Usually we're all giddy about spa openings, but sometimes even we have to stop and say, no, really? Phit, a 58th Street newbie (as seen in today’s Times' Thursday Styles section), is a … different kind of spa. Because it’s for your below-the-belt region, and we ain’t talkin' bikini waxes. It's a "gyno spa." Wait a second, let it hit you. Yes, we said gyno spa.
The aesthetician at a salon in Pakistan's capital couldn't help being nervous. Her client that afternoon was especially demanding, certain to quiz her unrelentingly about anti-wrinkle creams and pore-reduction potions. But such exactitude, she said, is typical of her male customers.
Pakistan may be tradition-bound and have conservative Muslim mores, but the male-beauty trade is booming here. Urban professional men are waxing and highlighting and plucking and primping like never before.
Le Petite Retreat Day Spa in Los Angeles has announced their "Free Gas Card" summer program to help relieve the economic difficulty people are facing during this time of inflated gas prices.
Spa Chinois in New York is offering a new take on the term "day spa”. They are offering a full day at the spa from 10 am to 6 pm, for $5,000, with its "All You Can Spa" program. The spa closes for the day so the client has complete privacy and run of the spa. The client can have any and all spa services that day. The “All You Can Spa” day escape is for one client or up to five friends. The clients will also receive a catered lunch, afternoon snacks and champagne.
Medical spas have cropped up everywhere, a billion-dollar industry that offers non-surgical alternatives to cosmetic surgery. But in response to complaints, the 2 Investigators found one chain that's misleading and harming clients, and as CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman reports, leaving some of them in the middle of a cosmetic con.
The seven NuU Medspas in the Chicago area aggressively promote Lipodissolve, a series of injections that supposedly will melt your fat away. The ads talk about reduced inches with no knives, no tubes, and no pain -- a deceptive ad, patients say.
At a time when people turn to specialists for everything from detoxing their feet to washing their hair, it appears that the age-old Q-Tip solution to ear wax just isn't cutting it anymore. Enter ear candling, the controversial 15-minute ear cleansing solution done in doctors' offices and spas throughout the country.
Epi Center MedSpa celebrates its 10th anniversary with the opening of the country’s first Eco-MedSpa in San Francisco in a completely renovated facility in the historic Union Square medical building. The new facility is LEED certified and built entirely with sustainable materials, from recycled and FSC-certified wood, marble flooring and countertops, to the eco-paints and recycled fabrics.
Forget avocado, evening primrose oil or other exotic ingredients, the latest facial to hit New York is a mask made with bird excrement. The Geisha Facial, available at Shizuka New York for $180, about $100 more than the shop's other facials, contains nightingale excrement.
Striving to take spa therapy beyond the confines of the elite, well-known beautician and aroma therapist Blossom Kochhar is all set to open 200 spas across India and abroad in two years. “Life is so hectic these days. People are constantly running around for work. At the end of the week they deserve good, rejuvenating spa treatment, which unfortunately can’t be afforded by all. These spas will specifically address that issue,” Kochhar told IANS in an interview.
During 11 years as a broker serving wealthy South Floridians, Nicole Oden made a lot of money, endured a lot of stress and spent a lot of time in spas getting rid of both. So when she became dissatisfied with the spas in her area, she decided to open her own.
In short order, she researched the industry, prepared a business plan, secured a bank loan and in November 2004 opened Spa Eleven, an 11,100-square-foot luxury day spa in Delray Beach. Ms. Oden says the 70-person enterprise generated a modest profit on $3 million in first-year revenues, and she is investigating two more locations.
Running a spa is perhaps the ultimate feel-good business, and spa owners say helping others look better and feel more relaxed is a major benefit of their job. Earning a healthy income in the business, however, is hard work, given the challenges in employee retention and financing.
Seven Napa day spa owners received fines totaling $70,000 this week for state labor law violations, leaving many in state of shock and confusion.
