Corey Costanzo is the Co-Owner of Asheville’s Still Point Wellness Spa, a licensed addiction counselor, trauma specialist, licensed massage therapist, master didgeridoo player, colleague, and good friend.
In this episode, Corey has a conversation with Pripo Teplitsky about giving too much and sacrificing ourselves for others. What’s healthy in this arena?
Ever heard of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST)? What about sensory deprivation floating?
In this episode, Adina Arden-Cooper chats with Corey Costanzo about this unique treatment. Corey is a somatic therapist, massage therapist, and yoga teacher. He also owns Still Point Wellness in Asheville, a facility that offers saltwater floatation (sensory deprivaton).
Listen to find out what it's like to float, how floating has helped Corey, as well as Adina, and how it could help you.
Corey Costanzo and Robin Fann of Still Point Wellness Spa, a destination wellness spa in Asheville, NC, provide effortless relaxation through a combination of world-class services designed to reconnect to your body’s wisdom.
Corey and Robin share what makes Still Point Wellness unique as a destination spa and how their special combination of top quality services—including Saltwater Floatation (sensory deprivation), Esalen® Massage, Cranial Sacral Therapy, and Somatic Experiencing—are designed to support personal development through deep relaxation and self exploration.
Also on Speaking of Travel, Mark Collins, Partnerships Manager for RomanticAsheville.com, the online travel guide to Asheville and the Western North Carolina region, looks back over this incredible year to acknowledge everyone who has worked so hard to be a big part of what makes Western North Carolina, and the travel and tourism industry over, so successful.
Still Point Wellness offers one of the top spa and wellness experiences in Asheville: a private chamber with a float tank where you’ll effortlessly float for one or two hours, supported by half a ton of Epsom salt in skin-temperature water.
In addition, Still Point Wellness provides what is arguably the best massage in Asheville. The Esalen Massage is a holistic, whole-body relaxation massage developed at the famous Esalen Institute in California 60 years ago. Somatic Experience and Craniosacral Therapy are also part of Still Point Wellness’ offerings (I highly recommend them for more profound healing).
If the events of the past 18 months have taught us anything, and there are certainly many lessons to be learned, it is that we must be more aware of our health.
“People in the wellness business are, by nature, committed to the health and wellness of the community. So, when we have a wellness market like this it fosters an inclusive atmosphere where everyone is very upbeat and friendly. Think of it as a farmers market for healthcare,” said Corey Costanzo of the Still Point Wellness Spa.
In this episode, Corey and I share some examples of opening up to influence in our relationships with our partners, in our work as therapists, and in our friendship with each other. We emphasize the importance of embracing your partner’s influence and thoughts with grace, humility, and a good heart. We share how men are normally socially conditioned to seek “winning” and reject the notion of opening up to influence from their partners.
This complete lack of external stimuli, coupled with the body-temperature water, means it feels like you are one with the water, which is beyond relaxing. Editor Brook was especially surprised by how quickly her back stopped aching when she began floating, and how drunkenly relaxed her muscles felt when she walked out. It’s incredible that taking away all the distractions of life, like light + sound, made for such a wholly rejuvenating experience.
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA —
For more than a century, the fresh mountain air of Asheville has lured tourists and newcomers in search of a healthy lifestyle. But the last 15 years have seen serious growth in a wide range of wellness-oriented offerings that go well beyond “taking the air” in Asheville.
“When you go in the tank there is no sound and no light,” he explains. “It blocks all your external senses, so your inner senses start to come alive. The minutes go by, and in your mind you’ve been thinking of what you did last week and what you have to do tomorrow, but at some point your mind says, ‘Try to let it go.’ And all the energy we use to think, to fight gravity, to walk around and hold our body tight starts to free up, and your body uses it where it is most needed.”
Find your inner stillness at Asheville’s premier EsalenⓇ Massage and saltwater flotation spa. Still Point Wellness has been featured on media ranging from USA Today to “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “Jeopardy.” Enjoy a couples EsalenⓇ massage tutorial session, drift away in a sensory deprivation tank, or unlock the wisdom of your body through somatic psychology.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Can you really sweat out the winter blues?
