Licensed massage therapists across Indiana have long voiced concerns about alleged sex parlors fronting as legitimate massage operations, according to the Indiana president of the American Massage Therapy Association.
San Francisco’s Epi Center MedSpa, the nation’s original medical spa, will be achieving another first with the opening of its eco-medspa, bringing nature and science together for a more naturally beautiful you – and more beautiful planet. The Epi Center MedSpa will open the doors to its LEED-certified space in April to commemorate both its 10th anniversary and Earth Day. A trendsetter in the skin rejuvination industry since its opening a decade ago, the board certified plastic surgeon led eco-medspa now combines its safe beauty enhancing medical procedures with the most effective organic treatments and healthy environment to create a naturally vibrant and youthful appearance with minimal downtime.
The Epi Center MedSpa worked with leaders in eco-architecture and designed a luxurious medical spa with the highest level LEED certification attainable. Eric Corey Freed, founder of oraganicArchitect and author of Green Building and Remolding for Dummies, ensured the Epi Center MedSpa conforms to the strict standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
"You know you don't want things done to your face that you don't know anything about, so I tried to do my homework." Linda Hampton made that decision before undergoing laser hair removal. She knew there were risks involved and wanted to be safe. "I was a little apprehensive because I was afraid to tell you the truth but after I had it the first time I had no problem."
Dr. Jim McNatt with Georgia's Medical Board says among things like Botox injections, and chemical peels, laser hair removal is the number one cosmetic procedure being offered at day spas and salons, but there's concern.
The global spa economy is estimated to be over $250 billion, according to a major report unveiled this week at the 2008 Global Spa Summit in New York. Prepared by SRI International on behalf of The Global Spa Summit, the first-ever Global Spa Economy Report represents the most comprehensive effort yet to quantify the rapidly expanding global spa industry. More than 220 industry leaders from around the world attended this year's summit, which was highlighted by keynote speeches from hotelier Ian Schrager and Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States and Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch.
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In 2008, the International SPA Association will build upon its reputation as the voice of the spa industry by debuting LiveSpa. To be published in June, this inaugural publication will focus on educating the spa consumer.
University of California, Irvine Extension announces the newest online elective courses added to its renowned Spa and Hospitality Management certificate program. Uniquely developed to meet the demands of the burgeoning spa market, "Integrating the Business of Wellness in Your Spa" and "Quality Management for Spas," address the multitude of details involved in day-to-day spa operations. UC Irvine Extension is the first in the United States to offer a Certificate Program in Spa and Hospitality Management in a completely online platform; making it easier for busy professionals to gain the education needed at the flexibility of their schedules.
Hilton Hotels and Resorts announced today a partnership with French luxury cosmetics and toiletries company L’Occitane to redesign the hotel company’s full service spas, menu of services and spa product offerings.
Spas have been working hard over the past few years to market themselves as a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle, not an indulgence. But now that consumers are feeling anxious about paying for even more basic needs — like gas, house payments and butter — some spas are responding with a different strategy to appeal to stressed-out, maxed-out customers: discounts.
It's been 40 years since Virginia allowed liquor to be sold by the drink. Since then, the state's ABC laws have gotten complicated.
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The UK’s largest private investment syndicate is to construct the UK’s largest residential health spa.
Fifty members of investment group Hotbed have entered into a £23 million deal to construct and operate a 192-room residential spa in Essex, to be completed in late 2009.
Today's economic downturn is causing spa owners in the Valley to sweat as they watch their bottom lines sag. "When the real estate market began dropping, people stopped spending money on themselves," said East Valley spa market analyst and Mesa author Christina Jordan. "Spas in the Valley, especially the day spas, are losing customers and income."
The dental spa has become an established part of the dentistry market. Dental spa experts estimate that up to 5% of dental practices in USA currently offer dental spa or spa dentistry services. Strong growth is forecast and numbers are expected to increase with as many as three quarters of US dental practices possibly becoming dental spas. They can boost sales by doing so as dental spas report patients spending about 30% more per visit than in a traditional dentists office.
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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.
Canada's leading spa association will introduce a national inspection program next year to ensure its members comply with quality assurance and safety standards.
