Daytona Bike Weekend Photos
by Susie Ellis

As promised here are the photos from our weekend in Daytona during their big bike rally. A couple of things I learned:

1. When you are working long hours and going to bed late, etc. there is nothing like a total change of scenery and schedule to revive you.

2. My visionary husband was right (once again) when he predicted a trend in the motorcycle world two years ago. Harleys are no longer “king of the road” – the new story is the Boss Hoss.

3. After riding on a motorcycle, facials (and ear cleaning) are a good idea.

4. Massages at the Hilton in Daytona – post motorcycle day – felt great and both of us had excellent therapists. My only complaint…after filling out a very thorough questionnaire asking me about medical history including how often I get massages, when the therapist came into the room to begin the massage she asked me (questionnaire in hand) if this was my first massage. Pet peeve….therapists who do not read intake forms.

**

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!

A Day Spa Visit to Massage Envy
by Susie Ellis

Well, I gave it a try. I went to Massage Envy while here in Palm Desert, California, for the $39 massage. Such a bargain price! And that is what has made the Massage Envy franchise so popular with franchisees (there are now over 700!) and customers!

I love the idea of an affordable massage and their no-frills approach is appealing. The waiting room and massage rooms were very nice and when I arrived at 7:00 p.m. this evening, there were quite a few customers.

However…on a scale of 1-10, my massage was a 1. Oh dear. I have to say it was probably the worst massage I have ever had. The therapist had only worked there two weeks (most likely right out of massage school) and clearly was not cut out for massage. He was nice enough, but the touch was so tentative and very disorganized in terms of flow. If I hadn’t asked five minutes before the massage was over, he wouldn’t have even massaged my legs. He was planning on only doing my back and arms.

When I checked out, I paid my $39 and no one even mentioned their “Membership Program” which is what the clinic owners most likely want to push.

I haven’t given up however, because I refuse to believe that I could have such a bad massage again if I tried someone else. But for now I have to say that my verdict is, “You get what you pay for.”

**

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!

Massage Prices at Spas Compared to my Recent Visit to the Medical Eye Doctor.
by Susie Ellis

Wow...already post Christmas. Hope everyone had a good week. I am enjoying some time off here in California and just now getting around to thinking about what I would like to share on the blog. While it isn't directly spa related....I thought this recent visit to the eye doctor was worth a mention in terms of what I learned - especially about getting rid of red eyes. I went to the eye doctor (Dr. Greg Evans in La Quinta, CA) a few days ago as I seem to need glasses to drive at night. I had LASIK in both eyes 9 years ago and had another LASIK procedure in one eye about 6 months ago. With mono-vision now, I am doing pretty well and can read and see distance without glasses. Except for night driving.

It had been quite some time since I went to a regular eye doctor. Two things impressed me. First….the technology. Second…the price. The technology has come a long way. They took pictures of each eye (rather than doing dialation) after which the doctor showed me each of my eyeballs on a computer screen. He moved the eyeball around so we could look at it from the top, the bottom, from the sides – and even go through it. He was able to tell almost everything about my vision just from this first test. Fascinating. During my entire appointment we were interacting with his computer as he entered data gleaned from additional tests. Only using eye charts seemed familiar.

My second surprise was the price and not because it was expensive. In fact I thought the $166 charge for the visit was low (not that I complained) and an extra $39 for the special laser scan was very fair. Perhaps seeing menus at luxury spas with massages close to that price has begun to distort reality for me. Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise.

I also learned something new about red eyes - which I am very familiar with. I have noticed that whenever I drink coffee (about once a week) my eyes seem to get red. Thinking this might have something to do with the caffeine affecting blood vessels, I asked the doctor who explained that it is quite common for people’s eyes to be red after drinking coffee but not for that reason. The reason is because coffee (caffeine) does put you in a state of heightened alert and one result is you keep your eyes open wider and do not blink as often which causes dryness. He explained that the same thing happens when we work at a computer. You do not blink as often – thus the red eyes. Dryness is most often the culprit. Then he went on to give me a prescription for a brand new eye drop. Apparently you use these eye drops for six to eight weeks as they help get the red out from the inside. I’ll keep you posted.

