“Our daily lives
are so busy…
meditation
allows us to look
inward and
connect to some-
thing greater and
deeper than the
individual self.”
– BARBARA STIREWALT, General
Manager, Mohonk Mountain House
Peruse Mattel’s website and you’ll dis-
cover that “Breathe With Me Barbie”
features five guided meditations be-
cause, of course, “one of [Barbie’s] favor-
ite ways to recharge” is “mindfulness
meditation.” The doll also features “in-
spirational loungewear,” a variety of
“cloud emojis” and accompanying
sound effects. As part of the Wellness
Collection, you can also purchase a
bath-bomb-loving “Barbie Fizzy Bath
Doll” and “Barbie Face Mask Spa Day
Playset,” should you choose to do so.
It’s easy to be cynical and view this
as a “jump the shark” moment for med-
itation and mindfulness. Yet, while the
commercialization of meditation is
troubling on some level, the newest on-
trend Barbie just serves as proof posi-
tive that meditation—once viewed by
Western mainstream culture as the
province of 1960s Hare Krishna
hippies—has firmly planted itself in the
mainstream as the spiritually and emo-
tionally necessary practice it is.
Spa has been central to the rise of
meditation over the past several dec-
ades; now, with more and more con-
sumers clamoring for meditation and
mindfulness practices, it is imperative
that spa directors think seriously about
the how, why and what of including
meditation as part of a spa’s services.
Doing so will help your spa step into the
2020s as a trendsetting leader for your
community of spa-goers, boost your
MAY 2020
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PULSE
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