So I don't have a ton of goals laid out for myself in the new year, but upping my self-care game is definitely on the list. If you're with me (and also happen to be into new age practices and holistic healing, too) then I have a major new spot to put on your 2019 travel radar. Eaton Wellness is a brand new self-care oriented holistic wellness center in Washington, D.C. that's set to open its doors in January 2019 (in other words, just in time for us to make our 2019 self-care goals a reality). Offering everything from crystal healing and astrology readings to infared saunas and yoga, Eaton Wellness will focus on a mind/body/spirit connection through new age, holistic, and indigenous offerings. Oh, and did I mention it's located on the same property as Eaton Hotel — meaning you can book yourself a stay and take advantage of all the mega-healing the center has to offer? It's bound to be a hot destination for anyone into holistic health and wellness, and it offers visitors a totally unique healing experience via its extensive selection of classes and workshops. Can we just say I'm booking my plane ticket to D.C., like, yesterday?
To give you some background, Eaton Wellness is emerging as a branch of the mission-driven company Eaton Workshop, which is focused on combining progressive social change with hospitality. The wellness center is an integral new part of Eaton D.C., which opened in fall 2018 and also includes the aforementioned hotel (the guests of which will also have access to the the wellness center), plus a shared workspace and media center.
And while the wellness center is located on the same property as the hotel, it's decidedly not an amenity exclusive to hotel guests only. The center aims to be a hub for spiritual wellness and alternative therapies open to community members and visitors of D.C., so anyone can take advantage of the center's offerings — locals, travelers, and hotel guests alike. The center offers everything from traditional Eastern-inspired healing modalities to popular new age spiritual practices, and the center is currently working with local Native American community members to incorporate traditional indigenous practices into the center's repertoire as well, as a way to honor the history of the land upon which the center is built.
Bustle spoke with the founder and president of Eaton Workshop, Katherine Lo, whose vision is to reimagine a hotel as a gathering place for changemakers and creatives. "My personal background is in activism and filmmaking, but I've also had a lifelong interest in holistic wellness as well as spiritual seeking," Lo tells Bustle. "My mission is to use the hotel platform as a space for art, social change, and holistic wellness."
The list of immersive experiences, classes, and workshops that jam-pack the center's regular calendar is extraordinarily extensive and wide-ranging. Bustle also spoke with the center's Wellness Director, Corinna Moon Loomis, who spoke to the wide array of healing services. "We really wanted to create a community space that was rich in different modalities and resources for people — not only [for people] in DC, but people who are traveling and staying at Eaton," explains Loomis. "We're looking to ... create a space where people can access healing and wellness on many different levels." And that they do. Looking for movement? They'll offer classes in yoga, tai chi, chi gong, and more. Interested in bodywork? Book a Thai massage or spend some time in their infared saunas. And if you lean toward new age healing, like I do, you can indulge in their crystal healing sessions, monthly sound baths, chakra clearing, or even Tarot and astrology readings. There are also plenty of other alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, reiki, reflexology, and meditation classes — and the center will work with experienced local practitioners and healers, as well as visiting ones who can bring specialized workshops to the space.
Basically, this place is a dreamworld for all my fellow holistic healing and new age junkies — and TBH, anyone who cares about spiritually bettering themselves and the world around them. After all, the center emerged as a response to Lo's belief that in order to heal the world, you must first heal yourself. "I feel this move toward holistic, new age wellness is a key part of today's living," continues Lo. "There are a lot of options in LA and New York, but in DC there really aren't many — so I'm really excited to bring [the wellness center] here and hopefully see it make a big impact on the local DC community." To host the wide array of classes offered, the center features a yoga studio, meditation room, two infared saunas, as well as private treatment rooms.
Because a good part of the company's mission focuses on creating social change, the self-care offerings of the wellness center reflect that. The center's methods are unique in that they're not only designed to be healing for the sake of your own well-being, as most spas and healing centers are. Eaton Wellness aims to help heal your mind, body, and spirit so that you so that you have a greater capacity to give that healing energy back to the world, too. And if that isn't a major mood for 2019, my friends, then I don't know what is.
