Karisma People: The satisfaction in helping out

THE SATISFACTION in helping out

Many times in our lives we need to un-learn preconceived ideas to give us the opportunity to explore new spaces and live different experiences. This is something like what we need to do when we think of going to a spa. If you never have gone to one, it is likely that you think the treatments offered are only for when you have a pain or some question about beauty treatments.

It’s hard to imagine that what is offered in these paradisiac spas will benefit us, not only physically but also emotionally. In our search for personal well-being sometimes we get lost and forget to generate acts of love for oneself, and these treatments are the little things that make us flourish from a balanced body, mind and heart. And you can find all that at ... a spa.

As soon as you arrive at Náay or Vassa Spa, you can just feel and immediate change in environment. The scents, the music and the smiles submerse you into an alternate universe.

Celso, summarizes in one comment what it is like to work at a spa: to be able to perceive the pains of others and be intent on relieving them.

This is a truly beautiful realization, because it is just what the definition is of the virtue of compassion. Seneca said that this is one of humanity’s most endearing faculties, to be compassionate, meaning “to be able to perceive someone’s suffering, empathize with them, and acting to alleviate their pain, reducing or completely eradicating the painful situation.” To achieve this one must feel much love for one’s neighbor, for we all agree here at the spa, that one of the most gratifying feelings is to see someone come out of their treatment transformed, with a new attitude, with no pain, and with a huge smile. It is an environment full of thankfulness and love.

All the parts that function when someone enters the spa are important, the receptionist, the one that guides the guest and the one doing the massaging, since right from the first step, an atmosphere of trust must be engendered. Ammenda says that at work, they are all a big team and with some people it is more than just a work relationship, true friendship emerges. For Eva, her team is a family, where all care and support each other.

QUALITIES THAT TRANSFORM

Your life changes when you work in a spa. It is a place where every day you can display your virtues. What is needed to work at the spa?

Compassion

· Love for what you do

· Kindness

· Empathy

· Sensitivity · Patience

Self-sacrifice

· To know how to listen

Inner Strength

Working at the spa has affected each of the interviewees in a different way. For Rafaela it has been a place to grow and to be proud of. For Dianne and Leidy, it is a place where they never feel forced to work, because they are doing what they enjoy and love to do. Celso sees it as an opportunity to enjoy each other’s happiness. Ana and Yosarys consider it really fortunate for them to be able to work with managers that encourage growth and learning. Sofia is just truly happy with virtually everything around her.

These are the favorite treatments you really need to try! TAKE A DEEP BREATH

ABR - Celso.- The Pre-Hispanic is complete and very satisfying.

ABR - Lismary.- I recommend a full body wrap with a massage. You will be happy and very relaxed.

SDR - Nidia.- Any time is the right time for a massage. Make it special by bringing a friend along.

SDR - Yosarys.- An open mind and Coconut Mud are all you need.

It is interesting to see how each one came to be in this profession. It seems like they were all guided by the universe, finding the perfect place for them to accomplish their mission in life, that is, to help others alleviate their pain and suffering. Nurses, Biologists, Foreign Trade Specialists are just some of the professions that have been left behind to make way for these new experiences. The general feeling is, as Ammenda said, that they have been predestined to do exactly what they are doing today.

I find my happiness in the happiness of others

Some of them - since they were little - were told that they had “good hands” or were able to practice on their families and, through massages and aromatherapy, they feel it was showing them much loving care. Cynthia, for example, remembers how her mom cured the family through massages, as did Yosarys’ mom would reduce her fever with “Siempre Friesca” (Peperomia pellucida) herb, or Norma’s grandmother, who used to give prenatal massages and would bring her along to help her. In some cases, this tradition and heritage of love carries on into subsequent generations. Some of Rafaela, Nídia and Leidy’s children have discovered their taste for massages by practicing since they were small, because they saw what love and care this implied.

The connections that are generated in the spa are strong and enduring. They are an interchange of energy and emotions that mutate and renew themselves, not only for the one doing the giving, but also the one receiving the treatment. Lismary thinks that working at the spa requires much personal preparation, balance and serenity, since therapists need to know how to distinguish between their own feelings and those that “stick” to them during the massage. To be able to separate these and transform it all into a state of relaxation and peace requires great inner strength. On the other hand, Karen adds that all the training and preparation that is required of a therapist is so important because of the great responsibility it is to treat someone in their most vulnerable points. It is the therapist’s job to reassure the guest that he or she can be trusted and will not hurt the guest. All interviewees agree wholeheartedly. ABN-Ammenda.- Facials are amazing.

ABN-Dianne.-My recommendation is a Swedish Massage and reflexology.

This is a profession where many loving moments are lived, for oneself and for others. These are places where conditions offer opportunities to grow and incite more virtues that make us better people. At the end of the day, people that work in a spa leave work with a big smile and a fulfilled heart because daily they see that what playwright Pierre Corneille stated, “I find my happiness in the happiness of others.”

EDM - Eva.- Aromatherapy. I recommend keeping an essential oils kit at home, it’s a great emotional help.

EDS - Karen.- If you are asking for a full body massage, make sure you ask to complement it with a cranial massage.

EDS - Leidy.- When you ask for a massage, have it done with essential oils, it is truly relaxing.

EDR - Sofía.- There is nothing more relaxing as a facial with reflexology treatment.

EDR - Paulina.- Try Coconut Mud with an exfoliating massage, you will come out smiling! EDM - Cinthya.- Forget your fears, have an open and receptive mind and attitude. Live the experience of the spa. I am recommending this Pre-Hispanic treatment.

EDR - Rafaela.- Treat yourself to a foot reflexology treatment. If you feel awkward being touched on some part of your body, it may well be an indication that this place is one that needs attention.