Hampton Roads Magazine....

A DAY SPA DIARY

The Hampton Roads area has been a hotbed of holistic medicine for almost 75 years, thanks to the work of the late clairvoyant and Virginia Beach resident, Edgar Cayce. A recent visit to the headquarters and dayspa of the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), which Cayce established way back in 1931, revealed one could compile a healthy case for Cayce’s work and the dayspa’s delectable dose of treatment possibilities.

I’ve always been fascinated with the work of Edgar Cayce--”the sleeping prophet” --whose 14,000-plus “readings” in a self-induced trance state put him in contact with an incredible wealth of information that helped diagnose a person’s illness and provided a typically drug-free regimen of treatment that often cured them. Many of his seemingly unusual recommendations are now quite common and, for this, he’s called the “father of holistic medicine.”

I had heard great things about the A.R.E. dayspa, which incorporates many of Cayce’s holistic spa therapies. The possibilities include: massage; reflexology; facials; hydrotherapies (including very popular, Cayce-recommended colonics and steam baths); craniosacral therapy; manual lymph drainage; chiropractic; breathwork; hypnotherapy; and more. After talking with the dayspa’s manager, Janice Long, I decided to combine several Cayce classics by going with one of four half-day value-priced packages. Janice said the half-day packages run four to four-and-a-half hours, but they now also offer a two-hour Express Spa package including a castor oil pack, half-hour foot reflexology, and a choice of a one-hour massage, craniosacral therapy, or colon hydrotherapy.

Janice also convinced me to create a short spa getaway by booking a room at the nearby 57th Street Ramada for two nights. After checking in at the hotel, I had time to check out the A.R.E.’s “campus,” which now includes the original building, the more modern Visitors Center, another administration building, and a peaceful meditation garden.

The Visitors Center, which averages 50,000 to 70,000 guests annually, includes an excellent bookstore where I could have spent hours (and did the next morning). There are hundreds of books on psychology and philosophy, health, and spiritual growth, as well as music CDs and tapes, health products, and many gift items. The volunteer at the bookstore’s counter told me that The Edgar Cayce Handbook for Health Through Drugless Therapy is one of the most popular choices and I proceeded to read all of it over the next 24 hours. Far too soon, it was time for my craniosacral therapy appointment at the Health & Rejuvenation Center-- the A.R.E.’s dayspa--located on the ground floor of Cayce’s original headquarters building.

The craniosacral system consists of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord. For an hour, my therapist, Katherine, lightly palpated the head, neck, back, and sacrum areas, creating a warm and relaxing feeling that seemed phenomenal coming from such a light touch. She warned I might doze off--and I did--but the appointment left me feeling more relaxed than I often am after a much more aggressive massage.

The next afternoon, my half-day package, called a Cayce Cleanse, consisted of: abdominal castor oil pack with foot reflexology; colon hydrotherapy; steam bath; and a massage with a facial.

Ora, the veteran Cayce therapist who led me through the entire experience, said castor oil packs were mentioned in more than 570 readings by Cayce and that they often helped people with ailments ranging from arthritis to skin, liver, and intestinal conditions. Placed on my abdomen and covered with a heating blanket, the castor oil packs served to totally relax me--though I think Ora’s wonderful foot reflexology massage also helped.

The next step in the Cayce Cleanse is the colon hydrotherapy--or colonic. This was my first experience, but it won’t be my last. Maureen, yet another long-time A.R.E. spa employee, explained how the gentle infusion of warm filtered water circulates though the large intestine, dissolving and removing waste products. Though the first few minutes were somewhat unique, I quickly became comfortable and aware I was doing a good thing for my body.

Ora next took me for my steam bath, which takes place in a small wooden box, where I sat with my head exposed. She added essential oil (I love eucalyptus) and I quickly started sweating as if it were a windless August day on the beach. Ora explained how Cayce recommended steam baths as another way of cleansing and relaxing before a massage.

The one-and-a-half hour massage and facial provided the perfect finish to this package. By this time, Ora and I were sharing in my healthy transformation to a much more relaxed and--yes--cleansed state. Her Cayce-inspired massage blended Swedish, osteopathic, and neuropathic massage techniques.

After Ora and I hugged goodbye and I started back to the Ramada, I felt like a changed man. Evidently, the spirit of Edgar Cayce is still quite alive in Hampton Roads.

Located at 215 67th Street (67th and Atlantic), The A.R.E. Health & Rejuvenation Center is open from 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm on Saturday, and 12 noon to 7pm on Sunday. Call 757-437-7202 or visit www.edgarcayce.org/hrc/ for further information.

The Ramada Plaza Resort Oceanfront (757-428-7025 or www.vbramadaplaza.com), which is a relaxing ten-block beach walk from the A.R.E., is an ideal base for the creation of a great spa getaway.