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There is something wonderfully simple, calming and grounding
about this place. And about the owner, Wil Anderson, from whom
the energy emanates.
Originally from Mississippi via Ohio, Wil headed west to seek
a more spiritual, calmer, existence.
"I landed in Napa Valley and discovered that it is one of the few places that I had seen in magazines that is actually more beautiful than what appears in the photos. I had to stay."
Fifteen years ago, Wil started Veranda Club Spa. Today he has
five massage rooms in which he offers different types of therapy,
one totally unique to Napa Valley. It's the Arica Chua Ka massage
that incorporates the use of a flat, wooden stick to totally
unravel kinks and knots in one's muscles.
"This massage clears the injury history from the body," explains
Wil. Sort of like wiping your computer hard drive clean with
a demagnetizer and starting over with a clean slate.
We submitted to this Veranda specialty, figuring that visitors to Napa Valley would want to experience something out of the ordinary. There is no point getting a standard massage like one you can get back home; you are in Napa Valley for new adventures, for new sensations. Let us reinforce: Arica Chua Ka serves this need.
It is particularly useful if you have an injury — are prone to lower back pain, or have a neck injury that won't go away.
Wil proceeds through several phases in this massage; first,
he uses strong finger pressure to unknot and relax tightened
muscle nodes, working only on your back. At one point, he hit
such a string of knotted muscles, that we felt like the vibrator
ring on a cell phone was going off in our back — there
was such a spasmodic muscle release from the pressure-point
therapy.
Next, Wil rubbed and folded our skin as though it were dough
intended for the puff pastry machine. Then he used a flat, wooden
implement to dive even deeper into tight muscle groups.
Another Veranda specialty is the Integrated Balancing Combo in which you are massaged with hands and heated flat stones at the same time; you come away feeling more revived than from any 10-hour sleep.
We like Veranda for its spiritual dimension; of particular note are classes in psychocalisthenics, a yoga/breathing/calisthenics class that is offered one day a month. Think of this as an all-day retreat for your body and mind. You are taught posture, movement, breathing, have lunch at the Napa Valley Grille, and then receive more training in the afternoon.
Veranda
Club, 6795 Washington St., upstairs in Suite G,
beside Napa Valley Grille. 707-944-1906. Or check the website,
www.verandaclubspa.com.
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