These days, wellness is always in style, but you don’t have to endure an ascetic journey to experience it; in fact, pursuing activities that are good for your mind, body, and spirit is quite fun and rather rewarding, especially in Santa Fe, the small capital city of the Land of Enchantment! Here are 6 themes to consider when building your wellness journey in The City Different.
1. Rest & Relaxation
2. Cuisine
3. Curiosity & Intellectual Stimulation
4. Movement
5. Outdoor Recreation
6. Holistic Health
1. Take care of your whole being
Perhaps you are the sort who wants to be enveloped in wellness 24 hours a day for the full effect and eternal glow. Look no further than some of Santa Fe’s world-class resorts that cater to your aspirations. Of course, there are hundreds of other lodging options as well.
* Ten Thousand Waves offers a Japanese-inspired bathhouse, complete with private soaking pools, saunas, and the option of any treatment you could imagine, including a Signature Japanese Shiatsu Massage. Taste the clean and inspired small plates menu at Izanami, where 80% of their produce is local and organic, including some grown in onsite gardens. Also drink from their zero-proof menu with abandon. Slumber deeply in any of the tranquil Houses of the Moon rooms, set among 20 acres of piñon and juniper at the edge of the Santa Fe National Forest.
* It’s no surprise that Bishops Lodge Auberge Resorts Collection was recently voted by Condé Nast Traveler readers as #1 Resort in the Mountain West, with no end to experiences that will heighten your wellbeing, including meditation, yoga, qigong, stargazing, horseback riding, hiking, fly fishing, and more. When not relaxing in your private casita, indulge at the Stream Dance Spa or luxuriate by the pool. For dinner, try the Beetroot Salad and the Brisa mocktail, which blends apple cider, ginger beer, and cinnamon.
* At Ojo Santa Fe Resort, you’ll be in a refuge of lush green and water on 77 acres of rolling landscape and 6 spring-fed soaking pools, one of which is saltwater. Your accommodations are casitas and your body and mind are considered a temple with a full suite of treatment options available, including the popular Blue Corn, Prickly Pear, Sea Salt Scrub. Blue Heron Restaurant offers waterfront dining and draws its ingredients from the private garden located in Ojo Caliente near their sister spa. Try the Temazcal Renewal Ceremony or enjoy animal therapy with the resident silkie chickens or the puppies at the patch.
* On the 57 rolling acres of Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe, try The EQUUS Experience, an innovative and award-winning approach that engages horses to support powerful self-discovery or The Spa, which offers great bodywork and enhancements like Chakra Balancing and Smudging. Or venture out on uplifting and life-changing excursions to places like Abiquiu and Pecos National Park or stick around the property for some vibrational sound therapy. Terra Restaurant offers a large salad menu and many gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan dishes. Just ask!
* In downtown Santa Fe, there are two convenient spots with beautiful day spas, outdoor pools for endless lounging, and multiple dining options. At Eldorado Hotel & Spa, rent a rooftop poolside cabana and enjoy a view of all of Santa Fe, check out the treatment list at Nidah Spa and consider a variety of massage modalities and energy balancing bodywork. Also, don’t pass up the chance to dine at the elegant Agave restaurant or take advantage of your privileges at the fitness center. Just off the Plaza is La Posada de Santa Fe, an oasis of trees and green, where you’ll meander down private paths to your very own charming casita. At Sage Spa, choose from a variety of treatments, including the High Desert Healer; also consider the Salon if you need styling or your nails spiffed. Enjoy poolside lounging and dining, complimentary yoga, and a fitness center.
2. Take care of your belly
Beyond the 400+ restaurants Santa Fe has on offer, many of which are sensitive to the eating habits of the health conscious, including those who practice vegetarian, vegan, gluten-, dairy-, and alcohol-free lifestyles, you can get the freshest produce and products from the half-century-old Santa Fe Farmers' Market, open Tuesdays (seasonally) and Saturdays. A few restaurants to try:
* Ot the Plaza, try One Sacred for nutrient-rich, organic fusion cuisine crafted with local and global herbs, as well as herbal teas and juice elixirs. Another menu to enjoy is their great list of treatments, among them recreational oxygen and aromatherapy. Oh, and you can get a tarot card reading!
* Chef and visionary Erin Wade is the force behind both Vinaigrette Restaurant & Modern General, twinned on the same small plot of land just minutes from the Plaza. Vinaigrette is a sunny salad bistro dedicated to a higher level of sustainability where you can enjoy dressed gourmet salads that boast inspired flavor combinations. At Modern General, a breakfast-oriented raw juicery, you can also shop for one-of-a-kind heirloom kitchen and garden products and books that inspire positive transformation. Both establishments are fortified with seasonal vegetables, fruit, and fresh eggs from Wade’s farm, 10 terraced acres along the Nambe River.
* Located in a residential neighborhood, the bustling Sweetwater Harvest Kitchen’s menu boasts global offerings made from fresh, natural, whole foods. They mill their organic flours onsite daily, prepare meals by hand and source responsibly produced seasonal ingredients for thoughtful gluten-free menus with vegetarian, vegan, and paleo options.
* Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe is a great and healthy option for those who love Ayurvedic, plant-based cuisine designed to heal! The robust menu will challenge your ability to decide, as everything looks delicious, including the Samosas, the Green Chile Caprese Panini, the Lebanese Wrap, and the Masala Fries.
