Spa Terminology: Wellness or Well-being?
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder

Earlier this week I attended the New York Spa Promotion Alliance (NYSPA) conference. This year it was held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Professor Mary Tabacchi organizes this event every year and despite the unfortunate timing (just days before the Global Spa Summit), I always try to attend because she gets great speakers and I always learn a lot from these interactions.

One of the "pearls of wisdom" I took away this time was as a result of something that Dr. Mark Liponis, Medical Director at Canyon Ranch, said during his remarks on a panel titled 'Spa to 'Wellness to Lifestyle.'

The debate came around to terminology (as it often does when the word spa is involved) yet the discussion this time was about the term wellness. Mark mentioned that he doesn't really like the term wellness and much prefers the term well-being because the 'being' part is really important.

Also on the same panel was Perry Garfinkel, a best selling author and regular contributor to the New York Times, National Geographic, etc. He has written a book called Buddha or Bust. Being one of those meditative-types, he too talked about the value of 'being.'

This issue of Human-Doing versus Human-Being is an important one. And if using the term 'well-being' helps drive the 'being' point home, maybe we should all use it a bit more.

All that aside, I predict that the term wellness will trump the term well-being in the marketplace because it has become an international term wildly popular in Europe and Asia. Maybe it's because people in those countries are much better at 'being' than many of us in the U.S.

**
If you wish to be put on a list that automatically sends my blog posts to your email, just let dulcy.gregory@spafinder.com know and she will add you to that list. Thanks so much!

When Mary Tabacchi asked me to join the panel of “Successful Entrepreneurs,” I knew immediately that I would not be talking about myself as an entrepreneur, but rather my husband, Peter. Although I may have some entrepreneurial traits which surface now and then with various projects (like the Global Spa Summit which has required some entrepreneurial talent) the true entrepreneurs who I have known and worked for are people like Deborah Szekely, Donald Trump, and Peter.

My personal definition of an entrepreneur is someone who sees things way ahead of the pack, rolls the dice, and can’t work for anyone else.

But I thought I better check for a more formal definition. Here is what the dictionary says, “a person who organizes and manages a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.” Okay, I can go with that.

Peter has been my entrepreneur role model. In fact, some people have called him a “serial entrepreneur.” And two of the key things I have learned are 1) Get out of the way and let them dream, create, move…and 2) Don’t get too far out of the way because they need to have people around them who are honest, tell them the truth (not just what they want to hear) and fight as hard for reality as they do for their dream.

Hook your wagon to theirs but don’t just be a passenger. They need good people around them to get to where they are going.

It can be a fun ride.

Early this week I attended the New York Spa Promotion Alliance Inc. (NYSPA) meeting held at the Mohonk Mountain Resort. Professor Mary Tabacchi, from Cornell, organizes the yearly gathering for NYSPA and puts a lot of energy and enthusiasm into getting spa industry professionals from all over the state of New York together.

I thought this year's meeting was exceptional - a great group of people and some interesting panel discussions. Also, I think the setting and the perfect weather made for a nice experience.





Mohonk is one of my favorite spas from the "affordable" category. The rooms, the views, the hiking, the spa - wow - and the casual atmosphere are really rejuvenating. But it is the friendly people which is the frosting on the cake. I am continually amazed at how you can judge a property by the attitude of the valet parking attendants. Here they were so friendly and helpful and "down home"....and that ended up being the case throughout the resort. The front desk staff, the dining staff, the spa therapists, management, etc. Genuine, kind, caring folks.

Driving back to the city from the NYSPA meeting at The Sagamore, we were accompanied by Ingo Schweder (Corporate Spa Director, Mandarin Oriental ) and his delightful fiancé. We stopped at the Roosevelt baths in Saratoga Springs right next to the Gideon Putnam resort, which were remodeled into a beautiful spa just a few years ago. We were impressed with how the spa management maintained the original feel of “taking the waters” in this area, yet were still able to incorporate the services and products of a truly outstanding spa. I guess we aren’t alone; over the weekend the spa, which has 42 treatment rooms, was totally sold out!

And just in case we were wondering whether all the water in those baths is really mineral rich, each of us was treated to a glass of natural mineral water directly from the spring. Ugh, be forewarned – you’ll want to think “tiny sip." But it did drive home the point that bathing in these waters is different than sitting in tapwater at home. Therapeutic benefits? Well, it certainly seems like a possibility.

Yesterday I was up at The Sagamore in northern New York to attend the first meeting of the recently formed New York Spa Association (NYSPA), a new organization whose mission includes revitalizing the historically rich spa industry in the state of New York. Professor Mary Tabacchi, from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, the major organizer of the event, pulled in a stellar group of spa professionals from around the world.

Former Lieutenant Governor, The State of New York Hon. Mary Anne Krupsak is the chairman of NYSPA. She made some interesting points in her talk when she compared New York’s recent revitalization efforts for the wine industry (which have been incredibly successful!) to the opportunities she sees for revitalizing the spa industry.

After all, New York State has a rich history of spa because of its amazing natural mineral springs, which are still in existence today. Modern facilities and appropriate marketing efforts to promote spa visitation, not to mention a “spa trail” where visitors can enjoy a variety of spas, attract visitors from all over the world to enjoy the beauty of the area and the many wellness opportunities offered by the setting and its natural resources. And as the Hon. Mary Anne Krupsak pointed out, the wine initiatives had nay-sayers who were concerned about the negative effects of wine, but the spa industry would likely enjoy wholehearted support for all the myriad health benefits it promotes. An exciting direction.