Sitting down and painting a blank canvas is something many artists find relaxing. But for those who are not artists by trade, painting a picture or working on an unfinished piece of pottery can still be a wonderful way to unwind from the frantic pace of holiday shopping.

Opened in 1997 on Lincoln Avenue, Petroglyph is a place Willow Glen residents and people throughout the South Bay are already gathering at to rejuvenate during the holiday shopping season.

The store is stocked with both functional items, such as plates, bowls, mugs and vases, and novelties, such as figurines. A center island is filled with paints of various colors, paintbrushes, stencils and sponges. After the therapeutic task of applying paint with long brushstrokes is completed, an item is taken away from the customer by a worker, glazed and then fired in a kiln.

Barbara Lawry visits the store year-round by herself or with her two teenage daughters. She comes to Petroglyph in Willow Glen from her home in Almaden Valley because it's a place to be "artistic and creative," she says.

"I love seeing a group of women come in here with a bottle of wine and pizza, making art," says Lawry as she paints a candleholder pink and cobalt blue. "My youngest daughter is making an entire tea set. It's great to make a memory of where they were at that point of their life and still enjoy and use the pieces they make."

Not only is Lawry benefiting from making pottery while she takes time for herself to shop, but her daughters also have made gifts for their grandmother, such as picture frames, she says.

"People like to create things here versus going out and buying something as a gift," says Petroglyph store manager Elizabeth Vartanian. "It's the kind of gift to make for someone who already has everything."

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Leisure Moments: Customer Lisa Zirl spent several hours at Petroglyph painting unfinished pottery pieces, which she plans to give to her grandchildren as Christmas gifts.

But although Troy Evans, 19, is making a gift for his girlfriend, Shurie Cremona, 17, it isn't a Christmas decoration. As he paints a blonde girl riding a unicorn, he explains, "I've been coming here a long time because I find it relaxing. Another way I relax while I'm holiday shopping is going out to eat or getting coffee."

Campbell resident Debbie Johnson also likes to dine out to clear her mind and destress during the holidays. She visits Petroglyph with coworkers as a team-building event. Co-worker Heidi Anderson made a plate with a blue moon and stars, which "will be a Christmas present if it turns out well after it's painted and fired," she says.

As Becky Rivas finishes painting a water pitcher she says it is relaxing because "no one hassles you and you can sit here all day and be creative."

But there is a two-hour time limit that is strictly enforced during the busy holiday season, and reservations are recommended, Vartanian says.

"Sometimes it can be relaxing or people get stressed out when they are trying to get things painted and the store is full of people," she says. "We help them get started but we won't paint it for them."

Just down the street, Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Company offers customers a variety of holiday drinks and tables at which to sit and rest weary feet. The eggnog latte and peppermint smoothies are additions to the menu during the holidays. But year-round the store is committed to providing "traditional recipes" such as a machiatto, which is espresso with very dry foam, unlike some places which add milk to the drink, says store owner Chris Carris.

"I like to think my espresso meets European standards," says Carris, who bought the store four years ago. "We offer the public home-grown and roasted coffees. I ask Europeans if it's similar to the espresso they got back home."

Since the store opened 10 years ago, San Jose resident Keith Stahr has stopped by often to talk with customers and pick up drinks. Although he has not started holiday shopping yet, he frequents coffee shops while shopping any time of year, he says.

"The people are a lot friendlier; it's more simple and real here than in the big corporate outfits," Stahr says about Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Company. "I drink coffee every day, but it doesn't calm me down while I'm stressed out about the holidays. Stopping at the coffee shop is grounding while holiday shopping. It is a place to recoup with all the chaos of the season."

Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer Take a Break: Shoppers can stop and enjoy a cup of their favorite coffee at places like the Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Company, after searching for that perfect holiday gift.

"I go windsurfing at Shoreline and play football with friends to relax during the holidays," says the engineer. "Starbucks offers lattes and things you can't find in most restaurants in the United States."

For those who want to indulge in something more extravagant than drinking coffee or painting pottery, there are many spa services available along the avenue. Judy Mason visits La Concha Inn and Spa of Willow Glen to get facials, full body massages and haircuts.

"In the past I'd only been to spas on a vacation," says the lifelong Willow Glen resident, who has been a regular at La Concha for five years. "Then I decided to take time to treat myself to the good life. Now it's no longer a treat; it's a basic necessity. I make time in my schedule to come—which isn't hard because I'm retired."

Mason, who admits to coming more during the holidays, also gives her husband and neighbors gift certificates for massages.

The sign out in front of La Concha reads, "Calistoga in Willow Glen." Visitors come from as far away as Sacramento for weekend spa packages or daily visits, says owner Gloria Maciel.

When she opened the spa in 1994 on Lincoln Avenue, she planned to expand into a bed and breakfast. These plans are on hold because of the slow economy, but the building is undergoing extensive renovation, and three more aestheticians have been hired.

The building, which used to be Maciel's home, is divided into several rooms for massages, spas, saunas, mud baths, body scrubs, body wraps, facials, manicures, pedicures and haircuts.

The all-day package names alone suggest relief from chaos: "Grand Escape Day Spa," "Stressbuster," "For Your Aching Bones" and "The Hide Away." These packages are for individuals or couples seeking pampering through treatments that last between two and seven hours, and some treatments include an aromatherapy sauna, a full facial, lunch and shampoo.

Spas provide health benefits as well, Maciel says. Mineral baths are given because "we deplete lots of minerals in the body," she says. During body wraps, warm mud is applied, which "makes people perspire, absorb minerals and rid themselves of toxins," she says.

In the various facial rooms, there are basic pore-cleansing facials, hydrating facials and acne treatments available.

In addition to a full body massage by an aesthetician, several massage chairs are available to sit in during pedicures. Customers sit in the chair while soaking their feet in a tub of water with whirlpool jets.

"This is good for people who are shopping a lot or for people who stand on their feet while working," Maciel says.

Sylvia Lago, who has worked at La Concha for seven years, says more clients visit during the holiday season because they are taking vacation time off work and "everyone is preparing themselves for the holidays by relaxing and pampering themselves so they can feel special."

For the past three years, Sachs Day Spa has been busy soothing weary bodies by providing Swedish massages, deep muscle massages, reflexology and heated stone massage, says owner Lisa Sachs.

Other services offered include waxing, makeup application and tweezing. The spa also sells skin-care products, as well as makeup, soaps, candles and oils.

"We offer very personalized service," Sachs says. "We all have a lot of experience, and the ambiance is great."

But while some focus on taking time out for themselves this holiday season by painting pottery, getting coffee or having a massage or facial, others will concentrate just on buying gifts for others.

"A lot of people won't spoil themselves but will buy a gift certificate for someone else," says Laura Wilson, an aesthetician at Sachs Day Spa.

For more information about Petroglyph, 1140-5 Lincoln Ave., call 408.971.4278 or visit www.petroglyph.com, La Concha Inn and Spa, 1042 Lincoln Ave., call 408.286.8612 or visit www.laconchaspa.com; Sachs Day Spa, 1375 Lincoln Ave., call 408.298.1375 or visit www.sachsdayspa.com.