spa industry

Reviewing this trend prediction for 2010 makes me smile.  That’s because I think we were right on; in fact, this trend exceeded our expectations!  That has some very important implications for the future of our spa industry. Go ahead and reread what we wrote about Wellness Tourism a year ago and then at the end I will […]

The Spoil Me Spa & Salon in Mountain View, California, will play host to a ladies-only Spa Day Benefit November 7. Proceeds will go to nonprofit organizations such as the American Red Cross, Humanity First, and Islamic Relief to assist victims of the recent flooding in Pakistan. Spoil yourself with one (or both!) spa packages […]

We’ve tallied the votes, we’ve notified the winners, and now it’s time to present to you (drum roll, please)…the winners of SpaFinder’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards!

Grading our prior year’s predictions.

So let’s take a look at our 5th spa trend prediction for 2010 called “The Hybrid Spa” and see how we did. (Hint, my grade is lower than the first four trends on this one.) Last year at this time we were noticing a movement toward fusing several concepts together.  For many years we had seen […]

Reviewing our spa trend prediction for 2010, “The Online Spa,” I think it is pretty clear that this did in fact happen during an unprecidented year of advancements and adoption of everything virtual.  If anything, I would say there have been some things that became big news in the tech world this year that we didn’t mention.  More on that in a bit. […]

Continuing on with my review of SpaFinder’s 2010 Top 10 Spa Trends (and then evaluating how the trend actually developed), let’s looks at #3: Not “Going to” But “Belonging to” a Spa.  This trend has been huge for 2010 and, in some ways, even exceeded our expectations; there has been a significant effort to create this “belonging” aspect […]

Continuing on with my review of SpaFinder’s 2010 Top 10 Spa Trends (and then evaluating how the trend actually developed), we predicted an increasing popularity of hammams. Admittedly this trend took many people by surprise, in fact, I don’t think anyone really saw this one coming!  (I love it when that happens!)  Our research, however, put this one on our radar.  Having the chance […]

I am busy doing research for our annual SpaFinder Top 10 Spa Trends for 2011 that I will announce this year in November.  As always, I get very excited about what is on the horizon and I think you will agree that there are some interesting developments! However, before we turn to 2011, I thought it might be fun to review each […]

Disappointing.  Informative.  Those are the two words I would use to describe my experience earlier this week at the Spa and Resort Expo and Conference here in NY City at the Javitz Center.  The show room floor was less than inspiring due to the fact that few spa product or service companies were exhibiting. I […]

SpaFinder is pleased to announce five new getaway spa properties recently added to our network. Circle the globe and check out these overnight hotspots for your next vacation destination or rejuvenating spa retreat.

Evidence for Benefits of Spa Massage Does massage have “real” physical benefits?  While those of us in the spa industry would of course say yes (there have been many studies)…how nice when the New York Times said it for us this time! The article that was in last Tuesday’s paper titled “Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin […]

The Global Spa & Medical Tourism Industries – Part II Evolving Models & Ways to Work Together By Susie Ellis, President of SpaFinder Inc. – the world’s largest spa media, marketing and gifting company The history of spas (defined as destinations people visit for renewal of body, mind and spirit) and medical tourism (the practice […]

‘Spas’ and ‘Medical Tourism’ Two Booming Industries With Strikingly Parallel Paths and Issues By Susie Ellis, President of SpaFinder Inc. – the world’s largest spa media, marketing and gifting company Am currently attending the 3rd annual Medical Tourism Conference in LA.  While I will summarize the very latest information  in an upcoming blog, I thought […]

This is one blog I have not looked forward to writing.  It is September 10th – the first anniversary of the day one of my best friends, Debbie Simon, took her own life.  It is still so unbelievable to me.  It was a tremendous loss to her family, the many friends (there were over 1,000 at […]

The spa deals are hot in Hotlanta! Whether you are a local ATL-ian or just visiting, spa and wellness deals are plentiful all over the city and beyond! From September 20-26th SpaFinder Deal Days is bringing you spa, yoga, Pilates and more for $50 pricing or 50% off savings in Atlanta. This savings event is one week only, so don’t miss out! If you are heading back to school or back to the grind at work, it’s the perfect time to jumpstart a wellness focused lifestyle!

Learning from a winner in Medical Tourism – Bumrungrad International Hospital, Thailand Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand is the largest hospital in the world treating international patients. Bumrungrad looks like a 5 star hotel and gives people confidence and super service. (my experience also) Bumrungrad takes care of over 400,000 international patients yearly. Over 1 million […]

Attended two different events in Sao Paulo, Brazil last week. 1. The Medical Travel Meeting Brazil – where I spoke on Spas and Wellness Tourism 2. Beauty Fair (and spa conference) which I will tell you about in a future blog. I tweeted somewhat comprehensively from the Medical Travel Meeting for those who want the […]

SpaFinder’s Taste of New York Spas event, held on August 18th, 2010, was a huge success! Almost 300 executives from across the industry joined together at SpaFinder’s New York City offices in the Flatiron District to snack on hors d’oeuvres, sip on cocktails, solidify relationships, make new friends, and enjoy a taste of what some of New York’s finest spas have to offer.

Last Thursday I had my first “adult spa camp” experience.  Joan Lunden (of Good Morning America fame) invited my colleague Sallie, COO of SpaFinder, and I to join her and 140 other women at her yearly Camp Reveille in Maine.  I haven’t been to camp since I was 13 or 14, but vaguely remember enjoying […]