Adventures in Wellness, Episode 4: The Barefoot Sage

I just got back from a lovely trip to Portland to visit my sister. Unfortunately it was horrible timing for her schedule so I had a lot of time to myself. At one point I was walking along Hawthorne and saw a foot spa, The Barefoot Sage. Well, as you may know, feet are kinda my thing ever since learning Reflexology. So I figured I'd stop in and just check out their services and products. I walked in and the atmosphere was lovely and opulent, with plants and deep reds and blues all over and the gentle sounds of fountains that I couldn't see. I began looking at the products but immediately the receptionist greeted me and I explained that I am an out of town LMT and a reflexologist and I wanted to check the place out. She then offered to show me around since there were no clients at the moment. She took me up a ramp to an area bordered by hanging fabrics. Since they only work on the feet and lower legs, the clients stay fully clothed and simply sit on comfy raised couches. There are several stations all in the same room, which makes it convenient for parties!

Since they didn't have any clients, I asked for an appointment and was able to get in right away. (I didn't know at that point that they require reservations, so don't expect to just walk in like I did!) She handed me a menu of services to look over and I ended up choosing "Sweet Feet" for $72: An herbal tea foot bath, followed by an exfoliating aromatherapy sugar scrub and a 30 minute lower leg and foot massage, finishing with calming hot rocks. They have tea and treats available as well; I chose some of the "Feel Better" tea to sip during my treatment, and was tempted by the truffles but resisted, as I had just enjoyed a chocolate croissant from Grand Central just down the street. For the aromatherapy sugar scrub I chose the "Love" blend. I sat back on the humongous couch--well, maybe it just seemed humongous since I'm tiny and it was raised off the floor--and immediately relaxed while I waited for the treatment to begin.

Soon the therapist, Farland, came out with the basin of tea for my feet and a warmed neck pillow. I put my feet in the basin and to my delight felt small smooth rocks at the bottom that my toes could play with. She sprinkled rose petals in the foot bath and left to prepare my pot of tea.

Awww yeaaaahhhhh, happy warm neck pillow...

My feet love tea just as much as I do! Did you know you can get the health benefits of tea transdermally (through the skin)?

Farland returned with my tea (which was absolutely lovely) and after my feet had soaked in the tea for a while, she rinsed them in cold water to stimulate the circulation and then returned them to soaking in the hot tea.

"Feel Better" tea from Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants, yum!

Soon Farland returned, and I was pretty much putty by now. She dried my feet and let me smell the sugar scrub before doing the treatment. When they say exfoliating, they mean exfoliating! At times it was fairly abrasive, but it's supposed to be, and I needed it. And I suppose I should specify here that it's just the nature of a sugar scrub and it was not that she was being rough. She rinsed the sugar off of my feet and I could see and feel the increased circulation and the renewed softness of my skin; it was like my feet were alive again when they hadn't even known they'd died. She then performed the massage from my knees down and I almost fell asleep. I caught myself doing the sleep twitch. ;) Her work was slow and careful... gentle and effective... making it so easy... to... drift...

After the massage she spread shea butter on my legs and feet, making them even softer and more nourished than they were already! She wrapped my feet in a towel and placed them in a basin of hot rocks, also covered by a towel, and placed a heavy cushion on top to trap the heat. It felt so good as the heat gradually penetrated my feet, ankles and legs.

Cozy as a bug in a rug... No, way better than that.

After a while of leaving me to melt into the couch as my feet went to another world, Farland came back with a bottle of water and kindly brought me back to earth so I could go about with the rest of my day.

Personalized water, nice touch!

There was really nothing negative about this experience. I will definitely go back to The Barefoot Sage as soon as I can, and if I ever move to Portland, I totally want to work there.