Spa and Hotel news from SpaCast.com. Part of Spa Index Media Network.

Veria: Combo Day Spas, Retail Stores and Fitness Studios, want to be the "next big thing in wellness"

From its unassuming storefront in the sprawling Plano shopping center at the corner of Park and Preston, you'd never know Veria aims to be the Next Big Thing in wellness.  In fact, the combination day spa, retail store and fitness studio is just one element in a master plan to make Veria the source for natural health and wellness information, services and products.

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Extreme Spa Treatments: Ramen Noodles to Bull Semen

There’s now such a thing as extreme spa, like extreme sports. Not for the faint-hearted, these treatments have become novelties and are gaining a following.

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Aquae Sulis Las Vegas Offers Pink Pom Pedicure to benefit the American Cancer Society

As host to the annual American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® walk, JW Marriott Las Vegas’s Aquae Sulis Spa is standing up to the fight against this disease and invites the community to join in … while showcasing pretty peds in the process. The spa is introducing the Think Pink Pomegranate Pedicure with 10% of the profits being donated to the American Cancer Society.

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The lowdown on rubdowns: A UK columnist's take on massage etiquette

Massage etiquette is utterly bewildering. Is it homophobic to request a woman? Can you object to the music playing in the background? Is it OK to fall asleep? If it hurts, can you yelp? Or cry? What if you're ticklish? Should you take your underwear off or leave it on?

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Verdict against Riverside massage-chair makers in design, trademark dispute

A massage chair manufacturer has won $7.35 million in damages from two  companies and a company official, according to a statement from the chair-maker.

The complaint filed against American Lighting Industry Inc. and King Kong USA Inc. in 2005, alleged that the two companies knowingly sold massage chairs that infringed on a design developed by Human Touch LLC and marketed the chairs as the "human touch masseuse," said David A. Dillard, a lawyer representing Human Touch.

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Day Spa Massage Therapist Arrested for Photographing Clients

Police have arrested an Austin massage therapist accused of improper photography. Austin police investigators have confiscated a computer that belonged to Jason Charles Thompson, 34, that contains 120 files of his clients, and police say they may contain pictures or video of women getting dressed and undressed before and after massages.

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Green Nail Salon Grows Organically

In the posh Union Square area of downtown San Francisco, Nova Nail Spa is a different kind of nail salon – a green business with eco-friendly building materials. Step inside and you won’t find the headache-inducing fumes from harsh chemicals. The shop uses a vegan substitute as a nail polish remover instead of the cheaper acetone. The scent of mandarin – from orange-infused, organic products -- lingers in the air.

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Medical History? For a Manicure?

In a dime-a-dozen business like nail salons, you need to have a hook or a gimmick to be unique. At the The Bella Aqua Spa in Laurinburg, North Carolina, they seem to have settled on requiring a copious amount of personal and medical history from you before you get to have a manicure as their little way of standing out.

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Mark Your Calendars: 2009 Day Spa Expo Dates

The Day Spa Expo is the only focused Trade Show exclusively for Day Spa Owners and Operators. . If you offer or need goods or services in the Spa Industry then you will need to have a presence at this focused national event. The Day Spa Expo and The Day Spa Association have joined forces to produce and present an educational program specifically for the Day Spa Owners & Operators that you can't afford to miss!

March 15-17, 2009
Day Spa Expo and Business Forum
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Contact: Bentley International Group, Inc. 800/859-9247, Fax 702-893-9227
info@bentleyintl.net or www.dayspaexpo.com

Day Spa Owners Master the Art of Respect and Friendly Competition

In 1999, Nishikawa, a hotel concierge fresh out of college, walked into Ampy’s Spa one day and handed her résumé to Ampy, who offered to train Nishikawa together with her own college-aged daughter.  Under Ampy’s tutelage, Nishikawa started at the front desk, became an aesthetician and later a manager, learning every aspect of the business for three years.

In 2003, a European aesthetician across Kapiolani Boulevard in the Kenrock Building listed her 260-square-foot studio for sale. Nishikawa bought the studio with personal funds and a bank loan.  She continued working at Ampy’s for several weeks, laying the groundwork for her new company. But she didn’t tell anyone her plans. Especially not her clients.

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