A Day of Good News for Spas
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Peter (my husband and CEO of our company for those who are new to the blog) was in Florida this weekend and stopped by to say hi and congratulations to Paul Lehr, President of Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa. We had recently heard the exciting news that next month Pritikin is moving from their current location at the Turnberry Isle Yacht Club in Aventura, Florida, to the lovely Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami. (More details here.)

I think it will be a great move for Pritikin and the Doral. Pritikin has one of the highest success rates of any health and weight-loss program in the world, however their facilities weren't the greatest. Now they will have the whole package. (I also noticed that they have a fresh new website and a hip new logo.)

Although it was fun to hear details about their upcoming move, the most exciting news to me was Peter reporting Pritikin was 100 percent full this week! Wow - that is great news.

But there was more good news to come. Yesterday morning, here in New York, I was having breakfast with Deborah Szekely (founder of Rancho La Puerta). I asked her how everything was going at the Ranch. Her answer? "Things are going very well, we've been 100 percent full." Wow - more music to my ears!

I mention this because while it's one thing to read news like Deloitte's recent survey reporting that Consumers are More Optimistic, it's another thing to hear the real numbers out there. While the spa industry has been more resilient during the recession than hospitality in general, it certainly was affected and it's nice to see that people are once again investing in their health.

The only negative - I was just beginning to enjoy being able to call a spa last-minute and get in right away for a massage. Oh well.
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I have Become a Spa Candle Snob
By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

I have become a spa candle snob…and to a large degree I have only myself to blame. I noticed it last week as I was touring the new Amrita Spa at the Swiss Hotel in Istanbul. Their spa is quite large and has a lovely ambiance. I was especially impressed with the long corridors, which featured rich-colored wooden floors lined with candles. Gorgeous. I noticed the candles because they were beautifully spaced, occasionally branched into an artfully designed cluster of candles, and mostly because they were real! I remember thinking how great it was to see genuine candles again.

(Althought I couldn't find a photo of the actual corridor at the Amrita Spa in Istanbul, this photo gives you an idea of what it looked like.)

You see I have been noticing that more and more spas are using fake (flameless) candles. I must admit I was really enthused about these flameless candles when I first discovered them years ago. In fact I remembered writing about them in one of my SpaFinder Insiders.

Checking my blog archives I was amazed to see that I had written about flameless candles (like those pictured here on the right) in 2003! Well, the word spread like wildfire (pun intended) and voilà, they are now everywhere - including the foyer of our SpaFinder offices to my chagrin. I still think they are clever, avoid a fire hazard, and give a pretty nice ambiance. However… I am afraid the novelty has worn off for me. I miss my real candles.

My aversion seems to be escalating. Lately I have noticed that I am actually “judging” a spa based on their candles! The spas with "real" candles get higher marks in my mind than the spas with "faux" candles. I know that isn’t fair, but I am beginning to see fake candles like artificial plants - I much prefer the real thing. Perhaps all the emphasis on authenticity in spas has now spilled over into my preference for candles with a natural smell, sound, and look.

I think I liked the fake candles more when most people didn’t know they were fake. Nowadays many spa guests have had the chance to peer into the top of one of those flameless candles (often they are placed on the floor or in a low position where people can easily look down into them) and seen the surprise fake "wick" which goes on and off via a battery. The jig is up.

So…what to do?

Well, I think it is unreasonable to assume that all spas will go back to real candles because some places don’t allow them and for others, it just isn't worth the fire risk. So I think the best thing we as an industry can do is make more of an effort to use these little darlings in a better way.

Here are some suggestions and I welcome yours!

1. Place flameless candles in a higher position (not on the floor) so guests cannot peer into them

2. Get creative in disguising the battery operated "wicks"

3. Mix it up. Use some of the newer fake candle varieties (example shown) that are available so we don’t see the standard fake ones over and over again.

4. Try some candle arrangements, which use a few fakes and a few real candles together.

Perhaps together we can spark interest in putting this rabbit back in the hat.

And spa-goers...do let us know how you feel. Are you aware of the fake candles? Do you like them? Any suggestions on how we can make the ambiance just right for you in terms of candles?
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Medical Tourism and Spas - Some Surprises
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Though I posted a lot of Tweets sharing what I was learning during the Medical Tourism Congress I attended in LA last week, when I returned home my sister asked me an interesting question. She wanted to know, "what surprised you?" It forced me to compare my perceptions before attending the Congress with my understanding afterward. Here then are some things that surprised me...

1. The medical tourism industry is younger than I thought. On the “s” curve where you look at an industry as developing from infancy, to childhood, to teen years of rapid growth, then maturity and eventually decline…well, it appears medical tourism is still in diapers.

