No this is not a new year resolutions post. We don’t believe in resolutions, we focus on goals. A mentor once said focus on the big rocks then worry about filling around them with smaller rocks and sand.
Our theme for 2016 is reboot and we will focus our energies on rebooting 3 aspects in our lives. Wish us luck!! and cheers to all of us!
What are you looking forward to do in 2016?
To a bubbly and fun year ahead…
From Sweden to America…
Best things about Christmas and holidays are traditions that carry meaning and create memories for generations.
Baking with friends, watching carolers.. are some of our faves 😊 
Whipped up some matcha cookies!
Peanut butter chocolate melting snowmen. Trying to decorate these will definitely entertain you – try it!!
Mix was the easy part!
Klicha – our traditional spicy sweet for Christmas time made the whole house smell cozy and ‘love’! 
We kicked back after an entire day of baking — adoring the tree and magic of friendship, traditions, and holiday. 
Happy Holidays!!!
End of Summer is on the horizon. We try to celebrate the season in every way possible before the cold and snow hits the streets.
Campo Di Bella farm and winery hosted a wonderful vegetarian dinner event last night. We had the joy of attending it. 
What a fantastic way to support local farming community and artisans. 
29 guests, 7 courses, and a lot of joy…
Every course was light refreshing and made us taste the summer sunshine!
Zucchini tart or art?? 😍 
Get out there and celebrate the summer!!!
Another spa another different experience!
From different kind of massages we choose the one with karite butter candle which heals the skin and of course with our luck we meet Rosy and her experienced hands they know exactly how to massage not too hard not too light just as it should be and her positive energy also change the athmosphere and how you feel, her smile too was relaxing and of course the warmth of melted karite butter was amazing.
You can gift some of this relaxed moments to your friends via this aromatic candles.
Rosy’s special karite butter treatment started with emotional shower then continued with bagno turco (hamam) and sauna then soaking in jacuzzi….
If you like you can relax few minutes before having your massage and finally the healing hands and karite butter of Rosy gives you the massage.
Also you can have very special dinner for two or cocktail at the roof top of the spa with wiev of San Vito beach and San Vito lo capo too. You only need simple reservation before to make sure it’s available too book. For a 3 star hotel their food is pretty much 5 star so enjoy the beauty of San Vito and Sicilian food.
We are posting from the beautiful beach of San Vito Lo Capo today!!
This is the best beach in Sicily and arguably in southern Italy. If you are a beach lover and can’t go to Maldives, this will do for now. For our Maldives paradise adventures see our past posts :)) 
The sea is clean, clear and gradually getting deeper. Buoyancy is high, the water is very salty. We love it like this!
The sand is very fine and light yellow. To rent a one um fella and two chairs roughly will cost you $12 euros. There are zones on the outskirts that you can just put your own chair and towel – but we recommend renting since they are situated in the best zones of the beach.
🇮🇹 Ciao! We must go swimming now 💦🏊
Our long time followers know about our Spa addiction. We have been in Spa’s around the world. See our past blog entries for Maldives, Seattle, Kohler, Thailand, etc…
In Lecce, we have been walking everywhere. When you walk all day long and have fun it’s important to rest and treat your body well. It will pay you back!
Our hotel Risorgimento Resort luckily for us has a lovely spa. It is perfect for after a long day of site seeing and travelling. We recommend that you book at least a day ahead.
Our favorite spa expert is Monica Valiani – ask for her by name. She speaks Italian, English, French, and German. We had spa services with her for two days and it was simply excellent.
Turkish Bath (Bagno Turco) after a good salt scrub on the entire body transforms your senses and starts the relaxation process. The emotional shower (rain, breeze) with special light therapy completes the whole treatment. We left clean, relaxed, and energized for our dinner party.
Next day we returned for facial and the special Cinque Sensi massage created by Monica. She designed this massage based on chackras. We loved it and our faces were radiating after the facial. If you want a couples massage ask Monica for her signature massage designed for couples.
The prices are middle range. For a great 50 min massage we paid €80. The Bagno Turco was €20. They have manicures, waxing, and many other facial and body treatments. You can also request something more tailored for your needs.
The spa is small but tranquil and you can reserve it for privacy. You will be surrounded by unobtrusive service and positive energy.
Monica – thank you for awakening our cinque sensi and make our journey even more special! Grazie mille!! 🇮🇹
Yet another holiday has come and about to pass. These annual rituals give the human life meaning, structure, creating connections, eat and laugh together.
Across three countries we share what we cooked and baked.
Surprise Christmas Eve dinner: crab legs!! why not surprise your guests with something non-conventional and oh so easy to make 😉
Beet, Arugula, Orange… salad:
Skinka! That’s Swedish ham:
Klicha; a sweet bread very similar to Challah
Mmmm… apple filled tart:
Saffron cookies anyone???
