Holiday calories and carousing got you feeling not-so-little around your middle? Are you feeling confused and full of cheese? Did you eat your weight in pie? Are you embarrassed to take out your recycling because it’s spilling over with empty wine bottles?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I’ve got you, sister! (And you too, brother…this is for guys, too!) What you need is a gentle refresh. An easy, calming, painless way to renew and recharge from the inside out. What you need, my friend, is a visit to Coronado Cleanse (operating under Coronado Colon Hydrotherapy), our island’s own boutique cleansing spa!
What? We have our own cleansing spa in Coronado? Yes we do! It’s located at 1309 Ynez Place, across from the Post Office. See? Isn’t it cute?
It’s run by this lady, Danni Springer, who has helped hundreds of clients leave her spa more vibrant, fresher and pounds lighter!
So what exactly is a cleansing spa? I’m glad you asked. Danni describes her services as a soft nudge in the right direction to start making healthier life choices. In her cozy, private little oasis (it looks and feels a lot like a quaint space for yoga or meditation…very calming, clean and inviting) she offers detox footbaths, colonics, and other individual treatments catered to each person’s needs.
The footbaths include aromatherapy, massage with essential oils, a hot tea or fresh juice shot, and a detox assessment. Colonics come with abdominal massage, aromatherapy, acupressure points and sound bowl therapy, as well as an assessment on digestive issues, electrolytes and a probiotic for post-treatment. All treatments are designed to detox and cleanse your body in a peaceful, serene setting.
But make no mistake–although it’s gentle, visiting a cleansing spa can be a total game changer for your body, mind and soul. (It was for me!)
Danni suggested I try a detox footbath and a colonic (gulp) to purge toxins from my system. Was I down?
I’m not going to lie. I hesitated for about ten seconds on the colonic…after all, I am a colonic virgin. But my adventurous side got the best of me, and I agreed!
First things first. The detox foot bath. (Don’t worry, I will describe the colonic in detail!)
“If you’re thinking of taking a healthy turn and changing your lifestyle, this is a good place to start,” said Danni. “I know that when people do these footbaths, over time they start to feel better, they sleep better, and they feel like something shifted for them.”
Better sleep? Sold!
I don’t know about you, but after two kids, sleep is the Holy Grail of my existence. I never get enough. Even when my entire family slumbers peacefully, I’ll wake up with a racing mind and a to-do list I’ve written in my dreams that is ten pages long!
Back to the footbath. Danni explained to me that the footbath uses ionized water to pull toxins from my feet.
“The whole ionic foot cleanse is designed based on the electrical charges from our body,” said Danni. “So when you change the structure of the water, it actually creates a magnet effect…the water becomes magnetized and it pulls these electrical particles out of your body. This includes toxins like heavy metals that can really start to affect your health.”
Crazy! Danni ushered me to a small, cozy space in her spa and began to fill up the footbath with warm water. But first, she had me put my feet on this vibrating foot massage machine and she massaged essential oils into my feet. She explained that the vibration gets the blood circulating and really helps to get things moving.
Next, I rolled up my jeans and put my feet in the footbath. The water was nice and warm. (In case you are wondering, I couldn’t feel the ions or electricity or anything.)
“The footbath is totally painless, and it’s very relaxing,” said Danni. “But you are going to see the water in your footbath change into some weird colors.”
I was? Right now it was clear. Danni said she would leave me alone for about 20 minutes or so while the footbath did its thing. I decided to read the helpful brochure on the footbath.
“Every day living in today’s polluted and stressful environment with chemicals in the forms of pesticides, additives and preservatives found in our food, water, and beauty products can burden our body,” the brochure reads. “The body’s excretion pathways…become overwhelmed after long exposure.”
When I looked down again, the water was a little yellow. Hmm. Must be the said-toxins leaving my body.
According to the brochure, these toxins can cause headaches, insomnia, skin problems, acne, wrinkles, depression, anxiety, nausea, weight gain, lowered immunity, and lots more.
“The foot bath sessions will help you feel lighter in your body, have more energy and maintain a greater sense of well being,” the brochure continued.
Now the water was turning brown. Ew!
Then it turned REALLY brown, and it started to bubble up.
It looked like the Bog of Eternal Stench from Labyrinth!