2. One woman told me that many who attended the Congress last year weren’t here this year. She assumed they had either opted out of the field or their businesses didn’t make it. This jives with the speaker from Deloitte who explained that the latest medical tourism statistics show less medical travel this year than last year. He also mentioned that in emerging industries the first entrepreneurs don’t always make it. The second round of players often do much better.

3. Given the lackluster results from this year, I was very surprised that Deloitte is predicting an increase of 35% in medical tourism for the next three years!

4. There is quite a bit of stereotyping going on (not from the stage of course), but in many of my ‘offline’ conversations. All of this was a surprise to me because I had never considered that a country might have a medical tourism "personality." Here is a smattering of what I heard:

· The Korean medical tourism industry is all about medical and not at all about tourism. Their focus is on giving the world the impression that they are leaders in advanced medical care.

· The Filipino medical tourism industry is emphasizing health and wellness over complex medical operations. The Filipinos are caregivers and almost all speak English. They are very nurturing. The Philippines is developing into an ideal place where the medical traveler can include touring and a spa vacation.

· India is the most advanced country in terms of medical tourism. People go there for complex medical surgeries – and once a medical traveler is out of after-patient care, they want to head home. Forget tourism. The ambiance in India is more conducive to people from Asia and the Middle East – not so much for Americans.

· Brazilian medical tourism is primarily about aesthetics and the tall good-looking woman who I spoke with was a very good example of what everyone would like to look like when they come back.

· A gentleman from Malaysia told me that the medical doctors there are afraid of spas. They consider them unregulated establishments without enough expertise to handle medical patients. Therefore they do not want to mix spa and medicine.

5. I was surprised to learn that there is a whole segment of medical tourism that targets citizens of the U.S. who are from other countries. Many Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and other nationalities increasingly combine a trip “home” with a medical procedure. Insurance companies are beginning to encourage this, as it saves them money.

6. I was surprised to learn that it is cheaper to get on an airplane, fly to Barcelona for an MRI, take a spa vacation and fly back – then it is to have the MRI in most places in the U.S. There will be a growing group of people who will opt to do medical tests in a foreign country because of the cost savings.

7. I was surprised to learn how important electronic portable record keeping is to galvanizing the medical tourism industry. In fact Bumrungrad, the famous hospital in Bangkok, has teamed up with Microsoft and is installing Health Vault.

8. We are starting to have employer-led growth of medical tourism.

9. Turkish Airlines uses empty seats for medical tourists giving the patient and their companion 25% off.

10. There is a dark side to medical tourism….things like organ trafficking and a very troubling story I heard from a medical doctor in attendance about the Chinese paying women to become pregnant who are then aborted at later stages and whose organs and/or stem cells are harvested to treat diseases.

Wow...we are entering a new frontier.

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Medical Tourism Congress in LA was Intriguing
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Am sharing notes I took on Day One of the Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress in Los Angeles earlier this week. (The notes in red are some of my personal thoughts.)

Am here at the Hyatt Century City at the World Medical Tourism and Global Health Congress ready for the intro session called Medical Tourism 101. (Can't wait!) Dr. Jim McCormick is speaking and giving us a bit of an overview. One thing he emphasized, which I found interesting, is that it is more important to document than to have patients sign forms.

The session on Internet Marketing, Blogs, and Social Networking was next. It was so packed they had to repeat the entire session at another time to accommodate all who were interested. (This year every conference I have attended had a social media session and it was always the most popular.) 75 percent of Internet users research health decisions online. If you text "medical" to 78247 you can receive a copy of this presentation.

Medical Tourism is hot…and getting more competitive quickly. The most common procedure? Cosmetic dentistry. Second is weight-loss surgery. This doesn’t mean they are the greatest revenue-producers however they do more of these procedures than any other.

Now I am serving as an observer at the important Ministers Round Table Delegation. VIPs from various countries are sharing their medical tourism plans. David Morgan, from OECD (which includes 30 countries) reports that medical tourism is on their radar. They are working on clarifying definitional issues. Before the session began, he mentioned that he is interested in learning more about the spa and wellness arena. (Our industry needs to make itself known to him. Note to self...send him a link to the SRI report.)

The Minister from the Bahamas spoke. He emphasized that they are known for quiet, tranquility, and rest. Medical tourism is on their radar and they are planning to announce an initiative in early 2010.

The Cayman Islands rep spoke saying that financial services and tourism are their main industries. They plan to spend money from their tourism budget on MT in the future.