"It will help consumers and raise standards in the industry across the board," Leading Spas of Canada representative Kathryn Stolle said in an interview. "Consumers are saying: 'Give us some assurances here' and that's what this will do."
By definition, getting pampered shouldn't be painful. But if you're heading to the salon, you don't want your indulgent treatment to come with anything extra, like an infection. Millions of people visit manicurists each year, and every so often they end up with untrained beauty technicians or inadequately cleaned facilities that leave them with more than they bargained for. And according to a study published in the Annals of Occupational Hygiene, a salon that's poorly maintained can also lead to other problems, like respiratory and neurological conditions from breathing in the fumes of polishes, disinfectants and other chemical-laden products.
Ten California nail salons have been cited for unsanitary conditions under a 2006 state law that took effect this year. The foot spas — scattered around the state — were placed on probation by the state Department of Consumer Affairs' Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.
In a crackdown under a new state law, inspectors have issued citations to five Southern California salons, putting them on probation for clipping toenails and soaking feet in unsanitary conditions, officials announced today. The Southern California salons whose citations were announced today are Laser Nails in Huntington Beach, KC Nails in Anaheim, Top Hair Salon in Buena Park, Super Hair & Nails in Huntington Beach and LyLy Hair and Nails in Huntington Beach.
From the Department of Consumer Affairs:
Recommendations for FootSpa Safety (PDF) and Appendix (PDF)
One of the hospitality industry's most closely-watched trials has ended in victory for a hotel owner against The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC ("Ritz-Carlton"). Bickel & Brewer law firm has announced that its client, Karang Mas Sejahtera ("KMS"), owner of the exclusive Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort & Spa ("Ritz-Carlton Bali"), prevailed in a case that may have wide-ranging implications on the manner in which hotel management agreements are interpreted -- and enforced.
PZ Cussons, the maker of Imperial Leather and Carex soap, has acquired the Sanctuary spa and beauty products business from British private equity group HgCapital for £75m. Sanctuary's spa in Covent Garden, Central London, attracts 64,000 guests a year and it has an exclusive deal with Boots to sell its products on the high street.
Read the Story“Images of beautiful ladies with cucumbers over their eyes are passé as savvy consumers are no longer fooled by this representation of the spa-goer,” said International SPA Association President Lynne McNees while talking about the association’s new magazine, LiveSpa. As the voice of the spa industry since 1991, ISPA is debuting LiveSpa in June to debunk myths, enrich lives and show that living a simple yet healthy lifestyle is not an oxymoron.
Omni Hotels is getting more serious about the spa business. The Irving-based hotel owner has brought on a corporate spa director and has launched its own brand – called Mokara – in an effort to drive higher revenues from hotel guests and compete more effectively for group meetings.
The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. enjoyed its most successful year ever in 2007, setting new records in sales and revenue. Roomnight sales production of nearly USD 1.65 million surpassed the previous record level reached in 2005. This impressive achievement was the result of two major influences: the robust travel industry and the strength of client loyalty to the Leading Hotels brand among hoteliers and consumers. Website initiatives at lhw.com helped boost the growth of the Internet distribution channel, with production growing by 12% over the preceding year, from 220,884 room nights in 2006, to 247,269 in 2007.
Mobil Travel Guide, the originator of the Mobil Travel Guide star ratings certifications, today unveiled its list of Mobil Four- and Five-Star hotels, restaurants and spas. This is a milestone year for a company that has defined excellence and quality in the travel industry for the past 50 years.
The Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa announced its achievement in receiving the ASEAN Green Hotel Standard Award. The award recognizes the resort commitment in being environmentally friendly and having adopted energy conservation measures.
A former resident has filed a federal lawsuit against a spa and its Canadian owner, alleging the salon should have fired the masseur convicted of fondling and kissing her two years ago because of two complaints from female co-workers about being touched by him.
Filed in U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y., on Thursday by Rosey Kalayjian, the suit alleges that the Stonewater Spa & Boutique did not discipline or fire Michael Krzyzak despite knowing he had been reported for touching female co-workers before groping Kalayjian and another woman on Jan. 16, 2005.
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Employees at the luxury La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad are being tested for tuberculosis after a former worker was diagnosed with the disease. The resort didn't specify yesterday how many of its 1,000 employees have been tested but said that everyone who had been in contact with the former golf maintenance worker has received a skin test. No other active cases have been found.
