By Bernard Burt

Like a classic Japanese painting or haiku poem, hawks whirl in the thermal air above the gardens of Osmosis. Only Osmosis is in California wine country, and I’m sweating in an enzyme bath made of wood chips.

The spirit of Tao energizes my wooden bath suite. An earthy aroma fills the room as I slip into a shallow mound of cedar chips. The attendant rakes more atop me, and quietly leaves while I meditate.

Shoji screens slide open, revealing a Way garden. Heat envelops me as rice bran and enzymes ferment with the wood chips and my body heat.

Activated by over 600 active enzymes imported from Japan, this natural sweat removes toxins.

Buried up to my neck in warm mulch, steam slowly rising above my toes, there was nothing to do but relax. The attendant then applies a cool cloth to my brow, and herbal tea is served. After about 20 minutes, I emerge covered with bits of the bath. Showering, I don a cotton robe, and head for a massage pavilion in the gardens.

Simply being here is restorative, sans-sui according to a Zen priest.

Stepping mindfully beside a pond filled with colorful koi fish, you sense a connection with rock, pebble, grass, earth, water, tree and sky.

Founded in 1985 by Michael Stusser, who studied horticulture in Japan (where he first experienced the enzyme bath) Osmosis a unique spa experience in the U.S. When I first visited Osmosis in the 1990s, the bath and massage were basic. Housed in a former railroad station, the day spa had old boxcars for offices.

Osmosis still features the original Japanese-style cedar chip enzyme bath, plus facials with herbal and floral creams. Doctor of Oriental Medicine Bill Prange introduces oral enzymes to support digestive healing. Internal cleansing comes with the three-week program developed by nutrition and culinary expert Dr. Edward Bauman, the founder of Bauman College (www.baumancollege.org). There are weekly gatherings at Osmosis, or by teleconference from your home.

Expanded in 2006, Osmosis has gone green. The spa’s refinished interiors feature recycled driftwood from the nearby Pacific coastline, organic textiles, clay and plant-based non-toxic paints, as well as eco-friendly skincare products and fair trade gifts.

Getting here is part of the experience. Located about 90 miles from San Francisco, in Sonoma County, Osmosis is near Santa Rosa. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, you drive through Sonoma vineyards and groves of reddish-bark Madrona trees along the Russian River. The bohemian highway leads to blink-and-miss-it Freestone and the laid-back town of Occidental.

Several inns offer packages with a visit to Osmosis. Staying at an upscale B&B called Inn at Occidental, I ambled down the main street shops and galleries, nary a Starbucks in sight. Or you can go full-service at a historic hot springs spa, the lovely Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. Visit Sonoma County’s tourism website for a regional guide to hotels, beach resorts, river rafting, and organic orchards. Be sure to reserve your bath appointment through the Osmosis website, which also has links to inns and attractions.

For more information call (707) 823-8231 or visit www.osmosis.com

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