Yvette Cardozo

PUBLISHED IN: Magazines: Doctors Review; Just For Canadian Doctors; Up Here; Sport Diver; India Today; Studio Classroom (Taiwan)

Newspapers: New York Post; Canwest Syndicate, among others. Online: www.peachin.com, www.highonadventure.com

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SPECIALTIES: Adventure travel and offbeat destinations.

AWARDS: SATW West awards 2009; NOWA newspaper & magazine awards 2006; Canada Northern Lights awards 2007; plus 30 awards in SATW photo contests.

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DESERT (RE)TREAT

by Yvette Cardozo, Just For Canadian Doctors

Behind the spa building, off to the side and at the base of huge boulders stood concentric rings of brick on a concrete pad.

"The labyrinth is a sacred series of circles and they're meant to help you go within yourself," Serge Runningwolf Martel was saying as our group tried to mentally trace the maze-like path through the circles.

"Think of a word.

"What do you want from life ... serenity, peace of mind, success, acceptance. Whatever you feel you're lacking or you need.
"Then hold that thought in your mind and walk the circles. Focus on the word. Or focus on what's around you."

And we took off, slowly walking, step by step. I tried acceptance ... not by others but acceptance of myself. But my mind kept wandering off.

And so, I stopped and closed my eyes. I smelled a woody smoke. I heard birds. I felt the sun on my face. I relaxed.

The woody smoke, it turned out, was from sacred sage that Serge was burning. When we left the labyrinth, we walked to him, he blew the smoke over our heads to help us banish negative thoughts and then we entered a tipi to meditate as Serge led us on a mental journey towards even deeper relaxation.

"Most people come to a spa and it takes them days to unwind. So they're here for three days and it takes them that long to settle down. This helps them do it when they first arrive, so they can then concentrate on what the spa has to offer," Serge later explained.

And so it did.

Serge Runningwolf, who grew up learning Mohawk traditions, has been told there are nine generations of native healers in his family. And so when he was looking for a spiritual path early in his life, he turned to his family tradition and trained to become a shaman.

But a shaman for the 21st century.

"My mother was Hawaiian and a devout Christian. She was sure I was going to hell so she introduced me to all the churches."
Then, unsatisfied, he joined a Wiccan group, tried Buddhism, dipped into yoga and finally returned to the Native American side of his family. That, he believes, allows him to be open to all ways of thought and incorporate a bit of everything in his teachings and treatments.

Today, he is the on-call shaman at several Phoenix area spas, including The Boulders Resort & Spa just outside of Scottsdale in southern Arizona.

"Someone will say to me, 'Hey, my right shoulder is hurting.' And I'll ask them, 'Did you just take on new responsibilities?'

"The mind creates worries. Your heart creates fears. You're constantly trying to tweak, to control things.

“Sometimes it's just a matter of talking with the person but other times, I'll put energy into the swollen joint. Eagle feathers are used to smooth the aura, to cleanse. The turtle claw stirs up the energy in you and loosens it so I can strip off the negative things. And sometimes I'll use fire. I'm communicating with the body and the body tells me what it needs in order to heal."

This Shamanic Touch session is one of the most popular at the Boulders.

But the Boulders certainly isn't alone in looking to Native spiritual techniques.

The Phoenix area is home to more spas than just about anywhere else in North America. It seems like there's one on nearly every block, so each spa wants something special. And here, that means something spiritual. Especially, something Native.

At Boulders, the Native influence is everywhere, from the blankets on the chairs and paintings of traditional life on the walls, to the old world grains in the scrubs, the cactus syrup in the drinks and, of course, Runningwolf on call.

At the root of this is the land that shaped life before outsiders arrived.

"We don't survive in the desert," says one Native local, "We live here."

To outsiders, it's harsh, dry, deadly. But there are 300 species of plants that Natives knew and used in the past with intricate patterns of getting food from these plants.

Some of the old stories are myths.

"Only John Wayne got drinkable water from a barrel cactus," one of our guides said during a trip into the desert. "The water inside a cactus is saltier than seawater and totally undrinkable."

