A few days in review

It was quiet this week with business, but I did manage to get a few pressing administrative things done. I had a rewarding Women, Wine and Networking Party. It was suppose to snow that night, but luckily we have about 20-ladies show up. I had never met most of them so it was fun to network and meet new business women. I made some great contacts!

I finally got the Club Adobe Membership newsletter out to my clients and prospects! My first Gold Member signs-up tomorrow. I am so excited. It will be a very small and exclusive private membership club so I can still continue offering that excellent and personal service.I'll devote a blog entry just to this so it gets search engine results.

Tonight I had the night off and went with 2-girlfriends to for yoga, juicing, meditation and a home cooked healthy dinner. There were a total of 10 of us. Your Private Adobe would make a great place to host such an event too.

I interviewed another massage therapist to compliment my work and also provide specialities and modalities that I do not. She is another one who has gone through the medical massage program. Most of my guests want the relaxing massage, but for my returning friends, it is nice to offer them more variety and massages that addresses more specific therapeutic issues.

I've been using the Infrared Sauna almost every day. I love it. I feel clearer, lighter and know I have lost a few pounds. I can feel it in my clothes. Yippie! I am so appreciative of a dear friend from Denver who made the sauna possible for the adobe.

I am now going to be advertising on Film Crew New Mexico and met the owner of the company. I feel Your Private Adobe is the perfect venue for the celebrities and crew here for the filming industry. Even though i am happy where we have gotten business wise for such a short period of time, I can't back down on the marketing. In business, you have to keep a flow of new guests coming every week. Spafinder and our excellent reviews have been great for new business!

My neighbor has added a second statue to the "guard dog". The two piece metal sculpture is titled "Walking the Dog", by Ed Haddaway. It's a 20-foot tall rabbit in blue pajamas in pink slippers that is walking a 6-foot tall dog. It's adorable and it makes me smile when I look out and see it next door to me. It's for sale by the way if you are interested. I wish I could afford it! www.edhaddaway.com

More on the new Sunlighten Infrared Sauna

The last few days have been busy getting the adobe reorganized for the Sunlighten Infrared Sauna. I'll be ready to start offering this service in a few days. I have vacillated for weeks on whether to charge or not and have come to the conclusion it needs to be an add-on service to another massage or spa service. I just can't afford for clients to make an appointment to only use the sauna. If a cleint really received the health benefits they were needing from the sauna, of course I would work out something for them for a series of visits. www.YourPrivateAdobe.com

I almost have the Club Adobe Membership Program in place and will be sending out a newsletter to all of my clients and prospects about this. So for members the sauna will be a free amenity. Just trying to work out the flow of things.

I used the sauna yesterday to try it out. I'll use it a couple of more times to get the flow down pat and everything just perfect for my guests. I loved it! I worked up a good healthy sweat and was so relaxed afterwards that I took a nap. I was exhausted after 2-days of electricians, housekeepers, handymen, and friends working on this project.

I am finally starting to delegate some of my work. I have just needed all the income so I could afford all these things that make Your Private Adobe special. Samantha is massaging a client right now that we had seen a few months ago as a couple. Her husband surprised her. He felt she needed some pampering and time away from the family. Samantha does a great job and is a good therapist with similar style and techniques to what I offer. So........give her a try!

We have more clients this afternoon, but I may be able to sneak away to the museum early evening for an art showing with my neighbors. It hard to juggle operating a small business, and still taking a little social time away from work.

Your Private Adobe Day Spa in Albuquerque announces a new Infrared Sauna

I'm so excited about the new Infrared Sauna from Sunlighten. I just got it yesterday and have already assembled the unit. Now I need to get an electrician out for wiring. I was hoping it would be ready to go this weekend, but it looks like it might be a while until it happens. Electricians are hard to come by in this town. I have had to rearrange a portion of the adobe to get it in, but it will be a nice addition to our already great place. I like these saunas much better than a traditional sauna because they are not as hot. A trditioanl sauan is stifling for me adn hard to breathe.

Some information on the Infrared Sauna is below:

Far infrared light is the natural radiant heat felt from the sun.

It's the comforting heat that warms you from the inside. It's the most natural heat source on earth!

One of far infrared light's characteristics is the ability to easily penetrate human tissue.

Remember the last time you were sunbathing with sunscreen? Were you still hot? Of course you were because the sunscreen only stops the UV (Ultraviolet) light from hitting your skin. The far infrared heat (Far infrared light waves) penetrates your skin, giving you that wonderful natural warmth.

You can be exposed to far infrared heat for hours and it will not cause your skin to burn. Far infrared heat is completely healthy and safe for all living things. In fact, it is so safe it is used in hospitals to warm newborn infants.

Far infrared gently heats the body from within instead of heating the air. It has the ability to penetrate the surface of the skin which gives your body an overall radiant warmth.

Traditional heaters only heat the air which become extremely hot and uncomfortable.
Increasing the body's core temperature results in a much deeper, more detoxifying sweat. This is why a Sunlight Sauna is better for individuals seeking health benefits from sweating.

Far infrared saunas have shown to assist in weight loss, pain management, skin purification, detoxification and stress reduction . Far infrared saunas can also provide relief to patients suffering from arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and certain skin conditions. Solocarbon® Far infrared sauna therapy surrounds the body and penetrates deeply into joints, muscles and tissues, speeding oxygen flow and increasing circulation. Natural body healing with Sunlighten™ therapy leads to a healthier lifestyle for you and those around you.

I am still working on the Club Adobe Membership Program. The infrared sauna will be available at no charge to the members. For non-members there will be a charge in the $20-$30 range and the usage will be available as an add on to other services we offer.

