"there is something mystical and spiritual about tea ... we wait for the water to boil, for the tea to brew. in that waiting, we breathe more slowly." so says bruce richardson of elmwood inn fine teas, and we believe it's true.

sculptures by a russian-blooded, mexican-born artist make a statement of worldly chic in charlotte. pieces currently on display at urbàna cityspa & teabar range from geometric wall sculpture to the 300-pound emerging face. (shown: 38"-high circle of life.) yuri zatarain's work has been exhibited in his home country, as well as in london, paris, milan, miami, los angeles, new york, argentina, brazil, russia, greece, south africa, and elsewhere throughout the world. he combines global sensibility with a contemporary aesthetic, and the jc report named his art as a must-have for the worldly individual.

buddha bar's nyc opening last spring brings a downtempo vibe closer to home, with no passport required. but when not in the city or not in the mood for crowds, try chilling with buddha bar VIII, a two-cd set that blends the new york club's beats with those of the paris original. find buddha bar VIII at urbàna, alongside café del mar, hotel costes and other downtempo favorites.

what's not to love when mixing hotels and art?
the james hotel in chicago (additional locations scheduled for nyc, l.a. and miami) features original art in a sleek steel and glass lobby and large video art installations that no doubt helped put it on travel + leisure magazine's 'the it list'. nyc's chambers hotel features 500 original works of contemporary art (some shown at www.chambershotel.com) in a small and luxuriously modern environment. for a more boho take in nyc, you'll find artists-in-residence on the 13th floor of the 100-year-old gershwin hotel, along with the belief that artists, like children, must be protected. and at the melia san lucas hotel in cabo san lucas, modern art finds a home in every guestroom and common area with paintings and sculptures by urbàna's featured artist, yuri zatarain. makes you want to stay a little longer.

the sole experience is a treat for feet and an irresistible addition to urbàna's massage menu. imagine kicking back for 30 minutes while shea butter is slathered onto your feet and the healing energy of hot stones creates a tension-melting massage. also available as a treatment of feet, hands and head ... just ask for the 60-minute
sole+ experience.

summer seems suddenly gone, and structure begs a return to our lives. this year, maybe a different to-do list, one that covers not the myriad of things that need to be done ... but just five or six little dreams ... a go-to list that's perfect with a cup of tea, a glass of wine, a small piece of dark chocolate — not necessarily in that order. here's to autumn days ahead.