Was it all the wine I drank? Oh no! I need to stop drinking so much wine. Wait…it couldn’t be…oh no…dear God…WAS IT THE BACON?
I had a deep moment of self-reflection. You see, I come from a place of “yes.” Yes, I will work out every single day, and will go to yoga and Pilates and bar class and run and dance, yes I will meditate, yes I juice every morning and take vitamins. And…also…yes I will drink bottles of wine with you. Yes I will eat some BBQ and a fried sushi roll and pounds of cheese and giant burritos with hot sauce. Maybe….just maybe I needed to clean up my act a bit and start eating cleaner? (And possibly reducing wine intake?)
Danni came in a few minutes later to check on my progress.
“Oh,” she said, and smiled sweetly as she gazed down at the gurgling bath of stench. “It looks like its definitely working and pulling the toxins out of your body.”
I panicked. “I eat a lot of bacon,” I blurted out. “And wine. I love wine. I drink wine every day!”
Danni was unfazed. “Well, looking at the color, it looks like your liver might be a little over-burdened.”
She explained that the color of the water often determines what kind of toxins are being pulled from your body. If the water is dark green, you’re detoxifying from your gallbladder. If it’s orange its your joints. If you have white foam, you are detoxing from your lymphatic system. Yellow green means kidneys, bladder. Some people have actually have black flecks in the water, which can mean heavy metals. Brown means detoxing from liver (duh) and also tobacco. (I don’t smoke so I’m thinking that’s all liver.)
Fascinating! Danni dried off my feet and ended with another foot massage, and gave me a ginger juice shot (delicious) and it was time for me to be on my way.
I practically skipped to my car. I felt great!
I had originally planned to grab a chai tea latte from Café Madrid, run some errands, then treat myself to a sushi roll and a glass of wine.
But wait…I just detoxed a bunch of junk out of my body. Why would I re-toxify it with caffeine, sugar, wine and sushi rice?
And besides. I felt really good! I felt lighter and cleaner and happier. I didn’t even want my coffee or my wine. I opted instead to skip the coffee, and at lunch I ordered a seaweed salad, miso soup and cucumber water. I felt fabulous!
After school pickup that day, both of my kids (miraculously) behaved and did their homework without a fuss. I didn’t even need to pour myself a glass of homework wine. In fact, my entire household flowed in perfect harmony. I even slept great. Random, right?
Next…it was time for my colonic. I’m not going to lie. I was a little nervous. But Danni spent a lot of time at my previous appointment telling me what to expect.
So what exactly is a colonic?
According to Danni (who is an I-ACT certified colon hydrotherapist, by the way)a colonic is a gentle yet effective way to hydrate your body, remove excess toxins, and rejuvenate your system. It basically rids the colon of waste and toxins by releasing layers of colon build-up.
“No one ever regrets getting a colonic” says Danni. “Most people find it really relaxing, and the way I do it is very gentle. The goal afterwards is, ‘wow, I got all of that stuff out of me,’ and that’s pretty cool.”
So what exactly is all that “yuck” that will come out of my colon?
“It’s mostly waste,” said Danni. “But also mucus. Our body starts to create mucus as a defense. When we start to eat or drink things that become toxic in our systems, our body starts protecting itself by creating a mucus. This can be reflected in mucus coming out of your skin, having bad skin problems, and some people even develop parasites.”
Ew! Danni explained that lots of dairy and sugar and animal products can lead to this build up of mucus.
“Overall, it can create problems where your brain gets foggy and you just can’t sleep, and your body isn’t functioning properly.”
If that’s not reason enough to get a colonic, check this out…
According to Danni, “What feels great is afterwards. Some people lose up to six pounds in one session. That’s a lot of stuff that’s been in there for years. A lot of plaque and mucus and stuff that is stuck to the walls.”
So getting a colonic was starting to sound like a really good idea!
But wait. Technically speaking, a colonic is described as a therapy that involves a slow infusion of triple-filtered water into the rectum.
We’re talking back-door entry, people! I was feeling a little panicky about this, because this is traditionally an “exit only” situation for me. Would it hurt?
“The tube is very small,” explained Danni, “and although the insertion process isn’t a walk in the park, most people don’t find it to be painful.”
