Safronya Retreat

Summer Away from the City

By Nirmala Nataraj (Jun 29, 2007 )  

Summers in the city are always hit or miss. Weather reports often augur gorgeous weather after a day or two of unexpected sunshine, but we all know that just because it’s June, it doesn’t mean diddly-squat. A few hours of balminess might give you gleeful intimations of the French Riviera, but I dare you to drive to the other side of the city, and the banks of fog will make you feel like you’re marooned on a Scandinavian fjord. And don’t even get me started on the necessity of dressing in layers.

But now that the season for bikinis and barbecues is staring us right in the face, there’s really no need to wallow in the caprices of a San Francisco summer. Here’s a suggestion for a getaway that’s good for the body, mind, and soul -- and that’ll guarantee you’ll get a tan while indulging.

Smack in the middle of sun-dappled San Rafael, Safronya Retreat offers an easy respite from the malaise of city life. Not only is it a prime place to visit when you’re ready to kick up your feet and receive the royal treatment, it’s not really a spa at all. As soon as you walk through the doors of the place, you’re offered a pair of slippers and a seat on a cozy couch -- planted in the midst of gorgeous Indian décor and warm, earthy color schemes. A bookshelf shaped like a stupa harbors plenty of resources on the science of Ayurveda, an ancient wellness practice that suffuses all the treatments and detoxification packages at Safronya.

As you sip on a cooling beverage (lemon juice, agave, and cucumber, especially for the summer weather) and nibble on blueberries before your treatment, it’s easy to understand why Safronya is quickly becoming one of the most lauded wellness centers around. You can sit in the kitchen and enjoy a specially prepared meal, have a yoga session or comprehensive health consultation to help you determine your “dosha” (or body composition, in the Ayurvedic system), or indulge in one of the center’s body treatments, perhaps a soothing herbal facial or four-handed Abhyanga oil massage.

Add to all the treats the grace and professionalism of the practitioners (who are loaded with great tips on full body/mind/spirit wellness) and the decorating tips you’ll collect after one visit to this hip haven, and you have something close to perfect.

The treatment I enjoy at Safronya is the Signature Detoxifying Body Wrap, which I’m told is perfect for the summer because of its cooling and detoxifying properties. I’m ushered into a quiet, upstairs treatment room, where my therapist, Stephanie, begins with a meticulous, full-body dry brushing, which exfoliates and effects lymph circulation, all at once. After this relaxing process, Stephanie slathers me with a sumptuous paste of warmed saffron (a key ingredient in the center’s treatments for its many beneficial properties), Morroccan red clay, sandalwood, aloe, and rose.

Aside from making one smell heavenly, the purpose of this blend is to add vital minerals to the body and offer a sort of self-heating detoxifying treatment for skin that’s sensitive. I’m wrapped up like a burrito while the mixture sinks into my skin, and Stephanie treats me to a gentle yet effective head and scalp massage (perfect for those suffering from summer sinuses). When I feel like I’m just about ready to drift off into la-la land, Stephanie takes off the wrappings, and I head over to the bath area for a long, hot shower. As if that weren’t enough, I’m treated to a soothing, full-body oil massage afterwards and sent on my way, perfectly equipped to face the remainder of my day.

Aside from the fact that I love the folks at Safronya, who emphasize both inner and outer beauty, not to mention a commitment to helping each individual who walks through their doors achieve a healthy balance appropriate to their lifestyle, it’s one of the only places I can think of that delivers on the goods. That is, aside from offering some of the most delicious and indulgent treatments around (uh, how many other establishments include facials that smell good enough to eat, or oil massages with two practitioners?), Safronya guarantees results.

Over the course of the next few days, I realize that the effects of my treatment prove that it wasn’t a mere pampering session; I notice a marked difference in both my skin, which is softer and more supple than usual, and my energy level, which doesn’t appear to be at all flummoxed by long commutes or major deadlines.

The entire Safronya experience isn’t simply about indulging every now and then. Once you set foot in those doors and cozy up with a book on Ayurveda, you’ll fall in love with the simplicity and beauty of this wellness practice, which ensures that peace of mind, spiritual bliss, and a healthy, balanced body are all well within reach.