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!

Reality Spa

What a high media month this has been for us! November starting out with the good news about a feature in Caribbean Travel and Life magazine. We had the joy of hosting Rebecca for a manicure and pedicure back in April and she has decided to feature Drift Away in the Jan/Feb issue. After a particularly inspired photo shoot with Steve Simonsen, we are excited to see this article hit the racks next month.
To add even more flavor to the month, Asha and Juli had a chance to give some awesome pedicures to the ladies of Real Housewives of New York. It was certainly an interesting experience to be part of a reality TV filming. We feel grateful to have been selected and are curious to see how we will show on television! Look for your favorite pedicurists on Bravo in the spring.
http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city

Walking into the spa today...what is that delicious aroma that greets me? Its Chocolate Truffles! jane iredale has four delicious new Chocoholick Lip Truffles and we have them. WOW! These are really a special treat. I'm already planning all the ways I can share them with friends. Hostess gifts, stocking stuffers and much more. We'll be featuring the Strawberries and Cream, Orange Truffle, Caramel Truffle, and Double Chocolate lip truffles in our Dark Chocolate and Blueberry Soy Slimming Body Treatment for the Black Friday weekend event.
I'm really excited about this event. I know how much people are looking to get value for their dollar right now and this event was planned with that in mind. Not only is the 90min body treatment offered at the phenomenally low price of $99, but with this service guests also can check off their Holiday Shopping lists with 10% of our special Holiday retail packages. There are new products from Eminence, jane iredale and SpaRitual in this markdown.
One I expect to be a sell-out is the complete Biodynamic Collection from Eminence. This new collection goes beyond organic in its quest for pure products. A controlled biodynamic farm must meet all organic standards, then goes even further, requiring disciplined soil enrichment, labor-intensive fieldwork, constant observation, and ongoing, intuitive awareness. Pruning, planting, and the applications of special preparations are all done with the lunar cycles, creating a collection perfect for the most sensitive of skins.