UAE spoke next. They mentioned a collaboration board formed with their Ministries of Health, Tourism, Economics, and Health Dept. He mentioned spas and medical spas as part of their vision. (My thought is…clearly the UAE folks have the most sophisticated medical tourism strategy of all the ones who have spoken so far.)

Barbados spoke. They are trumpeting peace, tranquility, and stability. George Washington visited his sick brother in Barbados before he was President. They have plans to be more involved in medical tourism. (Couldn't help but note that those from the Caribbean are lagging behind in medical tourism - but at least they were here.)

Cynthia Carrion, Under Secretary for Sports and Wellness spoke for the Philippines. They want to be the hub for health and wellness. (Interesting that they are not using the term medical tourism.) Major emphasis is on prevention. They have a large English-speaking population, friendly hospitality, and COMPASSIONATE care. They even have medical butlers who take care of the medical traveler and their companion. She introduced Dr. Samuel Bernal who is world-famous for his experience with stem cells (he doesn’t use embryonic stem cells). Dr. Bernal is the doctor I was so impressed with when I heard him speak in the Philippines. I invited him to the Global Spa Summit last year however he couldn’t make it. I invited him again this year when the Summit will be held in Istanbul – and he said yes and is putting it on his calendar! He believes strongly in the value of spas in medical tourism.

South Africa was next. They have a history in medical tourism, which has developed organically – not so much because of government involvement. Now with government involvement, it should accelerate. (Hmm, am beginning to see that medical tourism is of great interest to some ministries of tourism as they jump in to capture visitors for their countries.) Some countries have a strong history of leadership in the medical field - like South Africa where Dr. Chris Barnard did the first heart transplant - and other countries don't have a strong history but are trying to create strength in the medical arena going forward. (That probably won't be so easy to do.)

Korea gave a very impressive presentation. They have been organized at the government level for three years. They are actually promoting Korea Health Care as a brand! (Clever.) They are not so much about medical tourism as they are about global health care. They seem to really be in high gear marketing mode here. They talked a lot about creating safe environments. Korea has a special visa just for medical travelers. They also have a medical call center with five different languages. Korea claims to have the most advanced health care in Asia. 50,000 - 70,000 patients come yearly to Korea for their health care. Korea is a huge sponsor here at the Congress. They want to get the word out about their global health care leadership.

Mexico shared that they are #2 in size behind Tokyo which is #1. Mexico is #8 in terms of wealth, and has good culture, etc. They are in the beginning stages of developing their medical tourism strategy.

A woman speaking for Dubai was next. (I thought that hers was the most impressive and forward-thinking medical tourism strategy presented. Dubai seems way ahead of any country here!) Dubai started by providing free health care for all its residents. They did research and strengthened their primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Dubai even insures their tourists! And they include spas as part of their overall medical tourism strategy. Dubai has medical centers at their airports which they consider very important in facilitating their medical tourism industry. Dubai is organized with the city handling service delivery and the ministry of health working on the overall strategy and goals. Dubai emphasizes the importance of data collection and sharing a database. (Having great financial resources and a clear goal helps one get their act together.)

The next topic was about medical tourism “concerns.” The following were brought up by: health of citizens, organ trafficking, the need for more more data and research, and the need for improved standards internationally.

During the lunch break I garnered some more "unofficial" insights. The country ahead globally in terms of medical tourism is India. (Interesting that no one at this ministry meeting was from India.) The U.S. isn't represented here at the meeting either. Some feel that the U.S. is not on the ball when it comes to medical tourism. (Just another example, I suppose, of why the term health care crisis resonates with so many of us in the U.S.)

I spoke with the UAE and Dubai representatives. Very ahead in strategy. (Others tell me they need to catch up in terms of provider excellence.) Interesting that Dubai considers their spas as a very important part of their medical tourism strategy. They even mentioned to me that they are looking for more spas!

The head of Turkish medical tourism spoke. They have a history of thermal spas which are part of their medical tourism strategy. They see that spas are an opportunity as places where people spend time after surgery. The point is that after surgery, people can't safely travel (especially fly) yet.

Apparently Singapore is backing off from medical tourism now because it is has become so expensive there, that they are no longer competitive from a price point of view.

In sum, it was a great day here at the World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress. Very international and eye-opening for me, and probably for most who attended. The industry though very new, seems to be brimming with opportunity.

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A Hotel General Manager who Understands Spa
by Susie Ellis
SpaFinder, Insider

Had a lovely lunch with Rudy Tauscher, GM of the Mandarin Oriental, NY and Denise Vitiello who is their spa director extraordinaire. What a privilege to sit at one of the best tables in all of New York City overlooking Central Park on a beautiful fall day talking about my favorite topic - what else? The spa industry.