But others are not.

In the Sonoran desert, Natives once gathered the fruit of organ pipe cactus, ate it, deposited the digested results in a special spot, went back to harvest the seeds and ground these seeds into a power to add to stew.

Which they then, according to legend, fed to the local Spanish Jesuit priest who, ultimately, was less than appreciative of the whole experience.

Today, Native food (though not that "special" stew), herbs and spiritual rituals form the backbone of treatment in spas such as Boulders.

The morning meditation got me to at least start relaxing. And from there, I went to the Native grain exfoliation. The goo looked like breakfast and, in a way, it almost was: oatmeal and cornmeal held together with clay. It was kneaded into my skin, then washed away and followed by an oil rub that combined two of my favorite aromas, lavender and sage.

To do this, I had to pass up the turquoise wrap (cornmeal scrub followed by a layer of turquoise clay and a honey masque) and the raindrop therapy (nine essential oils dribbled along your spine and rubbed yummily into your skin).

After a couple of days of this and other adventures (see sidebars), it was off to the Hyatt's Spa Avania.

Here, the influence isn't so much Native as it is desert.
At the heart of my Desert Essence wrap was something called trehalose, an extract from cactus. It's what helps cactus to retain moisture, I was told. The stuff comes in a clear gel, which was smeared on me from neck down. Then, like a proper filet of choice fish, I was wrapped in mylar and left to bake. After which, I was washed and dried.

And then on to a mineral massage. More special oils. More relaxing rubs. And this time, it was not washed off.

"Try to keep this on for at least a few hours so it can soak in," my masseuse said.

I did. And then went on to other things.

The Native influence at the Hyatt is more in the hotel, itself.
Up on the Hyatt's mezzanine floor at the Native Learning Center, I found Forrest Chimerica, a Hopi man who carves Native patterns into wood and helps visitors learn about the 22 indigenous tribes of Arizona. You can buy a carved jewelry box from him.

Or better yet, you can walk with him to the hotel's Native garden (next to the Hyatt's sand beach, below the three-story waterslide). Here, in this incongruously placed plot of earth, is a garden filled with blue corn plants, mini tomatoes, squash, sunflower plants and heritage greens such as amaranth. And yes, the hotel's restaurants showcase native inspired food.
In an area where past Native generations didn't exactly welcome outsiders, this entire Native flavor to everything from restaurant menus to spa treatments and daily tours is somewhat new.

Some local tribes see it as a better path than casinos which do earn cash but also open the door to gambling and alcoholism.
Back at Boulders, Serge Runningwolf sees his own path as a somewhat inevitable blending of the old and new. After dabbling in everything from managing country clubs to the music business, he's managed to combine his experience in tourism with his heritage.

His influence on me lingered. Back home, as I rewound myself into my daily routine, I had to only close my eyes and remember the woody smell of sage smoke to feel myself start to relax.
And my skin, even a week later, is so smooth, it feels like silk.

ADVENTURE SIDEBAR
So, if all that lying around getting scrubbed, wrapped and massaged has you feeling guilty, there is a long list of adventures just waiting to use up some of your excess calories.

Rock Climbing--(Boulders Resort & Spa, www.goldendoorspa.com) Those granite boulders that gave The Boulders Resort and Spa its name don't just sit around looking pretty. The resort has an intro-to-climbing program which supplies all the gear and training. Prior experience isn't necessary.

Hummer Tour--(Stellar Adventures, www.stellaradventures.com) takes you careening into local foothills. We climbed a 50 degree slope so steep, we thought the Hummer would tip backward, hurtled over ridges and dropped off ledges. But we also learned about the saguaro cactus, which can weigh 10 tonnes and grow to 18 metres tall, soak up 750 litres of water in a couple of days and withstand 160 km winds ... all this with a tap root that's less than a metre deep. And we visited the ghost town of Gillette, stagecoach robbery capital of the old west, and stood hardly two kilometres from where untold bags of stolen gold are reputedly buried.

