Books for your zen den
The ideal home spa is an antidote to our fast-paced lifestyle, a sanctuary from the freneticism flitting just outside our door. In this refuge, people still actually put down their BlackBerrys, turn off their cellphones and indulge in that increasingly rare pastime—reading.
 |
100 Best Spas of the World, Third Editionby Bernard Burt and Pamela Joy Price(Globe Pequot) Kick-start dreams of the ideal spa vacation with this colorful guide to the best retreats on six continents, all grouped in a dozen themed categories (romance, urban, thalassotherapy, girlfriend getaways, weight management, etc.). From the Banyan Tree Phuket, Laguna Resort, Thailand to the famed Mandarin Oriental spas in London and Miami, it’s a journey well worth taking, even if only vicariously. |
 |
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skillby Matthieu Ricard(Little, Brown) Meditation works. So says this French Buddhist scholar with a background in cellular genetics. And what’s the chief reward for those who clock years on the cushion? An enduring relationship with the one emotion most of us prize above all. Mixing neuroscience with Eastern philosophy, Ricard’s happy talk grounds spirit in scientific method. |
 |
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesiaby Elizabeth Gilbert(Viking) Following an early midlife meltdown at age 34, this award-winning American journalist and author set out in search of life’s richer spiritual meaning. She finds sensual delight in Italy, stillness on an ashram and romantic healing in Bali. Her memoir is intelligent, funny and profound in equal measure. |
 |
Suite Françaiseby Irène Némirovsky(Knopf) The author, a Russian émigré living in Paris under Nazi occupation, sadly didn’t survive the war. Yet her writerly poise in the face of the unthinkable has made her previously unpublished novel a cause célèbre. Filled with pathos, humor and masterful prose, Suite Française proves that light can shine amid the darkest shadows. |
Musical therapy
Traditionally, music associated with spas runs the wire-thin gamut from Enya to Zamfir to the occasional cringing intrusion of Michael Bolton. But soothing doesn’t have to be soulless. The fact is, it’s your home and you get to be the DJ. Here are some suggestions for your playlist.more
Print