Announcing........a new amenity Sunlighten Infrared Sauna at Your Private Adobe

Years ago while still living in Denver, I wrote a business plan to start a Men's Day Spa. I then found the location, found an investor and was ready to get going when he backed out on me. That had me do some soul searching to figure out why it didn't happen for me. Anyway............4-years later, and Your Private Adobe, www.YourPrivateAdobe.com is in existence. A I digress, what I really wanted to write about was in the business plan I had budget for an infrared sauna. I have wanted one every since I used one in about 2003. They aren't stifling like a traditional sauna, and they get you so warm and gooey, so relaxed, and rid your body of toxins. So I have some exciting news. I am soon to be a proud new owner of a Sunlighten, Signature III Infrared Sauna. I also added Sound and Vibration Therapy as well as Color Therapy. Here's the link: www.sunlighten.com Since I am one of the more expensive places in town for a massage, I want to make sure my guests get real value for the dollar. It's scheduled for delivery in a couple of weeks. So the infra red sauna is one more amenity when you come to Your Private Adobe to relax, reflect and heal.

The Unveiling of Women in Red Hills

If you have visited Your Private Adobe Day Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico www.YourPrivateAdobe.com you know about our beautiful art that graces the spa. I have been collecting art for well over 20-years from around the world. It is one thing that makes our spa so special. You can truly relax and heal amongst beautiful surroundings. So every year I purchase a new piece for my collection. Collecting art is what brought me to Albuquerque and New Mexico. In 2007, I bought two RC Gorman pieces and several beautiful paintings while studying in India. 2008, I acquired Marla, the resin and acrylic, nude bronze by famous artist Bill Mack. In 2009 I added a Bedouin Beaded Wedding Mask I got while touring Oman in the middle-east. And I added an abstract watercolor from local artist Nancy Young. So for 2010, I announce the unveiling of "Woman in the Red Hills" by friend and local artist Sandra Schroeder. It's an original watercolor of a nude woman lying it the hills of Ghost Ranch. I had invited her to my open house last July. She gave me a hand painted card. She had never been to my house but picked just the perfect card to compliment my place and other art. I have a collection of nude women and women in general. My Van Briggle Pottery collection incorporates sirens and mermaids beautifully and artistically woven into the pottery. People tell me they feel they are entering the home of a goddess with all the nude women about! Sandra is in the process of painting a much larger piece for me and it should be ready for viewing during my Women, Wine & Networking Party on January 27th.

Your Private Adobe ABQ accepts Spafinder Gift Certificates

I now have a new neighbor. A watch dog of sorts. I'd say he's about 6 or 7 feet tall. He kind of looks like a coyote. He's a silver metal, white and blue with holes throughout his body. He is a creation of neighbor, Ed Haddaway, a famous metal artist. I'm not sure if he is a permanent fixture or is in passing to a paid client. Ed sends his work all over the country. I wish he would put several of his works in the empty lot next door to make it a mini sculpture garden. My guests would enjoy the view and it would show off his work to passersby.

I have had a lot of recent traffic from Spafinder. Yes, I do take Spafinder Gift Certificates. I am still waiting on my web guy to revamp my menu for more traditional spa menu items. So please check back soon for new stuff. I have mentioned in the past, Club Adobe, a membership program offering several different levels of commitments. I'm excited....but things are going way too slow for me. When I want something done, I want it done quickly! Sometimes I can be impatient.

Business is booming. Special packages for the month of February announced soon.

I finally got to feeling better. I rarely get sick, so I'm not a good patient. But I've been burning the candle at both ends for 3-months now. So it didn't surprise me it happened. Now I am thinking it was a detox reaction to Ojo. I really expected this week to be dead, so I decided it was going to be about me. I've gotten my first ever colonics, got my teeth clean and had a 2 hour and 15-minute massage. I will probably get 2-more colonics in the next couple of weeks. If you have never had one, it is a go through a cleanse periodically.

Today 8-people wanted an appointment at Your Private Adobe. Yikes....I need some notice! But I can never handle that many guests in one day. Remember, this is a private establishment, meaning we care for one guest or one couple at a time. I'm still in awe all the wonderful guests we have. And they keep coming back too. I know so many massage therapists are struggling in this town. Your Private Adobe is a niche. Nobody in town offers what we offer, so perhaps this makes the difference in an ailing economy. Once again...........I count my blessings everyday!

It's time to start thinking about Valentine's Day! At Your Private Adobe we will be offering a special Valentines Package for the month of February. Details to be announced soon.

Quiet at the Adobe now

I'm a proud new member of the Ojo Caliente Polar Bear Club. I bet you didn't know there was such a thing. Neither did I. I would dip between the extremely hot Arsenic Pool to the large swimming pool, which was more of a cold water plunge several times. It was invigorating to say the least. I love the way my skin would tingle and burn because of the contrast in temperatures. I had a great time at Ojo with my friend "A". I wasn't able to get any body treatments, the place was packed mid-week because of the holiday. I ran into twin brothers who are clients of mine. I hadn't seen either of them in a while ad we got caught up on things. We enjoyed a delicious lunch with a beer and even had a chocolate cigar as desert. That was bizarre, so rich and yummy!

I had a quiet NYE with A&B and a couple of other friends at their house. We had a lovely dinner party, played Yatzhe, and watched the ball drop. I slept on their couch so I didn't' have to worry about drinking and driving after champagne at midnight.

I've been under the weather the last couple of days. Not sure what is going on, feels like some sort of intestinal flair up. My left side is painful to the touch, I had fever and was nauseous. I'm better today, but not 100%. I expect the next week or so to be very quiet at the Adobe. I have some projects I need t work on, including a Newsletter announcing the "Club Adode" Membership Program. Usually my web guy is quick to make changes but it is taking him forever this time. I guess because the entire menu is being revamped.

Time to lie down again..............urgggh, I hate being sick.