Please note: Our news digest items are current as of the date we distribute them. However, we do not maintain the links shared by the media, and, many stories in our archived news digests may no longer be available for viewing online.  We regret any inconvenience.

July 2005, Volume 2
July 25, 2005

SpaWire: Connecting you to the Spa, Salon, and Wellness Industry

The latest Spa and Salon Industry News

SpaWire(tm) is a complimentary spa and salon news digest brought to you by Spa Index Media, LLC, and our sponsors:

Spa Index: Guide to Day Spas and Stay Spas. A comprehensive guide to day spas, stay spas, and wellness travel. Popular free newsletters profile spa specials and at home tips and ideas, spa cuisine, spa events, and more.

SpaWire: Connecting you to the Spa, Salon and Wellness Industry. A complimentary news digest with weekly news stories, announcements, press releases, convention events, trends, and spotlights, and resources for education, training, and wholesale supplies.

Spa Flyer: Blogging your Specials, Promotions, Grand Openings, Renovation Re- Openings and other up to the minute news of interest to the spa enthusiast.

Our Sponsor for this issue: Intrinsics.Net . This comprehensive line of single-use products is the best in its class. Superior in quality, function, and form, the Intrinsics line provides consistent integrity you can count on. In fact, salon professionals have been doing just that since 1930.

Our Sponsor for this issue: FirstClassFun.Biz. This southern California-based company provides the hospitality, spa and wellness industry with quality Aromatherapy eye and neck pillows. Complimentary private labeling.

Do spas bully your body ... or heal your soul?

The Times Online UK

Money down the drain, says Hannah Betts; a slice of heaven, argues Julie Myerson. Two Body&Soul writers clash over splashing out — while you can have your say and win a pampering weekend.

I realise that what I am about to say will cast me as the ultimate spoilt bitch, but there we are. I hate spas. I have been to quite a few in the line of duty as the Times beauty editor and they have always impressed me with their randomness and banality. Admittedly, this is rather biting the hand that tends me. Doubtless, I’ll never not have lunch, as it were, in this town, or any other town with a spa, again. However, if it saves one reader from pouring money down some elegantly appointed drain, then I will consider the price worth paying.

Personally, I find spas’ whole faux-ethnicity thing offensive, too, when barely a spot can be squeezed without a shaking of a Tibetan this or a dousing with a Malayan that. My high point of indignation on this theme occurred at a well meaning South African spa where treatments had been designed around the concept of tribal rituals. The message is: “Sorry about you not having the vote for so long and everything. But, hey, we’ve appropriated your culture as part of our white-person-relaxation regime.”

Read More

Check Your Calendars

2005 Calendar Events for the Spa Industry

The following evens are coming up soon ... mark your calendars. Additional events scheduled throughout the entire calendar year are not listed here, and may be read on our website.

August 13 - 16, 2005: EX·TRACTS® at the New York International Gift Fair® - 2005.
EX·TRACTS® Essentials for personal care and wellness will run concurrently with the New York International Gift Fair. As such, we are delighted to offer you the opportunity to exhibit during the New York market, both summer and winter. This is your opportunity to see thousands of specialty stores, gift shops, department stores, importers, e-tailers, distributors, reps, mail order catalogs, museums, galleries, stationery stores, plus spas, health resorts, hotels, motels, inns and private label developers that have consistently attended EX·TRACTS.

August 20 - 22, 2005: Australasian Spa Association 3rd Annual Conference
Crown Promenade Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
ANNOUNCING - our third National Conference - evolving to be even greater than 2004! At the beautiful Crown Promenade Hotel in Melbourne, highlights will include four keynote speakers, lots of panel discussions and individual speakers, to engage the whole industry. A special workshop for up-and- coming students and therapists on the Monday will help to develop their understanding of the opportunities available in the spa industry for their future spa career development. We'll enjoy welcoming cocktails on Saturday, a Gala Dinner on Sunday, a Spa Showcase including some new suppliers and products, and optional tours of nearby spa facilities on Tuesday.

September 2-4, 2005: Spa Industry Seminar 2005
Presented by The Turning Point at the Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore.
Spa Industry Seminar 2005 is a 3-day event featuring an impressive line-up of high caliber speakers covering a varied range of spa and wellness industry topics. The event also offers workshops and "interactive focus groups". This is an international event, attracting industry professionals representing different aspects and levels of the spa/wellness industries: owners, investors, senior (hotel/resort/spa) corporate executives, general managers, spa consultants, architects/interior designers, academics, medical doctors, anthropologists, therapy product manufacturers and distributors, therapists and lifestyle journalists.

