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| Thai Paradise
| Bangkok, thailand's capital and largest city, now has more to lure spa-goers than just authentic Thai massage. Last summer, the Shangri-La hotel group opened Chi, The Spa at Shangri-La, on the ground floor of its 799-room two-tower property located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. | | | A Natural Teacher
| | Science has always been one of my strengths, and my first career was as a biology teacher. In addition to science, I also have a degree in educational psychology. These two subjects have helped me greatly in what I do now, which is teach skincare. I have done this for the past 25 years. It's the thing I love best—it's my passion. | | | In What Ways Do You Empower Your Staff?
| | "In staff meetings, I ask employees for their feedback. We discuss how to give savvy service and how each provider has the opportunity to make a difference with their guest, perhaps by offering a glass of complimentary wine during a nail treatment or giving a discount coupon to a guest for future treatments. With our front desk staff, we empower each [employee] to resolve any conflict before the customer leaves the spa, either by waiving a fee or giving a complimentary bottle of wine or gift. We really support the staff in standing behind their decision, whatever that may have been at the time, and then going over scenarios after the guest is gone so that we can provide excellent customer service."—Patty Field, spa director, Raindance Spa, The Lodge at Sonoma (Sonoma, CA) | | | Evolution
| | The spa industry is a wonderful study in evolution. It continues to grow, branching out in new directions. It is our challenge at American Spa to keep abreast of those changes and evolve with the industry. | | | Russian Radiance
| | As a little girl in 1940s moscow, I was drawn to the way my mother healed her clients' skin ailments using herbs from our garden and the nearby forest. As one of the city's foremost herbalists, my mother established a successful skincare career by creating and perfecting custom treatments and remedies for her devoted clientele. | | | Gardener's Delight
| | Gardener's Delight: Michael Stusser, founder of Osmosis Enzyme Bath Spa (Freestone, CA), shares how his love of gardening and a Zen experience inspired the start of his business. | | | What is your spa's biggest challenge, and how have you handled it?
| | What is your spa's biggest challenge, and how have you handled it? | | | Crowded House
| | Crowded House | | | Finding Health
| | Finding Health | |  MORE ARTICLES
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| The Upside to the Downturn
| | As a business owner in this time of economic uncertainty, it's likely that some of your recent workdays have gone something like this: You bolt awake (probably after a sleepless night), grab the financial section of the paper, and turn on your TV to get the latest worrisome financial news. Then, once you make it to work, you lock yourself in your office to carefully examine your spa's financial projections for the next few months, wringing your hands as you fret over every possible worst-case scenario. Sound familiar? If so, it's time for the handwringing to stop—and the smart thinking to begin. | | | Talk the Talk
| | As any spa owner knows, getting clients to make the initial phone call is getting them one step closer to walking through the door. Once they call, a good over-the-phone experience can potentially drive a business to success. Here are a few quick tips to help your staff improve their phone etiquette. | | | Growing Your Brand
| | When you think about a brand that elicits a powerful response, are all your senses heightened? Brand Sense: How to Build Powerful Brands Through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight & Sound (Free Press, 2005), by Martin Lindstrom, discusses how some of the most powerful brands today are built through a process called sensory branding. This practice heightens the brand impact of a company's product or service by fully utilizing all of potential clients' senses. If you want to bring this kind of powerful branding to your spa, look no further than your local florist and consider the powerful, multi-sensory appeal of plants. | | | Profit Potential
| | Owning a spa in this changing economic climate can be challenging. Because the majority of services offered in this industry are considered a luxury, you must be extremely attentive to all aspects of your business in order to be profitable. | | | Spin Cycle
| | AS a spa manager or owner, you've probably spent much time and effort collecting the right pieces to make your spa successful. Selecting a talented, dedicated staff and choosing the right location, decor, color palette, robes, and towels are a big part of that effort. For some, designing a laundry area within their spa facility and choosing the right equipment for it is often treated as a lesser priority. Savvy spa owners, however, understand the importance of the laundry area, as its implementation can make or break a spa. Indeed, the look and feel of linens have a direct impact on clientele and can keep them coming back for more. Even the best spa experience can be diminished by towels that smell like bleach or are spotted with residual oil. By contrast, robes with a fresh scent and soft, fluffy feel can cap off a fabulously pampering visit and reinforce a spa's quality reputation. "Hotels and spas rank at the top for requiring the highest finished quality in their linens," says Dan Bowe, national sales.. | | | Getting a Lift
