Couples choosing a spa honeymoon want everything to be perfect, and the mood to be right. The sensual aspects of spa treatments are great mood enhancers, contributing to that feeling of intimacy and romance. Whether newlyweds are dancing, snuggling together before a flickering fire, or indulging in a couples massage, one major factor in setting atmosphere and mood is music. Spas know this, and often take an active role in providing just the right notes as couples seek to get in tune with each other on many levels. Since many honeymooners choose the couples massage at the Shui Spa (www.shuispa.com) in the Crowne Pointe Inn and Spa (www.crownepointe.com) in Provincetown, Massachusetts, spa consultant Laura Stonbely says they have changed music to that provided by At Peace Media (www.atpeacemedia.com). They have found that the music has made a difference in the level of client relaxation, particularly during a couples massage. Regarding their previous choices in music/sound entertainment, she says the “... soft waterfalls with mild classic relaxation...” mixed with sounds of wind and chimes were not relaxing clients enough. But after Shui Spa chose selections from At Peace, they noticed a difference in client attitude. The music, says Stonbely, is “... not just for relaxation, but for rejuvenation and wellness.” The picks she cites Angels’ Ascent Bed and Breakfast, with its Paradise Day Spa and Wellness Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides the ultimate in romance, offering live guitarists serenading honeymooning couples in their spa. include music by Michael Benghiat, an artist popular with other spas as well, and an album called Classical Relaxation - featuring pieces that are “familiar yet distant” - with “flutes, harps, and very light piano.” Individual therapists are allowed to choose the music for the treatment room since they’ve found that letting therapists select the music helps the mood of the massage. According to Stonbely, couples frequently choose to have massages together the day before the wedding. Shui Spa also finds that newlyweds like sugar scrubs and honey almond manicures and pedicures. Also offered are Reiki, chakra balancing, and Chinese acupressure, with a Reiki Master on staff. Since couples (and others) want to re-create the spa atmosphere at home, says Stonbely, they sell At Peace’s CD line in the spa, along with their own spa products. They are also contemplating doing a private line of music for the spa – an option that At Peace offers. The Cape Codder Resort and Spa (www.capecodderresort.com) in Hyannis, Massachusetts offers a “Cape Cod for Lovers” package, with a jacuzzi and a fireplace The spa boasts two couples’s rooms that allow simultaneous body treatments or couples massages. The music, an important part of the spa experience at Cape Codder, ranges from “anything by Enya” to harpist Hilary Stagg’s album On the Edge of Forever from Real Music (www.realmusic.com). The electrified harp Stagg himself customized blends with the sounds of keyboard synthesizers, voice, and flute to produce an atmosphere that is almost surreal in its tranquility and beauty. Miss Celie’s Day Spa Orleans (www.spaorleans.com) in the Olde Victorian Inn and Spa in New Orleans, LA (www.oldevictorianinn.com) takes a more upbeat view of its music, using titles from Putumayo World Music (www.putumayo.com). Music from the Chocolate Lands accompanies their “Celie’s Chocolate Indulgence” package, matching lively South American rhythms to such spa treatments as Chocolate Mint Exfoliating Salt Glows, Warm Chocolate Cake Moor Mud Wraps, and Chocolate Cherry Massages. All this is accompanied by a gift box of chocolates, of course. Other treatments from among the more than 130 available at Miss Celie’s, such as the candlelight massage for two or the Double Cappuccino Skin Renewal (espresso and cream body polishes), are provided to the tune of other upbeat Putumayo titles such as French Café. The Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club (www.cranwell.com) in the Berkshires at Lenox, Massachusetts gets its music “... from a lot of different sources, and tests it out before (it is allowed) to be played,” says spa director Helen Taylor Pierce. “(Music is) always the most tranquil and most powerful influence in a spa,” she says, “(and it can) bring you into the serenity zone.” Cranwell uses many albums from Real Music (www.realmusic.com), including Piano Dreamers and Across an Ocean of Dreams, as well as music from Windham Hill (www.windhamhillmusic.com) such as that of pianist George Winston, and music from the duo Celestial Winds. Mandarin Oriental Spas (www.mandarinoriental.com) use titles from Real Music’s “Sacred Spa” series (Quiet Days, Letting the World Go By, Wrapped in Stillness, Touching Beauty, and Infinity), as well as Namaste and other Real titles. They also use music custom designed and sequenced for them by Real’s owner and president Terence Yallop in their spas worldwide – a signature sound. Real Music does a great deal of collaborating with spas on the perfect music. Spas worldwide use Real’s existing albums, sometimes with their own trademarks or corporate symbols on the covers. If you mention the name Steven Halpern (www.innerpeacemusic.com) in almost any spa, you’ll get nods of recognition. His albums are famous not only for their use in spas, but also as accompaniments to yoga classes, acupuncture treatments, and in many other healing settings. According to distributor Allegro (www.allegro-music.com), his Inner Peace Music label is “number one” at spas. Honeymooners will be pleased to hear that he has not one, but three albums specifically for lovers: Déjà Blues, Perfect Alignment, and