{"id":26078,"date":"2021-06-09T15:13:43","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T15:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=26078"},"modified":"2021-06-15T13:42:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T13:42:01","slug":"shou-sugi-ban-house-brief-reprieve","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/shou-sugi-ban-house-brief-reprieve\/","title":{"rendered":"Shou Sugi Ban House: A Brief Reprieve\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Shou
Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shortly before Covid-19 sequestered us to the confines of our homes, I paid a visit to\u00a0Shou\u00a0Sugi\u00a0Ban House.<\/a> In the six months that the intimate Water Mill, New York spa and wellness center had then been open (it officially began welcoming guests in the spring of 2019), it had become a self-care destination for both those near and far\u2014and I soon understood why.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though only a stone\u2019s throw from the thoroughfare of Route 27,\u00a0Shou\u00a0Sugi\u00a0Ban House, situated next to the Parrish Art Museum on the one-time grounds of a sculpture park (a remnant of which can be found in the entrance\u2019s gigantic Buddha), feels like a world unto itself. An oasis even. \u201cIt really had this magical feel,\u201d the visionary co-founder and CEO Amy Cherry-Abitbol\u2014a former Mergers and Acquisitions attorney who had decided to change careers after enrolling in New Path, a week-long Harvard Business School program, in 2014\u2014recalls of the moment that she first encountered the three-acre plot. (Apparently, others thought so too; the property had received some 45 inquiries before Cherry-Abitbol, a Southampton resident with longstanding roots in the community, was finally able to secure the permits.)\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo many retreats start with a hike in the mountains, and I thought it\u2019d be so great to be able to actually begin your day with a beach walk,\u201d she says, noting that the location\u2019s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, coupled with its lush farm-like land, was the ideal setting for a sanctum that took a 360-degree approach to improving one\u2019s well-being. Years ago, Cherry-Abitbol had become fascinated with the idea of longevity\u2014and, more specifically, the science behind holistically lengthening our lifespans\u2014upon discovering the Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn\u2019s research in the field. \u201cIt really validated this wholesome mind-body-spirit approach,\u201d she adds.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
\"Shou<\/div>
Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Shou<\/div>
Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

After three-and-a-half years of navigating the town\u2019s land use regulations, the Hamptons-based architect Debbie\u00a0Kropf\u00a0set to work on erecting a structure that takes its cues\u2014not to mention name, which refers to a traditional technique of charring wood to render it a deep-charcoal black\u2014from Japan, where Cherry-Abitbol lived for five years in the 90s while practicing law. Now, the property houses two barns, a tea lounge, a fitness pavilion, and a windowed meditation hall. (A geodesic dome, home to\u00a0Shou\u00a0Sugi\u00a0Ban House\u2019s reiki, hypnotherapy, and energy-balancing services, is a newer, COVID-friendly addition.) The 13 clean-lined, cedar guest studios, meanwhile, come equipped with the likes of organic\u00a0Sasawashi\u00a0slippers and sustainable bamboo toothbrushes, which can also be found in the spa\u2019s boutique. It\u2019s\u00a0stocked with\u00a0locally-made\u00a0ceramics and recycled cardboard notebooks made by expert craftsmen in\u00a0Tokyo,\u00a0and\u00a0many\u00a0consider it the East End\u2019s best-kept shopping secret.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the grounds themselves\u2014surrounded by\u00a0250 deciduous and evergreen trees, as well as 20,000 grasses of five different varieties\u2014are just as inviting, thanks to former model-turned-landscaper Lily\u00a0Kwong, who dreamt up a cherry orchard, pebbled courtyard, winding pathways, and a biodynamic garden, from which many of the herbs that work their way into the nature-forward culinary and spa menus are plucked.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of the spa, this summer, classic treatments\u2014such as a purifying green clay-and-sesame body wrap, and a collagen-boosting facial, which relies on\u00a0Japanese\u00a0nanocapsule\u00a0technology\u2014are joined by a handful of new programs specifically designed to cater to the strange times in which we now find ourselves.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Shou<\/div>
Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"\"<\/div>
Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n

Take, for instance, Healing Through Water. Offered from Memorial Day until Labor Day, the almost entirely outdoor experience will combine beach meditation, aquatic fitness, private access to the resort\u2019s hydrotherapy facilities\u2014an infrared sauna, dry sauna, experience shower, ice fountain, and contrasting pools\u2014and guided breathwork that helps prepare and heat the body for an icy saltwater plunge, which has recently become one of Shou Sugi Ban House\u2019s most requested offerings. \u201cWe’ve always been centered around the healing powers of water,\u201d explains Cherry-Abitbol, noting that they also incorporated geothermal wells and a structured water filtration system across the entire property.<\/p>\n

Another recent addition to the lineup is a Digital Detox workshop, which features intention setting, morning yoga, nature walks, and intuitive painting sessions, led by a fourth-generation shaman. It is\u00a0designed to address the Zoom fatigue and technology burnout many of us are experiencing after 14 months tethered to our screens. \u201cAlmost everyone\u2019s been affected by how much [the time we spend online] interferes with our mood, sleep patterns, and overall well-being,\u201d\u00a0notes Cherry-Abitbol, before adding that, for better or worse, it is one program that is here to stay. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to go away anytime soon,\u201d she admits with a knowing laugh.<\/p>\n

Though the pandemic significantly slowed the arrival of international guests, Cherry-Abitbol says that it has, in fact, brought about one welcome change: droves of locals, coming from Montauk and Manhattan alike, have begun to flock to the wellness sanctuary for some much-needed solitude, be it for just a few hours or a whole week.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/span>
\"Shou<\/div>
Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Shou<\/div>
Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t come as a surprise to me. After all, in the early days of quarantine, when I was suddenly spending more time with my then-significant other than ever before, I found myself fantasizing about\u00a0Shou\u00a0Sugi\u00a0Ban House, remembering in crisp detail\u00a0my\u00a0indulgent overnight escape,\u00a0how I satiated myself with chef Mads\u00a0Refslund\u2019s\u00a0sustainably-foraged Scandinavian fare and unwound in my spacious\u00a0en-suite bathroom\u2019s Hinoki tub, after an evening spent lying back as tuning forks and gongs and crystal bowls sounded around me, which is why when I received my second vaccine, nearly a year-and-a-half since I\u2019d last entrusted my body to the hands of someone else, one of the first things I did was book myself a follow-up visit.\u00a0It\u00a0turns out, I am not alone.\u00a0For having been open\u00a0only two years, \u201cWe have a tremendous number of repeat guests,\u201d Cherry-Abitbol says proudly.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>As for what it is that ultimately sets\u00a0Shou\u00a0Sugi\u00a0Ban House apart from the sea of other carefully considered spas\u00a0even more than its therapeutic treatments and soothing\u00a0wabi\u00a0sabi-inspired design? Simply put, \u201cThere\u2019s a connection and the feeling of us caring,\u201d Cherry-Abitbol tells me. \u201cWe really are a healing place, and that’s something that people need particularly now.\u00a0But,\u00a0really, something that people need\u00a0<\/span>always<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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