spa industry

One of my dreams came true on Monday. Having been the “lone ranger” three years ago when predicting the popularity of spa lifestyle communities, it was heartening to have the privilege of moderating a panel at the American Spa Expo on Spa Residential Living. And it was even sweeter that my husband, Peter, was there. […]

On Friday Avon announced that it is closing its salon and spa in Manhattan on June 16, after eight years of operation. Avon’s only spa is prominently located in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. When I heard the news, I naturally wanted to get more details, not only because we participated in a press event […]

I spent today going through medical tests at the WellMax Center for Preventive Medicine in La Quinta, California (near where I am vacationing and, yes, trying to resist the temptation to call my office). We met Dr. Dan Cosgrove (pictured at right), its founder, five years ago at an event here in the desert that […]

This observation was shared by Ed Burstell, the Senior VP of General Merchandise for Bergdorf Goodman at an event that I attended last Thursday evening. He was part of a panel for the Luxury Marketing Council, a group that meets regularly to share insights on marketing to the luxury consumer. The panel was entitled “The […]

Most people know Peter Greenberg from NBC, where he has been the Today Show’s travel editor for many years. He is also a best selling author – Travel Detective is one of my favorites. I was introduced to Peter several years ago by my friend Kim Marshall, who is involved in the spa PR world […]

Our business trip included one extra day for sightseeing, which we spent at the very famous wonder of Asia, Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I was really touched by the magnificence of the stone temples and the graciousness of the people. The general poverty of the country makes the contrast between the smartly designed five-star Hotel […]

Sallie and I are at Chiva-Som to conduct the first Spa Specialist Training Course for Virtuoso travel agents. We are joined by six top-notch travel agents for the few days we are here. (We decided to teach our first course at a spa, since there is no better way to learn about spas than being […]

Traveling in Asia with our COO, Sallie Fraenkel, has been a delight. We share many interests, but adventuresome eating is not one of them. Sallie will try every fish ball and oddly named indigenous delicacy with great enthusiasm, while I stick to basics when traveling (spaghetti and Caesar salads all through Asia is fine with […]

The plane from New York directly to Singapore is 18 1/2 hours long, a record for me. Actually, I didn’t know that planes could fly that far without stopping to refuel. Then another two-hour flight from Singapore to Bangkok and another one-hour flight from Bangkok to Hua Hin. I must say I was quite pleased […]

The London spa conference is over, and I’m heading back to New York. I reviewed the notes I took over the course of three days listening to over 30 speakers and made a short list of “highlights” – things that resonated with me: New terms: Twilight Spa – incorporating some nighttime bathing De-staffed spa experiences […]

Which spa does more than 1,000 spa treatments per day? Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Today I had lunch with some fellow spa professionals. One was from Hong Kong, one was from Bali, one from Australia, and another from the UK. Later in the afternoon I had tea with a spa colleague from Dubai, chatted with spa owners from Brazil, and was introduced to a spa owner from Turkey. I […]

I’m back in New York after my whirlwind trip to LA. Just a quick recap of that press breakfast and the LA Spa Expo. For the press I reviewed the top 10 spa trends for 2006 that we announced at the beginning of the year. (I decided to give them catchy names this time – […]

Since I am in LA for several days attending the Resort and Spa Expo and then hosting a press breakfast at the new Argyle Spa in the Sunset Towers Hotel, I am trying to work in some quick spa visits. One of the main reasons is that the press breakfast is going to be about […]

Someone just called me from the West Coast and asked me if I thought the “metrospiritual” phenomenon will become a talked-about trend in the spa industry. Although I’ve been enjoying the break from “metrosexual” and “übersexual”, I must admit that the term “metrospiritual” did immediately resonate with me. After all, we’ve been talking about body/mind/spirit […]

Hmmm, I have a dilemma. In every issue of Luxury SpaFinder Magazine I get to write a column entitled “Where I’ve Been Lately”. My deadline for the May/June issue is this Tuesday. I’m still trying to decide whether I should write about my experience last week at a swanky dental spa in Palm Desert, California […]

Finally, I have been given the go ahead to begin my blog! After months of preparation, the start date has arrived, February 16, 2006. And since my husband and I just celebrated our 22nd Valentine’s Day together – and 20 years of marriage – it seems appropriate that I begin my blog by sharing with […]