Music for Lovers are designed, he says, to get lovers in harmony with one another. One way to do that, he says, “... is to get them to breathe deeply together ..,” something his music facilitates. While some rhythm in the music is called for, he points out that “... not all rhythms are helpful. In fact, many of them actually create stress, and if you create stress in the body it makes the heart beat more irregularly. This,” he explains, “makes performance more difficult (for the man) which then creates more stress in the relationship - particularly in the honeymoon period.” On his albums Déjà Blues and Perfect Alignment he says, “I bring in rhythms traditionally used in other countries specifically for their erotic potential – not just any rhythms.” The choices among spas’ “music for lovers” for honeymooners is vast. If the music at your spa enhances the mood, ask what it is. Odds are that you can take it home with you to keep the honeymoon going ... ... but not always. Angels’ Ascent Bed and Breakfast (www.angelsascent.com), with its Paradise Day Spa and Wellness Center (www.angelsascent.com/spa.htm) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides the ultimate in romance, offering live guitarists serenading honeymooning couples in their spa. Owner Betty Hawk draws on the large community of artists and musicians local to the area to provide newlyweds with soulful serenades of flamenco and classical guitar music. Spa treatments are on the second floor, she says, so the musicians serenade in the traditional sense. Couples may partake of the candlelight massage and body polish, or any of a wide menu of services and treatments from aromatherapy to mud wraps. But unless you’re prepared to adopt a guitar player, the music will have to remain a part of Angels’ Ascent’s unique ambiance. Review of Steven Halpern’s Music for Lovers from Inner Peace Music (www.innerpeacemusic.com) Steven Halpern, also known as “Dr. Sound,” has been composing music for sound healing for over 30 years. His albums, both solo and collaborative (with such artists as harpist Georgia Kelly, jazz musician Paul Horn, and oboist Paul McCandless), are used in spas worldwide and by independent therapeutic practitioners, as well as business and coaching consultants. Opening with a grand sweep of sound, this album’s first cut is an unconventional rendering of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major,” a perennial favorite at wedding ceremonies. This rendering, however, is lush with digitally sampled celestial choir voices, reverb and echo, weaving in and around the delicate accents of chimes. Languid and slow, but with rhythms that draw in the listener, the piece is entrancing. Building the rhythm, and a bit more up-tempo, is the second cut, “Radiance.” Celestial voices soar higher and higher as bell-like keyboard tones dance higher and lower; fretless bass provides a mellow undercurrent. Electric harp opens. “Touch with Your Heart,” then segues into muted trumpet and percussion. Now anything but languid, the music moves steadily, carried ever higher by the harp. Glissandos and arpeggios offer counterpoint to the bass. Lyricon - a synthesizer providing the sounds of synthesized saxophone and other wind instruments - offers its voice in a distant echo of cabarets and romantic interludes. The piece ends with a breathy high note accentuated by a flurry of electric harp notes. “Toward the One” is highlighted by keyboard and flute – romantic, light, and very melodic. “Play of Light” opens with plaintive flute, with a keyboard and bass counterpoint. The melody is sweet and gives way to lyricon, then returns in a haunting and romantic journey. “Communion” opens with the notes of a grand piano. Flute, synthesizer, and lyricon provide the background as the piano takes the lead in a rich tapestry of sound. “The Light in Your Eyes” is delicate and celestial, with muted bass and deep notes to balance the keyboard’s lightness. More celestial voices join in, although no longer choir-like; they blend into a single soaring voice floating above the keyboard’s dancing notes and the rhythmic bass. This cut, at over 14 minutes long, is the centerpiece of the album; its uninterrupted song is rich and enfolding as it carries the listener away. “Dream Weaver” blends grand piano and a sweet violin in a traditional-flavored, minor-keyed romantic melody that counterpoints the strength of the piano with the floating notes of strings The violin sings against a supportive rhythm of harmony, then duets with more delicate notes higher on the keyboard – then returns to its solo song against the bass notes of the piano. The name of this piece is particularly accurate. “Be One with Love” opens with deep piano notes. Joined by echoing synthesizer that rises and falls in a hypnotic pattern, the piano moves through the melody with a sure touch that enfolds the listener. Poignant minor harmonies enhance the feel of the piece. “Late in the Evening,” the final cut, again opens with grand piano and returns to celestial voices; a flurry of notes after the deep opening chords moves the piece to a lighter tone, then chords and higher harmonies join with voices to create a rhythmic sweep of sound almost triumphal in feel. The album is beautifully mixed and sequenced. Each cut ends gently and the next flows in to take its place with no abrupt switch to disturb the mood. The result is a smooth current of sound from beginning to end. Cover notes explain the purpose of the music’s design and offer resources for further reading and listening. Couples interested not only in preserving their honeymoon intimacy but also in furthering a loving physical relationship should find this album useful.