I couldn’t help but thinking….as spas add more and more medical procedures, it sure would be a good fit to have an hour with a good optometrist or ophthalmologist. Clear eyes and good vision are every bit a part of health and beauty as most everything else we do at spas.

***

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!

The Spa at Bedford Springs Resort: A Romantic Spa Weekend with Massages, Facials, and a Great Walnut and Ginger Scrub
by Susie Ellis

I had to cancel my trip to the European Spa Summit and Beyond Beauty show held in Paris this week. Bummer, I really don't like to be a "no show" for something I had planned. But I am also trying to be less intense about work and more flexible when it comes to family matters. Peter had a recent motorcycle "mishap" as he calls it (I call it an accident) and ended up with some injuries, I decided I didn't want to leave him for an entire two weeks. So I will be flying to London tomorrow night for the second week of my business trip but skipping the first which he had planned to do with me.

Sooooo, instead we decided on a romantic weekend getaway (not on the motorcycle thank goodness). We chose the new Bedford Springs Resort which reopened in July after a two year refurbishment that cost around $125 million. They added a 30,000 square foot spa called Springs Eternal Spa.

It was a 5 hour drive from New York city and upon arrival we went straight to the spa for our Hydromassage appointments. Wow....I was really impressed. The facility, the tasteful decor, the treatments, the relaxation room, Veronique the spa manager (who paid attention to every detail), and especially the "baths" with fresh spring water.

And what a great idea to have a Walnut and Ginger Signature Scrub in the "experience showers" - stop1 in a 5-station bathing experience. You can use as much as you want and as you scrub your body with this great smelling product....your body becomes totally exfoliated before heading into the steam room. From there, the sequence follows with a cool rinse and a long soak in the spring water. This one brilliant idea makes the entire bathing circuit so much more valuable and makes the Bedford Springs Spa special, generous and unique. They are already sold out every weekend.

Tonight....facials.

I am writing this email sitting on the back of my husband’s motorcycle here in Sturgis, South Dakota. It is one of the concessions I make in the interest of having a good marriage. This year he is riding a Boss Hoss with some kind of a NASCAR engine. Why anyone needs a huge engine like that is beyond me. Anyway his concession is that I bring my Treo so I can stay connected.

This is my second time to Sturgis. An old t shirt I unearthed before flying out here said Sturgis 1999. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Oh, and I should mention lest people think I am not thinking spa at all... they did have a tent that said "Massages 15.00 for 10 minutes" with plenty of Harley riders lined up to partake.

I am currently at Rancho La Puerta for a few days. My plans included being here for the opening of their exciting new cooking school . However, as things generally go with construction, there is some delay and I will only be able to visit the cooking school on Wednesday - not experience a cooking lesson. Oh well, there's always plenty of other things to do.

I brought my sister-in-law, Pam, with me on this trip and it is always fun to visit a spa with someone who is experiencing it for the first time. Pam is not a spa lover - this is a good reality check for me because, of course, I think everyone is. She had her first body treatment yesterday and asked all the normal questions about nudity and gratuities which are always a mystery until one has experienced a spa treatment. I signed her up for a salt body scrub but I’m afraid she found the salt itchy and was glad when it was over. Oh dear. Not a good start.

At the moment she is having a 90 minute Healing massage and I am hoping she will enjoy this a bit more. She did love the water exercise classes (this is a special Water Week at the Ranch- the instructor is some water-guru) and she absolutely has fallen in love with the gardens, the art, and the food.

It's been interesting to see how many aspects of the ranch someone can embrace that have nothing to do with exercise.

Tonight Deborah lectures..."Musings since turning 85." I look forward to seeing if we can make Pam a convert before her stay is over.

