The science of meditation is clear: we should all be meditating regularly. But with work, family, and a social life, carving out the time to sit still can feel impossible. However, a new trend among spas and nail salons in the US may offer the solution for the ultra-busy among us by adding guided meditations to their treatments, so customers can walk out feeling as good as their nails look!
The Mindfulness Treatment
The benefits of meditation are truly astounding. Meditation has been shown to help reduce stress, improve the quality of sleep, and increase focus and clarity during the day.
A study by Massachusetts General Hospital has shown that meditation can actually change the structure of your brain by increasing gray matter, and a report by the New York Academy of Sciences has even suggested that meditation might slow the rate of cellular aging! But despite the benefits, many of us feel like we just don’t have the time to meditate.
That’s where this trend comes in. With the hectic pace of modern life, beauty treatments are the only time many people take to focus on themselves. Adding guided meditation allows clients to carve out time they wouldn’t otherwise have to improve their overall wellbeing.
The salons provide headsets and iPod-like devices that play guided meditations while a customer enjoys a manicure. Some salons, like Sundays in New York, have even hired meditation instructors to create custom meditation tracks of various lengths to suit every treatment and client.
As Sundays’ owner Amy Ling Lin told the New York Times, “It dawned on me that I could give [customers] a chance to not only look good but also feel serene through meditation.” The nail-salon setting is a perfect fit, too. “If you move too much, your nails will get messed up so you’re forced to be still.”
A Growing Trend
Meditative manicures are a new phenomenon, with only a select few salons offering the service around the US for either a small additional fee, or free of charge. But given its popularity with customers who’ve tried it, there’s no doubt this trend will continue to grow.
The key to any successful meditation practice is finding a method that works for you. It may not be traditional mediation, but mindful manicures might be the key to bringing meditation to those of us who need it most!
Image Credit: Deanna Alys