Healing Palm Springs Oasis is Solar-Powered & EV-Friendly.
Rest & Relaxation Icon Two Bunch Palms is the 1st Carbon Neutral Resort in North America (according to resort spokesperson, @RiannaRiego).
Solar-powered @TwoBunchPalms has always been an oasis for weary travelers. For at least 600 years, hot, mineral-rich water has bubbled up near Palm Springs, California, offering nourishment and rest, marked by Two Bunches of Palms rising out of the desert. The Two Bunch Palms Resort now serves the worn-out urbanite, including many celebrities and world leaders (discretely), who need to unplug from cyber world and soak in the mud of the real (natural) world. So, if you’re looking for a great, green Valentine’s getaway in sunny Southern California, Two Bunch Palms Resort is an R&R destination to consider.
Two Bunch Palms Time
Exiting the rate race and settling into Two Bunch Palms Time takes some mindful unplugging. I nearly missed the white egret soaring outside the Essence restaurant on the first morning. I heard a collective “Ohhh!” all around me, and looked up from my smart phone just in time to see the beautiful bird land in the treetops. I had noticed her standing near the labyrinth earlier that morning, on my way to yoga, but was in a hurry to get to class on time. Pleasure, renewal, wonder, wildlife and relaxation beckon you at every footstep at Two Bunch Palms. Soak in the mineral bath. Immerse yourself in detoxifying mud. Drink in fresh pressed, organic juice. Experience a 90-minute massage. Feed the ducks, turtles and fish. However, it all requires taking your head out of electronic devices and dropping the notion of “getting things done,” which is why I recommend a 3-day minimum stay. It’s not like the manic pace that most of us have become accustomed to fades to Two Bunch Palms Time overnight.
On Day Two, I feel, at last, completely present to the moment, without any temptation to plug in and see what the rest of the world is up to. And here is what I’ve learned. Ducks sleep with their eyes closed. Bunnies like hanging out on the lawn after dark. Coyotes don’t just howl at the moon. They also yelp when an ambulance siren echoes across the canyon. Turtles like sunning near the shore of the pond, craning their necks to the sky. “Is this their recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D?” I wonder. The white egret, who looks like she belongs on a seashore, has lived at Two Bunch for years.
I know tons of people, including me, who are living a lifestyle of health and sustainability as best as they can. Driving less. Eating organic. Meditating. Promoting peace. But it is all taking place in Human World. The only animals are pets. The plants are all landscaped, with way too much grass and concrete everywhere. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a bird that wasn’t a crow or a sparrow. Here at Two Bunch Palms, I can lie in the womb of a 600-year old natural hot spring where the wisdom, and healthful minerals, seep in through my pores. My only task, besides paying for the room, food and amenities, is to slow down enough to truly appreciate it.
My every renewable desire has been anticipated at Two Bunch, from mineral baths, mud and massage, to sound baths, shamanic healing, yoga, drum circles, meditation, hiking trails, to clean energy, EV power chargers and organic food. I was even able to carpool to Two Bunch Palms from Santa Monica, California in a 100% electric Tesla X SUV, courtesy of Tesloop — something I highly recommend!
That wasn’t always the case. The resort was purchased out of bankruptcy in 2012. Kevin Kelly (the former president of Canyon Ranch), was hired as CEO of Two Bunch Palms in 2013. It was Kevin’s decision to switch to solar. According to Kevin, “I coined the term ‘Sustainable Wellness’ after reviewing the results of 90,000 market surveys in the U.S. and Mexico over the last 14-years that identified 80% of the wellness-oriented U.S. consumer had connected their personal wellbeing to environmental health, due to a growing awareness of lifestyle diseases, toxins in our air, water and food, social disruption and the impact from climate change. Personal wellbeing is now emotionally connected to social and environmental health.” In the summer of 2015, Two Bunch Palms became the 1st carbon neutral resort in North America.
I came to Two Bunch because I thought a dose of relaxation, detoxification and healthy bugs (from the mud and natural hot springs) were just what the doctor ordered to get through flu season. Kevin Kelly is right, though. What will bring me back to Two Bunch Palms, placing it at the top of the list for spa destinations, is knowing that I’m doing the right thing for the health of the planet, too.
Investments that involve a vision and payback of 5+-years from now pay off. Initially, however, they can be painful. The 90-minute deep tissue massage released so many toxins that I barely felt conscious. I couldn’t even straighten up enough to walk unassisted to the heated mud bath. The team practically drug me, stooped over, but I finally made it into the tub. (Chocolate and wine would have been far more enjoyable than that massage, at least initially…) There, suspended in peat moss, clay and natural mineral water, gazing out at the stars and the trees, my body began to float. I climbed out of the tub half an hour later almost pain-free, feeling more rejuvenated than I can remember.
Two months in, after countless of my friends have succumbed to a powerful flu virus that’s making the rounds, I’m so very glad that I treated myself and made the investment in health. If we become the generation that reverses the effects of climate change, then we will all be grateful that Kevin Kelly and the Two Bunch Palms team inspired countless other wellness destinations to detoxify our planet, in addition to our bodies. Two Bunch Palms will, hopefully, be the first of many.
In addition to solar, Two Bunch Palms has 4 Tesla charging stations on-site, has retrofitted its rooms with LED lighting and is in the next phase of its sustainability plan, to fully integrate its own watering system. These are not necessarily things you’ll see or notice during your stay, and that’s another beautiful thing about sustainability. It saves time and money (after the initial investment), without any change in lifestyle. The air is fresh; the water is clean, stripped clean of the pollution created by grid electricity (which is still 67% powered by fossil fuels) and gasoline powered cars (100% fossil fuels). You’ll love Two Bunch Palms as much as the wildlife does.
Two Bunch Palms is blessed with lithium-rich healing waters. It’s on the San Andreas fault line in Desert Hot Springs, California, and is considered by many mystics to be an energetic vortex. Hmmm. So, a healing oasis where warm water spouts magically in the middle of the desert became the first carbon neutral resort. Hmmm… Funny how that happens.
Two Bunch Palms was born phenomenal by nature, and made sustainable by visionaries who care about doing the right thing. The resort is both healing and inspiring, when you immerse yourself. What better way to celebrate and honor love and to become intoxicated with the possibilities for rejuvenating a green, healthy planet that sustains and nourishes all life.
About Two Bunch Palms
Two Bunch Palms is an award-winning desert spa oasis, located in Hot Springs, California. Call 760.329.8791 or visit http://www.twobunchpalms.com/ to learn more.
About Tesloop
Tesloop is a convenient, affordable way to travel in Teslas from city to city. Routes include Los Angeles to Palm Springs, Los Angeles and Orange County, California to Las Vegas, Nevada. Tesloop offers free wifi, snacks and noise canceling headsets. Starting my spa weekend by not driving was heaven. Rethink your Vegas bachelor(ette) parties to start at the beginning of the road trip — with a professional driving! Visit https://tesloop.com/ to book your ride.
#ValentinesDay
#Palm Springs
