Herbal Spa: Oregon Garden Resort's Moonstone Spa

August/September 2009
By Kris Wetherbee 
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Try a Thai Massage at Moonstone Spa
ick Wetherbee
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Get ready to experience an all-encompassing botanical encounter at the Oregon Garden Resort’s Moonstone Spa. Located in historic Silverton, the 11-acre resort sits amid a hilltop meadow overlooking the Oregon Garden—an 80-acre botanical sanctuary featuring 20 themed gardens. The showcase gardens provide the perfect pre-spa experience, with an infusion of sights, smells and sounds to relax your mind, soothe your soul and invigorate your senses.

After a morning stroll among gardens both spectacular and serene, I’m ready to complete my botanical encounter with some personal pampering. The spa’s menu is rich with herbal-based treatments. The Hot Buttered Stone Massage penetrates the body with an invigorating blend of delicious chocolate and mint. The Lavender Fields treatment also uses hot river stones, with French lavender starring in a cleansing scrub followed by a hydrating body soufflé massage.

But this day is all about new experiences, so I opt for the Herbal Poultice Massage. The centuries-old treatment was developed during Thailand’s Ayutthaya period between the 14th and 18th centuries, when it was used on war-weary warriors to help speed recovery after battle. The treatment consists of a therapeutic massage using warm poultices filled with fragrant herbs and spices wrapped and steamed in muslin bags. The poultices are then selectively applied to the body, releasing medicinal and restorative heat to muscles.

As I lie undercover on the table, the intoxicating fragrance fills my senses with the enticing aroma of … an Asian stir-fry. And it’s no wonder. The aromatic poultices are filled with antioxidant-rich herbs that include turmeric, ginger, tamarind, kaffir lime and lemongrass. Tension quickly melts away and my muscles relax as the therapist works the warm herbal poultices over my body. The treatment leaves me feeling invigorated, refreshed and ready for another stroll through the Oregon Garden.

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Moonstone Spa at the Oregon Garden Resort; Silverton, OR; (800) 966-6490; www.moonstonehotels.com.

Frequent contributor Kris Wetherbee grows herbs in the hills of western Oregon. 

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