Rarely do I have a spa experience these days which amazes me. But the three hour Royal Sphatika Signature Experience at the pristine clean and inviting Sphatika Spa near Columbus Circle did just that.

Afterward when I spoke to owner Janet League-Katzin, and her colleague Candace Darling, I learned that they have been working to perfect this treatment for five years! And true to my experience, it appears that every move of the therapist's hand, every spoken word, every touch of product is choreographed to be the most comfortable, the most therapeutic, and the most restful experience possible. It starts with time in one of their three individual infrared saunas (I am a fan of infrared saunas) and moves to a treatment room where partway through the session, which includes exfoliation and massage among other blissful additions, a canopy is lowered from the ceiling and covers the body for a steam.

Helping people get into deep sleep is part of the goal at Sphatika. I was told that almost 100 percent of the people who have this Royal Sphatika fall asleep during the treatment. But it is the restorative sleep that same night that really is impressive.

My advice? This is a day spa amidst many hotels in the area - some have spas and some don't. The Mandarin Oriental is right across the street, with the Trump International Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton Central Park nearby, among others. If the concierges in those hotels were smart, they would let their guests in on this secret, private, and very unusual spa.

Have you even noticed that after some massages the first thing you want to do is head to the shower to get rid of the itchy oil and after other massages you want to let the oil soak in? (not that it does)

On the last night of our vacation Peter and I had the same two therapists who gave us messages on the first day of our vacation come back to give us massages (We like to bookend our vacations.) Since Breianna and Allan are both terrific therapists, we decided to switch from our normal sequence of having Breianna give me a massage and Allan give Peter his massage. The minute Breianna started Peter commented...."Wow, what is that great massage oil?" It was the same sentence I uttered a week ago. Turns out she uses Epicuren Orange Blossom Afterbath Moisturizer. It smelled great, felt great, and after the massage you don't want to take it off. Compare that to Allan's massage - which was absolutely terrific in technique and pressure - everything, but there was this itchy oil I couldn't wait to shower off.

I wonder why people don't make a big deal out of the massage product. It makes such a difference.

Come to think of it, I am going to order some of that Epicuren product and bring it with me the next time I go to my inexpensive massage-around-the corner place in Manhattan.

Nicholas and I decided to try one of the more authentic Chinese spa experiences, so we went to the recommended China Rits CEO Club. It is a 24-hour club where apparently anyone can come in and enjoy the facilities, which include a restaurant and bar, jacuzzi, steam room and lots of rooms for foot massage and body massage. There were absolutely no English speaking people there and all their literature was in Chinese. Somehow we were able to get across that we wanted to each have a foot massage and a body treatment.

I was escorted to the women's locker area and shown to the shower, before I was given some pajama-like outfit which was what everyone else was wearing also. I ended up being taken down numerous corridors (there must have been 50 or more places for people to get foot massages and another 30 or so massage rooms) into a massage room with two massage tables. Since there was absolutely no way of communicating with my therapist I decided to just go with the flow. What ended up happening was they brought Nicholas into the room also - either they didn't realize he was my son (step son actually) which I will take as a compliment - or perhaps they thought this is the arrangement we wanted. Anyway we laughed and decided to give it a go. Both of us ended up having a therapist work on our feet while another therapist worked on the rest of our bodies. All of this lasted a delightful 2 hours.

I figured out we had 8 hours of massage between the two of us and our final bill was $200 total. Not bad at all for us American travelers and a common price for city CEO's in Shanghai.

The flight to China…14 hours from New York to Seoul, Korea, a five hour lay-over and a one-and-a-half hour flight to Shanghai. I am traveling with my step son, Nicholas who is 28 years old and loves to have “experiences” rather than “things”. So thought this trip would be a good birthday gift for him – good for him – and for us. Nick came into my life after I married his dad. He was just four when I first met him, and I am happy to say we have always had a great relationship. He is a smart, health conscious, and a great golfer. The plan is that he will visit some spas with me in Shanghai and then while I am at the Turning Point Conference he will play some golf.

