the People of Kamalaspa
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Christopher & Amber Marie Bently
Amber Marie and Christopher Bently created Kamalaspa out of pure passion for Ayurveda. They’re both professed spa junkies who’ve brought their dreams to life: Kamalaspa is everything they think a spa and salon should be, and an experience like none other. Both are talented artists with a flair for unique environments, and the spa is the realization of their shared vision.
Anyone visiting the spa will become immersed in Amber Marie and Christopher’s love for travel and adventure: South America and Asia have greatly influenced their lives, and are the inspiration of the spa’s design. “There are many ways to pursue happiness and fulfillment; one just has to find the way that works best,” says Chris. “With Kamalaspa, we wanted something special to capture the imagination and heal the soul.”
Amber Marie Bently’s vision of Kamalaspa is an Indian Ayurvedic experience of ‘East meets West.’ She has a passion for Eastern culture and history, and has traveled with her husband throughout the Indies, experiencing the beauty and healing of Ayurveda first hand. “Our time in India was an enlightening experience, it was truly special.” Amber Marie has also studied jewelry design, and puts her creativity to use at ambermariebently.com, which features exotic gems and sophisticated designs inspired by the Far East. Her beautiful jewelry is also available for purchase at kamalaspa.
In 2004 the couple trekked across Rajisthan, the northern region of India where Maharajas of old left their mark in the form of great palaces and forts. In 2006 they returned to travel along the beautiful, lush coasts of India, experiencing Goa, Kerala and the great Bay of Bengal in Chenai. They experienced Ayurveda in its birthplace, and continue to bring this inspiration back to Kamalaspa.
Christopher and Amber designed the spa themselves, from the ground up: they gutted the seventh floor at 240 Stockton St. and started from scratch. “Designing and creating brings us closer together; we just love the process,†says Christopher. “At one point we were going to have a stream run through the entire spa. Our engineer looked at us like we were crazy. We had a lot of fun on this project. This will be the first Kamalaspa. The second will be a destination resort on the Mendocino coast. We can build our stream there!â€
Christopher and Amber Marie Bently live in San Francisco. They share a love for the city and the Bay Area: “San Francisco is one of the world’s most precious cities, and we love being able to give back what we can after all it’s done for us.†They live with their two pugs Mugsy and Che.
Christopher and Amber are very hands-on owners. At the spa they are in charge of quality control, and stick to the principle of “managing by massage.†Come say hello to Christopher and Amber, and enjoy their vision of Kamalaspa!