September 30 - Oct 3, 2005: ISPA Conference & Expo
Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center
Dallas, Texas, USA
The ISPA Conference & Expo is the one must-attend educational and networking event of the year for spa professionals. With a 15-year history, the expectation of Conference attendees is to provide spa owners, directors, managers and suppliers with cutting edge tips on where the industry is headed and how to ensure that business is sustainable.

November 19-21, 2005: Face & Body 2005
Moscone West Convention Center
San Francisco, CA USA
Face & Body offers a unique forum to connect spa industry professionals with their colleagues who serve the healthy aging, wellness, personal care, fitness, cosmetic and nutrition industries. Attendees gain insight, learn about the latest trends in the spa industry. More Information: Contact Lori Wilson, phone number 630-653-2155 ext. 567 lwilson@allured.com or faceandbody@allured.com.

December 1-5, 2005: Symposium At Sea - International Medical Spa Association
Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West and Cozumel.
Subjects covered will include new technologies and treatments, best practices, legal and liability issues, insurance business structures, and marketing. Several optional education opportunities such as facility design, finance and operations programs will be available on the day of departure. Also planned is a special presentation from the Society of Cosmetic Chemists on the direction of advanced research in skincare. The cruise is scheduled to visit the ports of Key West and Cozumel and spend an entire day at sea. Space is limited. Make your reservations now.

SpaWire Industry Calendar

Submit Your Events Here

In Brief

Various Sources

UC Irvine Extension is launching a new course in the Spa and Hospitality Management Program entitled, “Spa Marketing and Retailing Management.” The program is the first on the West Coast established to provide real-world curriculum to meet the demands of the burgeoning spa market. The innovative new course will take place August 8 through 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the UCI Learning Center in Orange, Calif. and will be co-instructed by leading industry experts Janice Gronvold, M.S., and John Buckingham, M.B.A. Read More

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT - News) continues its expansion of Bliss Spas with the debut of its first West Coast Spa, Bliss San Francisco at the W San Francisco Hotel. Read More

Day Spas Gaining Popularity in Japan. Day spas that offer treatments to pamper the body and mind are popular in many parts of the world. In Japan, the trend has been slow to catch on but that's all set to change soon. Read More

Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort is re- opening on Aug 15, eight months after it was damaged in the tsunami disaster last December, with a special re-opening rate starting from US$95++ (RM361++). "We are back in business and more beautiful than ever - the hotel looks fantastic. We have spent a number of months preparing for the opening and I'm sure that all our visitors will be delighted with the fresh new look that we have given to this fabulous hotel," said Philippe Seigle, regional general manager, Le Méridien Phuket. Read More

Boston Super Spa Emerges. A new five-story spa will debut on Boston's Newbury Street next spring. Construction has just started on Emerge. The 10,000-square-foot spa will offer hydrotherapy, a couples suite, a separate men's club, on-site plastic surgery consultations and botox treatments, and outdoor massages in good weather. Owner Joyce Hampers paid $5 million for the 275 Newbury St. building and expects to spend $2 million more before it opens. Read More

Guidelines similar to hotel ratings will be released for the Australian day spa industry later this year. The Australasian Spa Association has been working with the Federal Government and tourism bodies to define the range of treatments businesses calling themselves spas have to provide. Read More

Miraval Resort & Spa, the premier luxury Life In Balance(TM) getaway, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded Travel + Leisure Magazine's BEST OVERALL DESTINATION SPA, in the 10th Annual World's Best Awards Readers' Survey. The survey will be published in the August issue of Travel + Leisure. Read More

State of Relaxation. In a nation where day spas outnumber Starbucks locations and spa revenues top those of box office receipts, few places rival Arizona. According to the International Spa Association, a Kentucky-based industry organization, Arizona is home to more resort and destination spas per capita than any other state in the nation, surpassing both Florida and California. Read More

Keeping Up Appearances. It was barely a generation ago that "face-lift" was a dirty word. A woman who indulged in the procedure might have slipped discreetly into her plastic surgeon's office on the upper floors of a Madison Avenue building. Now, thanks in part to a raft of TV shows such as "Extreme Makeover," all that has changed. And a new breed of doctors and entrepreneurs is bringing the quest for youth and beauty down to street level by opening medical spas, or "medspas," in retail locations. Read More

