Arriving in Santa Fe I often heard it said that Santa Fe will eat you up and spit you out. It was also said once arriving , it became the land of entrapment. Neither sayings would apply to me. Instead I attributed my success to living 30 plus years in Santa Fe to : the Chinese New Year of the Tiger, Peanuts Charlie Brown, an emery board , awe and wonderment, and Our Lady of the Guadalupe. Born in 1950, the Chinese New Year of the White Metal Tiger and the year Peanuts was created. I had the strength of the Tiger along with Charlie Brown’s determination-“always hopeful and highly determined” mind set. As long as I had an emery board, I could make a living filing away. The greatest journey to Costa Rica led me back to what I had lost: awe and wonderment. I had not felt alive for years and suddenly after that pilgrimage, I was suddenly filled with awe and wonderment. A story never ends, it fast continues with new characters. For the next three decades, I would live in the Historical Guadalupe District. A daily pilgrimage to the Santuario renewed my faith and strength that I needed along with the hope to believe. As time unfolded, I became more grounded living in Santa Fe. My morning ritual began looking up with awe and wonderment at the turquoise blue sky and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as I walked to visit the Guadalupe. Along the way I would find a morning bloom or two hanging over an adobe wall and I would pick while giving a blessing of gratitude. Over the next 3 decades I would set up residences and businesses on Agua Fria; always within proximity of Our Lady. It was not always as easy as this. My beginning collided with the Santa Fe that will eat you up.

After bankruptcy court, I had to get busy. Next was to manifest how to bring in enough business to pay the $700 rent at 325 West San Francisco Street. Being highly determined the “Charlie Brown” gene in me was soon activated. Recalling how often the phone rang at Leslie Ellen’s, on the average 200 plus times a day, I needed something to catch the interest of my targeted market. Leslie Ellen had come up with a catchy outgoing message on her answering machine. A once striving county music singer, she sang a fun tune that was “bounce your boobies, get in the swing, bounce your boobies, doesn’t matter if they are big or small, get in the swing, just bounce your boobies, that’s all”.Being the new kid in town, I had to come up with something to attract those much needed clients. I covered the multi-pane windows with a bright red 8”x 10” flyer that would become over the next 30 years, my most success ad campaign . It read buy 2 services get your 3rd free. It was so successful that it became my Black Friday Special. Mind you at the time I did this I had no staff let alone any equipment or massage tables that would be needed to provide the advertised specials. Talk about being hopeful, This was beyond hope. I was asking the “Universe” for a sign. Being adjacent to a popular Chinese restaurant where in the early dinner hours, the foot traffic seemed endless, my door was soon opening with therapists inquiring if we were hiring. It was a miracle because not only did it pay the rent, it attracted the much needed numerous therapists to come to work. And these folks came with their own tables. At last, we were fully staffed and officially becoming the first spa downtown.

When I answered the phone, she said “This is Marsha Mason and I want to book a manicure. Cathy Kempf referred me”. When 2 o’clock had passed with a “no show ” for Marsha, I found myself thinking someone was just yanking my chain. Then 25 minutes later the door opened and a booming voice called in “oh honey, I’m late. I’m so sorry.” It was real. It was THE GOODBYE GIRL. My all time favorite movie and movie star.I still own a VHS of the movie. I was so star struck that I gushed away while Marsha held her hand protecting her heart. Later she would lovingly ask for me not to do that again. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect what would unfolded next. Soon I came to understand Marsha’s heartfelt advice as my door opened to more clients from the movie industry.

As I settled into filing away, Marsha shared how she recently landed back in New Mexico where in 1992 she bought a rural estate farm in Abiquiu . She was in the midst of setting up a working certified organic farm and remodeling an existing building into what she called the Art Barn. She lived in the Art Barn while building her Argentinian estate. This would become home to The Double M . She was familiar with New Mexico because her first husband, Gary Campbell, was a native. She lived in Santa Fe with second husband, the playwright/screenwriter Neil Simon, with whom she was married to from 1973 to 1981. For right now until the Art Barn was ready, Marsha was living in La Cienega. Here I was holding hands with her just like any other of my clients over the last 10 years. I was use to powerful women thanks to Louise. Louise Bailey Kronholm was the daughter of the legendary John Bailey. John Bailey was the national chairman of the Democratic Party in 1960 when John F. Kennedy was elected the first Catholic President of the United States. Louise had introduced me to some of the most up and coming powerful Democratic women in Connecticut who were my nail clients. Holding hands filing away, I would become their confidant on a variety of issues that were breaking news worthy stories. Respecting the request not to repeat what had been shared, I would close my nail encounter by jokingly saying ” I’ll call the National Enquirer and get the story discredited”. Once the spa was up and running, the new hire intake form would include the number one requirement to honor and abide by “Gossip is not a healing art”.