* Venture down Agua Fria Road from downtown to Ras Rody’s Jamaican Vegan Food Truck for authentic Jamaican vegan dishes. Father and son man the mobile kitchen and make the basis of all dishes—coconut milk and oil—from scratch. Their menu changes often, so you’ll delight in being surprised, including the option of tofu fritters, okra stew, banana pancakes, or sweet potato pudding.
3. Take care of your curiosity
Of course, we’ll never begin to understand all things, but we can be curious about all things! There are many learning organizations in The City Different, as well as endless opportunities to fire neurons in your brain and renew your excitement about life, including our many markets, festivals, and exhibitions. Come to Santa Fe to feed your brain! The following shops and organizations are beloved in Santa Fe for their mission to inform and delight their customers.
* On the Eastside of Santa Fe, set back in the canyon, you’ll find a peaceful retreat space with an emphasis on mindfulness, meditation, and nature called Upaya Zen Center. A Buddhist monastery offering daily Zen meditation, weekly dharma talks, and programs on Buddhist teachings, Upaya is a welcoming environment, and their beautifully maintained property includes a Zen garden and a small meditation labyrinth.
* Established in 1907, the School for Advanced Research advances creative thought and innovative work in the social sciences, humanities, and Native American arts. Through symposia, salons, field trips, and classes, including An Introduction to Indigenous Southwest Archaeology, you have a unique opportunity to meet and learn from guest scholars and artists.
* Modern Elder Academy, affectionately known as MEA, is the world's first midlife wisdom school, dedicated to empowering people through science-backed workshops and programs. Located in Galisteo, just outside of Santa Fe on the private Rising Circle Ranch, MEA encourages you to take charge of your life with programs such as Owning Wisdom and Cultivating Purpose. Recent guest speakers include Anne Lamott and Krista Tippett.
* For four decades, The Ark, a beautiful store and garden tucked away in a residential neighborhood has been illuminating hearts and minds with its comprehensive selection of books and tools for joy and transformation. Also find candles, crystals, tarot and oracle decks, and more!
* For nearly 50 years, Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse has offered all genres from local, national, and international authors. It’s a buzzy gathering spot in downtown Santa Fe with more than 70 author/poet events per year. Locally owned and operated for more than 30 years in a quiet residential neighborhood adjacent to a coffee house with a garden, Garcia Street Books is your spot for sage advice about what’s great to read now! op.cit. books, located in a busy shopping center called the DeVargas Mall, specializes in new and used books. You can get a great deal and be assured the booksellers will point you in the right direction to answer the call of your curiosity!
4. Take care of your body
There are numerous ways to take care of the temple you walk around in every day and none of them has to involve the ‘no pain, no gain’ credo. In Santa Fe, take advantage of copious movement classes or venture to one of our many day spas for a well-deserved treatment.
* Try the veritable wellness destination of Body, offering everything from spa treatments to events to yoga, Pilates, and Nia dance classes. Their cafe Nourished supports a seasonal menu based on 95% locally sourced and/or organic and 100% plant-based ingredients. Try their chai with 11 spices, known to nourish the organs and boost energy and the Ginger Sweet Potato Soup. Of the many treatments available, consider the Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, reported to release blockages, promote circulation, ignite the immune system, and calm energy.
* For a rundown of yoga offerings, read our blog Strike a Pose While in Santa Fe.
* BOARD 30 is a safe and fun approach to fitness using resistance band training. Beginners and longtime athletes alike will feel the burn in short high-energy classes that combine cardio, strength training, calisthenics, and stretching.
5. Take care of your spirit
Santa Fe is located in the southern Rocky Mountain chain at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a semiarid climate at the crossroads of grass and shrub lands, piñon-juniper woodlands, and 1.6 million acres of high mountain coniferous national forest. Wellness can be achieved merely by experiencing the land, where you can enjoy 320+ days of sunshine, four distinct seasons, brilliant blue skies, and some of the purest air in the world. Consider our many outdoor recreational activities or reach out for some guidance and a tour with any number of operators, including Heritage Inspirations and Great Southwest Adventures.
6. Take care of what ails you
We do not always feel our best, even in pursuit of wellness, so it’s wonderful that Santa Fe offers multiple avenues for health support and fine tuning of our delicate systems. Here are a couple of spots to turn to for alternative approaches to health.
* At the two locations of Mountain Spirit Integrative Medicine, meet advanced and caring practitioners and take advantage of acupuncture, Chinese medicine, massage therapy, cupping, botanical skincare, homeopathy, and more.
* At Milagro Herbs, explore classes in herbal medicine and investigate handmade locally crafted herbal products, tinctures, roots, and essences bound to target your specific needs.
* At Grey Matter, sample the CBD boutique, or try the infrared sauna, which aids in detoxification, weight loss, and an improved cardiovascular system. Or explore float tank therapy, which takes place in sensory deprivation tanks that are filled with 10 inches of clean, body-temperature water and over 1,000 pounds of therapeutic Epsom salt, which can improve your sleep, muscle recovery, and anxiety levels.
* Mongata is a well-being and inner healing community that will guide you on a journey of self-healing to thriving with a robust calendar group classes, workshops, private sessions and retreats in the areas of Sound Baths, Breathwork Group Classes, and Soma Breathwork.
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