Alchemy arts center

Urban Oasis: Santa Barbara’s Haven for Wellness Alchemy

Urban Oasis: Santa Barbara’s Haven for Wellness Alchemy

Alchemy arts center

By Aimee Millwood

Perched above the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by the Santa Ynez mountains, and blessed with approximately 300 days of sunshine a year, it’s easy to see why Santa Barbara has long been one of California’s top destinations for those seeking rejuvenation. Among the many yoga studios and wellness centers in the health-conscious city, Alchemy Arts Center’s holistic approach to wellness sets it apart from the rest. Rooted in a belief that healing begins from within, Alchemy Arts Center serves up wholesome, organic food, a range of therapeutic treatments, and nourishing spa treatments to restore total vitality to body and mind.

“There’s no other place in Santa Barbara quite like Alchemy,” says Wendy Abram, a yoga instructor in Santa Barbara and employee at Alchemy Arts Center. “There’s many other places that offer health treatments, but only Alchemy is fully inclusive.”

Hippocrates famously said, “Let food be thy medicine.” If food is the source of healing, Alchemy Arts Center knows how to cure. Many visit for treatments, but stay for the food. The Alchemy Arts Center Café’s gourmet dishes accommodate a variety of dietary preferences – including raw and vegan. The Farmer’s Market certified café sources all local ingredients and adjusts its menu seasonally to reflect its reliance on fresh foods. Nutritionists integrate a range of nutritional wisdoms, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Western Herbalism, to create balanced, healthful, and delicious menu items.

“Alchemy offers everything – from a juice cleanser program for detoxers to raw chocolate pies to stave off sweet cravings,” Wendy says. “Customers can rest assured that anything they order on our menu is made with the freshest and most nourishing ingredients. We even have a buckwheat pancake in our detox cleanse because it’s that wholesome.”

In addition to healing through food, within the walls of Alchemy Arts, regular yoga, meditation, and Pilates classes are held in the two on-site studios. Alchemy Arts Center offers lifestyle and nutritional coaching and healing treatments including acupuncture, Reiki, and shiatsu blending ancient Eastern and modern Western wisdom. The inspiration for Alchemy Arts Center came after founder Emma Narachi stayed in a similar center in Thailand. She created her own urban retreat in the heart of her hometown, in Santa Barbara’s downtown district. As visitors step inside from the buzzing traffic, they are instantly transported into a world of serenity, greeted by the scent of incense wafting through the spacious, high-ceilinged rooms and welcomed with the chance for respite, tranquility, and wholesome energy for a few hours.

 

aimee milwood 150x150 Farm to People: A New Online Market Bringing Artisan Products to Your Doorstep  ABOUT THE WRITER

Aimee Millwood is a writer with wanderlust who currently lives in Hanoi, Vietnam. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she received her BA in Literature with an emphasis in creative writing. She believes everyone has a story to tell and is interested in the use of personal narrative to give voice to people whose stories are not always heard. She credits growing up in both Hawaii and Georgia with her constant desire to explore the concept of home and how places shape who we become. Although she has spent the past two years traveling in South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, she believes a physical trip is not the only means of travel – at times, just the wind on your face during a long drive or the scent of a campfire can rejuvenate the soul. You can check out more of her work on her blog,www.stopdroptravel.com.

 

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