By the time the New Year arrived, I now had a car, 1972 Peugeot and a new business location, 112 West San Francisco Street , in Plaza Mercado. Earlier that autumn at a birthday party hosted by my new hairdresser and friend, Coco Montano, I was given some “free”advice by his lawyer friend, Sam. Coco had his hair studio in Plaza Mercado. I shared how SW Asset Management Company had reached out to me to relocate my spa to Plaza Mercado. Almost immediately I was receiving “negotiating” advice from Sam. In the end, I would cut a lease deal for 3 months free rent, then $700 a month and no security deposit along with a free street sign. Over the next 2 decades, Sam would help me navigate business and become my partner. But right now, it was the New Year and Marsha was having a New Year Eve party and I was invited. I had been a guest before but this time was different. Marsha was hosting a house full of guests. Recalling the first time at Marsha’s, I knew the Golden Rule we had agreed to-“Do unto others as you would have then do unto you”.

Arriving in La Cienega, I soon was mingling with Marsha’s friends in the big room. Drinking and nibbling on appetizers ,most of them were talking about Murphy Brown. After about 30 minutes confused, I wandered into the kitchen area where Marsha was busy with more finger food delights for her guests. I heard myself ask “Marsha, what’s a Murphy Brown?” It’s 25 plus years later and I can still hear Marsha’s laughter. Under her direction we walked back into big room where Marsha in a commanding voice demanded everyone’s attention. With all eyes on us, she introduced me and told them I had asked what a Murphy Brown was. A moment of disbelief filled the room followed by much laughter. Marsha quite not finished yet went on to ask”how come you don’t know Murphy Brown ?” I responded I had not owned a TV in over 5 years, much received by uproarious laughter. I would soon met one of the writers, Gary Dontzig. Gary and I would learn that we shared the same birthday . Later I would learn Gary was married to Marsha’s first husband, Gary Campbell. Marsha would lovingly refer to them as the “two Garys”.

At the time I opened my “boutique Spa”, the only full service spa was 10,000 Waves. They were located on the ski basin road in Santa Fe county. Downtown offered some massage places however with no spa treatments. The wellness movement along with the spa scene has not yet happened . It would be 2004 when The El Dorado Hotel would build its spa. Til then we were the only game in (down) town. By 1994, thanks to Sam ,Enchantment Body Salon would trademark its name as Downtown Day Spa Santa Fe.

By the early 2000s after setting up her farm dynamics, Marsha launched her herbal and wellness product line, Resting in the River Organic Farm & Natural Products. The name was inspired by her location in the bend of the Chama River. She began the work on the farm dynamics with permaculturist Scott Pittman to design the layout of the farm which included 3 ponds. Inspired by the biodynamic farming principles of Rudolf Steiner the farm took shape. A suggestion from her LA acupuncturist to grow medicinal herbs because “they’re hard to find” led Marsha to her Bolivian agronomist, Emigdio Ballon (Quechua). Emigdio was an accomplished plant geneticist. In the 1980’s, he brought his ancestral growing knowledge of quinoa to the U.S.. Marsha started out growing 3 dozen medical herbs, initially selling to Herbs Etc. in Santa Fe. Then she developed her own product line with Mitch Coven. Mitch Coven, a widely respected herbalist, CEO of Vitality Works in Albuquerque was also a medicinal herbalist. Every product line has proprietary ingredients which makes them so unique and hopefully unmatched by another brand. Aveda started with rosemary and mint while Los Poblanos in Albuquerque signature ingredient is lavender. For 10,000 Waves, their signature botanical ingredients are Hinoki and Yuzu ,two Japanese botanical ingredients. Marsha’s was to be no different. Mitch formulated with a signature ingredient of Calendula. Marsha’s first product was “Killer Salve”, inspired by the need to soothe her rugged farm hands.The salve was the beginning of the Resting in the River Organic Farm & Natural Products.

Calendula is a genus of about 20 different species . It’s both an annual and perennial herbaceous plant in the daisy family. Asterceae is also known as marigold. The most popular herbal and cosmetic products are derived from C. Officinalis aka Calendula. Even though Calendula extracts have been used in tinctures and salves to topically soothe irritated skin it has been used in many rituals and ceremonies. Over the centuries it has often been more often used for magical purposes and not medicinal ones. Marigolds, also known in Mexico as cempasuchil ,are a huge part of the Day of the Dead celebration, or Dia de Muetos. The Day Of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 and 2. It is a multi-day holiday where families and friends gather to pay respect and share humorous stories about the departed and build alters. Traditions connected to honoring the deceased include marigolds.

Marsha and I would go on to support each other’s dreams. The Double M would prosper in Abiquiu and Downtown Day Spa would prosper in Santa Fe becoming the first Aveda Spa outside Osceola, Wisconsin. By November 2002, I would help Marsha launch her product line, Resting in the River, at the Olive Leaf Wellness Center and Spa NYC, just 14 months after 9/11.