SAN DIEGO PREMIER HOLISTIC HEALTH DESTINATION


OUR STORY

 

In September 2012, after years as a community leader and entrepreneur had taken its toll, Saffron & Sage founder Cristin Smith searched for a season of rest and a break from the constant activity which she’d grown accustomed—and she found it in Mexico. During her time of restoration on sabbatical, a friend noticed a lump on Cristin’s neck that was later confirmed to be four tumors rapidly growing in her neck and thyroid. Her doctors both in Mexico and the United States suggested the typical slew of surgeries and medications. Instead, she chose to explore more natural options and began a journey towards wellness of the mind, body and spirit.

 
Saffron and Sage Woman Walking by Door
 

Cristin began meeting with a Naturopath who was the first practitioner to provide answers for the sudden emergence of these growing masses. Her diet radically changed and she had her amalgam fillings removed—detoxification, clean eating and colon hydrotherapy became part of her normal routine. She began practicing yoga and incorporating acupuncture. Homeopathic tinctures, essential oils and Chinese herbs were all used in her efforts to heal holistically. Going beyond treating the physical manifestation of illness, these efforts were getting the root of thoughts, traumas and toxicity.
 
An idea was being formed in her mind, and she wondered why resources on integrated or holistic wellness weren’t organized in one central place where they could be accessible to those with similar experiences. Over the course of a year Cristin had formed a multi-disciplinary team of practitioners, from Los Angeles to Tijuana that consisted of two Medical Doctors (one with a background in Chinese Herbology and the other in Homeopathy), Naturopath, Nutritionist, Colon Hydrotherapist, Massage Therapist, Yoga Instructor and Chiropractor. These practitioners, along with her Therapist and Spiritual Director, whom she had been journeying with for years prior, understood something that the prevailing healthcare system did not. They understood that Cristin was an integrated human being, with a heart, soul, body and mind. They listened to her story in addition to her symptoms. They are highly educated in their respective fields, rooted in scientific understanding, yet they incorporated and treated Cristin with the wisdom from ancient traditions like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

 
Saffron and Sage Ancient Herbs
Saffron and Sage Cristin in Bed
 

It wasn’t long before Cristin’s friends, family and community began to notice the positive changes in Cristin—physically, emotionally, spiritually. These observations lead to questions. Questions about the practices and products Cristin was using and the practitioners and places Cristin was visiting. This was the beginning. Cristin began connecting and referring friends and neighbors to these precious resources that she had researched and curated in her own struggle to heal holistically. These referrals and recommendations eventually took the form of classes, workshops and retreats where Saffron & Sage created multi-sensory experiential events. Therapeutic spaces to learn, grow and heal. A space to connect with local practitioners as well as community members on the same journey towards health and healing.
 
These events grew from her hometown in Riverside, CA, progressed some miles west to Los Angeles, CA, eventually made their way down to San Diego, CA and circled back to where her journey began in Tijuana, BC.
 

Saffron and Sage Women Laying Down

 
Today, Saffron & Sage connects communities to consciously curated wellness resources: practitioners, places, practices and products. We do this through creating therapeutic healing spaces, from our daily social media contributions to our weekly blog offerings. Our teachings become tangible through our multi-sensory experiential events held in Southern and Baja California as well as in our bio-individualistic in-home and on-location holistic healthcare services offered in San Diego. All of which will soon be available under one roof in San Diego with the opening of Saffron & Sage's first Urban Studio & Spa.
 
Saffron & Sage is a lifestyle brand that dreams of seeing humanity live therapeutically and sustainably. Our mission is to create therapeutic and healing spaces for those who, like Cristin, are looking for another way. A path that brings together community, hospitality and vulnerability. A path that invites us to journey inward and move beyond cultural norms and health trends. Saffron & Sage wants to meet you where you are on your journey. We want to companion you towards wellness—towards wholeness.