as you barrel through your weekdays --juggling cell phone and lap top, job and family, pets and personal life--the idea of finding your "purpose in life" might seem laughable. The word centered may be the furthest thing from your mind. And therein lies the allure of Native American spa therapies. Whether you sample a luxurious, energizing treatment at a spa or adapt one for your home, these ancient practices, like many Native American rituals, are intended to enhance introspection, to purify mind and body. "When you're centered," explains Dan Mohr, a Cherokee descendent and spa director at the RockResorts Spa at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort in Santa Fe, N.M., "you have a clearer sense of purpose and you can accomplish more."     Many Native American cultures believe that each of us is here for a specific reason. While finding that purpose, you must strive to be the best you possible, and your actions will benefit the world around you. In this spirit, Native American spa treatments, using elements such as heat and water and ingredients like herbs, aloe, and corn, naturally reconnect you, physically and emotionally, with yourself. The spas featured here have all consulted with Native American experts to create treatments that honor traditions, including the use of indigenous materials and sustainable agriculture--practices that have been deeply rooted in American Indian life for thousands of years. The payoff goes well beyond softer skin, prettier feet, or an overall enhanced radiance. These timeless natural treatments are a path to inner and outer beauty.

cedar

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    A sacred element in Native American culture, cedar is used to both cleanse and heal. Cedar is sprinkled on hot rocks to allow its power to be released with the steam. "Cedar smells almost medicinal--it will clear your sinuses and cleanse your mind," a Cree Indian and the Native American program director of the Mil Amo Spa in Sedona, Ariz.

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at home
Try KORRES CEDAR BODY WATER ($18;amazon.com,) a moisturizing skin spritz that contains essential minerals for the skin: sodium, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. For a shortcut, place a palm-size sachet from CLEAR LIGHT THE CEDAR COMPANY ($7, clcedar.com) in a drawer or your glove box, or toss one in your suitcase. Each is filled with cedar needles, harvested from the forests of New Mexico. Inhale and you'll think you've been transported to a pine forest.