Tag Archives: Connecticut

Sleep Health Insights

I have a button on my desk which says “Sleep: As Important as Diet and Exercise (Only Easier!)”

It was given to me by Richard Gelula who is the CEO of the National Sleep Foundation in Washington DC. He was in town with a colleague and stopped by to see his niece, Melisse Gelula, who is Luxury SpaFinder Magazine’s famous beauty editor. Since one of the top spa trends we predicted for 2007 was sleep health, I was delighted to spend some time with him. Here are a few things I learned which I thought were interesting:

- There is a National Sleep Awareness Week
- That week is in March and always timed so it coincides with the return to Daylight Saving Time when people lose an hour of sleep.
- Their tag line is “Waking America to the Importance of Sleep”
- They are seeing a huge wave of interest and awareness of the importance of sleep health

And since they left me a copy of their recent 2007 Sleep in America poll which focused on women, I also learned an interesting tidbit about who women are sleeping with.

65% sleep with their significant other, 24% sleep alone, 14% sleep with their pet (this was a surprise to me!), 7% sleep with a child, and 2% sleep with an infant.

“Biggest Loser” Ranch Is Like a Hardcore Destination Spa

biggestloserlogo 769510 Biggest Loser Ranch Is Like a Hardcore Destination SpaI have gotten hooked on a few reality shows over the past years, but the only one on my TiVo list this season was The Biggest Loser. Even if you haven’t been following it, you will probably come across something about last night’s finale today. It was quite extraordinary.

The winner was Erik from New York. He lost 214 pounds in about eight months. What amazed me was how fit and healthy he looked – trim, muscular, energized. The footage of him when he started at more than 400 pounds, with high blood pressure (which you could see in his face) and diabetes (with which he was diagnosed during the filming of the show), was such a contrast to the man he had become at the end. It brought tears to my eyes.

Something else that struck me about the program is that all of the people who were “on the ranch” for the four months lost a great deal of weight. The show’s formula really works: exercise, nutrition, education and motivation from leadership, and forming a community among the participants. Their format is so much like some of the destination spas (pure spa settings) I know.

Last year, we started getting calls at our Spa Finder office from people wanting to know where “the ranch” was so that they could sign up and go. Well, we have learned that “the ranch” is in California, and it is only “made for TV.” But thankfully there are destination spas.

Some Spa Insider Thoughts

Other highlights of my trip to the Caribbean Spa and Wellness Conference:

  • Spending time with Nime La Fauci, our account rep for the Caribbean, and finding out that she can really make friends on the phone. Everywhere we went, people just couldn’t wait to meet her – and embraced her like a long-lost friend – despite never having met her before!
  • Reconnecting with Tiffany, who used to be my late-night-at-the-office buddy.

seepc gazebo 759359 Some Spa Insider Thoughts

  • Getting a tour of Secrets Excellence and Sunscape in Punta Cana from the impressive spa director Juan Monitijo and hearing his enthusiasm for the new couples’ treatment room they are developing, which sounded truly unique in its inclusion of a couples’ Vichy shower and a couples’ hydrotherapy tub. This is an especially good idea for properties that are “adults-only resorts,” where almost all guests are couples. He saw a need and is filling it!
  • Spending some time with Andrew Barnard, who manages the very popular Body Holiday at LeSPORT on the island of St. Lucia (and is developing additional resorts – sevmap 730408 Some Spa Insider Thoughtseral with a real estate component). We had a fascinating conversation one evening in which I found out that he participates in an extreme-sports events called the 4 Deserts. It is a series of seven-day foot races, each covering 250 kilometers, across the world’s largest and most forbidding deserts, including the Gobi in China, the Atacama in Chile, the Sahara in Egypt, and Antarctica. Andrew has already completed three of these races and is now training for the final one – Antarctica. It makes the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii look like a race for weenies.

Tasteful desert resort and spa

Bab 736638 Tasteful desert resort and spaWow…am already back in the U.S. The last few days of my Dubai trip was a whirlwind, but I don’t want to neglect mentioning the other spas I saw and what I learned about the spa industry as a result of my visit.

Jumeriah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa is what I envision when I think “Arabian Nights”. Tasteful and stunning. This property is a 45-minute drive from Dubai straight out into the desert. Someone suggested that my sister, who was with me, take a brightly colored cloth with her on our trip. She was puzzled and asked, “Why?” The answer from the smart-alecky guy was “So you will remember what color looks like.” OK, very funny. As it turns out, we loved the pale desert setting and the understated décor of Bab Al Shams. The long stretch of desert dunes was a welcome contrast to the glitz and brash color combinations found in many of the Dubai hotel and resort settings.

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Mayflower Sets a New Spa Standard

spa facilities 778972 Mayflower Sets a New Spa StandardThe Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, CT, is readying for opening. I was invited to be a part of one of the property’s “soft opening” groups this past week. My reaction? Words like stunning, gorgeous, exquisite, tasteful, thoughtful, and amazing come to mind. Without giving away some of the surprising details that will unfold for all of us in the next few months (hint: the destination program includes unlimited spa treatments), I did want to be among the first to spread the word that the Mayflower Spa will likely set a new standard in luxury for spas around the world. Welcome, welcome, welcome. treatments soaks 709319 Mayflower Sets a New Spa Standard

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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!