ESSENCE Creates Hair Solutions for Its Readers by Connecting Them With Salon Owners and Stylists. Salon owners and stylists will have direct access to an unprecedented client-base, industry resources and the attention of advertisers through the Salon Network by ESSENCE. The network will provide national exposure for salons and create a platform in which salon owners and stylists can connect with industry leaders for the latest products and techniques, keeping them ahead of the trends. Salon owners and stylists will be introduced to the network at the Bronner Brothers Atlanta Hair Show on August 14 through August 16, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia.

(Essence Press Release Aug 5, 2004)

(Press Release Aug 5, 2004)

The tangled nature of government regulation was evident yesterday at the tiny Seattle shop of Benta Diaw, who braids hair in the African style she learned from her grandmother in Senegal.

In the morning, a nonprofit law firm filed suit on her behalf, claiming the state Department of Licensing would require her to spend $7,500 and 1,600 hours of training to obtain a license in cosmetology. In the afternoon, the director of the state agency declared it made no sense to regulate African hair braiders as cosmetologists. He overruled the state cosmetology board, which had recommended earlier this year that "braiding, in any form, should be regulated."

(Seattle Times, Aug 6, 2004)

Inner Act, a product development company based in Reno, recently received FDA clearance for the treatment of acne with their MediLite(TM) LED product, effective July 27, 2004. MediLite is a non- invasive medical device for the treatment of acne. The LED light therapy employed by MediLite has been established as a safe treatment for all skin types, involves no pain or any side effects.

(Press Release Aug 11, 2004)

Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR - News) has opened the new Sanya Marriott Resort & Spa in China. It is the first Marriott managed resort to open in China.

Located on the southern tip of Hainan Island, at approximately the same latitude as Hawaii, Sanya is the only tropical island in China. The city is served by the Phoenix International Airport, which offers flights to all major domestic Chinese cities as well as to such international destinations as Seoul and Hong Kong. The Sanya Marriott Resort & Spa is perfectly situated along the shores of the South China Sea on an exquisite stretch of white sand beach. . . Recreational amenities include a health and fitness center with sauna/steam room and massage service, three swimming pools, two tennis courts and the 18 hole Yalong Bay Golf Club. The resort also features a relaxing Marriott spa with outdoor pavilions amongst lush gardens facing the South China Sea.

(Press Release Aug 11, 2004)

The community (of Vedic City, Iowa) founded by followers of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles' meditation guru, has become an entrepreneurial mecca of the Midwest. Followers began flocking to Fairfield after the establishment of the Maharishi University of Management in 1974, and Vedic City just outside the limits of Fairfield was incorporated in 2001, the first new Iowa city to be incorporated since 1982. Residents estimate that one- fourth of the 10,000 people in Fairfield and Vedic City practice TM.

Other successful businesses run by TM devotees include . . . the Raj Ayurveda Health Center, a spa which draws national visitors paying hundreds of dollars a day. "For a small town in the Midwest to have so many successful businesses is really unbelievable," said Rashi Glazer, co-director of the Center for Marketing and Technology at the University of California at Berkeley, who spends summers in Fairfield. "It means something's going on here."

(Washington Post Aug 9, 2004)

Anticipation of facials, massages and pedicures ran high at a recent spa party, but a surprise announcement significantly increased the level of excitement.

(Post Dispatch, Aug 9, 2004)

There's nothing wrong with riding coattails, though perhaps in Steiner Leisure's (Nasdaq: STNR) case, those should be robe tails. As the provider of spa services on many of the world's leading cruise lines, it's easy to see how the turnaround in the seaworthy travel sector will make Steiner equally buoyant.

(Motley Fool Jul 29, 2004)

A new Health and Fitness Show in San Francisco Bay Area is looking for Exhibitors. The all new annual Bay Area Health and Fitness Show is coming to Alameda, CA on Feb. 5 & 6, 2005. Hundreds of exciting new products and services will be featured such as low carb and organic foods, vitamins, fitness centers, weight loss programs, spas, resorts, massage therapists, skin and body care, sporting goods, sportswear, and many other health related items. Health screenings will also be conducted for people interested in checking their cholesterol, body fat percentage, blood pressure, spine alignment, and other health concerns.

Show information can be found online or you can speak to a show director anytime by calling (650) 219-3110 or emailing valeriek@wcishows.com. This is a great event for any local and nationwide business involved with health, fitness, nutrition, or recreation.

Kaffee Keldie has been an active and enthusiastic skin care professional since 1982. Educated as a beauty therapist in California, Kaffee began her career in Kerstin Florian's salon in Laguna Beach. Four years later she relocated to Florida to take a position as a face treatment specialist with the Elizabeth Arden Salon in Palm Beach, and continued working in the area for 12 years. She opened Kaffee's Garden Spa in 1998.

Sew & Sew Massage Therapy Products has been supplying quality products to massage table manufacturers for almost a decade. Sew and Sew now markets its products directly to massage therapists and massage schools. Massage therapy studios, independent massage therapists, massage schools and colleges, spas and health clubs may purchase high-quality massage table coverings, carry cases and accessories directly from Sew and Sew, at competitive wholesale prices.

Sew and Sew offers a wide selection of massage table sheets, face rest covers, fleece products, holsters, one-of-a-kind domestic flannel and fleece accessories which put your clients in the lap of luxury. All Sew & Sew products are sewn by American workers using the finest American fabrics, and adhere to our highest quality standards.

SpaWire and Sew and Sew have teamed together to provide one lucky SpaWire Forum participant with a complimentary set of luxury designer linens for a massage therapy room. The gift set will include a fitted sheet, top sheet, and face rest cover.

The SpaWire and Sew and Sew promotion is simple: All registered users of the forum who actively participate in any SpaWire Forum discussion during the month of August (introductory "hello" posts not included), will be entered in a drawing, and at the end of the month, one random registered user will receive a complimentary set of designer massage table linens. There is no obligation to purchase and you will not be emailed, spammed, or required to do anything except actively participate in our forum. Quantity of posts is not an issue, so don't spam the Board, please. Excessive non-topic posts will disqualify the participant. Browse our boards and feel free to post in any category of interest to you. The link to the SpaWire Forum is shown at the bottom of this newsletter. All SpaWire Forum registered users are invited to participate.