| | It probably wouldn't surprise you to learn that massage treatments account for the majority of services provided in today's spas or that larger clients are becoming more common. But did you know that worker's compensation injury claims from massage therapists are on the rise? Treatment tables can play a key role in each of these issues, and you can make better decisions for your business by understanding the available options. A good table allows therapists to provide ergonomically correct—and therefore better—services. It also allows clients to relax in complete comfort and security, while helping you protect your business from undue risks. | | | Spa Software Prescription
| | Thanks to innovative spa software, access to valuable information about your business is just a few quick keystrokes away. Want to know what treatments are standouts on your menu or what therapists are superstars in your spa? The right software can tell you that and more. It's your spa, and nobody is better qualified than you to decide if a particular software program can help you run your business better. As you survey the many options vying for your attention, here are some things to consider. | | | A Lifetime of Learning
| | As the spa industry booms and clients become more sophisticated, savvy spa owners, managers, and therapists who seek education can stay competitive and inspired. | | | A Lifetime of Learning
| | As the spa industry booms and clients become more sophisticated, savvy spa owners, managers, and therapists who seek education can stay competitive and inspired. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| Seaside Soothing
| | Kiawah island golf resort, an exclusive vacation and residential enclave located on a 10-mile island off the coast of South Carolina, is known for its serene setting, stunning beaches, and incredible golf courses—the 2007 Senior PGA Championship, the 2005 PGA Professional National Championship, the 2003 and 1997 World Cups, and the 1991 Ryder Cup are among the prestigious tournaments that have been played on the island's lush greens. Since 2004, however, the illustrious golf resort has garnered acclaim for an entirely different brand of recreation with The Spa at the Sanctuary. Situated on the second floor of The Sanctuary, the resort's five-diamond seaside hotel mansion, the spa transports guests from the golf course and nearby beaches to a haven of Southern-style relaxation reminiscent of an expansive antebellum veranda, where lazy summer days are spent sipping mint juleps and reclining on comfy chairs. "We have the feel of a grand southern back porch," says spa director Missy Bennett. "The hotel is.. | | | California Dreaming
| | Surrounded by lush botanical gardens and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, The Spa at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara (CA) is an idyllic retreat that offers a taste of the California lifestyle. It is situated on what is commonly referred to as the American Riviera on account of the area's mild Mediterranean climate. Opened in 2002, the spa was part of a recent $240 million restoration of the resort, which has experienced its fair share of highs and lows since it was first established in 1927. | | | On a Grande Scale
| | When it comes to superlatives, the island of Maui has many to boast. It offers more miles of swimmable beach than any other Hawaiian island, hosts the largest dormant volcano in the world, and is consistently rated one of the best Pacific islands by travel magazines. With its pristine azure beaches, seemingly endless sunny days, and an utterly perfect climate, Maui is also home to Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea Resort, the largest spa in Hawaii. | | | A Walk to Remember
| | In Green Lake, WI, Heidel House Resort serves as a tranquil retreat set amid 20 picturesque wooded acres on the shore of one of the state's largest lakes. Last fall, the resort gave guests another reason to visit with the opening of Evensong Spa, which was created in part to help the property remain competitive. | | | Tribal Tribute
| | The Native American heritage of the Oneida Indian Nation is alive and well at Skan?: The Spa at Turning Stone (Verona, NY). Opened in November, the 33,000-square-foot spa, located at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, takes its inspiration from time-honored remedies of the Oneida people. The name Skan? actually comes from the Oneida word for peace. | | | Old World Charm
| | Back when it opened in Colorado Springs, CO, in 1994, the Spa at the Broadmoor was a trendsetter. As one of the first hotel spas, it trailblazed a path that numerous hotel spas would soon follow. "We're kind of a pioneer," says spa director Ella Stimpson. | | | Practical Magic
| | The new Pratima Ayurvedic Skincare Spa Clinic (New York City) is based on a captivating mix of ancient philosophy and modern elegance. Recently relocated from a small office in midtown Manhattan to a stylish new site in the trendy Soho shopping district, the spa is a gorgeous relaxation haven for harried New Yorkers. An homage to the centuries-old art of Ayurvedic medicine, the six-treatment-room retreat, helmed by famed Ayurvedic healer Pratima Raichur, N.D., is a warm oasis of Indian-influenced design filled with authentic Indian statues and imported furniture. | | | Great Expectations
