the spa-goer Perspective
With those questions in mind, i set out to experience a
cBD massage for myself at The Spa at Griffin Gate inside
Lexington, Kentucky’s marriott Griffin Gate hotel.
Kentucky does more than produce bourbon and
thoroughbred horses: it also has more total acreage of
hemp growth than any u.S. state, making it an
excellent place to take cBD for a test-drive.
first, i wanted to learn more about
the scientific case for cBD, so i
turned to iSPa’s medical
advisor, Dr. Brent Bauer of
the mayo clinic. While cBD
has been fDa-approved to
treat epilepsy, the lack of
studies on its efficacy at
relieving pain “is the big
challenge right now,”
says Dr. Bauer. “We have
pre-clinical data
suggesting that cBD could
be helpful for a lot of
things—including pain and
inflammation,” Dr. Bauer says, adding that “we have a
lot of anecdotal evidence from people who have found
benefit.” furthermore, he noted that cBD works
through multiple chemical pathways, which makes it
difficult to study.
The preliminary data and anecdotal evidence was
promising, but i still had one burning question left to
ask once i arrived at the spa for my
treatment—the question that most
guests ask, according to the
massage therapist: “will this
show up on a drug test?”
The answer, of course,
“With that
settled, I had only
one question left—the
question, the massage
therapist assured me,
was the one that most
guests ask: ‘will this
show up on a
drug test?’”
was no; the therapist was
game to answer every
other question i asked,
too. She described how
the massage oil was
formulated and what
i could do to maximize
its effectiveness. The
product was from a local
Kentucky manufacturer,
Bluegrass hemp oil, who
grows and harvests the hemp
itself. it was clear that The Spa at
Griffin Gate had committed to educating
its therapists, which is particularly important for
a product that arouses as many questions as cBD. at
the conclusion of the massage, the therapist had me
swish the cBD oil around in my mouth—she said that
this helped increase the product’s absorption.
insights from a spa director
and cBd supplier
as a spa-goer, i had a lot of questions going into the
process. as a spa director, it’s up to you to prepare your
staff to answer them. after my first cBD massage, i
spoke with melinda Dye, who is currently overseeing the
Spa at Griffin Gate, who confirmed that they went to
great lengths to educate their team. adriane Polyniak,
founder of Bluegrass hemp oil, elaborated: “We did a
the spa at griffin gate places Bluegrass hemp oil's products both on the
counter and on a table in the middle of its retail space to ensure that
every guest sees them.
jUnE
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