Calf cuddles and massages: Sidney farm launches Organic ‘Cow Spa’

SIDNEY, Maine (WABI) — Calming music and the occasional moo greet visitors stepping onto the pastures of Rainbow Valley Farm this month.

It is not a typical day at the spa—or on the dairy farm.

The Kennebec County farm has teamed up with Stonyfield Organic, which purchases its milk, to launch what organizers are calling a first-of-its-kind “Cow Spa.”

“Through a lot of our visits, we saw that cows, you know, they get these big brushes for kind of mini massages and some farms use peppermint oils,” Kristina Drociak, director of PR and consumer engagement for Stonyfield Yogurt, said. “There was kind of this fun, playful metaphor between the lives that the organic cows are living, and, you know, health and wellness for humans.”

For $120, ticket holders receive a three-to-four-hour retreat featuring scalp and back massages, foot reflexology, a Stonyfield organic parfait and juice bar, a meditation space and goodie bags.

The main attraction, however, is sitting down for some calf cuddling.

“People are so removed from their food source, and so, it’s just good for them to have that connection,” Jeff Bragg of Rainbow Valley Farm said. “And it’s also, I mean, there’s a good community connection there as well, to have people know that there’s a farm that they can come to.”

While the retreat highlights Organic Month, organizers say it touches on a much broader economic reality. Farmers say maintaining an organic certification brings steep expenses, including replacing conventional medications with specialized nutritional supplements and meeting strict land management standards.

“You go from a tool chest to a little carry case,” Jeff Bragg said.

“It’s money, money,” Jacob Bragg of Rainbow Valley Farm said.

According to the Maine Dairy Industry Task Force, a host of economic setbacks has cost the state more than three-quarters of its dairy farms over the last 30 years, dwindling from more than 600 commercial farms in 1994 to roughly 140 today.

Facing that shifting landscape, the Bragg family says agri-tourism offers family farms a critical bridge to stay viable and reconnect with the public.

“Dairy as we knew it even 10 years ago, 20, 30 years ago, it’s not the same,” Jacob Bragg said. “So, if you can’t be moldable to the whims of like any sort of these movements and capture a customer or consumer to get them on the farm, then I think we’re going to miss the path.”

The Cow Spa runs two days a week through Oct. 3, offering both morning and afternoon sessions. More information and reservations can be found online at stonyfieldorganiccowspa.com