On our first day in Shanghai we arrived at the Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai Hotel around noon and didn’t want to nap because we wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. We decided instead to try out the new Chi spa here, where I treated Nick to his first two-and-a-half hour spa ritual – the Himalayan Hot Stone Massage ritual. He has had massages before (living in LA he goes to a place which gives very inexpensive Thai massages - well inexpensive for LA anyway).


The Chi spa has a nice vibe, and nine very memorable treatment rooms (when we compared later, we found that both of our treatment suites were the same). There is a place for two people to sit and have the foot washing ritual, and a changing area with its own steam shower, separate regular shower, vanity area, and armoire for robes and clothes. I liked the touch of a ringing, large silver bell to tell my therapist when I was ready for her to retrieve me for the first part of the treatment, a foot scrub with salt. Then to the massage table (one of two in the room) where she proceeded with a warm-up massage, which lasted almost an hour, followed by another hour of massage with hot stones. Near the massage tables was a beautiful infinity bathtub - even though it wasn’t used in this treatment, it looked nice filled with water and floating flowers, with a colored light shining from the tub. I believe this is the first time I have had a two-hour massage. There certainly is truth to how wonderful it is to “get into the zone”.

Well, my trip to Canada is coming to a close. Flying back to New York this morning.

Got so busy with the Leading Spas of Canada Conference that I wasn't able to carve out blogging time. I wanted to share a few more things about our trip, including our stay at Ste. Anne's Spa, which will be memorable for me for the setting and the warm hospitality. There is something about coming from New York City to a place where people are sweet, kind, who love helping you and can't do enough for you and where no one - absolutely no one - has "an attitude".

I signed up for a chocolate massage - something I had avoided doing in the past because I envisioned chocolate being slathered on my body and a temptation to "lick the spoon," so to speak. Happily, I found out it wasn't going to be a big mess because it was simply the massage oil having a chocolate essence. And then, to my delight, a chocolate truffle was given to me at the end of the session. Ryan, my therapist, was the first therapist ever to point out the cording in my right hand, and he suggested that I do regular stretches to avoid problems later on. You have to go through a much more extensive training program in order to become a massage therapist in Canada. It showed.

Ste. Anne's Spa has a large and loyal clientele and they really make an effort to stay connected to their guests, which helps explain why they won the Favorite Spa in Canada in our Readers' Choice Awards last year. Owner Jim Corcoran, and his partner David, are also a big part of the Ste. Anne's spa experience, mixing hospitality with fun. There were lots of people (and I saw lots of couples) happily pattering around in white robes. Always a good sign.

I check in. Grand Hotel Europe is an Orient-Express Hotel and one of the grand dames in the field. I feel instantly at home. A quick call to reception lets me know that, yes, there's a spa. I call and book a manicure/pedicure and massage. Naturally I want to see what these will be like in Russia.

The facility is just okay. You have to go through the pool area to get to the fitness area and through the fitness area to get to the solarium, and through the salon to get to the locker room, etc. Looks like a result of adding on rooms haphazardly. But the skill of the therapists made up for all of this. My pedicure was more of a medical pedicure and was simply outstanding. My massage was performed by a gentleman who likely had medical training as they all do here.

A few nuances: The nail therapist scooped everything out of jars using a sea shell; I was offered a choice of neck pillows with different aromatherapy scents (which she would later heat); and the spa used several product lines: Kerstin Florian, a line from Bali, and a line from Austria, which I thought was quite interesting. The rooms had candles. The menu was quite extensive. One staff member spoke English and served as interpreter for any non-Russian-speaking guests. I believe there were only two other spa guests while I was there.

Flew from New York to London for the Professional Spa Conference late last evening on Air India. It was my first Air India experience. I have decided that flying business class is an investment in my health, so I am always searching for deals to avoid paying the crazy prices. This time it was Air India, which had some bargain business-class prices.