Okay. I think was ready. Any last words of advice?
“Try to eat plant based foods for a few days before you come in, and show up with an open mind and a sense of adventure.”
Plant-based foods. Open mind. Sense of adventure. Yes, I could do this! I was ready!
On the day of my appointment, Danni showed me to the private little bathroom and asked me to disrobe from the waste down and put on a little bathrobe. (I also made sure to weigh myself before I went into the room.)
The table was heated and cozy, some mellow spa music was playing and a chill nature video was showing on a flat screen. I laid down on the table and she had me turn to the side to insert the tube. There was no turning back now! It was happening!
Did the insertion process hurt? I can’t say I liked it, but it wasn’t painful or terrible. And once it was in, it was in.
“The colonic is very gentle,” said Danni. “The minute you start to feel anything uncomfortable, we adjust things like water temperature. Or the flow, or the pressure, it can all be catered to your comfort level.”
I felt a little warmth and water going up my colon, and it felt different but not crazy. She explained to me that she uses a “closed system” so you are not going to smell anything funky. But you will see the waste going through the tube through the machine on the wall. I wasn’t planning on looking at this, but I did.
“The worst thing you might feel is a little cramping, like you have to go,” explained Danni. She would do a “fill” where the water would flush up into my body, then a “release” where the water and yuck would go back down through the tube.
I didn’t feel any pain, but a couple of times I felt cramping, which cued Danni to trigger the “release.”
“Do you see any worms or parasites?” I asked. That would be terrible. She didn’t, but she says she has before, with other clients, several times.
What would also be terrible is, what if the tube became dislodged and it sprayed out all over the room! Could this happen?
“No,” said Danni. “I’ve done like 2,000 of these colonics, and not once has anything ever gone wrong.”
The entire process took about 30 or 40 minutes, and then I was done and off the table.
“Most people need two treatments,” she said. “But sometimes people get everything out in one session and they are good to go.”
I went into the bathroom area to get dressed, and went to the bathroom, and yes, a lot more came out! I couldn’t wait to weigh myself.
I hopped on the scale and I was three pounds lighter. Score!
How was I feeling? I felt…good. A little tired. Danni gave me a probiotic to take, and another ginger shot, and advised me to make really healthy eating choices for the next few days. “Lots of plants,” she said.
So no wine and bacon. Okay.
The colonic was a really interesting experience. For the next few days, I FELT everything I was eating. Big time. When I drank a green juice, I felt fantastic. When I ate a salad, super! But when I munched on some cheese or drank a glass of wine, I felt terrible.
It made me realize how much of what I eat really affects my body. I think I had grown so numb to it over the years that I couldn’t really tell. So I really had to make the conscious choice to eat well. For the most part, I did!
Would I recommend visiting Coronado Cleanse and getting these treatments? Absolutely, 1000%! If you are looking to make a healthy life change, this is the perfect place to start. (I signed up for a second colonic, in case you are wondering!)
It was a major eye-opener to see with my own eyes just how many toxins were burdening my body. It was very powerful to witness these toxins leave my system, and it made me want to do a better job of controlling what I expose my body to.
After all, I have almost total control about what I put into my body. No one decides that but me. I can work out every day to stay strong for my family and my little girls, but what am I putting inside?
So have I made any changes? Yes! As of now, I’m committed to cooking from my vegetarian cookbook at least a few nights a week (it’s called Forest Feast and I am OBSESSED people). I’m not going vegan or anything, but I’m trying to be mindful of my cheese intake. I’m not buying any more bacon. I’m drinking more kombucha and detox tea and treating myself to seaweed salad and miso soup instead of a fried sushi roll.
And…this is the big one…I’m not drinking any wine for the month of January! What? (For those of you who know me, this is MAJOR.) And since I put it out there on social media, it has to happen.
So yes, all of these services are amazing and I highly recommend a visit to Coronado Cleanse. But the biggest thing this experience has taught me? Mindfulness and awareness of what I am putting inside my body and how it is affecting my overall wellness. And that’s something that lasts much longer than the treatments. It’s a total game changer!
To learn more about Coronado Cleanse, call 619-806-4445, or visit the website.
(With services starting at $65 and military discounts, there is an affordable option for everyone.)