| | A Beverly Hills makeover generally pulls out all the stops, and the recent $7 million renovation of The Peninsula Spa at the Peninsula Beverly Hills was no exception. Necessitated by the spa's growing popularity, the expansion included a dedicated skin therapy room and relaxation area with a view of the Hollywood Hills. Designer Darrell Schmitt, who with the late James Northcutt came up with the original design for the hotel, created the concept for the new spa. Wanting to keep the look consistent with the Peninsula's classic design, he incorporated clear glass, limestone, and mosaic-style tile work. | | | Serenity Sake
| | Although it's only a little more than a year old, the Spa at Sawgrass, part of the famed 4,800-acre Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa, situated in Ponte Vedra Beach on northern Florida's Atlantic Coast, has already proved to be a valuable addition to the resort's wealth of amenities and services. Set in a lush landscape of lagoons framed by moss-draped oaks and giant magnolias, the spa warmly welcomes guests into a tranquil space of Zen-inspired serenity suffused with the subtle aroma of Sawgrass's signature scent of lemongrass, ginger, and sandalwood. The soothing effect of the spa's interior is enhanced by its decor of bamboo, polished wood paneling, and cream stone tiles. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| Career Planning
| | Never mind a good man, a good spa staff is truly hard to find—and keep. Providing therapists with a career map, including opportunities for education and advancement, is one way to attract and retain the best technicians available. | | | Nailing the Business
| | Deb blowars takes nails seriously, and for good reason. The nail artist and skincare specialist with Artistic Trends Salon in Perkasie, PA, knows firsthand that nail services can be a financial boon to spas and salons. Each week she sees an average of 25 to 30 clients, and last year her nail income to the salon was a whopping $42,000. Here, she shares the secrets to her success. | | | Flourishing in the Industry
| | With so much emphasis on treatments and relaxation, it's easy to forget that a large part of operating a successful spa lies in implementing sound business principles. This month's selections reveal key steps necessary to build a profitable spa business | | | Setting the Mood
| | Whether you are looking for soothing music for the reception area or relaxing sounds for the treatment rooms, we've got it covered. | | | Healthy Hair and Scalps
| | The client lies face-up while a therapist uses feather-light circular motions to knead the face, ears, and forehead. | | | The New Breed of Nail Spa
| | From the cities to the suburbs, the new breed of nail spa offers an environment in which quality of service and decor are impeccable but prices are not improbable. The high standards to which sanitation is held and the new professional status given to nail technicians are helping the modern nail spa gain a respectable reputation and make a lucrative profit. Here, we highlight four nail spas that are raising the bar. | | | Signature Treatments
| | To begin, the client is treated to an aromatic footbath and foot massage, followed by a full-body Milk 'n Honey Body Polish. | | | The Art of Massage
| | Scentao -- (Journey of Sense and Balance) Where: The Spa at Squaw Creek (Olympic Valley, CA) Time: 80 minutes Price: $145 Products: Babor Scentao | | | A Look on the Bright Side
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| Decades ago as the bain de soleil model tried to convince us that the epitome of beauty and wealth was achieving a bronze tan while lounging on a yacht, women in Asia favored the luminous beauty of milky white skin. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| Happenings
| | SpaFinder announced the winners of its 2008 Readers' Choice Awards, revealing spa-goers' favorite spas around the world. The 2008 awards were based on more than 250,000 votes submitted worldwide by SpaFinder.com visitors. Winners include: | | | Good Deeds
| | Mi Salon & Spa Supports Buddy Walks; Thalgo Supports Marine Conservation Society | | | Awards
| | Aquae Sulis Spa Offers Pink Pedicure For Charity; Extracts Announces Best New Product Awards; CND Announces Company Awards | | | People
| | Métropole ESPA Monte-Carlo (Monaco) named Marianna Heurtel as spa director. She will bring her knowledge of the European luxury industry to this new position. | | | Calendar
| | Calendar | | | Calendar
| | Industry News | | | Good Deeds
| | Jane Iredale announced it will serve as the official cosmetic sponsor for Spa Day 2008 for the fifth consecutive year. Spa Day is a national one-day pampering and fundraising event that raises money for Aid for AIDS, an organization that benefits women and children living with HIV/AIDS. On Nov. 20, participating spas and salons from across the country will donate 20 percent or more of their proceeds to Aid for AIDS. | | | People
| | Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort Spa & Casino (Incline Village, NV) has appointed Julia Chang as spa director of Stillwater Spa & Salon. She will oversee daily operations. | | | Happenings
| | Repêchage's 10th International Congress, held at the company's headquarters in Secaucus, NJ, was attended by more than 100 spa and salon professionals and featured a panel of seven guest speakers who presented trends and health and wellness programs. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| Life Lessons
| | I've always referred to myself as a product researcher. In the beginning of my career, which started about 35 years ago, my expertise was targeted on deciphering cosmetic skincare ingredients. When you look at long, and often intimidating, product labels, how do you know if a product or ingredient actually produces a measurable and objective change? Is there any scientific or medical validation? At first, I lectured to physicians, medical professionals, skincare professionals, and consumers about ingredients. I was also interviewed on talk radio and television programs. People loved hearing about products that actually work. | | | In Living Color
| | I would say that i am living the american dream. My partner, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, and I both immigrated to the U.S. from Hungary—I came to New York City in 1956, and she came in 1969. After receiving my college degree in International Economics from City College of New York, I began my career in the family garment manufacturing business in Manhattan. But I had a dream of an even better lifestyle, so I moved my family to California in 1981. I purchased a dental supply business called Odontorium Products Inc., and Suzi, who had earned her degree in biology, joined me that same year. | | | Cultivating Awareness
| | WHAT BEGAN FIVE YEARS AGO AS A SMALL GROUP of like-minded spa professionals sincerely committed to making the world a better place has since blossomed into one of the spa industry's leading grassroots environmental communities. Sharing the mission to bring sustainable operating practices to the burgeoning spa industry, the Green Spa Network (GSN) and its members are passionate about promoting the natural connections between personal well-being, economic sustainability, and the health of the planet. | | | Conscious Beauty
| | I am a firm believer in the power of the mysterious and poetic forces in life, and I've always treated my intuition with a great deal of respect. It was through this sort of organic process that I became an entrepreneur in the beauty industry as the founder of SpaRitual, an eco-minded company that offers a luxe selection of holistic spa products and treatment protocols for the hands, body, feet, and nails. | | | A Dream Come True
| | For as long as we can remember, we have had a dream of creating a destination spa resort—even before the word "spa" was part of the American lexicon. As former educators (John was a professor in Educational Psychology at Michigan State University, and Ginny taught secondary English and Journalism in the 1970s), we wanted to create inspirational resort experiences for adults focused on well-being and self-fulfillment. Both of us have advanced degrees in Program (Curriculum) Design, and we decided to apply our program design skills to enhancing people's lives. | | | Out of the Blu
| | A Native Texan, I Grew up in a small town around cattle, horses, and football in the Texas Panhandle. I knew at a young age that there had to be places on the planet with trees and water and that travel would be my opportunity to find adventure. Five days after graduating from high school in 1976, I was off in search of adventure. Driving into a fading sunset, I recalled the words that have since become my mantra "remember the saddle, remember to ride." | | | Nailing It
| | Before Creative Nail design was born, my goal and dream was to become a fashion designer. After college, I attended the L.A. Fashion Institute while working as an assistant buyer at Bullocks department store. I loved all of my design classes and learned the business side of fashion through executive management training at Bullocks. I grew in my job and was offered a position as a buyer, with the prospect of moving to New York City. Some of my friends from design school were also talking about starting a fashion line together. Life was rich and exciting and filled with opportunity. | | | Smooth Operators
| | Celebrating 10 years of success, the power couple and founders of The Art of Shaving share the story about how they stirred up the formerly untapped category of men's grooming products. | | | Relaxing the Masses
| | Living in new york city is not always as easy or as glamorous as it
sounds. While the constant hustle and bustle of this metropolis can
be exciting, a one-mile commute can sometimes take 45 minutes. It
seems as though everyone in Manhattan moves in a hurried, frenzied,
and impersonal manner that is both stressful and draining. One
rainy spring day in 2004, as I opened the door to our office, my
partner entered right behind me. She had a look on her face that
said everything I was feeling, and we were inspired. We stayed at
the office late that evening and began brainstorming. We needed to
educate exhausted New Yorkers about the benefits of the spa
lifestyle while offering them an affordable way to experience it.