Rudy is an unusual GM in that he really “gets” spa, and sees it as not only an integral part of the Mandarin Oriental brand but as an important part of the guest experience, thus giving it great visibility and priority. Denise is a very lucky spa director to have a GM with that much passion and understanding about spas. And I think Mandarin Oriental New York is lucky to have Denise as their spa director. She is genuinely passionate, smart, and extremely dedicated. How she does such a great job while juggling a very full life with a husband, two small babies at home, and a 2-hour commute to work each way is simply beyond my comprehension.

I asked Rudy, as I ask many GMs, when the last time was he enjoyed a spa treatment in the spa of his hotel? Many GM’s either can't remember or have to admit that they've never experienced a spa treatment in their spa. (I always think that's a bit like never having a meal in the restaurant of your hotel, which seems kind of crazy.) But I was thrilled to hear that Rudy has regular spa treatments and even had one booked for later in the week! Last week he was at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and had a spa treatment there. He said, and this was the voice of experience, not promotion, that it really makes a difference for him when he travels in terms of getting over jet lag.

But there was another part of our conversation that will linger in my memory (oh, maybe in addition to the amount of security officers swarming around the MO and the fact that Rudy’s meeting shortly after ours was with President Obama, who just happened to be arriving for a fundraiser at the hotel). What really made an impression on me was Rudy’s expressed concern for the emotional well-being of spa therapists in general.

Rudy is very aware that people go into a spa treatment carrying a lot of stress and negative energy with them. A good therapist works very hard to release that negative energy for the client, which is why most of the time a guest will walk out of a spa treatment lighter, happier, relaxed, and totally de-stressed. What has to be managed, however, is where all of the stress and negativity goes to make sure it is not transferred to the therapist. Easier said than done. In particular, here in New York, where the high pace and high-pressure way of life is par for the course, therapists truly have a challenge.

It really is an important issue for our entire industry. Our therapists are in many ways caregivers; they give a lot of themselves. They are somewhat like nurses or family members who take care of elderly loved ones. Serious thought needs to be given to taking care of the caregivers and to helping caregivers take care of themselves.

I hear this concern from therapists, aestheticians, and spa directors quite often. How refreshing to hear it initiated from one of the top GMs in the world.
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Calling All Spas to a Higher Level of Professionalism

By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Houston, we have a problem. Within the past two weeks we have had these headlines:


“What Happened at the Weston MedSpa that Left Rohie Kah Brain Dead?” (Sept. 30)
(A woman in Florida went in for Carboxytherapy, a “medical service” that injects carbon dioxide into a patient to improve the appearance of cellulite or stretch marks.)

“2 die and 16 Are Sickened at Spa in Arizona” (Oct. 10)
(They were part of a group of about 48 people taking part in a sweat lodge ceremony at Angel Valley Retreat Center in Sedona.)


“Astoria Spa under fire over ‘fish pedicures” (Oct. 12)
(Astoria’s Ritz Nail and Spa in Astoria, Queens New York practiced a “fish pedicure,” where part of the exfoliation process involves fish nibbling on client's toes, which is considered by many to be unsanitary.)

Sadly the term “spa” is in each of these headlines. We can no longer argue the case that these facilities were mis-labeled. The term spa has become an umbrella term under which many businesses operate. Categories include: resorts and hotels with spas, new age retreats, med spas, mineral springs spas, beauty clinics, integrative wellness centers and others. The generally accepted definition of spa, as defined by the Global Spa Economy Report (now in wide release and available on the website), states that “spas are establishments that promote wellness through the provision of therapeutic and other professional services aimed at renewing the body, mind, and spirit.” This means that the three places mentioned above would likely consider themselves a spa. In the first case, a health retreat, in the second a med spa, and in the third a day spa.

Even those who have, for years, argued that a spa must have water therapies would not be able to distance themselves totally from the fish pedicure, which originated in a hot spring near Kangal, Turkey. The Garra Rufa fish were well-known there for their benefit in battling skin diseases.

Arguing about labels is not going to be fruitful. We must do much more.

While I have written about this in the past, I would like to emphasize it again: the spa industry must take itself more seriously. Not only should we consider what we do important in terms of contributing to people’s health, transformation, and the prevention of illness in general, but we must also require a higher standard of ourselves, our employees, and all places of business which use the spa label.

Our industry is making a great deal of headway in terms of prevention and providing valuable solutions to lifestyle issues through our emphasis on exercise, healthy nutrition, stress reduction, and education. Just this past month I attended Dr. Brent Bauer's (Mayo Clinic) presentation at the ISPA conference on prevention, health and spas; presented Dr. Andrew Weil the 2010 SpaFinder Visionary Award here in NYC for his role in embracing the value of spas for health and well-being; and secured Dr. Ken Pelletier, author of dozens of books including New Medicine as a participant and speaker for the upcoming 2010 Global Spa Summit in May.