At issue is the misclassification of spa employees as independent contractors, said state labor officials who also conducted sweeps of nail salons, day spas and beauty salons in California's San Francisco, Sonoma, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
South Australians spent more time looking after their health and appearance over the past 20 years but increasingly neglected traditional community pillars. If the Yellow Pages directory is anything to go by, we have become increasingly hungry for ways to relax and beautify ourselves. But this snapshot also highlights how time-pressured and selfish our lives have become. The number of day spas, cosmetic clinics, tattoo parlours, naturopaths and masseuses listed in the Yellow Pages guide have soared since 1988, while church organisations, union branches and corner delis and butchers are now a dying breed
He snickered when he first saw a medical spa offering Botox and laser hair-removal services on a visit to a Las Vegas mall in 2002. He laughed at the thought of someone — anyone — shopping for the latest fashions, grabbing a bite to eat and then, oh yeah, strolling in for a quick shot of Botox to zap out a nasty wrinkle.
As the owner of Priti, the only all-organic spa specializing in luxurious manicures and pedicures in New York City, Australian native Kim D’Amato is at the forefront of a natural beauty revolution. While it’s easier than ever to pop in for a quick manicure and pedicure (or facial or eyebrow wax) at one of the thousands of salons lining the streets of the five boroughs, D’Amato is the only one who has taken a close look at the ingredients contained in the average bottle of nail polish and decided to take a different approach.
People often think of facials as something to do before a special occasion, like their wedding. Some may indulge occasionally, especially if they receive a gift certificate. Or never. Many remain facial virgins.
But a growing number of teenagers - both boys and girls - are getting facials as part of a healthy approach to skin care, or to address the kinds of skin problems teens used to entrust to dermatologists.
Raleigh Day Spa Expert Kile Law , owner of Blue Water Spa voted best medical spa in America urges consumers to ask about a spas policy of clients being left alone in treatment rooms before scheduling an appointment or purchasing a gift certificate.
The Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania, plans to open a day spa, where it will operate a training program for students interested in skin and nail care. At the spa, students will offer their services at reduced rates, similar to the method used at the full-service salon operated by the school's cosmetology department, said Steel Center Director John Sandrene. Mr. Sandrene said it will be the first day spa operating at a public technical school in Allegheny County.
10-Minute Manicure was born from a simple idea. Three friends, all busy professional women, desperately wanted something that would make their lives easier. "Women need a little bit of an oasis and we provide that as a service during their busy working day," Karen Janson, vice president of 10-Minute Manicure said.
Last January, the women opened their first 10-Minute Manicure in Cincinnati's airport. There are now 11 airport locations with one at Miami International opening soon.
Alcohol and pampering have always gone hand in hand. Just ask any woman who has ever happily accepted a complimentary glass of wine or a martini from her aesthetician while waiting for her toes to dry or highlights to take (Vodka shots after a sauna are de rigueur with the hedge-fund set).
Spas, however, were different. Marketing themselves as wellness centres, with strict detox programs, alcohol was banned along with caffeine, salt and gluten (corks still popped, of course, but on the down low).
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John Marco is the founder and CEO of Hand and Stone Massage Spas, a franchised spa concept that offers convenient, affordable, top-quality massage services. Hand and Stone Massage Spas offer consumers flexible hours, low introductory pricing and low-cost membership programs with incentives for repeat business. The locations themselves augment the experience, with relaxing stone waterfalls, subdued lighting and comfortable, contemporary furnishings. Introductory prices for first-time visitors start at $39.95 for a full-body therapeutic Relaxation Massage.
Margot Kohler felt her spa needed more room. After three years at her new location on Townsend Street, adjacent space became available, and Kohler invested $180,000 to add 2,700 square feet to handle more corporate events, retreats and wellness services. "Everything felt a little bit tight, and our clientele is more stressed right now," she said. "I just knew we had to grow." Margot's Euro Spa now features two hydrotherapy tubs, a state-of-the-art pedicure and manicure area and a conference room that can hold 20 people in a 6,400-square-foot facility, she said.
After becoming casualties of the tech bubble's bursting in Silicon Valley, Jon and Bonnie Brovitz decided to move to the Valley to pursue real estate interests.
In the meantime, they started visiting a local Massage Envy franchise in Chandler, Arizona to relax. They liked it so much they decided to buy the place.
Starting with the franchise in Chandler in November of 2003, the couple now owns five Massage Envy franchises. The most recent acquisitions are the Gilbert and Ahwatukee clinics that they acquired last month.
L.A.'s "it" kids now have a special place to call their own -- Spa Di Da in West Hollywood. Spa Di Da is the only spa in the city where the most important clients are kids. Both girls and boys can get a range of grooming and beautification services from the highly- trained and kid-friendly staff.