Well....let's just say you do get what you pay for, kind of. Thankfully, I arrived safely, and the lobster at dinner was a highlight. But there definitely were some trade-offs...such as trying to find the terminal for Air India at JFK, such as overhead bins so small that they can't fit a small suitcase, no socks or eye masks for sleeping, and chairs that, although they do recline, have the most awkward angle. I felt that I was on a gangplank ready to be heaved into the sea for most of the flight. It was all somewhat amusing. I don't want to complain, however, since I know it was still more comfortable than coach.

One other part of my flight turned out to be hysterical. There was a gentleman sitting next to me who must have flown Air India before because he brought his own slippers. But when he got his very large slippers out of his bag, I noticed that he also brought out a huge pack of AAA batteries. He then proceeded to put all of the batteries into the bottom of his slippers. Apparently these are his "massage slippers," which his doctor told him to wear on long flights. During the entire 6.5-hour flight, he was getting a foot massage.

And you thought my blog today wouldn't come around to spa......:)

Well, I think I have been watching too much American Idol. I forgot what great singing was really like – but I was reminded while enjoying the Josh Groban concert at the Turning Stone Resort, where Peter and I spent the Presidents' Day weekend. Unfortunately, Peter never saw Josh Groban because he got antsy during the opening act, which started a bit late and went on for quite a while before Josh even hit the stage. (I guess that is one thing I’ve learned after almost 22 years of marriage: Live and let live.) He left, and I chose to stay. So glad I did; the concert was tremendous. I could have listened to him for another couple of hours. What a great voice. He plays piano, is a great drummer and a great actor, and has sung duets with Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand. Not bad for a 26-year-old. I was also told that he came to Turning Stone four or five days early to relax, enjoy the spa, and get really “centered” for the concert. It showed.

The next day I had my spa experience at Skaná. The Juniper and Cypress Detox Massage was what they scheduled for me. I began in the steam and sauna then bathed in the coed hydrotherapy pool, which had a lovely ambiance, although the Jacuzzi jets could have been stronger for my taste. The massage was memorable because the technique was so distinctive. My therapist used light feathering strokes along with deep muscle work and a fragrant massage oil with lemon.

I don’t think a lot of people know about Skaná yet, but I think that is about to change. The resort just won a major Conde Nast award. And I can’t help but believe that the spirit of the Oneida people whose heritage the spa honors so well might have something to do with making sure that more and more people are introduced to their Native American culture, sacred rituals, and healing herbs.

The Dominican Republic is probably known more for its all-inclusive affordable vacation packages than for its luxury resorts. Based on my recent visit, I'd say that is about to change.

One of the properties leading the change is the repositioned PUNTACANA Resort & Club, no longer an all-inclusive but a more traditional resort offering – and yet it has remained very affordable. A luxury addition called Tortuga Bay with a few beachfront estate villas was added to the property. I was told that Oscar de la Renta designed the interiors of these villas (pictured at right), and they are exquisite! Both give you access to the newly opened Six Senses Spa.

The rooms at Tortuga Bay cost more than $600 per night and, at PUNTACANA, less than $200 per night. I was lucky enough to have the Tortuga Bay experience as well as a taste of the resort's two gourmet restaurants. But as usual, the Six Senses Spa was the highlight. My four-handed 90-minute massage was one of the best I have ever had. There is nothing like having someone massage a fragrant Sodashi product on your face while another therapist is giving you a foot massage. And of particular interest to me was their use of very warm towels as they alternated between compression and massage.

In all honesty, it is one of the first times I have thought that it truly is possible to have a signature spa treatment that is so unusual in its choreography (and its execution) that you can actually say “That’s a Six Senses Spa Treatment."

Swedish massage and Thai massage have been around for a long time. Philippine Hilot Massage has only recently been introduced outside of the Philippines but has been practiced here for thousands of years. I was excited to finally experience it.

First I learned that I had been mispronouncing the name Hilot. The correct pronunciation is like saying "he" and then "lot".

