Sunset Wellness 2022

The butterflies were everywhere. Thousands fluttered through the canyon and the flowers like a Disney movie. Dragonflies darted through, hovering, alighting on a rock, a cactus, or a shoulder, and then careened off. It was like the first time you saw fireflies as a kid and the world for once lived up to what you want it to be and all was well and good. The world is that way if you know where to look. We did our best to find it and bring it back to you with this year’s wellness issue. The butterfly fantasia was down a two-mile, teeth-chattering, unpaved, saguaro-lined road in Arizona at Castle Hot Springs, a century-old spa and resort with natural mineral hot springs, where JFK rehabbed, the Roosevelts retreated, and we shot…

Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz cradles a piece of freshly cut aloe vera between her fingers, delicately holding the plant she’s plucked from outside her home. Its dirt-clad roots stretch outward, its green leaves upward, almost as if it’s reaching out to touch her, too. The Phoenix-based curandera can often be found with plants in her pockets—aloe vera gel has a variety of uses beyond being a widely known salve for sunburnt skin. For Ruiz, it’s an ingredient that can be added to cucumber medicine water or a calendula mist for sensitive skin, even hair gel. In her practice of curanderismo, which is rooted in generations-old, traditional Mexican healing ways, Ruiz says, aloe vera placed near your front door is believed to spiritually protect the home. This is the type of wisdom in her…

Walking into the lavender-colored Los Angeles building that’s home to Soft Spirits, a shop flanked by row upon row of gleaming glass bottles with a fridge in the back that beckons with canned cocktails and beer, it’s difficult to imagine there’s not a drop of alcohol here. Not in the Wilderton botanical spirit made with cardamom and pine-smoked tea. Not in the Optimist blend of lavender, jasmine, and cinnamon leaf. Not in the Sovi sparkling rosé. The non-alcoholic outpost is the latest in a growing number of sober bars and shops that are gaining a foothold amid rising interest in zero-proof beverages—and brickand-mortar spaces to consume them. A constellation of factors led to the proliferation, owners say, from the pandemic’s acceleration of Americans’ reckoning with alcohol—drinking alone at home was perhaps…

Ask a person to define what wellness is, and they may fire off critical components such as a varied, wholesome diet, regular exercise, great medical care, or work/life balance. But what about innovative lighting that takes our sleep rhythms into account? Or ventilation that ensures clean air in the kitchen? Or smart, predictive appliances that keep a home safe? As our understanding of “healthy living” expands, our home design strategies are adapting to create an environment that supports this knowledge. The experts at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, our Sunset Idea House partner, are tuned in to the latest research and ready to help homeowners make critical decisions for their kitchen, lighting, and bathroom design needs. “New discoveries about the interconnectedness of home and holistic health become an inspiration for reflecting our…

Flora Grubb, the face of iconic San Francisco plant store Flora Grubb Gardens, which she co-owns with her partner, Saul Nadler, has a secret. Yes, it says right on their website that they own a nursery, about 50 miles outside San Diego. But this is the first time that Grubb & Nadler Nurseries has ever been shot by a magazine, newspaper, or website. We intend to roll out the green carpet, too, because Grubb deserves the accolades. An accomplished landscape designer, she’s spent the last 19 years finding the low-water, sculptural plants that make for head-turning gardens. (She started gardening as a child, then quit high school “to do a little landscaping” and pull weeds between babysitting gigs.) Today, her garden store is so well-loved that visitors are prone to write…

Ficus umbellata “There’s so much fiddle-leaf fig overload that people are searching for the next thing. This plant has nominated itself as a contender,” Grubb says. That said, Ficus umbellata is so new to the trade, she says, few know what a 15-year-old one will look like in your house. CARE: Don’t let it go completely dry before watering. Bright, indirect light. Philodendron ‘Birkin’: “Such a super-trendy plant,” Grubb says, pointing out that until they became more available, a Philodendron ‘Birkin’ could cost $1,000 online. CARE: Keep soil moist. Bright, indirect light. Gasteraloe ‘Green Ice’ “These rare little succulent houseplants look like they’ve been hand painted by an artist,” Grubb says. CARE: Water when completely dry. Very bright, indirect light. Alocasia ‘Regal Shields’: With leaves that resemble shields, this Alocasia can grow up to 6 feet tall indoors. Says Grubb,…