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Elke says she receives massages about once a week through the training she conducts at New Day Spa. If you have aches and pains, Elke recommends massage every two weeks. Otherwise, she says, “come as often as you like.” When asked whether massage and spa treatments are a necessity or luxury she smiles and admits it’s a hard question to answer.
“For a lot of people it’s a luxury,” she says. “I personally think it’s a necessity. It’s necessary for me because, even though I try to eat good and work out, I still feel tension. Massage helps me relax, get rid of pain, and move energy.”
After years of working in a spa, developing spa products and training therapists, Elke has a strong sense of how a person should spa. She recommends you show up early to sit, relax, drink tea, and use the sauna (“a space of relaxation where your problems fade away and your muscles relax”). Don’t make any business appointments after your treatment so you can “stay in the mood.” Wear sports clothes or anything that makes you feel comfy and cozy.
It’s obvious Elke is a bit shy about being singled out as one of the premier therapists in town but she’s enthusiastic when it comes to describing treatments offered at Sedona’s New Day Spa and the therapists she works with. “Everyone here has so much training and they are each fantastic at different modalities,” she says. “It’s such a joyful place to work.”
Sedona Monthly Recommends… Blue Sage Ritual
Plain and simple: One of the very best spa treatments we’ve ever had. It begins with dry brushing of the skin followed by a full-body clay mask. Your body is loosely wrapped while the mask works its magic and your therapist massages your scalp with warm oil. After a vichy shower, it’s on to a massage with mountain arnica oil – 90 minutes of pure bliss. Aromatherapy – sage, jojoba, chamomile, and arnica – plays a big part. At the end, you’ll take home natural bristle brushes you’ll want to use every day.
Elke Waehrisch
Sedona’s New Day Spa
1449 W. Hwy 89A in West Sedona
928-282-7502
www.sedonanewdayspa.com
The spa is open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Elke’s hours vary. Massage and body treatments including wraps and scrubs
Katherine Doerner: Skin Care by Katherine
A general rule of thumb: Always choose a hair stylist with a great ’do and an esthetician with great skin. Katherine Doerner’s glowing complexion tells you all you need to know (though she’ll undoubtedly blush when she reads this). Katherine worked at Complexions Day Spa in West Sedona for more than three years before opening Skin Care by Katherine at her home in the Village of Oak Creek – it has better red rock views than many resort spas in town. The cozy space, disconnected from the main house, has a bright purple ceiling, cherry wood furniture, potted orchids, and a big poster of Marilyn Monroe hanging on a wall. Katherine flashes her pearly whites in her surroundings and says she couldn’t be happier.
“I wanted to work from home to be more available for my children and just for the convenience,” she says. “I am blessed but truly I pictured it this way – I manifested what I needed and knew I could do. It’s only going to get better.”