The massage is done with virgin coconut oil, and the pressure is strong. It can be somewhat painful when they find blockages and use their thumbs to work out these blockages. The idea is to get the energy moving by using a banana leaf as a diagnostic tool. The leaf is skimmed over various body parts. It slides easily over parts that are not blocked but begins to drag at certain points. They say that these are the points of blockage.

I don't know about the science, but like many indigenous healing techniques, hundreds of years of experience have resulted in the Hilot massage becoming a very important part of the Philippines' contemporary healthcare culture. Daily Hilot massage was prescribed for people in areas without access to medical care and those unable to afford it.

I was also told that the treatment is very much about the supernatural gift of healing hands. Not just anyone can do Hilot - a person needs to be gifted in order to perform it.

I'm at the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort & Spa in Cebu, Philippines. Arrived after midnight and after a good night's sleep decided to try out their famous Chi Spa. Since this was my only day to have a spa treatment (because the conference begins tomorrow), I decided to call early in the morning to book some treatments. Looking over the menu, I selected two of their signatures: the Barako Coffee Bean Scrub, followed by the Philippine Hilot Massage.

After breakfast - and one of the best coffee lattes I have ever had - I head to the Chi Spa Village. I walk over a wooden bridge with water on both sides into a huge indoor/outdoor reception pavilion that appears to be three stories tall with a dramatic hanging art chandelier. I am graciously greeted by several staff members and asked to sit on a certain bench with a view into the Chi Village. I have to say it reminded me somewhat of the Golden Door in California with the landscaping and use of villas for treatment rooms. Although this design is Chinese and the Golden Door is Japanese, there was a very similar feeling of quiet, beauty, simplicity, nature, and a bit of mystery.

More later about the coffee scrub and hilot.....

Well, my Korean massage ended up being terrific. Joe was my therapist's name. The massage given at the Seoul Airport Massage Center is really perfect for the period between long flights. They don't use oil (good idea, as that would be a mess between flights), and they give you long white cotton shorts and a t-shirt to wear. The massage itself is a combination of stretching and deep pressure-point massage. The showers are good enough, although I was looking everywhere for a towel and finally found a tiny white one, which I thought was for the floor. I realized that this was the towel massage clients are meant to use for drying off. Ok...it wasn't luxury, but after a 15-hour flight from New York, it felt great.

I'm at the computer terminals (free!) at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea. I have a three-hour layover before my flight to Cebu, Philippines boards. I am on my way to the Turning Point Spa Conference. After almost 15 hours of flying, I'm happy to discover that this very sleek and modern airport has massages and showers available. So up to the fourth floor I go and sign up for a 60-minute massage. My appointment is in about 45 minutes. The cost: $81. I guess I will find out about the tipping policy when I go back for the massage. There's just enough time to check out the array of designer shops, and it looks as though Chanel is right across the way.....

Shortly before leaving Bangkok on Sunday (at midnight), I visited S Medical Spa, which I had been hearing about. Not only has this spa gotten some good PR, but much to my surprise, I have also noticed people from all over the world (the U.K., Asia, U.S.A., etc.) contacting S Medical Spa through Spafinder.com asking for appointments. In other words, people are actually making appointments at S Medical before they leave on a trip.

Once there, I saw how comprehensive the program is and why people pre-book. The spa has everything from executive physicals to Botox to Thai massage, watsu, exercise programs, Reiki, vibrational therapy, and a comfortable wet area (quite a premium in the tight spaces of downtown Bangkok). A staff composed of 15 doctors and 80 spa professionals services a clientele that is 50% Thai, with others from Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, U.S., and Europe.

Not only is the place tastefully designed, taking advantage of the trees that grace the property, but the treatments are also surprisingly affordable for foreigners. I suggested that they might consider putting service prices on the spa website in U.S. dollars or Euros as well as Baht (hard to remember the exchange rate). I estimate that these prices are about half of what you would pay for similar services in the U.S.

Medical tourism, here we come!

