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

Trends: Spa relaxation for the wedding guests, too

Back in the day, a little gauze bag of Jordan Almonds was our favorite wedding favor. 

Fast forward to 2010. 

American Idol's Carrie Underwood's recent wedding before 200 guests included treating those guests to spa and relaxation services.  A source said: "Carrie really wanted to make sure that her guests had a great time and were pampered while they were here."   The services included swimming, serenity reading rooms, manicures, and more.

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Canada spas still want that fish pedicure!

The Pillar and Post's 100 Fountain Spa wants to bring the fish pedicures to Niagara-on-the- Lake and has gone so far as to buy a tank and a stock of more than 50 Garra rufa fish.  "It's something that Niagara needs, Canada needs. Anything that is new is good for tourism."

Read the Story:

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2657591

Snowstorms hurting East Coast Spa Resorts

The December snow storm has cost the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa millions in losses according to reports.

Read the story:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/atlantic_citys_borgata_casino.html

India Spas limber up for expansion in 2010

The country is likely to have more than 2,000 spas by the end of 2010, up from just 200. The wellness industry is alive and kicking in India and nothing demonstrates this better than the hyper-activity in the spa business.

Consider this: Hyderabad-based O2 Spas, which has set up shop at the Delhi and Mumbai airports, is now delivering spa therapies to offices. Weight loss and beauty specialists Vandana Luthra Curls and Curves (VLCC) is developing a residential medical spa in Gurgaon at an investment of Rs 100 crore. Delhi-based Spas India Private Limited, a subsidiary of Canadian Spas Worldwide, wants to expand from its single spa in Delhi to 10 more cities, Bangalore and Mumbai among them.

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2009 called 'the worst downtown in our lifetimes' for Greater Phoenix spa resorts and hotels

When the owner of the luxury Phoenician resort reported year-end financial results, no negatives were spared in summing up the state of the hotel industry last year.

"For the lodging business, 2009 was the worst downturn in our lifetimes," Frits van Paasschen, chief executive officer of lodging giant Starwood Hotels and Resorts, said last week. "Even a tepid recovery will feel good."

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#SpaCast: Design Trends of Spa Websites

Hotels and spas tend to go together. As shown by some of the examples featured in this article, spas are often one of several amenities offered besides standard hotel rooms. As a result, the spa is often a micro-site within the hotel or resort page. While some of the trends to hotel design carry over (e.g. highly visual photography), the target audience is more specific than that of the average hotel.

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Are medical spas a fast-growing but undefined industry?

...[A]s the medical spa industry continues to expand at a breakneck pace, oversight of these facilities is lagging behind. New cosmetic procedures and devices are increasingly blurring the line between the practice of medicine and the field of cosmetology — and putting some patients in the hands of less-qualified individuals.

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Pennsylvania woman continues spree of thefts of spa services, dining

With the holidays approaching, new client marketing is ticked up a notch, schedules become more hectic and employees may be harried. How does your salon and spa prevent theft of services?

Tia Hassler has allegedly had her brows waxed, eaten Thai food, quaffed cocktails and gotten a pedicure in the last two weeks without paying a dime.

via www.lehighvalleylive.com

More men visiting spas to keep an leg up in the job market

Spas used to be a place where ladies went for a day of pampering. Not anymore.

Across Texas, salons report that men are showing up by the dozens. They're men like Andy Osborne, a sales executive for a hotel group.

"I just turned 40 this year," he said, "so I wanted to do something to make myself a little younger. I felt a little strange making the call, but they put me right at ease. saying it was typical. They are seeing more and more men."

Doctor Bill Johnson says that while woman go after ideals -- trying to mimic models in magazines -- men book appointments for very different reasons.

"It's a competition for the guys," Johnson says.

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Time Out #NYC talks Boyzilians, Breacials, Lower Hair Color and more

Adrienne Rayski tests wacky regimens that leaves her wondering what "R&R" stands for.

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