Corey Costanzo, the co-owner of Still Point Wellness in Asheville, believes you can with the help of his far infrared sauna.
"Somebody who is just down and depressed, and they don't have any energy," Costanzo explained. "This helps to stimulate the body's energy."
WNC has long been a refuge for healing, and between the stress-relieving scenery, outdoor activities, plentiful yoga classes, and cool mountain air, a pampering spa experience is just the icing on top. From day spas to destination retreats, there’s no shortage of opportunities for such relaxation. In Asheville, alternative treatments include sensory deprivation at Still Point Wellness, enriching salt therapy at Asheville Salt Cave, and hydrotherapy at the Japanese- or Swedish-style soaking experiences found at Shoji Spa & Lodge and the new Bada Bastu, respectively.
Corey joins me today to share how understanding your body and being aware of what happens to it when you’re stressed can affect your personal and professional relationships. We discuss where to look and what to do to the body when you’re stressed and explain the gravity of de-stressing and taking care of your own anxiety so you can take care of others. We also share techniques that you can use to help you improve relaxation and decrease stress and explain why self-care is not simply a luxury, but a necessity for achieving a harmonious relationship with others.
Still Point Wellness is a world-class spa in Asheville, offering a full menu of luxury spa services for individuals and couples, including unique salt water flotation experiences, which use sensory deprivation principles to restore body wellness and peace of mind in the spa's state-of-the-art flotation chamber. 60, 90, and 120-minute flotation sessions are available, providing participants with one-of-a-kind immune boosting and pain relief benefits. Other services available include the spa's trademarked Esalen massage services, which use long integrative strokes and deep-tissue pressure to target shoulder, leg, arm, and lower back pain, and craniosacral therapy services, which improve the movement of cerebrospinal fluid throughout the spinal cord and provide relief from conditions such as TMJ, migraines, and whiplash.
Corey joins me today to discuss how addictions affect relationships. He explains how couples can improve their relationship when an addiction is present and how to identify when an addiction becomes an issue. He also explains what non-addicted partners can do to help themselves in a relationship involving addiction and how insight and awareness can help addicted partners learn to make better choices and decisions that are aligned with their life goals.
Corey joins me today to share how he is using sound and vibration as a tool to heal and transform the lives of those around him. He explains how sound helps in becoming more attune with your partner and its impact on the connection you build with them. He also explains how harmonics and vibrations influence partnerships, strategies to become more attuned to yourself as well as your partner, and how he uses the didgeridoo as a guided meditation tool in his philanthropic work.
“Attunement is a beautiful ingredient to the recipe of a successful relationship - and a successful life.” - Corey Costanzo
We’ve put together the ultimate rainy day bucket list for indoor activities – from breakout rooms + go-carts to movie theatres + massages. So when weekend gets rained out + you’re looking to hunker down, you know exactly what to do instead.
Honor the rain by floating in a huge salt water floatation chamber.
The Better Dads Festival, returning to Asheville for its second year, is a celebration of fatherhood in all its forms. The festival provides an opportunity for the diverse community of Asheville to come together in support of healthy, compassionate fathers, families and relationships. The event offers a unique mix of active, soulful, inspirational, fun and educational activities.
Check into a retreat to jump-start a wellness program or elevate your fitness level to a new degree on a specialized exercise circuit. After the sweat-induced euphoria, let your body rest with a swoon-worthy spa treatment…After working and playing hard, you’ll return home feeling better overall, and healthier too.
Asheville has been a haven for those seeking rest, relaxation and healing for centuries. This North Carolina city is considered a top mountain spa escape and delegated a purifying place thanks to the millions of national forests that make up one of the most biodiverse temperate regions on Earth. With all this natural healing at Ashevillians fingertips, it makes sense that a thriving health and wellness culture has developed here, with tons of yoga studios, alternative medical practices and of course, world-class spas. Here are 10 of the best spas in Asheville to help restore your body and mind.
Make a donation of $20 or more before Give!Local‘s Big Give Week ends at midnight Dec. 9 — and be entered to win one of seven great prizes. Each of these local business is supporting Give!Local’s fundraising efforts.
