Wellness in the Verde Valley
-- by Sylvia Somerville
Sedona and the Verde Valley embody a strong tradition of healing, which is supported by the beauty and rich mineral content of the land as well as hundreds of years of Native American ceremonies.
“The area has a strong, powerful healing energy,” observes Lorrie Lawrence. Lawrence, a practitioner of Ayurvedia—a 5,000-year-old “science of life” system developed in India—integrates the outdoors into her comprehensive wellness program at the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa in Sedona, Arizona. According to Lawrence, the natural surroundings enhance all therapeutic techniques for balancing body, mind and spirit, and indigenous methods from around the world resonate harmoniously with the land.
Indeed, healing modalities from India, China, Thailand, Hawaii, Japan, Tibet and several European countries are all practiced in Sedona and the Verde Valley. The Verde Valley Wellness Center in Cottonwood, Arizona, combines herbal oil therapies from India with the healing touch modality of China. Yoga and exercise classes are available throughout the area as are acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists and herbalists.
Mii Amo, an award-winning spa in Sedona, has a strong Native American influence—from its name, which means “journey” in Yuman, to spa offerings that feature sacred Native American herbs and ceremonies. Other specialty treatments include Aura-Soma, a color healing system from England based on vibrant essential oils and flower essences, and Reiki, a Japanese healing technique that attunes the energy flow within the body.
The area’s red clay and desert herbs are prime ingredients in body products and signature treatments at local spas, such as the Blue Sage Ritual and True Sedona Clay Treatment at Sedona’s New Day Spa. Several spas feature a line of organically grown and hand-crafted products from desert botanicals and essential oils by Body Bliss, a local company. Los Abrigados Resort and Spa has its own product line called “Sedona Spa,” made from desert plants that retain moisture. Sedona Rouge’s herbalist makes scrubs, body butters and other products for the hotel’s spa.
The Verde Valley also offers Western medical treatments—including a full range of allopathic physicians, clinics (such as the Verde Valley Medical Center) and therapies. John Barnes, an internationally respected physical therapist, lecturer, author and authority on myofascial-release practices his revolutionary pain management technique at Therapy on the Rocks in Sedona.
As Lawrence points out, “There is every kind of healing available in Sedona and the Verde Valley.”
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