Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on November 24, 2011 0 Comments
Happy Thanksgiving, darlings!
I love this time of year:
the cooler air;
the amazing colors;
the ridiculous amounts of pie and turkey.
But I also love this time of year because it allows for reflection on why I am thankful.
I am very deeply thankful for you, our loyal customers.
Thank you for believing in us and what we do.
Thank you for supporting us and our products.
Thank you for your encouragement and feedback and moral support.
And with thankful hearts, we at B&SR now celebrate our
(Do you remember how we did it last year?)
Your choice of any three soaks for $33.
Hopefully, it will make you feel thankful that you can do some shopping in your jammies.
Peace to you,
Barbara Lynn
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Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on March 21, 2011 0 Comments
Did you hear that winter’s over?
The basil and the carnations cannot control their laughter. ~ Rumi
Spring is a time of change in NYC.
On Friday it was 70 degrees and sunny. Today it is raining with a high of 40. Sunny and warmer again tomorrow. By Wednesday, the forecast calls for snow. But despite it all, the tulip buds continue to blossom and the two mourning doves that make their home near my apartment each spring continue their frequent visits to my window.
It just so happens that I am going through some climate changes of my own. In my personal life. In my business. (More on that to come in future posts.) Most of it is very exciting. A lot of it is very scary. All of it is resulting in violent fluctuations in my emotions--excited, scared, joyful, sad, angry--that seem all too often to reflect the change in the weather outside.
Last Friday, despite the sun and warmth, my inner person was one big storm. I felt the anxiety of the coming life changes stomping all over whatever tulips may have been blooming in my heart. So I took advantage of my afternoon off to check out a spa/salon in midtown. (As many of you know, I sometimes check out other wellness centers, spas, salons, etc., to see what kind of wonderful things other practitioners bring to the table.)
The salon and the staff were fantastic and just being with people who so obviously cared about what they do made me feel better. But the highlight of my visit came when I used the restroom. Because that's where I saw this:
It may seem absurd, but the silliness of this image made my life fall into perspective once again.
Although the answers to my pending questions about life and work haven't yet presented themselves, I'm open to what change may come. I desire growth and the laughter of the basil and that carnations. And that, for now, is enough.
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Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on February 13, 2011 4 Comments
I received a message this morning from an old friend who had an amazing experience last night: He went to his local drive-through restaurant and ordered a milkshake. When he pulled out his debit card to pay, the cashier said, "That's ok, the guy ahead of you paid for your order, too!"
Isn't that awesome?
It reminded me that tomorrow is Valentine's Day and it's all about the Love. And it got me thinking about St. Valentine. You say you don't know much about Valentine? Well, let my inner geek enlighten your inner geek:
According to The Nuremberg Chronicle and The Legenda Aurea (thank you, Wikipedia), Valentine was a Roman priest caught performing marriages between Christian couples during the reign of Claudius II. Claudius was an emperor known for his terrific attempts to torture and exterminate Christians. When put on trial for his life, Valentine refused to deny his faith and in doing so was sentenced to death. The night before his beheading, in a miraculous act of mercy, Valentine restored sight and hearing to the jailer's daughter.
Valentine's true identity remains a bit of a mystery: The documentation surrounding these acts of faith have not been historically verified and may in reality be attributed to one of several men named Valentine. (The religious holiday was actually deleted from the Roman Catholic calendar back in the 1960s for these very reasons.) Regardless, I think about his story and I am struck with humble admiration by his courage. What's even more intriguing to me is that when faced with inevitable death, Valentine still went on to bless those who cursed him by healing the jailer's daughter.
Maybe Valentine's martyrdom was fabricated. But we know all too well that such atrocities have occurred. That they still occur. Have you read the paper lately? But we also know that tremendous acts of mercy have occurred. That they, too, still occur - they just don't appear in the headlines. And that is what makes Valentine's story so moving for me: Humans are capable of showing great courage. Humans are capable of dispensing great mercy. They have done so in the past. They do so now. Very often, without public praise or fanfare.
I suspect that any of you reading this is blessed enough to be living in a place where you don't have to worry about showing great courage in the day-to-day. Martyrdom may not be in your immediate future. So how does Valentine's story translate for you?
I suspect it translates into the little things.
Like having the courage to tell someone you love him.
Or the courage to say "no" when your boss asks you to do something unethical.
Or the courage to talk to your loved ones about something difficult.
By being merciful to someone who needs a seat on the subway.
By texting a message to a friend who is going through a difficult time.
Or helping your neighbor shovel out the driveway.
Or making dinner for your elderly grandmother.
Or playing Chutes n Ladders with your children.
Or by buying a milkshake for a stranger at the Chik-fil-A.
However that translates for you, I would encourage you to be mindful of Valentine this year. Use your time and resources as a way of honorably remembering his story. Use your time and resources as a way of honoring all those people out there who still need to show great courage and dispense great mercy. Share the Love.
Happy Valentine's Day
Barbara Lynn
Image above: Saint Valentine of Terni oversees the construction of his basilica at Terni, from a 14th century French manuscript
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Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on February 07, 2011 0 Comments
Valentine's Day is a week away, you guys.
I know. I KNOW. I'm groaning too...
It's too much pressure.
I mean, maybe you're seeing a fine lady or fella right now. It's great. You really like 'em. But man, you aren't ready for a ring or anything.