Cynosure Inc. announced today that it has partnered with Universal Companies, the leading supplier of quality products and services to the spa market, to distribute Cynosure's TriActive LaserDermology and pulsed light PhotoLight systems. Through their consulting services and extensive product catalog, Universal will offer the Cynosure products to provide cellulite treatment, massage therapy and cosmetic facial solutions. Universal will also offer hands-on training and consulting services on the products. Read More

SUBMIT NEWS AND PRESS RELEASES TO SPAWIRE

Proposed Laser Rules Upset Spa Owners

NBC17 - Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina day spas reacted angrily to a Wednesday proposal from the North Carolina Medical Board that would tighten the restrictions for laser hair removal procedures. Current rules say a physician must be "readily available" to clients undergoing a laser treatment, but the doctor doesn't necessarily have to be at the spa.

A position statement approved by the board's policy committee said doctors still wouldn't have to be present for the procedures, but they would have perform an initial exam before treatment and provide patients instructions for any medications they are given.

The new regulations, which still must be approved by the full board, come six months after Shiri Berg, a 22- year-old North Carolina State University student, died after having an adverse reaction to the prescription strength numbing gel she was given to prepare for a laser treatment.

Full Story

The Spa Town that Died of Shame

Weekend Standard (China)

There are some things that tourism officials would rather not talk about when you visit their offices in Vichy. They will wax lyrical about the attractions of this thermal resort town in central France that was once the darling of Europe. They will shower you with colorful brochures, pamphlets and maps, and even offer to lead you through the historic streets on a walking tour conducted in English.

But unless prompted, they are unlikely to tell you that the Office de Tourisme on the Rue du Parc has a sinister past. For these very offices were the headquarters of France's puppet government during World War II. Here, French officials led by former hero Marshal Henri Petain, rounded up their own countrymen for the crime of being Jewish, and helped deport them to Nazi death camps.

Vichy is a town that died of shame, and 60 years after the end of the war, it is still trying to shrug off the stigma that drove away the rich and famous who once flocked here from all over the world, attracted by the curative powers of its thermal centers.

Officials are trying to reinvent Vichy, to bring back the glory days and introduce new attractions.

Full Story

First Class Fun

Quality Wholesale, Private Labeled Aromatherapy Products

Beautiful satin eye and neck pillows filled with flaxseed and French lavender. Beautiful colors to choose from. Chemical free and made in the USA. First Class Fun offers complimentary private labels on its packaging to generate advertising and gift sales for your hotel, bed and breakfast, chiropractic office, spa, salon, or boutique.

The staff of SpaWire tried and enjoyed the ruby-red satin "Lavender Eye Pillow", pictured. The 4 x 8-1/2 inch pillow is filled with lavender flower tops and flax seed, is attractive, soothing to the touch, and fragrant. Chilled in the freezer, the eye pillows provide instant relief for headaches. The neck pillows can be misted slightly and heated in the microwave, for moist, comforting heat. The pillow is well-made with fine quality satin (cotton is also available), the private-labeled sleeves are of high- quality printed stock. With competitive wholesale pricing (from $3.04 each in lots of 12, with price reductions for orders over 12, 100, 500, and 1000 pieces), many colors to choose from, and complimentary private labels, First Class Fun Lavender Eye and Neck Pillows would make an excellent amenity for hotel guest rooms and spa rooms alike. Tuck one into every fruit tray, spa basket, or thank you gift and you have a permanent, and economical, reminder of your spa or hotel.

Visit First Class Fun Online

Intrinsics

Superior Single Use Products, since 1930

How much does the softness of a cotton ball contribute to an unparalleled salon or spa experience? If attention to detail is that establishment's hallmark, detail is everything. Intrinsics shares that philosophy. We believe that excellent products are intrinsic to helping the service professional truly pamper each client.

Our comprehensive line of single-use products is the best in its class. Superior in quality, function, and form, the Intrinsics line provides consistent integrity you can count on. In fact, salon professionals have been doing just that since 1930.

SpaWire is pleased to announce that Intrinsics product samples will be featured in many new member kits sent to spa members joining or renewing membership in 2005 at SpaIndex.Com, our guide to spas.

Intrinsics Online