Feel Good Guru

February is *love* month. Chances are good we’ll be hosting a L.O.V.E. Cafe in the Venice garden right around V-day – drop us an email if you’d like an invite. We keep ‘em intimate, so V-day is a perfect day to bring your lover or friend to the Local. Organic. Vegan. Evolutionary. Cafe Underground where sweet jasmine, quenched by the days of rain and emboldened by a full one of sun, breathed into being her fullest expression, all pink blossoms and perfume and nectar for the bees. Yes, it’s a heavenly affair best shared with kindred spirits.

If you can’t make it to the L.O.V.E. Cafe for V-day but you want an eco-sexy gift idea, here are our top 10, from hand crafted natural fiber stockings to soaking au naturel in a hotspring:

• CHOCOLATE Ancient Aztec legends say that cacao seeds had been brought from Paradise and that eating the fruit of the cacao tree would bring wisdom and power. It was also considered an aphrodisiac and therefore women were forbidden to eat it! Thank goddess we’ve come a long way baby. Nowadays, during the rest of the year, 75% of chocolate is purchased by women. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, the tables turn completely and mostly men make the purchase. Chocolate contains a natural substance which triggers the same reaction in the body as falling in love. We fell in love with ChocoVivo and now no other chocolate compares or even comes close. Lovingly hand-crafted, stone-ground with the finest ingredients, mixed whole, with spices and never any dairy or soy lecithin, it’s medicinal and highly addictive.

• WINE No V-day is complete without at least a sip of nectar of the grapes. The wine crafters at Bonterra Vineyards believe, as we do, that organic grapes make better wine, but at this winery, they go beyond organic, creating phenomenal results with biodynamic farming. At the McNab Ranch in Mendocino County, the land and the fruit rule. Soil, plants and animals work in harmony keeping the environment healthy and balanced. Sip a little of this into your own internal environment and feel the alchemy of nature lift your spirit.

• STOCKINGS Let’s face it. No woman loves wearing nylon pantyhose. They don’t breathe, they’re itchy on the legs, and you always need a pair or two on standby for those hangnail runs or in-a-hurry holes. These cotton jersey knit stockings are the cutest things – ever – on Etsy, made by Jennifer Brown of Under The Root, using reclaimed, repurposed and sustainable textiles. Keep your gorgeous skin healthy, breathing and warm under these sweet stockings under your vintage whatever else you’re dressing up (or undressing) with for sustainable sex appeal.

• BOXERS For him: Hemp-cotton boxer briefs you’ll love the feeling of. They’re a favorite of Sweetskins and Sweetskins is a favorite of ours. He’ll dig ‘em too.

• ORGANIC CLOTHING We can’t get enough of Treehouse 28′s romantic line of organic clothing designs. This light ruffled asymmetrical top will set the mood for a candlelit dinner at home. You know how soft organic cotton feels…dinner might have to be put on pause…

• ECO RETREAT For the ultimate luxurious romantic getaway, perched on the rugged cliffs of Big Sur, California, is the Post Ranch Inn, a perfect eco-sexy sanctuary to escape to for V-day. Winner of “Best for Romance” 2009 by Trip Advisor and “Most Romantic Hideaway” 2009 by Conde Nast Johansens, this stunning boutique hotel is committed to environmental stewardship and has been ranked number 3 of the “Ten Greenest Accomodations in the World”. Get back to your nature with your love. Take in some soul-soothing spa treatments, then catch a breathtaking sunset over the sparkling Pacific. Dine on a four-course dinner overlooking the ocean, then be a true romantic and soak in the stars under the awe-inspiring Big Sur sky.

• ORGANIC SHEETS If you haven’t already given your bedroom some green love, start with organic cotton bedsheets from Rawganique. They’re soft, smooth and silky, sweatshop-free, chemical-free, no bleach, no dyes, no heavy metals, and made with the purest 100% organic European cotton. That’s eco-sexy.

• NATURAL SKINCARE Love up your lover’s skin – and your own – with our favorite wild-crafted, small batch, luxurious, so-natural-you-can-eat-em body butters by Sigrid Naturals. Made with sweet almond oil, extra virgin olive oil, and essential oils like rose geranium and ylang ylang, these sensual body butters, especially the Ylang Ylang, are made to be shared.

• HOT SPRINGS Nothing relaxes and de-stresses a body and soul like a soak with your soulmate au naturel in a natural hot spring. Now you can be totally in the know on the go with this new Hot Springs Finder app for the iPhone. This electronic guide will lead you to road-side soaks, spiritual retreats, commercial spas and natural springs in the deep wilderness. So far just for California, but we’ll let you know when the worldwide edition is out!

• MOVIE If you’re one in a million who hasn’t yet seen Avatar, or even if you have, take your sweetheart to Pandora via the IMAX 3D version. An environmental love story for our time, Avatar will stir your soul, get your heart rate up, and ignite your passion.

*happily, all of these favorite things may be indulged in and enjoyed solo if we happen to find ourselves presently “between soulmates”:)

**awesome photo from mashed musings