University of California, Irvine Extension, the pioneer of the first “Spa and Hospitality Management” certificate program on the West Coast, also the first and only fully-online certificate program of its kind in the United States – announced today a new online elective course, “Integrative Wellness Within a Spa Environment: Rituals of Healing.” The course will be taught strictly online for the first time and take place March 31-June 13.
Students will gain a different and broader psychological perspective of the spa experience and be able to identify integrative wellness current trends in spa programs. Potential and existing spa owners, directors and managers will learn to identify the biopsychosocial elements of rituals and their applicability to the modern spa environment.
A special analysis of hotel spa department operating statements conducted by PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) finds that a 9.7 percent increase in hotel spa revenues resulted in an 11.3 percent gain in spa department profits in 2006. . . . These observations come from the recently released inaugural edition of Trends in the Hotel Spa Industry published by PKF Hospitality Research, an affiliate of PKF Consulting (PKF-C). The report is believed to be the most comprehensive analysis of hotel spa department financial performance in the industry.
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With fines on the rise, Massachusetts is cracking down on unsanitary hair and nail salons. State inspectors ticketed one of every four hair and nail salons they visited this year for violations ranging from unsanitary conditions to the employment of unlicensed technicians.
Sheila Cluff is sparkling. That might be because the tiny crystals decorating her denim-blue warm-up suit are catching the morning light. Or because her halo of white hair shimmers like a beacon. Whatever the reason, as she rounds the corner onto Ojai Avenue and leads more than a dozen women clad in T-shirts and tracksuits back to The Oaks at Ojai — the "reducing spa" she founded 30 years ago this month — Cluff is glowing.
Do you want your mineral spa bath at the Saratoga Spa State Park mixed with hot tap water? That's the question patrons of the Roosevelt I Bathhouse will get to answer in 2008 under a $450,000 renovation plan announced Thursday by Carol Ash, commissioner of the state Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Pure mineral water baths are returning to the Spa, state officials said today. Starting next year, patrons to the Roosevelt I Bathhouse in Saratoga Spa State Park will be able to choose between warmed all-mineral baths, or ones blended with heated tap water.
As of July, there were 14,600 spas in the United States representing a 6 percent growth from August 2006 when there were 13,800. Day spas remain the most prevalent spa type. The U.S. spa industry generated an estimated $9.4 billion in 2006.
Twelve new Quan Spas are planned to open by Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) over the next 24 months throughout Asia and the Pacific. Renowned for its locally authentic treatments and “tranquility zones”, the Quan Spa concept was developed by Rhett Pickering, director of spa operations and development for Marriott’s Asia-Pacific Region.
Massage therapists fed up with being linked to the sex industry in the Yellow Pages have scored a victory with the directory company agreeing to look at separating the two industries. Massage therapists called for the separation earlier this month. Massage New Zealand president Barry Vautier said the heading in the directory should be changed to something like adult services, as every state in Australia had already done.
The Heidel House Resort and Evensong Spa has received the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Travel Green Wisconsin Certification. The designation recognizes tourism related businesses that are reducing their environmental impact through operational and other improvements, according to a news release from the resort.
Destination Spa Group (DSG) is pleased to announce that Fitness Ridge Resort & Spa (St. George, Utah) has recently been accepted as a new member. The spa joins the prestigious group of Destination Spas from around the world, expanding the organization. With the addition of Fitness Ridge, Destination Spa Group now offers 25 spa vacations to potential spa-goers.
More than two years after an N.C. State University student died from using a numbing gel before undergoing laser hair removal, the N.C. Medical Board has resolved the last case against a doctor associated with the incident.
For every national news story about someone who sues a salon because the person caught an infection that caused his or her toenails to fall off, there are scores of reputable spas where health and safety standards are a priority.
A woman who works as a massage therapist was raped by one of her clients in the suspect’s home, sheriff’s deputies said. The Sheriff’s Office said the unidentified 32-year-old woman works as an in-home massage therapist and the suspect was one of her clients.