Zaatar bread, fresh out of the oven
So enjoy yourself and the loved ones, life is about our connections and making memories. We wish everyone in the world peace, love and again PEACE!!
Another trip, another state, another experience of a lifetime…
I happened to be in Seattle this past weekend discovered Vida Spa downtown by the Pan Pacific Hotel. It was a discovery that paid off. I would rate this spa a close behind Kohler and Red Door spas. Why behind?? It is smaller, changing rooms are not well furnished, and there is no hair services provided. After a long day at the spa, feeling great and relaxed who wants to leave the spa looking like a hot mess!!!
Anyhow… let’s get to the best parts about this spa: personnel, quality of services, and the Ayurvedic Journey package!
This is part of the lounge; where they have fruits, nuts, tea, and cucumber water all day.
After getting a great massage and mani service, I decided to give the Ayurvedic Journey package a try. In the past I have done bits and pieces like shirodhara but never had a full program. This was the opportunity and I seized the moment!!
After filling out a very short and sweet survey, the practitioner was able to identify my dosha. Then based off of that she organized my Ayurvedic journey package. Melanie is an incredible practitioner — if you ever go, ask for her by name! you won’t regret it.
So we started with Ayurvedic Massage – A unique massage that applies generous amounts of warm sesame oil over the body with extra attention to the head, neck and scalp. This technique optimises the body’s systems, mobilises joints and enhances tissue suppleness. The oils she used were specific for my dosha and I loved them. Generally this massage is soft but if you are like me you can and will request more pressure.
Swedana – A deeply aromatic sensation enhanced by herbs, cleanses and detoxifies your system. A dry flour brushing of your entire body stimulates and exfoliates your skin to prevent the re-entry of toxins.
Here is the cacoon – wide open. The box at the bottom makes steam and the tray of special herbs and florals is put there to steam. Can you smell how the room filled with amazingly relaxing scent??
Yes this is me inside the cacoon – steaming seriously. That’s a cold towel on my forehead. Usually this is to last 15 minutes, I lasted 10 minutes and apparently that is congruent with my dosha.
So, I loved the cacoon so much, later I wanted to go in again. Amazing! and would do this again.
Shirodara – A steady stream of warm oil is poured over your third eye (forehead) to awaken the senses and increase mental clarity. I fell asleep briefly during this part of the treatment, it was incredible – felt like I was on a pillow of clouds. I would like to think this really helped make my afternoon high profile meeting go so well.
The spa works with Pan Pacific hotel so they can order food if you are staying for a long spa day. This treatment started at 9:30am and finished at 2:00pm – so I squeezed in a lunch.
Melanie really went beyond expectations; she wrote me a sweet card and enclosed sleep and food recommendations for my dosha. Now that is what I call intentional, thoughtful service… leaves you thankful and blessed 🙏.
Highly recommend Vida Spa if you find yourself in Seattle with a free day to care for your body and soul. I hope that next time I visit they will have hair services — a girl can hope 👸.
Took a friend for a belated birthday celebration to Sundara Spa. Was a rather positive experience and here is the synopsis — if and when you find yourself in WI its a place you can go.
Grounds of the spa are peaceful and there are 37 rooms I believe for overnight guests. We had a great day trip with Express Spa services and access to full facility.
The quiet room is a bit tired looking, could use an update but comfy, cozy overlooking the outdoor pool. Yes! even at 48 deg weather it is open. The outside floor is heated, pool is heated and there is hot tub next to it too. Now this is an impressive feature – makes me want to come back when it snows. 
Express Spa package is perfect for a day trip. The practitioners are so good that 35 min are well done. Normally 35 min are never enough for me; barely get relaxing in 30 min. We had massage, facial, and pedi. They use fully vegan organic nail polish, and all of their treatment products are organic. 
While spa services were great and reasonably priced – the food was meh!! Had lunch in between services and lounging; neither dish had much flavor. Later when chatting with other guests we learned people drive elsewhere to eat. We now know why 😉 They can improve this, and we recalled how amazing the food at Kohler Spa and Red Door Spa is. So this was a tiny let down.
In any case… if you find yourself in WI and want a mid-level Spa experience Sundara will do great! Look at this… who can complain about huddling around an outdoor fire, cozy and brisk at the same time. 
We are two creatives who delight in making one of a kind art pieces, including jewelry and pottery. Excited to share our passion with you and hope every pieces you buy brings you joy and luck!
We have been busy busy in the studio getting ready for fall and winter. So much inspiration and excitement is building. We are primarily getting ready for two shoes that are coming up.
Curious what we are cooking up 😜 check us out:
1. Instagram: Shop LaBote see what comes out of our wheel and kiln first! Follow us.
2. Etsy: Shop LaBote purchase our art. Hope you’ll find something you love!
If you like some of our creations but you just want them in different color or shape or etc. we make custom orders to please our customers’ unique tastes.
Update 9/15:
Just added new products and a video on Instagram. Check it out!
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surprise saffron 