Or maybe you've already taken the big plunge. You've been together for a while. But the same ol' Hallmark song and dance just isn't going to cut it this year. You need to up the ante.
It's OK. I get it. Really.
So at the risk of being shamelessly self-promoting, I'm going to make this Valentine's Day a lot less stressful for you by suggesting the following gift ideas...
* Gift certificates for facials or massage that can be done in my treatment room or at home
* Gift baskets with small batch bath soaks (made by moi), gourmet locally-made chocolates or the full at-home-spa-shebang. (Your choice can be shipped nationally by the USPS or delivered within the 5 boroughs by us.)
Interested?
You can order online or email or call (646) 770-3631.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Barbara Lynn
PS - If you order online, the gift baskets are on sale...because I love you, man.
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Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on January 22, 2011 0 Comments
January all too often feels like an emotional desert.
The holiday festivities have ended. Spring is at least eight weeks away. The days are short and our desire to stay in a warm, comfortable bed can easily be at odds with the daily ring of the alarm clock.
Here in New York City, it's cold. The streets are covered in ice and snow and salt. Most of us spend our days climbing over drifts and running out of biting temperatures into the nearest warm sanctuary where the heat is blasting though clanking, old pipes.
Traversing those drifts and alternately breathing cold air and dry heat can make us feel achy. Tired. And it can give us extraordinarily dry and itchy skin.
Let us offer you some relief: Parched is the perfect antidote for that winter sandpaper skin and those tired, achy bones. Dead Sea salt soothes muscles. Colloidal oatmeal and German chamomile calms redness and irritation. Palmarosa oil hydrates and promotes healthy skin function. Lavender soothes the senses and brings about a sense of well-being. (And it's antibacterial to boot!)
We recently sent some samples of Parched to plus.lily.makes.three, the online creation of New York mom and blogger, Maria Colaco. Maria is a professional dancer and choreographer with her own modern dance company, Maria Colaco Dance. If there's anyone who knows about fighting winter stress, it's Maria. She summarized her experience as follows:
The salts really do get rid of all that nasty dry dull skin and when
you wash it off and soak, you are left with a nice soft glow.
You can read her full review here.
Thank you, Maria, for reminding us that fifteen minutes can take you from desert to oasis.
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Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on November 26, 2010 0 Comments
Body & Soul Restorations is going to rescue you from the madness of Black Friday.
You can now purchase three of our rejuvenating bath soaks for $30. (Regular cost: $38)
Our soaks make great holiday gifts for anyone on your list who needs a little R&R:
* Teachers & bus drivers
* Babysitters & nannies
* Hosts & hostesses
* Mommy friends & play group pals
The {Cyber} Soak Sale runs now through midnight, Friday, December 3.
Don't miss your chance to take a soak - for less!
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Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on November 20, 2010 1 Comment
We are counting our blessings at B&SR...
1. We give thanks for our dedicated, supportive followers (that's you...).
2. We give thanks for being able to create what we love.
3. We give thanks for the healing powers of nature.
4. We give thanks for time with family, friends and all the festivities at this time of year.
5. AND - we give thanks for our FIRST ONLINE REVIEW!
Karley Ziegler Mott is the force behind Chic & Green, a daily blog featuring beauty, style and all things lovely. The blog is inspired by Karley's passion for independent businesses and handmade artisans, and sustained by the knowledge Karley gained from years in the beauty industry and as a practicing Reiki Master/Teacher and Certified Aromatherapist. And (as if that weren't enough) Karley recently launched Loubird Handmade, a line of vintage-inspired handmade jewelry.
We give thanks for people like Karley who use their talents and know-how to make the rest of us a little bit smarter and a lot more chic.
Happy Thanksgiving from Body & Soul Restorations. May you have many blessings to count.
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Posted by Barbara Lynn Cantone on October 31, 2010 1 Comment
Body & Soul Restorations introduces therapeutic bath soaks for home care. 
Feeling cranky? Under the weather? Dry & irritated?
Take a soak!
Using water in the treatment of disease (balneotherapy) is an ancient tradition that has taken many forms over the centuries: Hippocrates, Greek physician and father of modern medicine, used saline baths to help his patients suffering from muscle aches and arthritis. Cleopatra took regular soaks in the Dead Sea to keep her skin healthy. The Romans used essential oils, pumice and seashells to treat skin disorders and promote muscular fitness. In 19th-century Austria, Vincent Priessnitz added cold water baths to a routine of fitness and nutrition to cure himself and many others of wounds and infection. The German priest Sebastian Kneipp then expanded upon Preissnitz's technique by adding herbs to the waters. Building on the wisdom of the ages, Body & Soul Restorations proudly introduces a line of therapeutic bath soaks.
Water is a liquid solvent. When we immerse ourselves in a bath, any solution dissolved within the water is absorbed by the skin and transmitted through the bloodstream within 2-15 minutes. This is why the addition of minerals, essential oils and herbs in a bathing environment is so effective in treating stress and disease.
Additionally, bathing reduces stress, allowing for the relaxation of muscles and an increase in metabolism. When stress is reduced, our body is better equipped to fight disease and dysfunction. We sleep better. We move better. We FEEL better.
Experience relief with your own personal water therapy.
Welcome to Body & Soul Restorations at Home.
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