The most convoluted philosophical thinking outside of academe was taking place recently at the Global Spa Summit at the Waldorf-Astoria, with the purpose of fostering “thought leadership” in the forty-billion-dollar-a-year spa industry. One of the keynote speakers was Steve Case, the co-founder of America Online. He now owns a spa in Arizona called Miraval, whose motto is “Life in Balance.”
On her first working day as Batangas governor, Vilma Santos-Recto promised her constituents that she will stand up against the proposed construction of a spa and resort at the crater of Taal Volcano.
Inhabitants of the world’s smallest active volcano are up in arms against the impending construction of a resort spa on their island by a Korean-owned company, calling the attention of the national government to what they described as “a classic case of land grabbing.”
Two moderate earthquakes jolted Taal Volcano island on Sunday as the debate over the planned construction of a health spa resort at the volcano’s crater by a Korean company raged on.
Research and Markets has announced the addition of "Spa Services - Industry Profile" to their offering. Covering over 175 industries and updated every 90 days, the First Research Industry Profiles do the "heavy lifting" for you - saving your sales team valuable research time, enhancing client communications and giving you the competitive edge to win more business.
An explosion at a women's spa in central Tokyo on Tuesday killed three people and injured at least three others. The afternoon explosion appeared to have been triggered by methane gas that seeped from the ground beneath the popular "Shiespa" hot spring and caught fire, according to police.
London-based Expomedia Group has acquired the UK based Spa Show, a consumer event targeting a high-end audience interested in spa vacations held every November, from Spa Shows Ltd. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
(CBS) NEW YORK. Twenty-five years ago, there were only a handful of spas in the United States. Today, Americans spend billions of dollars a year being primped and pampered at more than 10,000 spas scattered across the country. However, CBS 2 HD has a warning: before signing up for services, read the fine print.
Jonathan Spiegel, a town official who deals most with the developer of the Quabbin Resort project, said Friday he has seen paperwork indicating that Chevron Oil is interested in investing. "They have signed an agreement that we have seen," Spiegel said Friday. He's a member of the Belchertown Economic Development Industrial Corp.
This year’s Wellness and Spas Trade Fair (May 20-22, 2007) will tackle the growing problem of obesity across the Middle East, with a dedicated floor section aimed at fitness and exercise. “Pulse,” a collection of exhibitors demonstrating aerobic, resistance machines and exercise equipment, will showcase the benefits of a good workout as a fun part of a trip to a spa and an ideal way to help maintain the optimum body weight.
CIGNA HealthCare has expanded its Healthy Rewards® health and wellness discount amenity program to include discounts of up to 60 percent on physical fitness centers, wellness and stress management programs and oral health products. Healthy Rewards provides easy access to a variety of brand name health and wellness products and services at discounted prices to help members get healthy and stay healthy.
. . . [As] part of the recent Healthy Rewards expansion, members can relax and relieve stress with access to over 3,500 spas including day, destination, hotel, and medical spas.
Lowe Enterprises Investors (LEI), the investment management affiliate of national real estate company Lowe Enterprises, has acquired The Shores Resort & Spa, a 212-room luxury oceanfront resort in Daytona Beach Shores, Fla. for $39.8 million. LEI acquired the property from Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Inc. on behalf of Lowe Hospitality Investment Partners, a $266 million discretionary fund that invests solely in hotel and resort properties. Another Lowe affiliate company, Destination Hotels & Resorts, will assume management of the property.
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US-based Facelogic International – a spa franchise company – has revealed plans to open up to 30 day spa properties in the US by July. The ethos of each Facelogic spa is to provide luxurious but affordable therapies and products for the face. Each Facelogic franchise offers the same treatment menu. There are currently 14 Facelogic spas open in the US with a total of 59 territories sold. Upcoming openings include spas in Colorado, Florida and California.
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, California.
A developer has secured approvals to grow one of the city's most exclusive spa resorts into a massive refuge for health-conscious retirees and tourists, complete with hundreds of upscale homes, fountains, bungalows, an IMAX theater and a health-oriented retail complex. City Council members say their approval last week of a massive expansion of Two Bunch Palms Resort and Spa marks a turning point for Desert Hot Springs, which is working to parlay its natural mineral springs into more tax revenue and a splashier image for the city.
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California Spa Resorts by SpaIndex.com
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