We also needed to figure out a cost-effective way to drive this new
clientele into the day spa market. Once we recognized these
components, the light bulb went on, and the Spa Week brand was
born. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| New Products
| | Chocolate Milk Body Scrub and Body Butter by Bath Accessories are made with real milk proteins to soften the skin. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| Robust Retail
| | Want to increase your staff's retail sales? Most spas today could double their bottom line with a serious retail sales management plan. In this day and age, spas need to adapt their ways of dealing with retail due to numerous retail giants crossing over into sacred spa waters. To survive in this economy, your spa needs to power up how it sells, stocks, and promotes its retail offerings. Here are 10 ways to boost your spa's retail sales. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| Spa Tiki
| | Located in the heart of downtown San Diego, Spa Tiki provides a taste of the islands with its tropical-themed treatments and decor. The brainchild of co-owner Katherine Stuart, the spa features a blend of authentic healing therapies and rituals of ancient island cultures. | | | The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, New York
| | Opened in december, the long-awaited Mandarin Oriental, New York gives new meaning to the idea of high-end luxury. Sparing no expense, the hotel usurps the title of most expensive hotel in the city. | | | Avia Spa
| | Set in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, Ca, Avia Spa brings a taste of the Far East to the easygoing coastal community. This high-end yet competitively priced spa is setting a new standard in Santa Barbara, a city known for its rich Spanish heritage and spectacular natural setting. With a philosophy centered on balance, the spa blends both Eastern and Western practices to create an ideal place for one-stop shopping in a Zen-like environment. | | | Fred Segal Beauty
| | Never mind movie premieres or red carpets, the place to see and be seen in sunny Santa Monica is Fred Segal Beauty, perched on the corner of Broadway and Fifth Street, just a stone's throw from the Pacific Ocean. | | | Exhale
| | This past September, Exhale Mind Body Spa opened its doors on Madison Avenue to those looking for something beyond beauty rituals and pampering treatments. | | | Spa Toccare
| | Atlantic City has a rich and varied history and has been enjoyed by many-from the original inhabitants, the Lenni-Lenape Indians, who spent their summer months availing themselves of all the ocean and the surrounding wildlife had to offer to a prominent local doctor in the mid-nineteenth century whose initial idea it was to turn the city into a "bathing village and health resort" to the many tourists who crowded its beaches and elegant hotels in the early part of the last century to the hordes of gamblers the city's casinos have drawn. | | | International Orange
| | Named after the legendary paint color of the Golden Gate Bridge, International Orange Spa Yoga Lounge (IO) is gaining its own recognition throughout San Francisco. Opened in June 2002 in San Francisco's affluent and eclectic Pacific Heights, IO offers a combination of wellness and pleasure through yoga, bodywork, and esthetics. | | | Red Door
| | How does a resort, such as the Westin La Paloma in Tucson, and a big-name branded spa, such as Elizabeth Arden Red Door, come into doing business together? "The Westin Hotel company realized that the resort consumer wanted an 'all-inclusive' resort and that golf and spa amenities were alluring to resort travelers and for business getaways," says Janet Denyer, | | | Tru
| | tru isn't a spa focused solely on male clientele, but it is the brainchild of two men who had a vision of what a spa should be. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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| Smile, You've Got Software
| | Choosing a software system for your spa may seem like a daunting task, but the rewards the right system can reap for your business are priceless. Then again, that same system may just help you put a price tag on those rewards with the ability to generate a host of reports on virtually every aspect of your operation. To find out how spa software can simplify the way your spa does business, we asked several spa owners and directors to share their experiences with their chosen software systems along with the features they and their staffs cannot do without. | | | MORE ARTICLES
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