. We have had many great events at Drift Away despite our still surroundings. Chris Chapman, one of our very talented therapists, was presented “Best Massage Therapist for St. John” from the Daily News for another consecutive year. Creating more stir; Drift Away has had the pleasure of being a part of many weddings this May. It is always an amazing event to watch the women walk into the spa in causal clothing and walk out a beautiful bride. The brides and their attendants have been thrilled with how the jane iredale make-up feels so light yet provides amazing coverage and sun protection. We have also been fortunate to help create spa bridal parties were everyone indulges in pampering. From facials to pedicures they leave polished head to toe and smiling. The energy and the stories make for wonderful memories for everyone who is part of the day.
We are looking forward to the June weddings that seem to be even more plentiful. The massage therapists will be sure to have some of the tables packed and ready to head to the villas for the honeymooners.

Spring into Great Skin!

Spring Break brought beautiful weather, chocolate bunnies and good friends to St. John. After a week of junk food, cheap sunscreen and lots of outdoor exposure; our April promo seems especially appropriate. This month we are featuring a Spring into Great Skin theme. Anyone can get $15 off of a facial at Drift Away and $25 off a microdermabrasion session with Kristen.

Our island saw lots of kids and fun these last few weeks. A lifelong friend of mine, whom I met in elementary school, came for an impromptu visit with her husband and 4 kids. (yes, it's true- she really did manage impromptu with FOUR kids!!). I think their favorite day held a kayaking trip with Hidden Reef EcoTours out on the East End.

Spring Gratitude

Drift Away celebrated it's one year birthday last month, which also coincided with the one year birthday of my son. So it's a time to reflect on the past years challenges and blessings. While the challenges have been humorous at times, it is the blessings that stand out in ones mind. I am incredibly grateful for the people I've been blessed to work with. Our staff and clients are always a joy. (Almost always? :o)
This month we decided to focus our March special on giving back to our community. We selected two organizations that we felt reflected the St. John spirit of giving and community.
This month book a massage and pedicure together and for every such combo Drift Away will donate $20 to either the St John School of the Arts or the St. John Animal Care Center.
Both of these organizations work tirelessly to provide essential services to our lives. Your choice to treat yourself to a special day will benefit more than just yourself this month.

Happy New Year!

The staff at Drift Away would like to wish a healthy and joyful year to all in 2010. Our island is enjoying a busy start to the 2010 season. The spa has been hopping and we are all very thankful for each other- we have a fabulous staff this season and by working together we've been able to keep things running smoothly through the rush.
An exciting goal for this year is to start regular prenatal seminars at Drift Away. Our first begins this month on January 24th. (yes, we did accidentally put Sunday 1/23 on our newsletter. Sorry!) This is a day designed to provide some comfort and preparation for expectant moms. $199 includes a yoga class geared towards pregnancy, a seminar based on the "Birthing From Within" method, a lunch and spa service of their choice. Moms can select from a 60 minute massage, a pedicure or a facial.
Guys- This is the perfect Valentines day gift for that special woman!