No doubt negative headlines sadden us all. And just like hospitals, corporations, government agencies, and the like, which occasionally get bad publicity because of mistakes, poor judgment or worse, we must do everything we can to minimize and ideally eliminate negatives associated with spas. Here are a few things I think we could do in response:

1. Headline science and not sensationalism. We should quit feeding the media stories like massages with snakes, pedicures with fish, or massage oils with diamonds (which even I have written about). Drop the tarot cards and astrology readings. Embrace the many evidenced based modalities that have been shown to produce real benefit (massage, exercise, good nutrition, breath work, meditation, body scrubs, etc).

We should produce a work titled something like, “Spa Treatments: The Science” and give it to every spa professional around the world and make it available to the media and consumers. It should catalog scientific studies which support the spa treatments we advocate in our spas.

2. Insist on transparency. We should encourage consumer input, industry feedback and make good use of shopping services - or establish our own. We must be transparent in our dealings and communications and insist on transparency from others.

3. Adhere strictly to regulations. We should confront and report those who are attempting shortcuts. We need to make certain that we are fully licensed in every aspect and even go beyond the minimums in many cases. That includes licensing for medical spas, licensing for massage therapists and aestheticians, enforcing rules on sanitation, how long you sterilize manicure tools, etc. We must commit to adhering to regulations in full and not be afraid if additional requirements are added.

Finally, I think it is important that every spa and every company in our industry does its part. Some initiatives that are helpful include ISPA's code of conduct to which spas voluntarily submit, SpaQuality and other organizations who check standards, provide education, assessment, and certification programs, articles in industry spa magazines which showcase best practices, the Green Spa Network's effort to promote sustainability, and many more.

A few examples from SpaFinder:
a) We added and encourage consumer spa reviews to give the consumer a voice in identifying issues that need to be addressed (and we allow the spa manager to respon.d)
b) We do not allow tanning beds to be marketed on Spafinder.com
c) We take spas off of our site when we see a pattern of complaints
d) We try to educate the industry on such things as the impropriety of writing fake reviews
e) We are currently taking extra steps to check out the medical spas listed on our site to make sure they are licensed and give more information about the doctor's licensing to the consumer

There are more initiatives in the works however after the recent flurry of unfortunate headlines, I think it would be great if we all step-it-up-a-notch. I hope many will join us.

Please do share your thoughts.
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Lance Armstrong Gets 200 Massages a Year : Spas are Important
By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Lance Armstrong gets 200 massages a year! That – and the reason he even mentioned this – was one of the “pearls of wisdom” I gleaned from yesterday’s closing session at what turned out to be a very good ISPA Conference in Austin, Texas.

It was around 11:00 a.m. and Deborah Szekely walked onto the stage to give some background information regarding the ISPA Alex Szekely Humanitarian Award, which is named in honor of her son (a past leader of ISPA) who passed away from melanoma cancer in 2002. As always she was eloquent, and this time, had a bit of a surprise for the audience. She came across a letter that Alex had written to Lance Armstrong during his bout with cancer. He expressed how inspiring Lance’s book had been to him and that he had even purchased 100 copies to give to all his friends and family. Thus Deborah read Alex’s words from that letter to introduce this year’s award recipient. It was all very moving.

Lance Armstrong (38 years old) came out from behind the stage curtain receiving a great deal of applause. He was wearing blue jeans, a tight blue t-shirt and sneakers with yellow soles that matched the yellow “Live Strong” bracelet he was wearing on the tanned right arm of his very toned body. It would be an understatement to say that the entire audience fell in love immediately. (And yes, I do mean men and women!)

He spent the next 30 – 45 minutes talking about his bout with cancer, winning the Tour de France seven times, his family and the work he is doing now raising funds for his foundation. He also answered some questions from the audience.

