spa industry

This is an exciting day for me. Tonight we get to announce the winners of Spa Finder’s 2006 Readers’ Choice Awards. The champagne reception is at the Cornelia Day Resort here in New York later today, and winners have flown in from all over the world to pick up their Crystal Globe Awards. It’s the […]

A colleague just brought to my attention a magazine called Spa China. Since I had not seen it before, I thought it was new but found out it is actually about two years old. Naturally, it is now on my subscription list. The timing is great, because these days I hear more and more people […]

It’s Labor Day Weekend, which always signals the end of summer and the coming of a new school year. In the spa world, we see an increase in spa-going in September and October, usually because when kids are back in school, parents have a bit more time to take care of themselves. But there is […]

Shortly before leaving Bangkok on Sunday (at midnight), I visited S Medical Spa, which I had been hearing about. Not only has this spa gotten some good PR, but much to my surprise, I have also noticed people from all over the world (the U.K., Asia, U.S.A., etc.) contacting S Medical Spa through Spafinder.com asking […]

Today’s anniversary of Hurricane Katrina seems like an appropriate time to mention the unexpected development that came from our outreach a year ago. A few days after Hurricane Katrina, we received a desperate call from Kevin and Andre, who managed one of our partner spas (Miss Celia’s) in New Orleans. Both Kevin and Andre had […]

I’m sitting in the cyber cafe of Bumrungrad International here in Bangkok, Thailand. Bumrungrad is the hospital that 60 Minutes called, “The number-one international hospital in the world.” NBC’s Peter Greenberg recently featured it on the Today show. It is getting a lot of attention because the price (low), access (you can walk in and […]

I’m currently at Evason Hideaway in Hua Hin Thailand, one of the magical Six Senses Spa properties. Spent a few days at Michael Loh’s Spa Asia conference and a few days in meetings with spa industry professionals who look at global spa trends. It is always inspiring to exchange ideas and be with others who […]

On Saturday, I flew from Los Angeles to Bangkok on a plane that had just arrived from Thailand with an infamous passenger: John Mark Karr. The media frenzy at LAX with helicopters circling was quite the drama. Interesting that when I asked people here in Thailand how they felt about the man who admitted killing […]

Salon and Spa Bellagio had 19 stylists working in the salon the weekend I was there – all the girls have hair extensions. Beautiful girls and beautiful hair. Interesting to know that the salon at Bellagio does tons of hair extensions (at about $2,000 for the procedure). Seems popular with the Vegas crowd. While in […]

Off to Las Vegas for Virtuoso Travel Mart – the exciting (and exhausting) week where Virtuoso travel agents and Virtuoso property management meet. Sallie and I were there to train 50 Virtuoso agents to become spa travel specialists. Our sold-out session became “oversold” as 60 agents came to hear what’s new in the spa world. […]

Someone forwarded me the following job opening, which was posted online recently: “The Southwest Region has an exciting opportunity available for one of the company’s newest concepts – Spa Team Leader. The relocated Forest store in Dallas, Texas will have the first Whole Foods Market spa. We are looking for an experienced, efficient and motivated […]

Now that Peter’s vacation is over – it is my turn! That is one of the benefits of working with your spouse – when one of us is away, the other can make sure things are humming along at the office. It does make for a more relaxing trip. Even though my upcoming trip isn’t […]

Apparently Peter’s motorcycle (did I mention it was a “Boss Hoss”?) got quite a response at the Red Mountain Spa. Even Denise Perkins, the brilliant marketing director, ended up getting a wild ride through the red rocks on the back of the bike. I just hope they didn’t blast out of there while people were […]

Got a call from my husband Peter last night. He was at the Red Mountain Adventure Spa in Utah and had just finished a two-hour massage. He is a happy camper because this is “his” week. He rode his motorcycle all the way from Manhattan to Sturgis, South Dakota. And if you wonder why he […]

A rare treat for me…Dinner at a hip new restaurant here in New York escorted by my good friend Bob Grimes, who introduced me to my husband, Peter, 21 years ago. Bob and Peter were both guests at the Golden Door spa while I was working there, and Bob was the catalyst for our relationship. […]

Yesterday I received a request from a reporter asking about casino spas (specifically about why Spafinder added a Casino Spa category on its website). A colleague, Nikita, and I worked on our response. After we sent it she suggested that I post it on my blog, as she thought others would find it interesting. So […]

Yesterday, I was scheduled to be a guest on the Travel Queen Radio Show, which is hosted by Michigan-based Jane Degrow. Jane wanted me to talk about great spa bargains, so I spent some time looking at the Best Buys and Day Spa Deals section of our website before going on the air. I ended […]

In a previous blog entry, I mentioned how much I enjoy learning about the history of various spa brands. I love finding out whose idea it was to build the spa, why they built it, how the spa got its name, how much it cost, how the brand developed, etc. So as I began my […]

In case you missed it, here is the piece that Good Morning America did entitled “Top American Spa Escapes”. In the number-one slot was the new Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, CT. We here at Spa Finder also gave this spa kudos. The ABC footage of the Mayflower Spa gives a nice glimpse of […]

Just received this email from Adriana Mnuchin, who is the proprietor of the new Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, Connecticut (see this entry from a few weeks ago). Looks like we weren’t the only ones who felt that the Mayflower will set a new standard. I am hoping that Good Morning America will stress […]