Skintillating
BY BETH
NICEWONGER
MAKES SCENTS
In the pre-apocalyptic rush, those who like to be prepared
are stocking up on bottled water, candles and cigarettes.
Kill two birds with one stone and give an
Aromatherapy
of Rome three-wick candle ($38, New Renaissance Book
Store, 1338 NW 23rd Ave., 224-4929) to the mildly manic
doomsayer. The collection includes many fragrances such
as Rejuvenating Blend, Sensual and Meditation. If the lights
do go out, keepers of this flame will be left in only partial
darkness and the relaxing aromas will also help settle New
Year's nerves.
MOTHER NATURE'S BABY
If you know someone expecting
a millennium babe, the Erbaviva Baby Gift Basket (Joie
de Vie, 715 SW Morrison St., Suite 905, 224-8636) can
double as both Christmas and baby shower gift. The basket
contains baby massage oil, organic baby soap in both bar
and bag form, a natural sponge, natural-bristle brush
and a wooden soap dish. The products are exceptionally
mild for an infant's tender skin, created with the purest
natural ingredients. The basket itself comes in two versions:
one that's handmade in Burma ($95), and its manufactured
counterpart for $65. Both come complete with a teddy bear
and copy of the golden favorite Goodnight Moon.
MAKING SHOPPING AN ART
You have to be careful with
this one. Gift gym memberships delight those who truly
want to work out but can offend sensitive types who perceive
such presents to be a jab at their looks. It's also fair
to point out that while unbeatably convenient, 24-Hour
Fitness isn't for everyone. If you'd sooner wear a one-piece
romper than anything made with Spandex, this might not
be the place for you. The 24-Hour Fitness Gift Card
(any dollar denomination, 24 Hour Fitness, 1202 NW Irving
St., 222-1210), available starting Dec. 1, is a pretty
safe bet, though. It can be used by members and non-members
alike toward membership fees or to purchase apparel or
accouterments from the shop. Men's and women's workout
ensembles range from about $45 to $90, and supplements
start at $19.95 for a multivitamin, increasing to $52.85
for the Fight the Winter Flu Season Package, and so on.
LIGHTEN UP
So, another soggy, dim season is upon
us. Do you run away or sign up at the SunTan Hut? Why
not just play Mother Nature and give the immeasurable
present of sunshine? Discovery Bay Lighting's Horizon
($455, Choice Medical Supplies, 2202 E Burnside St.,
233-2201) simulates the sun in an evenly distributed glow
of brilliant white light and is ideal for aiding the symptoms
of depression, fatigue, insomnia, jet lag and Seasonal
Affective Disorder. The Horizon light box has a giant
leg up on a full-spectrum light bulb. It produces a broad
band of bright light that washes over you like an afternoon
nap but without the intense heat or blinding point source
usually associated with close-range lighting. Its wide
spectrum provides natural color rendering in all visible
frequencies. Although there is still relatively little
known about the actual mechanics of light therapy, this
wiz claims to suppress melatonin production and stimulate
certain hormones and is backed by consumer testimonials.
The footstool-sized light is finished in an attractive
hardwood case. Just plug it in the corner of a room, never
leave the house and you'll be set till July.
BASIC BUCKWHEAT
To some, Buckwheat is little more
than a memory of some Little Rascal with an odd name.
To others, it's the difference between average and exceptional
hotcakes. To others still, it's a fine ingredient for
restful sleep. Taking a tip from Asia, where buckwheat
has long been used as pillow stuffing, the Dream Time
Zafu cushion ($57.99, Nature's Northwest on Fremont,
3449 NE 24th Ave., 288-3414) employs the grain in a versatile
cushion. It can be used as a footrest to alleviate lower
back pain, or to support the back while seated. The pillow
is designed to alleviate pressure spots associated with
extended periods of sitting down. A side zipper allows
you to adjust the fill--to provide all the buckwheat your
bum desires.
LIFE IN BALANCE
For someone who isn't ready to
commit to a regular regimen of yoga or tai chi classes,
a two-day workshop of qigong might be just the thing to
help them make good on New Year's resolutions. Level
I Soaring Crane Qigong Workshops ($155, Oregon College
of Oriental Medicine, 10525 SE Cherry Blossom Drive, 253-3443)
are offered the weekends of Jan. 8 and 9 and Feb. 5 and
6. Qigong is a combination of low-impact exercise and
meditation focusing on slow-movement energy and breathing
visualization. In one weekend, students will learn the
fundamental practice of meditation in order to continue
training on their own.
HOT ROLLING STONES
It's rainy. It's cold. And...it's
rainy. One warm solution to the winter blahs is the Hot
Stone Winter Special ($140, Atlantis Salon and Spa,
1126 SW Morrison St., 721-1576). The package includes
an hour-and-a-half Arizona hot-rock massage treatment
(hot, smooth stones are used instead of hands to work
the body), a 20-minute camomile herbal calming bath, a
hot-stone pedicure, an aromatherapy scalp massage and
hair styling. Both men and women will appreciate this
day of total pampering, and for those with a lighter piggy
bank, the individual treatments can be purchased separately.
THE SHOWER SCENE
We've come to expect filtered
drinking water but did you ever stop to think about the
quality of H2O hitting your skin? The Rainshow'r dechlorinating
shower filter ($44.95, Health Naturals, 1318 NW 23rd
Ave., 242-9055) is designed to remove 90 percent of the
chlorine from shower water, and that means less-dry skin
and more-manageable hair. Filtered water is also said
to reduce fading on color-treated tresses. Replacement
filter cartridges cost $17.50, which isn't so cheap so
you might want to include one with the main gift. In these
bone-chillingly damp days, a long, hot shower can feel
divine. And that purist conservationist family that's
so hard to buy for? This is just the thing.
SOAP CLUB
Six years ago, local guy Gregory Arnell
began making soap in his basement. Sound a little too
similar to the gross-out soap-made-with-liposuction-leftovers
routine in Fight Club? We assure you, these many-flavored
bars are not made with human fat--though Arnell continues
to work out of his basement. Help someone near and dear
stay freshly scrubbed all the year through with a home-delivered
12-pack of all-natural, all-vegetable handmade soap
($35, The Oregon Soap Company, Saturday Market at Skidmore
Fountain, 50 SW 2nd Ave., 800-549-0299). Arnell claims
that each bar of his soap lasts between three and six
weeks, depending on the frequency of one's bathing. The
soaps come in 15 scents including Extra Strength Peppermint
and Caribbean Bay Rum. Reportedly, the extra, extra mild
soap has saved many sensitive skin sufferers who find
bathing a daily irritant.
DO THE CONSCIENCE GOOD
If you're looking for the
perfect bath-and-body basket but can't face the cloying
force of side-by-side test fragrances, go natural. Rain
Country Naturals gift baskets ($48.50, Shari's Baskets
& Gifts, 7304 N Leavitt Ave., 240-9187) come in as
many variations as there are days of Christmas; an average
holiday basket includes hand cream, glycerine soap, body
lotion, body and hair wash, bath oil beads, bath crystals
and perhaps a silk poinsettia or tree ornament. The Rain
County Naturals product line is family-owned and operated
out of Oregon. The biodegradable products are free of
animal byproducts, are certainly not tested on animals
and are presented in recyclable packaging. Big deal, you
say? Well, part of the profits supports Down syndrome
research and endangered-species preservation. At any rate,
the goods smell terrific.
