spa industry

by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider During my recent trip to San Antonio as part of the Medical Tourism Research conference, we had the opportunity to tour the brand new Methodist Stone Oak Hospital that had opened Spring 2009. It has been dubbed by many (and by the hospital itself) as the “hospital of the future.” […]

by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider. There were six people in white robes sipping champagne and nibbling healthy hors d’oeuvres chatting away and laughing together when I entered the room. It was a real ‘social spa-ing’ scene. All had just finished their spa treatments and I was the last one to join the group. We were […]

by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider. Just returned from the Medical Tourism Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Organized by the University of the Incarnate Word, it was well-run, insightful, and I learned a great deal. Dr. David Viquist and his dean are the visionaries behind positioning their university at the forefront of medical tourism research. Before […]

Continuing down the list of the top 10 spa trends for 2010 we published a few weeks ago, the second one is what we are calling “the year of the hammam.” This one turned out to be a surprise for many however the reaction has been enthusiastically positive! Here is the description and then some […]

By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider. While our SpaFinder 2010 Top Ten Spa Trends List has been published and can be accessed in our newsroom, I haven’t yet had a chance to share some of the “behind-the-scenes” information and photos. So here we go. Trend #1 The New “P” Word Goodbye, pampering. Hello, prevention. Well, not […]

At a recent launch party I attended for Avène’s new body care line my dear friend, Karen Oliver, their public relations director, invited Deepak Chopra, M.D., her close friend and world-renowned authority in the field of mind-body healing, to speak on health and happiness. I hadn’t met Dr. Chopra before but was of course aware of his books and wellness concepts, and was very much looking forward to hearing him speak on the subject of happiness.

When my assistant, Dulcy, and I went to Istanbul several months ago to check out places we might want to include for delegates who will be attending the Global Spa Summit, we decided to try out one of their famous and authentic hamams (hammams in Arabic). Dulcy wrote a great blog about it that was […]

Francis X. Acunzo from Acara offered up his aesthetic medical predictions for 2010 . I think they are interesting – especially for aesthetic medical spas or medi spas. Here are the predictions with my comments following each.   1. Dysport will become a strong competitor to Botox. Susie: In time it might, however doctors doing […]

SpaFinder Deal Days is Coming This March – $50 Spa Treatments for One Week Only!

SpaFinder Deal Days is March 8-14 and is your chance to enjoy luxurious spa treatments for just $50 at fabulous spas across America. Mark your calendar and be sure to sign up for Deal Days alerts and be the first to find out about super savings at spas in your area, plus chances to win spa vacations and other terrific spa prizes.

Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider.   2000 – 2010 While SpaFinder has been predicting spa trends yearly for most of the last decade, this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to sum up the top 10 spa trends that developed over the past 10 years. And what a decade it was! From organic to […]

Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider. Chad Smith who owns a fitness club in Maryland Home Team Fitness, writes a popular column called the Fitness Answer Man. Recently he shared his Top Four fitness trend predictions for 2010. Here they are along with my opinion which boils down to: Agree, agree, disagree, and agree. Fitness Trend #1: […]

by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider     My first article addressing spas and medical tourism has been published. A few months ago I was asked to write an article for Medical Tourism Magazine on this topic. I was more than happy to do so. Soon after beginning the article however, I realized that I wasn't […]

I just love it when a spa trend we predict (especially one that some people think is “out of the blue”) begins getting buzz. So how fitting that a week ago we predicted the 2010 spa trend “Year of the Hammam” and in today’s USA Today they talk about the new Silversea Cruise ship with […]

Is BoTAX a good idea? How will it affect the spa industry? By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider In case you haven’t heard, here in the U.S. the $848 billion health care ‘reform’ bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (Democrat from Nevada) includes a 5% tax on cosmetic procedures and surgery. It would go […]

The ‘Post-Relative’ Spa Massage by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Here in the U.S., we are enjoying the four-day Thanksgiving weekend. It happens to be one of my favorite holidays. There is no gift-giving involved – rather people simply get together with family and friends, enjoy the traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings and spend […]

Please Join Us! SpaFinder 2010 Spa Trend Forecast Online Presentation with UCI by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider For you spa trend trackers… please mark Monday, December 7th (10:00 a.m. PST) on your calendar. This year I will be presenting and analyzing our 2010 SpaFinder Global Spa Trends Forecast through an online webinar (open to anyone) […]

A Day of Good News for Spasby Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Peter (my husband and CEO of our company for those who are new to the blog) was in Florida this weekend and stopped by to say hi and congratulations to Paul Lehr, President of Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa. We had recently heard the […]

It’s been a stressful year financially, and many of us will be checking our gift lists (at least twice!) – giving extra thought to what we really want to give, and would most like to receive.

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I have become a spa candle snob…and to a large degree I have only myself to blame. I noticed it last week as I was touring the new Amrita Spa at the Swiss Hotel in Istanbul. Their spa is quite large and has a lovely ambiance. I was especially impressed with the long corridors, which […]

Medical Tourism Congress in LA was Intriguing by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Am sharing notes I took on Day One of the Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress in Los Angeles earlier this week. (The notes in red are some of my personal thoughts.) Am here at the Hyatt Century City at the World Medical […]