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

Fish Pedicures Banned in Florida

Though a novelty to some spa goers, others, including the Florida Board of Cosmetology, consider fish pedicures unhygienic.  The Board announced a ban on the practice early this week, placing Florida on a growing list of states that have rejected the spa procedure.

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Would you vacation on a decommissioned oil rig outfitted as a hotel and spa?

A weekend on an offshore oil platform doesn't fit very many people's description of a relaxing vacation -- but one day it could.  According to Morris Architects, there are something like 4,000 operating in the Gulf right now, all of which will be decommissioned sometime in the next century.  That's basically the situation that spawned the Oil Rig Hotel and Spa. You might not think there's much to do at a resort in the middle of the Gulf, but apparently that's not the case. Rigs often spawn their own lively ocean habitats that are home to rare corals and marine life. So obviously diving, snorkeling are in -- along with other water sports like boating and skiing. Or you could chill on the rooftop beach area.

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February 24 Webinar: How to Open a Successful Medical Spa

On Tuesday, February 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST, Acara is hosting a complimentary webinar, How to Open a Successful Medical Spa presented by Medical Spa industry expert, Francis X. Acunzo. As a special feature, to this Webinar, he will discuss the recession and its impact on launching a MedSpa or Aesthetic Cosmetic Practice.

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It’s never too late for a day at the spa: Nursing Home Seniors get a Spa Day

It’s never too late for a day at the spa.   Female residents of Good Shepherd Health Center found that out Monday at the nursing home’s Spa Day. “Oh, it’s wonderful,” said 96-year-old Grace Chamberlain. “This is something altogether different than what I ever heard about. When I heard ‘spa,’ I thought of exercise. And I don’t need any more of that.”

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Four Seasons Resort Seychelles Opens

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts opened its newest resort in Seychelles: a remote, hillside retreat on the southwest coast of Mahe. The Resort is the fourth addition to a collection of Four Seasons resorts on the Indian Ocean, which includes properties in Mauritius (opened in the fall of 2008) and two in the Maldives.

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Recession be Damned: Let's open a Spa

Opening a new business during the nation’s economic downturn can be risky, but Spa Pura owners Ben Chun and Michelle Ju think their massage and skin care business will weather the storm.  The pair understand that people are cutting back on spending, but Ju said people should treat themselves during these tough economic times. “I like to give people a good place where they can relax and they can relieve their stress with not too much expense,” Ju said.

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Judge Rules: A law office operating inside a day spa upsets the tranquility

When Robert M. Stapleton invested in Aesthetique, he nicknamed the doctor's office in the Long Island, N.Y., spa "the money-maker room" because he expected it to drive the Botox end of the business.  But after handing over $150,000 to attorney Richard E. Brook of Port Washington, N.Y., who launched the day spa with his wife, Stapleton encountered a wrinkle he said he did not anticipate: a law office in the middle of the day spa.

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West Paces Hotel Group will assume management responsibilities for Ayana Resort & Spa, Bali

On April 1, Horst Schulze of The Ritz-Carlton fame and founder and Chairman of The West Paces Hotel Group will assume management responsibilities for The Ritz-Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa. These duties will be conducted through The West Paces Hotel Group's joint venture, The West Paces Hotel Group Asia.   The award-winning property will reemerge as Ayana Resort and Spa

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Montelucia Resort and Spa Paradise Valley is targeted for foreclosure

The lender behind the new Montelucia InterContinental Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, Arizona, Eurohypo AG, has filed a notice of default against the property at 4949 E. Lincoln Drive, its 293-room resort and 12 unsold single-family detached villas.   The project's developer, Crown Montelucia Associates LLC, wants to avoid foreclosure, "has worked diligently to avoid this outcome," and is working on several solutions, according to a statement issued by resort owner and developer Robert. Flaxman.

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Painful Pampering Still Pulling a Profit at San Diego Salons

In these penny-pinching times, it’s hard to believe that San Diego ladies are still dishing out the dough every month to remove unwanted hair through the painful process of waxing — but they are.   The Pretty Kitty, a wax and skin care service specializing in the Brazilian bikini wax in Pacific Beach and Chula Vista, sees 30 to 50 women a day at its Pacific Beach salon and upwards of 60 to 70 at the combined locations, says owner Tricia Hetherington.   “A Brazilian is such a popular way of life,” said Hetherington. “We see everyone from college girls to grandmothers.”

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