The green travel movement is sprouting new offshoots. In addition to offsetting carbon emissions from air travel and reducing energy use at hotels, eco-friendly travelers may want to know their spa treatment isn't roughing up the planet.
FACES DaySpa of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, has been selected as one of seven regional winners of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award and was honored at the May 24 dinner ceremony during America’s Small Business Summit 2007.
Dorit Baxter, after serving a high-end New York clientele for over twenty-five years, especially designed a massage to create a "motherhood mood". This pregnancy massage is for those who want a unique way to diffuse the pressures of becoming pregnant, while creating a serene mental and emotional environment for conception.
Dorit Baxter's spa has become an affiliate of the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR), to increase awareness of the effects massage can have on fertility. The CHR, one of New York's most recognized reproductive endocrinology and infertility centers, has already highlighted the importance of massage to create a relaxed mood for those hoping to become pregnant. By creating the Motherhood Mood massage, Dorit Baxter wants to increase trust and understanding among the population of men and women that struggle with infertility and emotional fatigue.
Hotel Bel-Air has announced plans for ar new spa, a 12,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, secluded amid the hotel’s 12 acres. The extensive project will break ground this September and debut in August 2008.
Located in the north section of the property, the spa will feature 10 private spa suites, a yoga and Pilates studio, an organic juice bar and a 1,000 square foot fitness center. In addition, 3 residential spa suite guestrooms have been added, bringing the total count to 94 rooms, with in-room treatment areas and facilities.
The controversial Inspa World (Malba / Queens, NY)) opened with a grand party last Thursday night in College Point as Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), the spa's leading foe, gathered with about a dozen neighbors outside to say he will not stop fighting the palatial day retreat.
Hundreds of people packed the four-story luxury spa, while Avella and residents stood across the street holding signs and chanting "spa's gotta go!" The residents said the facility, which got a special permit from the city to operate in a light manufacturing zone, brings too much traffic to already clogged streets.
It's Friday night and the techno beats are bouncing around the dimly lighted room. Perfectly groomed men and gaggles of smartly dressed young women are kicking back with wine, hors d'oeuvres and some pretty intense touching. No one is complaining about the very public interactions, especially not Leonard Lanzi.
With bare feet soaking in a sudsy pedicure tub, Lanzi, an executive with Junior Achievement, is surrounded by his employees, who seemed to be having a good time making fun of the boss's calloused feet. Lanzi, for better or worse, invited the office to Happy Hour Friday at Dtox, a new place to socialize in Atwater Village near Griffith Park. Despite the name, Dtox isn't a bar, or a rehab joint, but a day spa that once a month throws open its treatment room doors to add a social element to massages, facials and pedicures.
For years women have built professional relationships the old-fashioned way: entertaining clients or talking business with colleagues at buttoned-up dining rooms, in skyboxes or on the golf course. But women increasingly are kicking off their heels and networking as they get pedicures, try on clothes or wield sharp knives at cooking classes.
Two weeks ago, when 25 senior female attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis met to network with each other and with female law students, they didn't hunker down in the private dining room of a hip Loop restaurant. They commandeered the fitting room of an Ann Taylor store, where they spent several hours. And while the evening started with shop talk, it quickly got more personal.
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Three hundred seventeen (317) spa facilities are currently open and operating in Taiwan according to the inaugural survey of spa facilities by Intelligent Spas. The research identified the market is dominated by day spas, which account for 81% of all spas in Taiwan.
The report, entitled Spa Industry Profile Taiwan 2006-2008, features statistics on the Taiwan spa market, plus supporting qualitative trends and observations from spa owners and managers. It is a valuable tool for businesses competing in, or supporting Taiwan’s spa industry, to more accurately develop and plan spa-related products, services, campaigns and initiatives.
Come enjoy a relaxing afternoon of pampering, shopping and mingling at Spa Boutique for a Cure's second annual event March 10, 2007 at the Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood, California. Money raised at this event will go directly to support breast and ovarian cancer charities. Spa Boutique for a Cure event menu will include spa treatments and massage (provided by Euforia Day Spa and Mobile Spa Massage), designer shopping, red carpet, henna tattoos, live music, food (provided by Angelina's Catering), drinks, raffle, silent auction, give-a-ways, door prizes and more.
