A Fun & Fragrant Farm To Spa Experience...
Venus Spa's DIY Blend Bar

 
 

Restorative. Rejuvenating. Refreshing. That is CuisinArt's award-winning Venus Spa.

When it comes to healthy and environmentally-conscious living, CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa is an industry leader, well ahead of the curve region-wide. Not only does the resort have a 3300 panel solar energy plant, they have also long grown produce on-site in their hydroponic gardens.

Hydroponic Gardens at CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa

From the sweet cherry tomato treat they leave in-suite when you arrive at CuisinArt, to incorporating the vegetables in the resorts' five-star cuisine, now Venus Spa is offering a complete farm to spa experience.

The spa's ingredients come fresh from the on-site gardens straight to your spa room. Today, you can also get up close and personal with these natural ingredients with Venus Spa's latest addition...

The Blend Bar at Venus Spa

A DIY activity, Venus Spa's "Blend Bar" has been generating a lot of buzz in recent months. I stepped inside Venus Spa with Spa Director, Catherine and Tomika to find my fragrance.

Tomika at The Blend Bar

A finely set table lays out two types of salts, a variety of aromatic bath gels and essential oils, and fine herbs. The mission? Create your custom body scrub or bath salt.

Exfoliating becomes a ritual here in Anguilla as you spend an excessive amount of time soaking up the warm Caribbean rays. The body scrub called out to my skin.

Choice of Salts, Bath Gels, Essential Oils and Herbs at the Blend Bar

Tomika takes 1 cup of fine sea salt (the coarse sea salt is used for bath salts) and asks you to choose a bath gel to add to the creation.

Bath Gel Selection

Kiwi cucumber, mango butter rum and green tea lemongrass make up the three bath gel selections. The kiwi cucumber boasts a potent and refreshing cucumber scent. The mango butter rum rings true to its name, luscious and buttery.

Last, but certainly not least, the green tea lemongrass has a gentle and light fragrance, the "green tea" bringing a touch of sweet to the scent. The lemongrass was my pick.

Next? Herbs.

Tomika Adding The Herbs

This is where the selection gets interesting. All herbs are grown in CuisinArt's hydroponic garden. They are then dehydrated and ground down for spa treatments. A fresh touch to the Venus Spa experience!

The Blend Bar's herb selection includes mint, rosemary, lavender, sweet marjoram, sage, thyme, lemongrass and basil.

As I pondered the herbs, Catherine explained that each has a different benefit. "Sweet marjoram, for example," Catherine said, "relieves stress and anxiety, and helps with insomnia. Basil, on the other hand, stimulates and tones."

Lavender has long been my favorite scent. Catherine added, "it is known for its calming effect and ability to uplift your mood."

Selecting your herb can get difficult with a plethora of enticing choices. Never worry, though. You can mix different herbs together. The sweet marjoram and lavender were my picks of the day.

Tomika added the sweet marjoram and lavender to the dry, crumbly salt and bath gel mixture. "Will this turn into a bath scrub?" I asked incredulously. Tomika laughed, "Yes! Now we mix!" Take a look at 1:15 in the video below to see Tomika's expert mixing skills.

Mixed and mashed, soon you have a silky smooth scrub...

The Silky-Smooth Scrub

Tomika then pops it into a jar...

Tomika Packaging The Scrub

Note: Venus Spa also has travel-friendly jars. The scrubs and salts make excellent Anguilla souvenirs.

The only thing to do next? Put it to use!

Blend Bar Bliss

The scrub goes on smooth and works deep into your pores, while the gentle fragrance lasts well-after your shower comes to an end. The best part? Non-oily, the scrub washes out without leaving any residue. A luxurious product through and through.

The Blend Bar at Venus Spa

To experience The Blend Bar, call Venus Spa at: (264) 498-2000

More on Venus Spa here.