Filtering Lance’s remarks through my spa and wellness lens, here are some things that stood out to me:

• Lance Armstrong addressed Deborah as Ms. Szekely and began his remarks saying that while watching her introduction on a monitor backstage his reaction was, wow, this woman should continue speaking!
• In brief, his cancer began with a major headache (that later showed to be as a result of lesions on his brain), spitting up blood (that later turned out to be a result of golf ball size cancer in his lungs), and swelling in his testicles (that later turned out to be testicular cancer).
• When he was first approached with the idea of a “Live Strong” yellow bracelet, he didn’t think it was such a great idea feeling that few people would want to wear it.
• Today, 70 million “Live Strong” wrist bands have been sold ($1.00) which means $70 million has been raised for cancer research.
• He has four children - the oldest is a boy, followed by twin girls, and a six-month-old baby.
  He has won the Tour de France seven times and came in third in last year's race. He mentioned that it was good for his kids to see their dad not win the top prize.
• Lance acknowledged that his yellow wrist bands are made in China and that he has gotten some criticism for that in the past. However, he isn’t apologizing any longer since he met with the Dalai Lama and noticed he was wearing an orange wrist band with the word “Compassion” on it. Curious to know where he had them made, Lance surreptitiously turned it over to see that it too was made in China! (That got huge laughs!)
• In answer to a question about heart rate levels during training, he mentioned that they no longer monitor heart rates at all. Now it is all about power – thus they measure watts.
• Another thing they are beginning to use for training is compression boots.
• He has a great relationship with his mother, and although he is not currently married, he is in a committed relationship.
• He is all about prevention and thinks physical education should be put back in schools. (That’s where he formed his interest in competitive athletics.)
• He does not always eat healthfully and faces the same temptations that everyone does. Chips, salsa, etc. Like most of us, he needs to talk to himself about getting back on track with his training.
  

And finally the most memorable moment for me was his reaction to the question: How can spas make their establishments more physically appealing to men?

His face basically said, "Why is that a problem? And anyway, who cares?" He went on to say that he gets 200 massages a year and how important massage is to improve performance. It was as if he was saying that the decor of a place wouldn't even factor in to his decision on where to have a massage. It's all about the massage.

Hey spa industry…we’ve come a long way!
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Three Gazillionaires Share Wisdom with ISPA Audience
By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Am in Austin, Texas, at the annual International Spa Association (ISPA) event. While there are fewer attendees this year, the mood is very congenial and people seem to be enjoying a more intimate setting.

This year there are two especially outstanding sessions. Along with Lance Armstrong, who will be speaking later this morning, yesterday’s afternoon general session was inspiring and included a lot of laughs. Titled “The Power Panel, Trends, Marketing and Branding,” it included:

1. Guy Kawasaki, previous Apple big-wig and current venture capitalist
2. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, which was just bought by Amazon for 1 Billion!
3. Jeremy Gutsche, founder of www.trendhunter.com, known for being “at the forefront of cool”

I took some notes as the guys bounced ideas back-and-forth and answered questions submitted prior to the session and am sharing some of the tidbits I found particularly interesting. Comments in italics are my added thoughts.

What would a spa look like that was created by your brand?

Zappo Spa:
Something that would really serve the consumer. Perhaps helping simplify their life in some way. For example, get a massage while your car is being detailed.

Trendhunter Spa:
Something unique. What makes something so interesting that it spreads like crazy, both online and offline. Something where people say, “I have to tell someone about this!” For example, take your pet to the spa with you and each get services.

Apple Spa:
Combine some things. Maybe a pedicure and Twitter and call it TwaSpa. Or Twitter and tanning and call it Twans. Or Twitter and sauna and call it Twauna.

Discussion about brands, marketing, books.

• Sometimes you need to create your own new category. For example, instead of a regular circus or even an “advanced” circus, we got Cirque de Soleil. Imagine your offering in a new way.
• “Nobodies are the new somebodies.”
• Recommended Books: How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding by Holt (Think Harley Davidson); Peak by Chip Conley; Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright
• Don’t speak to the consumer, speak with them. For example, the campaign for anti-littering in Texas found that young men who drove trucks and had a very macho self-image littered the most. Instead of traditionally addressing those who litter, the advertisement that worked had the line “Don’t Mess with Texas.”
  
• Try talking with your audience in their language.
• Endeavor to embrace a set of emotions that move people toward the positive or away from the negative. Ask yourself, what emotions do you want to own?
• Think on three levels (from Chip Conley, who owns a unique hotel chain)

Basic Level: Give them a bed, safety, etc.
Second Level: Give good customer service
Third Level: Give that extra feeling (leave my hotel and you will feel like a rock
star, or an Olympian, etc)

• Be careful about how you define yourself. For example, Zappos isn’t about shoes. It is about customer service.

My thoughts:

• Perhaps spas aren’t just about massages and facials. They are about relaxation, or about touching people’s lives, or possibly about transformation.
• If spas are about helping people relax, that’s probably why the idea of a bar with spa treatments, where you have a sense of community, resonates with people. This reminds me of “The Chill House” concept presented by the students at the Global Spa Summit 2009.
  

Question: Should our industry be using the term luxury in our spas and in our advertising and communications today?

