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

ISPA Annual Show: 16 spa operators and their latest offerings

American spas continue to come up with new and sometimes wildly creative ideas for making visitors feel happy and healthy. Thursday night the International SPA Association, known as ISPA hosted its annual show in New York City, showcasing 16 American spa operators and their latest offerings.

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No checks and balances in India's Spa and Wellness Industry

In India, the license required to open a ‘spa’ is issued under ‘Shops & Establishments’ and all it requires is Rs 3,500, a copy of lease pact or ownership and possibly within a week or two you can open your own spa. Renewable on an annual basis, the license applies to spas within five-star hotels as well. No checks, no balances. There are close to 3,000 day spas and 1,200 resort spas spread across India and is estimated to grow by 31%, according to the study. Yet there is no definition, no standardization, no regulation and no watchdog.

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California's Terranea Resort still faces financial challenges

The oceanfront Terranea Resort, built on the former site of the Marineland of the Pacific theme park on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, opened this summer amid much fanfare. But its long-running financial challenges remain.  The 582-room luxury hotel and spa, completed in June at a cost of $480 million, remains open and is performing better than expected, according to Bob Lowe, chairman of Lowe Enterprises, the resort's principal, but Terranea faces financing challenges on two fronts: Falling into default with one of its lenders and losing out, for now, on a promised loan from the city of Rancho Palos Verdes, where it is located.

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Seagate Hotel & Spa to open in Florida in November 2009

The Seagate Hotel & Spa, a new beach-inspired hotel experience set to open in downtown Delray Beach, Florida, in November 2009. Located just one block from the beach on East Atlantic Avenue in the heart of the city’s arts and entertainment district, The Seagate Hotel & Spa captures the relaxed-yet-vibrant lifestyle of Florida’s Gold Coast. A host of inviting amenities include fine and casual dining, an elegant spa and nearby beach club privileges, and the hotel also offers a stylish backdrop for weddings and events. The hotel is already designated a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

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Australia's Tourism Victoria Launches $7.3 million spa campaign

Daylesford’s spa and well being experiences are the focus of a new $7.3 million advertising campaign by Tourism Victoria to encourage more interstate visitors to the region.

The ‘Daylesford. Lead a double life’ campaign, staring Hollywood-based Australian actress Isabel Lucas, will enable Victoria to capitalise on the rapidly expanding spa and well being industry.

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New Gene Juarez Spa CEO aims for growth

In the three years since Janet Denyer was hired as CEO of Gene Juarez Salons and Spas, the Bellevue-based business has revamped its spa offerings and launched a hair product line under the iconic Pacific Northwest name.

Denyer, 53, came to the company from Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon and Spas, where she supervised the opening of 18 new spas. After Evergreen Pacific Partners bought the business from its namesake founder, Denyer was recruited to open locations in the Puget Sound area and beyond.

“It just came out of left field,” she said. “And when I looked at the company and saw how strong and how much depth there is in the company relative to the education – all the support given to the professionals, I thought, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I think I’m supposed to be there.”

By weekday she’s a spa guru, and by weekend she’s a “closet rock star” who plays guitar and goes to Death Cab for Cutie concerts – when she and her husband aren’t snowboarding.

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Facelogic, Massage Envy offer memberships to make treatments affordable

Who doesn't love a facial or massage, especially one that's fairly affordable? 

Still, scheduling such pampering isn't always easy. With work and family, even a practice that keeps your skin looking fresh or one that keeps you feeling loose and limber falls by the wayside.

For facials, Sherryl Ford, a Carlsbad, Calif., woman, had an idea. She owned a Curves franchise, where, as is the custom for most fitness centers, people paid monthly fees to belong.

She thought to herself, "Why not charge a monthly fee for membership to a face spa?" Then the regulars could get a discount, and facials would be become a regular part of their routine. So, she and two partners created Facelogic.

Now, that company and another company, Massage Envy, offer a new kind of service: memberships that are designed to offer discounts and make the services more affordable while encouraging regular visits.

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Nearly 600 Massage Envy Clinics to Host Massage for the Cure on 09-15-09

On Tuesday, September 15, 2009, Massage Envy, the nation's largest massage therapy provider, will team up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help win the fight against breast cancer by hosting Massage for the Cure. During this one-day event, nearly 600 Massage Envy clinics nationwide will offer $35 one-hour massage therapy sessions, with $10 from each massage directly benefiting the local Affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Additional donations will also be accepted, and all proceeds collected will go directly into local community outreach programs supporting breast health education and awareness.

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Media Opportunity: Does your Spa Hotel Promotion benefit charity?

Barbara Delollis of USA Today has sent out a Twitter Alert that she is seeking hotel promomotions which include or feature a donation to charity.  She invites you to email BRIEF details and a description by Friday morning, August 14, with "charity" in the subject line. Send your email to her at bdelolli at usatoday dot com. 

Orange County #Spa Hotels struggle at height of travel season

On a sultry midweek afternoon at the grand new Resort at Pelican Hill in California, a scant dozen vacationers lounged at what is billed as the world's largest circular pool, flanked on one side by a Coliseum-style amphitheater and on the other by an ocean-view golf course.  A few miles south in Laguna Beach, most of the 170 lounge chairs at the Montage resort's oceanfront pool were empty as the afternoon wore on. Cocktail hour arrived, but at 5:45 p.m. only a single table at the poolside Mosaic Bar & Grille was occupied. Few businesses have been so brutalized by the recession as hospitality.

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