Press Releases
San Clemente, CA – As New Year’s resolutions go, ‘wellness’ is a universal priority. Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is proud to offer an expanded Casa Wellness program in 2018, with classes and workshops that give patrons access to a variety of culinary, fitness, and lifestyle classes.
“Wellness is becoming a social matter, not just a medical issue,” says Casa Romantica Executive Director Berenika Schmitz. “Institutions like Casa Romantica are naturally positioned to enhance the overall health of our community with an atmosphere that encourages introspection, inspiration, and positive mind-body balance.”
According to a recent article by the New York Times, museums and cultural institutions across the country are incorporating wellness into their programming by offering courses in subjects like yoga and meditation that often mirror the aesthetics or philosophy of their collections.
The Casa Wellness series includes classes designed to enhance mental, emotional, and physical health. The cornerstone offering is a monthly yoga class, held on the first Wednesday of every month for $5 admission (members attend for free). This year, Casa Romantica has added three sunset yoga classes for summer 2018. Additionally, the institution now offers Casa Fit Mondays, which are open to all members and are free to attend. The hour-long class, held weekly on Monday mornings, consists of light-to-moderate fitness circuits outdoors in the Casa Gardens.
In autumn 2017, Casa Romantica hosted its popular Succulent Wreath workshops and Tea Blending Workshop – activities which fostered creativity and social interaction alongside natural materials. The majority of the series, however, occurs in 2018. A creative journaling class for mental health begins the Casa Wellness programs on January 11, led by award-winning author MaryAnn Easley. On January 31, patrons will learn about healthy food shopping, label reading, and safe food prep practices with nutritionist Kristi Acuña. Subsequent offerings in the series include an organic olive oil and wine tasting class (held on Valentine’s Day), a pickling and kombucha class (3/21), an air purification workshop in which patrons create Tillandsia air plants terrariums to breathe – literally — fresh air into indoor environments (4/11), a ‘Grow Your Own Food’ workshop where patrons will plant an edible, portable vegetable-and-herb garden (5/30), a Mediterranean cooking class with TSPOONS Cooking School (6/6), and a summer terrarium workshop (8/15).
In accordance with Casa Romantica’s mission of making art, culture and education accessible to everyone in the community, events alternate between morning and evening offerings, and all are reasonably priced between $5 and $35 (some events are free for members). Casa Romantica has also launched a new membership, the ‘Casa Fit Pass’ which enables wellness-minded patrons to pre-pay for all of the Casa Wellness programs at a heavily discounted rate (the $275 membership is valued at $400). The Casa Fit Pass includes a general Casa Membership for one person, which allows the patron to visit Casa Romantica for free daily, get discounts on nearly all Casa Captivating programs, enjoy free after-hours access at monthly Member Nights, and get complimentary admission to over 300 botanical gardens nationwide with Casa Romantica’s American Horticultural Society association.
Tickets for all Casa Wellness events are available online at CasaRomantica.org/Calendar and by telephone at (949) 498-2139.
