massage

I recently had a massage at a luxury hotel spa and knew beforehand that a 20% gratuity would be added to the bill. When settling my bill, I was asked if I would like to adjust the gratuity percentage. I felt that the 20% was a good tip and left it, however, I got the impression that they were disappointed that I didn’t increase the amount. Do high-end, luxury spas expect more than 20% tip?

I booked two treatments, at FineLiving New York Ayurveda in New York City, (earning me 180 SpaFinder Rewards Points just for booking online!). The first treatment was a type of Ayurvedic massage called Abhayanga (ah-bh-yan-ga) and a traditional (but oh-so-strange-to-me) treatment called Shirodhara (shear-a-dara), an herbal hair and scalp treatment where a warm stream of oil is poured gently on the forehead, to create a state of meditation.

Spa-nundrums by Milana Knowles Reiki. Let’s face it: It’s one of those spa treatments that make even experienced spa-goers go “Huh?” After all, there’s not even much touch involved; it is based on transference of energy. You are fully dressed, lying on the massage bed, while a therapist places his/her hands gently on your body. […]

Lymphatic drainage massage is a very specialized type of massage used to detox the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes act as the garbage cans of the body and catch all the ‘bad stuff.’ Lymph drainage allows the body to flush out that bad stuff. The technique involved is very unique and the benefits can range from post-operative healing from breast cancer, to allergy and sinusitis relief.

QUESTION: How long should I expect to wait on the massage table until my therapist steps back into the room to begin my massage? ANSWER: Okay, I confess: I made up this question because it fits perfectly as an introduction to a blog I wrote about this very issue. The blog got so much buzz […]

Expecting mothers go through enormous physical changes – weight gain, muscle tension and posture/center of gravity shifts. Prenatal massage is widely believed to hold therapeutic benefits to alleviate lower back pain and swelling. Spas like Hoboken Prenatal Massage, are tailored specifically to the needs of pregnant women and their changing bodies. About prenatal massage Like […]

May is Melanoma month. That makes sense since it’s right before summer, the sun gets stronger and people begin spending more time outdoors. It’s a good time to remind people to put on sunscreen, wear hats, and have regular mole checks with their medical doctor. It’s this last recommendation – about having moles checked – […]

A Massage and Facial at Thai Privilege Spa in New York Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider It was my privilege to be invited to a spa located in the Soho area of Manhattan called Thai Privilege. I noticed it on several “top 10” lists. Since Manhattan has many hundreds of spas, making a top 10 list […]

The Flavor of Swiss Spas by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Fast forward from my last blog entry re Zurich and skydiving. The weather turned rainy – skydiving was cancelled – change of plans – we all got into the car and headed for Lausanne. We drove the back way over the hills so Nicholas could […]

Successful Spa Sleep-Health Program Leads to Scheduling Many More by Susie Ellis SpaFinder Insider When I was at the Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Australia at the end of July, I was thrilled to see that they had planned a specialty “Sleep Discovery Week” for September. Gwinganna really impressed me in terms of how forward-thinking they […]

I was very impressed with Gwinganna Health Retreat in Australia. But there are always ways in which a spa can improve. Since I have been to many spas around the world and have garnered a certain amount of expertise, I have developed a sensitivity to what’s working and what’s not working. I always wrestle with […]

Global Spa Summit 2008: Ian Schrager Addresses Spa Design (or Rather, The Lack Of…) by Susie Ellis At the 2008 Global Spa Summit, Ian Schrager, who was the keynote speaker for Day One , gave a very inspirational talk. Looking somewhat “hip” himself (although in my opinion a tad older than the age (61) I […]

Reiki. I have always found it mysterious. What is it exactly? Every explanation I have heard seems to be different. I have tried it a few times, however when faced with a choice between a wonderfully relaxing deep-tissue massage or a Reiki session, I have always opted for the massage. In Reiki there isn’t a […]

After a weekend in Daytona at “Bike Week,” (my contribution to our marriage) am back at my desk. As soon as Peter sends me some photos of us on his Boss Hoss motorcycle I will post them. It did actually turn out to be a lot of fun. In the meantime an article in Hospitality […]

Massage Prices at Spas Compared to my Recent Visit to the Medical Eye Doctor.by Susie Ellis Wow…already post Christmas. Hope everyone had a good week. I am enjoying some time off here in California and just now getting around to thinking about what I would like to share on the blog. While it isn’t directly […]

The Chocolate Spa at Hotel Hershey: Chocolate Baths, Massage, and of course, Hershey Kisses! By Susie Ellis On the way back to Manhattan after spending a few nights at Bedford Springs Resort and sampling the Eternal Springs Spa, Peter and I were driving close to Hershey Pennsylvania so I asked him to stop so I […]

This article in the NY Times yesterday introduced more information about the spa lifestyle community concept that I am so fond of. Although they quoted me as saying “there is nothing like it” that wasn’t exactly what I said, because indeed there are other great wellness living concepts (like Canyon Ranch Living, Miraval Living, Cliffs […]

This is an important topic, one that I have decided to tackle in small bits rather than in one large blog post. As many people know, ISPA had their media event in New York about three weeks ago and gave some preliminary results from their two upcoming research reports – one regarding the domestic spa […]

As promised here are my thoughts regarding the presentations by the various vendors at the ISPA media event. Tomorrow I will talk about the research that was presented. 25 spas had booths each showcasing something special. I think that 25 might be a tad too many as I wasn’t able to get around to see […]

Have you even noticed that after some massages the first thing you want to do is head to the shower to get rid of the itchy oil and after other massages you want to let the oil soak in? (not that it does) On the last night of our vacation Peter and I had the […]