Outings: Taos
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| El Monte Sagrado's candle-lit Spa Room A is a secluded, sensory experience and the setting for massages and body treatments. |
Sage & Salts
Arriving at my Native American–themed suite at El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa in Taos, 70 miles north of Santa Fe off N.M. 68, I’m captivated by the concrete floors glimmering with mica, the tan plaster walls, the beaded bow and arrow mounted above the couch of chocolate leather, the sunken bathtub, and the balcony overlooking towering pines and aspens, and a waterfall of recycled wastewater. But near dusk, my back is aching as I stride down to the Living Spa for their Signature High Desert Body Treatment.
As I change into a robe in the locker room, I notice the antler chandelier and the innovative sink—it’s square. In the solarium, there’s lemon water to sip amid jade plants, flickering candles, fountains, and recessed water pathways set into the concrete flooring. Massage therapist Jamie ushers me into Spa Room A, an elegant tower that sweeps up three stories high with an elaborately downward-spiraling lamp fixture and a kiva fireplace.
Jamie slathers my body with Zuni salt scrub, mixed with sage oil infused with lavender—great for the circulation. All of the products used in this treatment are made by Desertblends of Taos from wild-crafted, indigenous plants. The flute-filled music is calming, and through skylights the sky darkens from sapphire blue to navy. I duck into a private shower, then return for a mud wrap. “Good for detoxifying and replenishing the body’s minerals,” Jamie tells me as she smears it on, before wrapping me in a Mylar blanket. The revitalizing mud mixture includes fragrant local sage, lavender, orange, and rosemary. Another shower, then a gentle massage with more sage oil—the herb is known for its cleansing and healing properties.
Walking back to my room through the trees in my hoodie and sweatpants, I feel like a night spirit who belongs here—grounded, serene, more connected to Taos itself. And, oh yeah—free of back pain.
Treatment, $180; 317 Kit Carson Rd., (575) 758-3502, www.elmontesagrado.com—Wolf Schneider
