In my last spa blog I talked about the spirit of the Fern Tree Spa at Half Moon Resort in Jamaica. One of the unique gems at the spa is a woman by the name of Stella Grey, who is known as the “Spa Elder.” And she is exactly that, … not that she is “elderly” (she just e-mailed me a couple of weeks ago regarding her 60th birthday celebration) but she has the wisdom of the ages. She comes from a long lineage of colonial Jamaican families, with over 400 years on the island. She is a tall blond haired, blued eyed woman with a heavy sophisticated Jamaican accent, which takes a bit of getting used to as at first. As the voice doesn’t match the face-but after spending time with her, there is no better voice, and no better face- it’s perfect.
In a nut-shell, the Spa Elder is a person and a program. It is a holistic evaluation and prescription of the spa guest’s mind, body and spirit. When you meet with Stella, she not only looks at you and listens, but looks through you and hears what you are saying, as well as hears what you are not saying! She then designs a program for the guest during their visit to support the needs of the guest. Most sessions are with her as she has a gift of healing and understanding. Her programming may include: a meditation class, body wrap, massage, Yoga class and if you are lucky like I was… a trip to the jungle.
And that is where Stella took me- it was offered to me as a bit of a “pottery shopping” spree (as they were looking to sell local products and art in the spa retail shop) and tour of colonial farm estates. I had visited Half Moon about 6 times as a Spa Consultant, but never really left the property. Maybe once, when we went to “Scotties” for a Red Stripe beer and pulled chicken, and that was it.
Stella has an artist friend, David Pinto. Born in Jamaica, high school in England, graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design- specialty … clay. His studio is tucked away in an old estate with 5 kilns, including an anagama wood kiln of ancient Japanese origin to fire the sculptures and a gas reduction or soda kiln.
His sculptures are lovely, raw and earthy. David is lovely, raw and earthy, and person that you just want to spend all day with and shadow him working, drinking coffee and walking through the studio. There are a few Jamaican apprentices, a pond, old accounting building vacated now for a century, art gallery up stairs in an old rock building, and a skinny black cat whose tail knocked over at least 3 pieces of work in the afternoon that we visited.
It was a joy to see Stella interact with David and be a part of their world and history. We spoke only a few minutes about work and chose a some pieces for the retail space. The rest of the afternoon we talked about art, the process of working the kilns, the drainage issues with the pond, family, a broken step, and his workshops. I held the black cat.
On the way back to the Half Moon we drove through the jungle on one lane dirt roads, past working farm estates, lush and green, and ending up driving alongside the ocean. Back at the resort, we sat at the outdoor bar, where guests were recapping their day with voice and energy. Stella and I had a couple of Red Stripe beers and sat quietly watching the sunset.
Oh the Spa Elder is wise!!
Susan Gwaltney- Essential Spa Constuling
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