• “Trying to hide the word luxury makes you look more guilty.”
• If you position spa as “luxury,” then people will do it less often. It is wise to move in the direction of making spas more of a necessity.
• For now, see what people are saying about you on Twitter. While it gives you some good feedback, you also have to develop thicker skin because there will be some blistering criticism. Don’t pay too much attention to major critics or let them get you down.
• In a period of financial turbulence, some companies make their move. During the depression Kellog’s doubled their advertising budget and became the market leader, and remain so today.
  

Question: How can you predict the next big thing?

• Although it's impossible to have a formula for doing so, think about making a list of things “that will never work.” Some ideas on that list might be contenders.

Misc. thoughts:

• A suggestion: On Twitter, post “In one hour ABC spa has an opening for a free manicure.” or "A 50% massage at XYZ. "
• Think about giving something away for free every day. Or give something away for free, if you know a code.
• At Zappos they have an intense training program and after people complete the program, they are offered $2,000 to not work at Zappos. This way they weed out the people who aren’t really passionate about Zappos. About 3% take the money.
• Zappos isn’t about shoes. It is about customer service. Therefore he can foresee a Zappos Airline (with the best customer service), or a Zappos Car Dealership (cool customer service). Similar to the way Virgin developed as a brand.
  

Question: Looking back, what would you do differently?

• Zappos: I should have established core values with my company sooner. That way I could have hired and fired on the basis of whether or not people are living up to those values. If employees understand your core values, then they can make better decisions. There is a difference between managing and leading. To be a better leader, train people regarding your core values, so you can rely on them to make wise decisions.
  
• Example: Someone suggested to the head of Southwest that they should offer fresh salads on board. The head of Southwest just said these three words: “Low Cost Airline.” That pretty much answered the question about whether this was a good idea.
• Luck is about being open to new ideas.
  

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Spa Sweep in Paris
By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

On my brief visit to Paris for the Beyond Beauty Spa Event, I took a day or so to visit a few spas. The last time I was in Paris was 18 years ago when my twin sister, Katrine, and I went to Paris to participate in a cooking school at the Ritz Paris, École Ritz Escoffier. (To this day our husbands remind us that it was the biggest waste of money as they have never seen any improvement in our cooking.) Tee hee… Katrine and I had a lot of fun and while we may not have learned to make a good Coq au Vin, we did improve our shopping skills!

Fast forward to 2009…..the Paris spa scene has greatly improved! (SpaFinder alone has more than 25 partner spas in Paris!) On my whirlwind tour, I visited six spas in 1 ½ days and had treatments at two. Here is my quick summary:

OVERALL: The French have been leaders in thalassotherapy spas, beauty products, and skin care. They have been late to the more modern spa-scene and just recently took up using the term ‘spa.’ Nevertheless, they are now catching up and in true French fashion (pun intended), French spas are excelling in terms of exquisite design. Many have swimming pools that seem to get “center stage” – whether at the Ritz Hotel Paris, Villa Thalgo Paris Trocadéro, Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris or L'Espace Payot Paris – likely because space is at a premium and using it for a pool is, well, expensive.

1. Opening Party at the new Villa Thalgo Paris Trocadéro
Highs: Impressive, large and tastefully designed space. Complete spa feel with hydrotherapy, color therapy, etc. Lovely swimming pool with glass wall for viewing. Having synchronized swimmers dressed in sequined outfits perform periodically during their opening cocktail party was a real hit. Has a point of view - Thalgo products are known for marine and plant origin so the water theme is well executed.
Lows: Seems pricey but possibly worth it. I didn’t have a chance to have a treatment. Shi Shi area of town so unlikely to be a problem.

2. Facial at the Spa at Four Seasons George V
Highs: Spa director is a jewel. Verena Fox Lavisgne has a lovely demeanor. Her warm, embracing hospitality is a model for all spa personnel. She even arranged for a shampoo/blow dry after my facial assuming I would need it. (The celebrity-like stylist had the most amazing shampoo chair.) At this spa, I forgot all about health and wellness – who cares – this was pampering at its best and it was doing me good!
Lows: Having to leave.

3. Aromatherapy Massage at JOЇYA Day Spa
Highs: Owner, Julia Lemigova, a beautiful former model from Russia, who I met at the Beyond Beauty Show has a great story and a cool new skin care line she recently launched named Russie Blanche (White Russian). It’s a media magnet. Spa services were very reasonably priced!
Lows: Spa is very small and I had to change in the tiny massage room which is very tight. Bathrooms upstairs and treatments were downstairs. My therapist couldn’t speak English so was a bit hard to communicate re issues.