Corey runs Still Point Wellness, a float and wellness center out in Asheville, North Carolina. He’ll be partnering up with Treeka Drake of One Love Float to put on a Friday Activity entitled “Shamanic Floating Concepts with Didgeridoo Journey.” Corey will be playing using his didgeridoo to take people on this sound based journey. Read more about it on our Friday Activities page.
This week I chat with Robin Fann-Costanzo about Esalen Massage. What makes it unique? What does it have to offer both the client and the practitioner? I also dive into her transition from practitioner to teacher, and learn a little about her first international teaching gig.
Saltwater floatation is not the only offering at Still Point, however; services include Esalen massage, somatic psychology, cranial sacral therapy, massage workshops, and private yoga therapy, and there’s a full staff of spa coordinators and trained massage therapists. “Our unique blend of Esalen philosophy, massage, psychology, and mindfulness education is what sets us apart,” Corey explains. “Everything we offer at the spa has the simple focus of bringing relaxation and ease into someone’s life.
Asheville, North Carolina; an artistic town rich in locally sourced dishes, diverse culture and wellness attractions. Browse Trip Advisor, and you’ll find an overwhelming list of spas to choose from. While most are pretty great, there are a few that are specifically fascinating because of their unique treatments, breathtaking architecture, or both.
Nestled into Asheville’s Merrimon Avenue neighborhood is one of the best spas in the country, Still Point Wellness. Honing in on the wisdom of the body to facilitate peace of mind, the benefits of its services far surpass any pampering session.
Still Point Wellness, best known as Asheville’s Salt Water Floatation (sensory deprivation) and Esalen® Massage spa, introduces a new “relaxation room” including a far infrared sauna and Migun massage bed to help locals ease into the winter months.
A friend and colleague invited me to experience saltwater flotation in his Asheville program called Still Point Wellness. “Still Point” not only has a saltwater flotation tank but highly skilled massage therapists, which includes Esalen Massage, yoga therapy, massage workshops and a Somatic Psychologist. I had experienced a saltwater flotation tank session many years ago when visiting a yoga retreat center earlier in my career as an integrative internist and psychiatrist. My memory of it was pleasant and very relaxing. I was eager to give it another try, especially with my interest in integrative strategies for health and wellbeing.
Imagine yourself suspended, weightless, enveloped by quiet in a state of pure relaxation. That’s the promise of a salt-water flotation session at Still Point Wellness. Based on an ancient practice, this relaxing float uses 1,500 pounds of Epsom salts to cradle you in comfort. Sessions last 60, 90 or 120 minutes and are reputed to reduce stress and tension.
Still Point Wellness is located in the mountains of North Carolina, sheltered from much of the South in this little New Age Paradise where vegan restaurants and craft beer abound. We felt right at home pulling in from Portland. Corey, the owner of Still Point Wellness, started out in psychology, and he discovered floating at the Esalen Institute (the same place he discovered his wife).
Still Point Wellness in Asheville helps us close the door to outside interference and open the window to inner peace and self-awareness. “Deep relaxation and skill building are at the core of everything we do,” says Corey Costanzo, LMBT, somatic coach, and counselor. He co-owns the spa with his wife Robin Fann-Costanzo, LMBT, yoga therapist and teacher, and massage educator.
Most people visit the Asheville, North Carolina area to see the huge, sprawling, Biltmore Estate. We decided to do Asheville a bit differently than most by skipping this massive building of excess and instead visited a tiny little minimalist-like space; a six foot by eight foot salt water flotation chamber at what has to be the best Asheville spa – Still Point Wellness.
Outdoor excursions (specifically the “Ultimate Stairmaster”) call for some serious TLC. Spas are my ultimate “happy place” so when I stumbled upon Still Point Wellness I knew it was a mandatory stop during our trip. Still Point Wellness is more than your average spa – it is a centre for physical, mental and spiritual rejuvenation. Still Point Wellness offers a multitude of services including salt water flotation, world class Esalen® Massage, somatic psychology and private yoga therapy and meditation.
Mauris egestas at nibh nec finibus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec eget risus diam. Nullam sit amet nisi condimentum erat iaculis auctor. Aenean eu justo sed elit dignissim aliquam. Aenean eu justo sed elit dignissim aliquam. Quisque congue porttitor ullamcorper.
