New Age Beauty

November 5, 1992 (section H-1 and H-4)

by Mignette Y. Patrick (OF THE HOUSTON POST STAFF)

"Much more to movement than communing with nature, smelling roses...

...Holistic is an umbrella term used to describe the smorgasbord of ideas, therapies and natural remedies inherent in the New Age movement. 'We try to meet the spiritual, intellectual and physical needs,' says [Barbara] Freidman. Another concurs: 'We wanted to create a facility where people could come and have every aspect of their being nurtured.  To feel better about their lives,' says Alan Davidson of The Enchanted Garden. The key word is "feel." To actually have some emotional response.' Brea Gratia of Sanctuary Spa confirms this. 'People come here to get nurtured, loved.  And I mean love in the sense of genuine caring.' And everyone wants love, says Freidman. 'We've gotten so far away from it that it has caused a lot of stress.' Gratia relates a story of how one lonely housewife, whose husband all but ignored her, responded to one of Gratia's massages.  The woman burst into tears mid-session and afterwards hugged Gratia. 'You know I love you. That's why I come here,' the woman told her..."

"Customers wake up and smell the aromatherapy...

WRAP it. BUFF it.  Massage it. Soak it. Sounds like the work of a shoemaker.  Instead, it's what holistic types are having done to their bodies. And just who are these holistic converts? Well, word has it they run the gamut from 12- to 85-year olds. But Brea Gratia of Sanctuary Spa says the average age of her patron is 40, with most being in the middle-to-upper income range. Though they all differ in what they sell, many holistic beauty hangouts around town offer the same services: massage therapy, facials, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, and so on. Here's a list of some better known sources and their services:

Sanctuary Spa

Gratia opened her business in 1981, long before anyone now offering holistic services did.  There, one can indulge in seaweed facials and body wraps, sea salt scrubs, hydrotherapy (spa treatment), thalassotherapy (use of seaweeds in a spa), scalp treatments, manicures, massages, and the creme de la creme, aromatherapy. 'We're checking into acupuncture and manual lymphatic drainage.  And we already do acupressure,' she says... The majority of Gratia's clients go to her for relief from stress, or chronic pain. 'A lot of them have been to the doctors and have not found the help they needed,' she says. And that's understandable to to Dr. Christine Matson, vice chair for Family Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.  'If traditional medicine doesn't offer them something, well... they will go to some other route.  I think that happens a lot more than doctors perceive,' says Matson.

All of the services Gratia offers, aromatherapy may be the most popular.  In aromatherapy, a person inhales the aromas of essential oils derived from trees, herbs, and flowers.  The oils are placed in a diffusor and the fumes soon permeate the air. These essential oils are concentrated- it takes 2,000 pounds of flowers petals to yield on liter of rose oil. 'Just the smell of the jasmine, pine, sage, lavender oils creates a feeling of relaxation.  Euphoria comes over these people. It makes them want to come back.'

'It's a feel-good thing,' says the receptionist. But it's really more than that. Some of these essential oils are believed to be truly healing.  For example, eucalyptus is used to relieve respiratory problems. And when used in massage therapy, it is also known to ease muscular and arthritic pain. But, buyer beware. They may help, but they can also hurt. Gratia says pregnant women especially must take precaution. 'Certain oils can cause a pregnant woman to abort. Watch out for penny royal, thuja and clary sage,' she warns. The Aromatherapy Awareness Guide also cites basil, cedarwood, juniper, marjoram, myrrh, peppermint and rosemary as being potentially harmful to pregnant women. Be advised before you breathe..."