Got a call from my husband Peter last night. He was at the Red Mountain Adventure Spa in Utah and had just finished a two-hour massage. He is a happy camper because this is “his” week. He rode his motorcycle all the way from Manhattan to Sturgis, South Dakota. And if you wonder why he would go to Sturgis, then you probably do not have any Harley-owning friends. It is the yearly Mecca of motorcycle enthusiasts – 700,000 this year – where all bike riders do, well, what bikers do. Buy leather jackets, gadgets for their bikes, show off their bike’s unique paint jobs, get tattoos, etc. I went with Peter a few years ago just to see what all the fuss was about. It was a hoot – but once was enough for me. This year he stayed two days, then headed to Red Mountain on his way to California, where he will leave the bike and then fly home. Admittedly, I will breathe a little easier when I hear that the bike is parked in California.

I just got an email from my office reminding me that I am on vacation. Yikes. I deserved that - and needed that. Here I am in beautiful Palm Desert, California for a week of r&r, but I'm still checking email and "handling" things back at the New York office. Clearly I am not practicing what our spa industry preaches. I thought I was making progress.

When I first arrived I was checking email hourly. Today I only checked four times. And I did squeeze in an afternoon massage! But they are right (and my husband agrees). It is time for me to take care of myself and just turn it off. Easier said than done though. OK, Laura, here is a promise: You won't hear from me for the rest of the week.

Wow, that feels good - but scary.

Sallie and I are at Chiva-Som to conduct the first Spa Specialist Training Course for Virtuoso travel agents. We are joined by six top-notch travel agents for the few days we are here. (We decided to teach our first course at a spa, since there is no better way to learn about spas than being at one – and in this case, one of the best in the world!) Every day was filled with spa experiences as well as a few hours of training guided by the extensive course we developed in the past six months. If I do say so myself, it was a grand success.

Chiva-Som staff planned some unique experiences for us, as I felt there was no sense in coming all the way to Thailand for a Swedish massage. Our little group was scheduled for one of their most distinctive Thai offerings, Meridian Tapping. Editor-in Chief Gary Walther had written about this in the Jan/Feb issue of Luxury SpaFinder Magazine, although admittedly I didn’t “get it” from reading about it. After experiencing it, I realize how hard it is to describe to someone else.

The basics: Decide on an area of discomfort in your life (physical or mental). You are asked to think about this area of personal challenge while a therapist taps your meridian points. This is supposed to repattern your body, resulting in an actual noticeable change.

We were given an example of how Meridian Tapping has been used with some miraculous results: A woman who for many years had a water phobia where the sight of water brought on extreme anxiety. After going from doctor to doctor for years, she ended up being relieved of the phobia after a ten-minute meridian tapping session. OK, that got my attention.

Our group’s collection of “issues” included a sore knee, a bad back, insomnia, fear of public speaking, jet lag, e-mail addiction, and a few other maladies I can no longer remember. Tap, tap, tap! Each of us had a two-minute session, and then we learned to do “self-tapping” for follow-up. Hard to gauge the results at the moment, but I want to be open-minded.

Should my list of 700+ emails that I need to answer suddenly be of no concern to me, I’ll make sure to keep tap dancing.

The plane from New York directly to Singapore is 18 1/2 hours long, a record for me. Actually, I didn’t know that planes could fly that far without stopping to refuel. Then another two-hour flight from Singapore to Bangkok and another one-hour flight from Bangkok to Hua Hin. I must say I was quite pleased when my colleague Sallie, COO of Spa Finder, Inc., and I arrived at Chiva-Som. It was a return trip for me to this award-winning destination spa in Thailand and a first for Sallie. Chiva-Som means “haven of life,” which was just what we needed after the lengthy trip to get there. I couldn't think of a better place to collapse.

Sticking with my personal policy of having a spa treatment as soon as possible after a plane trip, I booked a Thai massage, which was performed one hour later. This was followed by a visit to my favorite relaxation room in the world. I remembered it well from my last visit. It is a dar