4. Quick tour of L'Espace Payot Paris
Highs: Great location at the heart of the Paris Golden Triangle. Good facilities and very welcoming for both men and women. Fantastic pool. Well known popular Payot products. Liked the healthy juice bar.
Lows: A bit more of a 'club' feel - can be a high or a low actually.

5. Christian Dior Institut at Hôtel Plaza Athénée
Highs: Impressive décor. Loved the very large video of the latest Dior fashion show viewed from everywhere including the relaxation lounge, which had windows through to the stunning entry.
Lows: Didn’t feel warm-fuzzies from the staff. Perhaps an off day for them?

6. Strut through Hotel Costes Spa with colleague and friend Anni Hood
Highs: Reflects the “cool vibe” of their stylish designer hotel and chic bar and restaurant. The spa is sexy, even brothel-like. A “scene and be seen” type of crowd with sensual décor as a backdrop.
Lows: In basement, low ceilings, quaint and tight. Major attitude; although in this setting, I would expect nothing less!
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Report re European Spa Summit at Beyond Beauty Expo in Paris
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

It's always a treat to be able to attend a spa conference outside of the U.S. There are fresh viewpoints, new spas to discover, and emerging trends to observe. There's just nothing like being present to witness actual dialogue and the exchange of ideas - sometimes quite different than my own.

One example is the French woman who dominated the microphone during question and answer periods and minced no words in voicing her opinion that the French have led the spa industry for centuries and don't need to be taught anything from foreigners. Another example is the gentleman from Austria who was embarassed by, and felt strongly that the number one problem for the European spa industry is the lack of gracious hospitality. Interesting perspectives.

There were approximately 20 presentations and 30 speakers. Here are a few tidbits, which resonated with me:

1. Marion Schneider, from Toskana World in Germany, spoke about the importance of teaching your staff English - or at least enough English so that they are comfortable conversing with guests. As she so clearly said...."if you don't teach your staff English, they will hide." I had never really thought of it that way, however I think she makes a good point. The language barrier isn't just an issue when it comes to not being able to understand the guest's needs, but it is a further impediment because the therapist feels intimidated and therefore is shy about interacting with guests at all.

2. Kevin Turnbull, from SpaFinder EMEA in the UK, used Bill Clinton's successful campaign slogan as a reference point - he suggested that instead of the line, “It’s the economy stupid,” our industry adopt the line “It’s the customer stupid.” We do have a tendency to spend a lot of time discussing industry issues, when in fact we should be paying more attention to the consumer and their likes and dislikes. Kevin also made a good point that when it comes to the European spa industry, "we are going from wellness to wellness." The roots are wellness, and we are back there again.

3. Raoul Sudre, from Aspen Spa Management in Florida, gave several talks. My favorite one was his presentaiton on spa trends (of course). Raoul has been in the spa industry 50 years and I respect his perspective on trends as a result!

It isn't just about the amount of time he has been in the spa arena (half a century!)...after all there are many others who have been in the spa industry that long: Deborah Szekely (Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door), Enid and Mel Zuckerman (Canyon Ranch), Sheila Cluff (The Oaks), and Dorthy Purdue (Champneys) come to mind. However, Raoul has a broader global view because unlike the others mentioned here, he did not focus primarily on one or two properties during his career. Rather, Raoul traveled all over the world for decades and has consulted and developed spas in more countries than probably anyone else.

A few trends he predicts:

• Greater customization
• No more locker rooms
• Adjusting spa design as people become more claustrophobic.
• Change in terminology....i.e. the word spa will always have something else attached to it. Examples: Yoga Spa, Sexual Health Spa, Boot Camp Spa, Medical Wellness Spa, etc.
• Energy medicine
• Spa and fitness separating (I disagree with him on this one)
• Spa packages are coming back "in" - but now they are packages including hydro and thermal treatments rather than facials and massage and such.

4. Christopher Norton, GM of Four Seasons George V in Paris, and his spa manager Verena Fox, gave a memorable presentation about their spa's continued increase in revenue despite the challenging economic climate. They were very transparent with their numbers - which everyone appreciated. (Even the French woman who had been dominating the Q & A had something positive to say about their presentation!) Here is a recap of their yearly revenue in Euros:

2007-1.9 service, 258,000 retail, 5.6% profit

2008 2.2 service, 414,000 retail, 18% profit

2009 (year-to-date): on track to beat both service and retail and currently showing 19% profit!

Then the very astute Verena shared some secrets of how she made this magic happen: more sales training, more up-sell training, more day guests, inviting journalists for free treatments, offering free makeup sessions for clientele, encouraging men as guests (because they spend more money than women) and.....(this was a new one for me) training on how to wrap packages!
Oui, oui, ou la la!

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