Nightride Bike tour (Boulders Resort & Spa, www.goldendoorspa.com)--On full suspension mountainbikes, we cruised the resort's 15 km of roller coaster golfcart paths by the light of headlamps, watched a full moon rise, caught sight of rabbits and while we didn't see the owls, we heard them.

Balloon Ride (Hot Air Expeditions, www.hotairexpeditions.com)--Seriously neat. We floated to 900 metres to see Scottsdale's spreading new neighborhoods of half million dollar homes, then sank to cruise at treetop level over flowering herbs and saguaro cactus arms. And yes, we ended up with a champagne breakfast.

FOOD SIDEBAR
Yummy things you shouldn't miss while visiting Arizona:
* Prickly pear cactus margarita. Juice from the prickly pear cactus fruit is boiled down and sweetened. What you get is a bright red syrup that tastes like honey spiked with lime. The drink is sweet, tangy and neon pink.

* Mole Poblano at Los Sombreros Restaurant. This classic mole (a complex and excruciatingly labor intensive sauce made with 28 ingredients including chocolate and cinnamon) is served with fork tender chicken. The taste is at once smooth and sharp and manages to stimulate every spot you possess on your tongue.

* Traditional guacamole served with blue corn chips. Nothing fancy ... just mashed avocado, onions, tomato and spices. When it's done right, you get a paste with discernible chunks of intact avocado and a taste that doesn't overwhelm the avocado's delicate flavor.

* Chef's tour of Pedregal Market. This isn't a specific dish, it's an experience. You visit Pedregal Market with Boulders Organic Chef Wendy Little. Under her guidance, you buy local greens and the area's special beets, perhaps a bit of fresh fish or free range chicken and herbs. Then Wendy cooks all this for you that night.

SPA RECIPES
These are not for eating. Rather, they are the special mixtures used by Arizona spas for massages and wraps. The ingredients are inspired by desert and Native American healing potions.

* SONORAN HONEY BODY POLISH (Spa at Four Seasons Resort)
Warm 1/3 cup honey and mix with 1/3 cup salt. After rinsing your body in the shower, apply the honey/salt mix in circular strokes to everything but your face. Rinse in a warm shower, dry and apply moisturizing lotion.

* DESERT CITRUS SALT GLOW (Spa Avania at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale) Combine 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil with 2 tablespoons sea salt and juice from your choice of citrus fruit (lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange). Apply to skin in circular motion. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Use weekly but not on newly sunburned skin or after shaving.

* GOLDEN SUMMER SKIN TREATMENT (The Boulders Resort & Spa)
In small bowl combine 1/3 cup organic blue cornmeal (wild cherry bark can be substituted), one tablespoon oil (olive, sesame or scented body oil), one to three tablespoons warm water and 1/3 to 1/2 cup aloe vera gel. Mix and apply thin layer over body. Allow the cornmeal to dry for 3-6 minutes. Using your hands, scrub cornmeal off body, then wash off in shower using loofah to cleanse well. Do not use soap! Dry and apply layer of aloe vera gel all over, wrap in a sheet and allow gel to absorb for 15 minutes. Follow with moisturizer.

INFO SIDEBAR
Both The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa and Hyatt's Spa Avania offer a large selection of treatments that range from simple manicures to full day packages.

The Boulders, for instance, offers "Golden Door Decadence" which, for $675, includes six hours of treatments. In addition to packages, individual treatments include 20 kinds of massages including one for couples and another for mothers to be, various scrubs, wraps and facials. Plus there are also outdoor adventures that include rock climbing, hikes and guided bike trips.

Hyatt's Spa Avania tailors its treatments to the time of day (morning is vigorous, mid day is relaxing, evening is meditative to prepare you for sleep). Again, the choices range from single treatments to multi hour packages ranging from $280 to $460. And Spa Avania also offers a long list of scrubs, wraps and facials.

For more information:
* www.goldendoorspa.com, then click on boulders. telephone (480) 595-3500 or for the resort directly, toll free (866) 397-6520
* www.spaavania.com. Telephone (480) 483-5558 or (480) 444-1234
* www.shamanspirit.com (Serge Runningwolf Martel)