Winter has descended on Asheville, and it will remain for another month at least. But you can make the most of the gloom with a sense of adventure. No, we're not talking about outdoor exploration. We're looking around for indoor pursuits.
Asheville is known as an outdoor destination, but this diverse list of indoor activities makes us wonder whether anyone who lives here has actually done them all.
Corey shares his journey from Avenue M in Brooklyn to travels all over the world. However it wasn’t until he worked through the adversity of panic attacks that he discovered his path as a healer. And it was while staring at the stars in the pit of adversity of Thailand that he discovered his life’s mantra.
Seeking to uncover the lesser-known, innovative and ancient massage modalities practiced in Asheville, Mountain Xpress spoke with several therapists who are shaking up the scene.
Corey Costanzo sits with his daughter, Rosie, 5, as they listen to the opening ceremony of Walk A Mile Asheville at Pack Square Park on Saturday, May 2, 2015. Costanzo was representing Still Point Wellness in the walk.
See below for Dr. Cammarata’s four-week program – Mind-Body Wellness
Written by Dr. Larry Cammarata –
There is an ancient story from the Zen tradition about a young monk who was committed to seeking enlightenment. His master guided him to the edge of a meadow and said to him, “Walk deeper into the meadow and align your senses fully with your experience. What you first fully experience will be your door to enlightenment.”
This healing arts spa will help you explore your inner experience and reconnect to the body's wisdom. Float in the state-of-the-art floatation chamber, be touched by masterful hands in an Esalen® Massage or cranial sacral session, and explore the connection between your mind and body through yoga therapy or asomatic (body) psychology session.
This was my first trip into a sensory deprivation chamber.
Insert your own lyrics from Jefferson Airplane here, or some lines from the Beatles about turning off your mind and floating downstream.
I’ve read about sensory deprivation for 20 years, and always wanted to experience it. But I never could find a floating tank close enough.
Then Still Point Wellness in Asheville, NC, built one.
The second I heard about it, I had to go.
Corey Costanzo, manager of Still Point Wellness, has been offering healing-arts classes at LEAF since he and his wife, Robin Fann-Costanzo, moved to the area five years ago. The couple lead a restorative yoga class with didgeridoo music, and they will also have two booths at the festival to represent their spa.
“It’s an incredible way to be at the festival, mainly because there is so much stimulation going on,” says Corey Costanzo. “There are a lot of people that really need a retreat into themselves. What I notice is that a lot people come to us with headaches or feeling really tired or drained. Or they’re sleeping on the floor camping, so their bodies are aching, and I really think that having an hour massage or even a 20-minute chair massage can really help somebody to just get away to have a little miniretreat into their bodies and into wellness that will help them to enjoy the festival even more.”
Corey Costanzo says growing up in a mafia ridden neighborhood helped him understand the challenges that plague today's at-risk youth. Join Food Sleuth Radio Host and registered dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Costanzo, coordinator of Kids at Work!, an Ashville, N.C.-based program that empowers youth through the culinary arts. Costanzo grew up in his father's pizzeria in Brooklyn, NY, and started cooking professionally at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. He also holds a Master's degree in clinical psychology, which enables him to use the magic of mealtime to counsel youth.
The World Massage Festival and Massage Therapy Hall of Fame is not your usual "massage convention". Open to therapists, instructors and the general public, the Festival offers affordable, world class, hands-on continuing education.
Fresh from spending much of the summer in Asheville, actress Kristen Wiig spent most of her Sept. 3 segment with David Letterman talking about her experiences in the city. She painted a funny picture for the national audience, describing Asheville as “a little kind of hippie town” where “people who used to follow the Grateful Dead have moved to die.”
A head-on motorcycle collision in Thailand sent Corey Costanzo, co-owner of Still Point Wellness, on an unexpected journey. “It was the middle of the night, and another motorcycle veered into my lane. It was really scary,” Costanzo recalls. “The other guy died.”
It’s a bright and blustery morning in North Asheville, where I am about to embark on a rather unique journey. With my heart pounding and my nerves afire, I am stepping into a dark, lonely box to float in silence in a warm, epsom-saltwater solution for 90 minutes.