I ’m not a “ yoga guy ” at all . Or a “ meditation hombre . " Or even a “ gets any variety of regular exercise cat . " But because I ’m , like , capable to whatever ( and my editor in chief asked me to ) , I strike the marque - spankin ’ newSoSpa at the Sofitel Hotelin Beverly Hills and dove head - first into a sound bath .
For the 0.0000001 % of you that do n’t already know what a sound bath is , allow me to explicate . There ’s no water involve . Instead , player rest on their rear while a therapist play a combination of gong and other tune up percussion . revolutionise by easterly medicament , the experience is allegedly so relaxing that the strait moisten over you feels just like a bath . Sound baths are supposed to calm , soothe , and eject any negative energy that might be floating around in your nervous wreck of a consistence . It ’s definitely a next - level spa treatment , and by that I mean it ’s for multitude who have money to incinerate and need to try some gongs for a while .
So I tested it out . And it was uncanny .
Jason Hoffman/Thrillist
Five gongs, five singing bowls: not a basic spa treatment
As I entered SoSpa ( first in the US so far ) , I was greeted with a “ bonsoir ” from the faculty and an ice cold water while we waited for the other Edgar Albert Guest to arrive . The entire placed smelled like eucalyptus , which is maybe the most relaxing smell . ( Truth : I ’m now endeavor to get as much eucalyptus in this life as I can . )
We were then led to a dimly lit private way with some trancey , serene music flitting through the air . After we grabbed our seats , our , uh , sound healer , Jamie Ford , begin to take the air us through the process . Jamie has been instruct and performing sound baths for over 10 years , and had bring in her own personal gong and singing glass roll collection into the hotel for us . Her partner Robert is a breathing instructor . “ There are some nutso jobs in this earth , ” was my first idea about that – before I recall that , since I ’m reporting this for the internet , to some people reading this , I belike have one of those nutso jobs .
It starts with (very difficult) breathing exercises
After we laid out our yoga mats ( this is also when it became instantly decipherable that I was the only one in the elbow room who had never once operated a yoga mat ) , we grabbed some goodies : a pair of magnets and some copper and zinc pole . Then we position down , and , well , rubbed the magnet on our face .
Yep . We did .
For about two or three proceedings we were instructed to scratch the magnets across our temples and relax . I do n’t lie with if you ’ve ever tried to loosen up while rubbing attractive feature on your face , but those two thing do n’t exactly go hand - in - script . Once we were to the full magnetized , we were told to grab the rods . atomic number 29 pole in the correct hired man , atomic number 30 rod in the left . Apparently , these aid vitality current through you while you suspire and can convey out area of less Department of Energy in your body , even emotion . Once we grabbed them , Robert asked if any of us had the ones with a sticker that said “ S2 , " because patently there was one pair with “ charged ” energy .
Wilder Shaw/Thrillist
That ’d be me .
We then popped on some eye - masks and start our respiration shop . “ That vocalize easy ! ” you say . “ I breathe all the time ! ” you say . “ I ’m a breathing master ! ” you say . Well , cool off it . Jeez . “ The Breath , ” as they called it , was in reality fairly difficult . These were some complicated breathing time patterns .
And here ’s where everything gets interesting .
After about 15 of the around 25 second external respiration workshop , I come out to sense very funny . peradventure it was the unusual external respiration patterns or maybe it was the supercharged magic space - rods I was hold , but I started to feel like my entire promontory was tickle . Very slightly . Like , I could sense my whole face very clearly – and then , on the spur of the moment , I felt the same matter in my hand . I ’ve never call for James T. Kirk what it ’s like to be radiate up into a spaceship , but I conceive of his solvent would sound mistily like .
Once you’ve figured out that breathing thing, the actual sound bath starts
The transition between the ventilation workshop and the levelheaded bath was pretty seamless . I heard Jamie play the singing bowls , and then soon , she was playing the gong . Now , it ’s important to clarify that these gongs are probably not like the gongs you ’re thinking of . You ’re believably thinking of the type of gong that a Thelonious Monk smash right on before the kung fu master claim down the the wimpish little contender . These gong are very different . They ’re not tune to note like the singing bowl or most other percussion .
Guys , THESE GONGS ARE TUNED TO THE PLANETS . WHATEVER THAT have in mind .
So we lie there for a while , listening to the incredible room - enfold sounds of the gong and bowls , clutching our wizard rods tightly , marvel what in the world was to become of us as the sounds got louder and more acute .
Sound baths are theorize to lull , soothe , and discharge any negative energy that might be drift around in your nervous wreck of a body .
As the bath went on , my weird nous and hand quiver only got stronger . before long the whole way was fill with all kinds of half-baked sound washing over us like … well , a bath . It was almost like being underwater . Everything felt very serene and very peaceful , even kind of pressurized .
And then more weird stuff happen : when we were told that the free energy of the rod could fetch out emotions in us , I at once wrote that off . ‘ Cause , ya know , that sound screwball . But about 10 minutes into the relaxation of the audio bath , I discover my breathing get kind of hard and then , in no unsettled terms , I feel kind of nervous and scared .
That lasted for peradventure one whole moment , and then the vibration leave my chief and hand and everything set off to dissipate . Was this all just emotion that was building up in me from my life , and the sound bath released it ? Did I PHYSICALLY feel those emotions leaving my body ?
I do n’t know , humankind . I do n’t love . But I let go and let it launder over me , and the next 30 - ish instant of the sound bath were double-dyed relaxation . I almost fall gone at one point ( in a honest path ) . By the end , the audio were so wholesale and all - over - the - place that I could n’t separate anything from the other .
For all its weirdness, the sound bath might just work
When they turn the lights on , it was voiceless to get up for a minute . In fact , I did n’t really desire to . I could have listened to the sound for maybe six more hour . I still feel featherbrained , but – and I really ca n’t deny it –I feel better . Before I take the air into this matter , I would have put money on say that it was a whole lot of push mumbo - jumbo . But after my uncanny lightheadedness and emotional experience , I have to say , possibly , justmaybe , this motherfucker is legit .
level-headed baths will soon be available regularly atSoSpa(8555 Beverly Blvd , Los Angeles , CA 90048 ) , so call ‘ em up and try one one out . For real … and definitely snaffle the “ S2 ” retinal rod .
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Wilder Shawis a regular Thrillist contributor who definitely wants another academic term . Let him know if / when you do one on Twitter@WilderShawand Instagram@wildershaw .