Sacramento State students frequenting the second floor of the University Union may have noticed the blue wall labeled “Relaxation Station” and the makeshift booth beneath it. This is the current home of the Relaxation Station as it undergoes its 3-year process of reopening to the Sac State student body.
Previously located on the third floor, the station has now sought a new space to reinvent itself and to better support students’ everyday well-being by providing access to a free, immersive recharging space.
The main feature of the newly elevated space is its updated equipment, including two fully robotic massage chairs for deeper massages and two vibroacoustic chairs that provide a gentler massage experience, making them more accessible for students with disabilities.
The station refers to these chairs as the Rest Lounger and Wellness Lounger. With a total of ten, students have ample opportunity to use them and explore settings designed to focus on chakra work, take a power nap, engage awareness and even recall a memory.
In addition to the upgraded chairs, the station has elevated its sleeping areas from cots to twin extra-large beds with blankets and pillows, along with add-ons to help students relax or fall asleep faster. These include warm shoulder wraps, heated blankets, vibrational sleep masks to release tension and pulsed electromagnetic field mats that use red light therapy to help inflammation or soreness in the body.
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The station is also experimenting with optional aromatherapy services through what they are calling the Lotus Way check-in to further immerse students in the experience. Lotus Way includes flower essence mists and elixirs that are chosen based on exercises using the law of attraction to guide participants to their choice. Students select from a picture board of 23 different flowers that are each associated with a flower essence, all in the hopes of preparing their senses to further relax.
Angela Vazquez, union services and special projects coordinator, stressed the importance each step has in curating a personalized experience. Attendants are stationed outside the room to walk students through their options and review specialized menus for each service before they enter the serene space.
“Every single service will have its own menu and that way students can go through it with an attendant, and really walk them through exactly what you think you need for this session,” Vazquez said.
The station is waiting for new equipment to arrive and for each step to be tested, so officials expect it will be several weeks before it fully opens.
Kizzy Whitfield, assistant director of union services and operations, said the team is making every effort to provide the full experience and open as soon as possible.
The station began as a music listening area featuring records, CDs and later MTV videos, and has since undergone significant evolution. Whitfield recalled working in the station as a student when it supplied CDs and how its purpose has dramatically shifted.
“When people were able to access music more readily on their own, it became an outdated service and people were mostly going in there just to have a place to sleep,” Whitfield said. “We had to adjust for the times.”
As the station adjusts once again, the staff anticipates the students’ reactions and describes the reopening as an experimental phase.
Isabella Zaffa, a junior communications major, has never had the chance to use the Relaxation Station but said she is excited about its new services. Zaffa said students work hard throughout the semester and the long hours can become exhausting.
“Having a private place we can go to during school to relax and unwind will be very helpful,” Zaffa said.
When the new renovated state opens, students will have access to 20 minute naps in a strictly electronic-free space designed to maintain tranquility.
Norma Sanchez, the director of the university union, said the structural l design of the space was created to support each offered service. She describes the importance of their research visiting similar relaxation spaces, and the help of working with local architects and builders in curating its aesthetic.
“We were very intentional with being able to provide solid ambient music, serene lighting and other types of electronics that are going to help you relax and get to sleep faster,” Sanchez said.
The station was built with acoustic panels to muffle sound and an American River inspired light path that’s reflected both on the floor and ceiling. This design creates a spa-like space intended to make students feel removed from the busier campus atmosphere, making the preservation of the ambiance a primary focus of the service.
When it opens, students can access services by speaking with an attendant outside the station. If all services are full, students will be offered a self-guided essential oils kit. This will allow them to relieve stress on their own time by taking a little piece of the station’s spirit home with them.
Additional reporting by Amanda Guthrie.