Tag Archives: etiquette

Spas for Facials, Massage, Skin Care, and Melanoma Awareness

Spas for Facials, Massage, Skin Care and Melanoma Awareness
Susie Ellis
SpaFinder Insider

May is Melanoma month. That makes sense since it’s right before summer, the sun gets stronger and people begin spending more time outdoors. It’s a good time to remind people to put on sunscreen, wear hats, and have regular mole checks with their medical doctor. It’s this last recommendation – about having moles checked – that I want to tell you about this year.

Our company decided to make melanoma awareness our philanthropic cause about five years ago. We did this for a variety of reasons. First and foremost because of the untimely death of my friend and colleague, Alex Szekely. Second, spas are places people feel comfortable disrobing and are often open to reminders from aestheticians and massage therapists to get checked for melanoma and to wear sunscreen.

Alex Szekely was the president of the Golden Door and Rancho La Puerta. I worked closely with him for quite a few years. Peter and Alex were also friends and rode motorcycles together. Alex was passionate about health and wellness. I remember one evening when Peter and I were with him and his wife Diane at his home…he was cooking up soy burgers – showing us the special way he was able to make them taste absolutely fantastic. Alex was very health-conscious, not only did he eat healthfully, exercise regularly, and get spa treatments regularly, but he also engaged others in his healthy lifestyle.

It is unfortunate that most of us didn’t know much about melanoma at the time. When Alex first noticed an unusual spot on his lower leg, he didn’t really pay attention to it for quite some time – after all he was so healthy. Finally, someone convinced him to see a doctor. By the time he found out it was melanoma skin cancer, it was already very far along. While some early interventions looked promising, in the end the melanoma had already progressed too far. What a terrible tragedy. Alex had two small children and was unable to see them grow up as he so longed to do.
melanoma 776516 Spas for Facials, Massage, Skin Care, and Melanoma Awareness

Each year we help get the word out about melanoma awareness and this year we are doing it once again with our “I Reflect” Melanoma Awareness bracelets. (Think yellow Lance Armstrong bracelets…but these are a clear color and turn purple when exposed to the sun!) They are fun to wear, fun to give to others – even children get a kick out of them. You can get more information here. Also, please take a look at the list of spas who have partnered with us in getting the word out. Even ISPA, the International Spa Association, recently announced they were going to support melanoma awareness. I am sure Alex would have been pleased.
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In the Footsteps of Spa History – Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland

la prairielogo 734328 In the Footsteps of Spa History Clinique La Prairie, SwitzerlandIn the Footsteps of Spa History – Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

75 years ago, Clinique La Prairie opened in Montreux, Switzerland. Professor Niehans would give clients “revitalization treatments” which were injections of fresh animal cells that were thought to “support under-functioning organs.” Later, treatments used a liver extract. These days there is an oral extract that is combined with injections. Back then people were looking for what could make them healthier, look younger, feel better, live longer – not much different than what people seek today.

I learned all this a few days ago when I had the privilege of getting a tour of the Clinique La Prairie (CLP) facilities which included the original Residence from 1931, the cutting edge Medical Center built in 1991, and the addition of a chateau and extensive spa in 2005. They have a total of 59 guest rooms now and a list of medical programs and offerings far greater than anything I could have imagined.

CliniqueLaprairie.1 769194 In the Footsteps of Spa History Clinique La Prairie, SwitzerlandAll I knew before my visit was that there was a place in Switzerland called Clinique La Prairie that did sheep cell injections – where famous people from all over the world went for anti-aging therapies. I knew it was expensive, that they didn’t consider themselves a spa, and that while the product line La Prairie originated there, for some reason Clinique La Prairie and the La Prairie beauty products were no longer related to each other. Why? I didn’t know.

Thankfully, I now know a great deal more. Dominique Carrupt, the Directeur of Clinique La Prairie, was kind enough to spend some time with us after our tour and helped explain in much greater detail the evolution of this very famous place and all it has become today.

I get to visit many spas around the world and am often impressed by what I see and experience. Then there are a few times in which I become enthralled. That was the case for me during this visit. Not only does Clinique La Prairie itself have a rich and interesting history, but its existence has contributed in a major way to the development of the modern spa industry. What I didn’t know however, and learned during this recent visit and since having studied all the collateral material I was given, is how much the modern spa industry has also influenced Clinique La Prairie.

Before I write more about my observations (which I will do in my next blog), I think it is worth visiting their website. http://www.laprairie.ch/ Then we will take a walk down history lane together.
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Husband at Spa (Spa, Belgium that is)

piscineexterieur2 735685 Husband at Spa (Spa, Belgium that is)Just got this email from hubby who is in Brussels for a global internet conference. I reminded him that he was close to the city of Spa and that it might be worth a drive to see it. He found out it was only 90 minutes away, so off he went. Here is his email to me from Spa, Belgium:

“There are many places here with thermes but they are really mineral pools at a property…terme is spa kind of like Italy. I got lucky …took a tram from center town for about 100 yards up a hill to the real spa in town. Termes de Spa is the name…no hotel as you stay in hotels around the town…Friedrichbad in Baden-Baden comes close except much of the facility is pretty new…especially the treatment areas…nice wood floors and cabins as they call ‘em…with views of the surrounding tree-lined countryside. Many pools, whirlpools, high-pressure fountains like fire hoses…they do have steam and saunas and there is one section for au naturel and another for swimsuits. Full-service spa with many treatments, including beauty. Big here are these copper bath tubs with warm natural gas or carbonated water…as you sit in the tub you look out at nature….all the pools reminded me of Fonteverde…oh…they also do Watsu but I could not book a time. Hot place worth a visit.”

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