Extra relaxation achieved with CBD massage

I’ve had many massages through the years. But never before have I achieved the state of relaxation that hovers between bliss and snoring out loud. It happened recently at Habitude, a high-end salon and spa in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Habitude launched its SpaCanna list of services in 2018 … on 4/20, naturally, and the treatments were an instant hit, said owner Inez Gray. “It is really, really popular,” she said. “The clients love it and the massage team really feels like it is helping them.” Prior to introducing enhanced body massages, Gray and her team researched CBD lotions and oils on the market and decided to go with Apothecanna out of Colorado, one of the product pioneers that promise to provide pain relief and stress reduction. Like other CBD products, these do not contain THC, a compound that induces the high often associated with cannabis. Currently, there are not many scientific studies to back up the pain relief claims. Last year, however, the FDA approved CBD to treat a rare form of childhood epilepsy, and indicated more research is underway. From a purely anecdotal point of view, I was mighty impressed, and I’m not easily wowed. In fact, I arrived to my afternoon appointment carrying a healthy dose of skepticism and a mild case of stress after struggling to find street parking. Plus, there was a construction crew digging up the street outside. “Oh boy,” I thought, “I bet I’m going to hear the beep, beep, beep of that heavy equipment while I’m trying to chill out, CBD style.” After walking through the front door of the Aveda salon and spa, that concern melted away as the calming Ayurvedic scents washed over me. Ahhhh, that’s better. After I checked in and robed up, my massage therapist Sheila led me to a peaceful room where we sat as she explained the lineup of Apothecanna products. Sheila has been a massage therapist for 17 years, and has never before seen the kind of results that come from CBD-infused products. “It’s really amazing,” she said. Yes, I’ll be the judge of that. After climbing onto the table, lying face down, Sheila came back in, dimmed the lights and turned up soothing background music. Soon after she began kneading my shoulders, she picked up on my go-to issue. “Do you spend a lot of time working on a keyboard? You’re pretty tight.” Yes, well, I’ve only been at the writing game since 1980, an up-and-down journey that included cross-country moves, layoffs, downsizing, paying off student loans, selling a house, and traveling 20,000 miles in a RV. No big deal, yeah, life can be a mighty big stress bomb. After working my back and legs, Sheila darned near put me to sleep with the most comprehensive foot reflexology treatment I’ve ever received. “Was I snoring?” I asked. “I didn’t hear a thing,” she replied diplomatically. Doesn’t matter if I nodded off, this 60-minute massage was dreamy. But the real payoff came later, as I crawled into bed on a warm summer night. While it was still light out, I was lights out, and didn’t wake up until morning. Can’t remember the last time I slept all the way through the night. Truly amazing.