Tag Archives: Golden Door

Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures, and More

Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures and More

Susie Ellis

“Sorry. We are fully booked.” It’s surprising to me how often I hear this when I call a spa or stop in at a spa to see about booking a treatment.

It happened to me twice today when I was trying to book a massage here in Freeport, Grand Bahama where I spent Easter weekend. It happened also a few weeks ago when I tried booking a spa treatment at the fancy new Eau Spa at the Ritz Carlton in Palm Beach, Florida.

Being in the spa industry, I used to think….wow, that’s amazing that the spa is fully booked – their business must be great. Good for them!

Well, over time I have learned that “We are fully booked” is really sort of a code for “I don’t have the staff to handle your request.” I know this because of the many spas I have toured and experienced.

Here is what happened at the Eau Spa which is often quite typical. After trying to book a massage and finding out that they were fully booked until very late that evening, (and then asking for a facial and finding out there were none available all day), I settle

jacuzziEAU spa 748154 Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures, and More

d for a tour of the spa which was graciously offered. As I was shown around this lovely new $30 million spa, I was dazzled by the lovely treatment rooms with silver beaded pillows and the over water hanging baskets which bath robed guests could enjoy while relaxing in the outdoor garden. I was also impressed with the “serve yourself” scrub bar where you could make your own scrub from a variety of concoctions tastefully displayed. The wet area had a nice feel also.

As I was shown into one treatment room after another, and then led into one of their fabulous couple’s suite, it dawned on me – most of these rooms aren’t being used! And yet I wasn’t able to book an appointment. It turns out I saw only a handful of people in robes and just a few of the treatment rooms being utilized. It was obvious that the spa was not fully booked in terms of treatment rooms, it was probably fully booked in terms of staff they had available.

eau spa2 728412 Inside Scoop on Booking Spa Treatments: Facials, Massages, Manicures, Pedicures, and More

I’m not sure if this happens because of a lack of trained therapists or a management scheduling issue, however I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a way to resolve this problem – especially now in recessionary times when people are scrambling for work and businesses should make the most of every sales opportunity.

This issue – of turning away spa appointments – is something that I don’t think gets enough attention in our industry. Very few spas track it. Often management isn’t aware it is even happening or at least not aware of the extent to which it is happening. Most spa staff just look at what is “on the books.” Yet, there is a goldmine of information in knowing the number of spa services that were turned away each day due to unavailability. Also valuable would be tracking specific information in terms of what time of the day it was, what day of the week, what treatment was trying to be booked and whether a booking took place for their second, third or fourth choice of time or service.

While this is all part of yield management that is coming to spas in the future – it is more than just a technical accounting issue that may be helped by software solutions. Managers have to train their staff about how vitally important this information is and engage their enthusiasm in tracking it thoroughly.

Consumers would be wise to understand this issue also as it helps them understand why booking further in advance is a good idea – or, in the future, which spas are likely not operated with much expertise.

It is my hope that in time, “We are fully booked” means a spa’s treatment rooms are 100 percent full. Not only would that be great for the industry, but also for all the clients enjoying the treatments.

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Spa Aside – It is Christmas

Spa Aside – It is Christmas

Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

Email holiday greetings – like you, I receive more and more of them each year. I don’t know yet how I feel about them. On the one hand, it is nice to hear from people. On the other hand, knowing that I am part of a database of hundreds receiving the same e-card makes it feel a bit impersonal. It is more “green” than sending cards in the mail, so that’s a plus and some of the animated ones are kind of fun. I get impatient with the ones that are lengthy however and frustrated with the ones that don’t open right. As a company we have sent holiday e-cards for the past few years. We endeavor to find the right balance between something enjoyable and a communication that expresses our gratitude. Not sure we totally succeed, however we continue to try. The most memorable e-greeting I received this year was from my sister. It contained a story that someone shared with her. While I don’t usually forward these kind of things, I thought this one was worth sharing. Hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas.

Susie

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: “There is no Santa Claus,” she jeered. “Even dummies know that!”

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her “world-famous” cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. “No Santa Claus?” she snorted…. “Ridiculous! Don’t believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let’s go.” “Go? Go where, Grandma?” I asked. I hadn’t even finished my Second World-famous cinnamon bun.

“Where” turned out to be Kerby’s General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. “Take this money,” she said, “and buy something for someone who needs it. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Then she turned and walked out of Kerby’s.

I was only eight years old. I’d often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock’s grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn’t have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn’t have a cough; he didn’t have a good coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.”Is this a Christmas present for someone?” the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. “Yes, ma’am,” I replied shyly. “It’s for Bobby.” The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn’t get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, “To Bobby, From Santa Claus” on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker’s house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa’s helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobby’s house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. “All right, Santa Claus,” she whispered, “get going.” I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven’t dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker’s bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were, ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare, and FRIENDS that care. And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

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That Famous Spa in Switzerland, Clinique La Prairie and the Product Line, La Prairie – Sorting it All Out

That Famous Spa in Switzerland, Clinique La Prairie and the Product Line, La Prairie – Sorting it All Out
by Susie Ellis
SpaFinder Insider

(Note, if you aren’t seeing any photos in this blog post, then please read the blog at http://www.blog.spafinder.com/ as the photos will be a big help in following this timeline!)

By now I have probably lost a few of my blog readers, but I promise that this is my last post on the story of Clinique La Prairie! After many hours of research to figure out how Clinique La Prairie and La Prairie skin care products are related (they aren’t anymore), I thought I would share the timeline I created. Who knows, maybe there is one other person out there who finds this sort of thing fascinating. Also, there are a few more pieces of the puzzle to complete – like how much the skin care line was initially sold for – so I welcome any additions or corrections to this timeline.

Here is the bottom line: To keep things straight you have to be conscious of the fact that Clinique La Prairie, which refers to the famous medical spa in Switzerland, sold their product line, La Prairie, in 1982. Since that time the companies have been totally separate. Always check if the word “Clinique” is being used – if so, that means the reference is to the facility in Switzerland. If the word “Clinique” does not appear, then you can assume the affiliation is with the skin care company. Except (and, of course, this adds to the confusion), the URL for Clinique La Prairie is http://www.laprairie.ch/ and the URL for La Prairie the skin care product company is http://www.laprairie/.

Here is a snapshot of what I have found to be a fascinating story:

1931: Clinique La Prairie opens in Montreux, Switzerland. Professor Niehans begins fresh fetal ovine (sheep) liver cell injections as a method to slow down the aging process. Over half a century later, the product became known as “CLP Extract” which is used in the clinic’s signature “Revitalization” injections today.

1953: Professor Niehans treats Pope Pius XII. Clinique La Prairie becomes word famous.

1971: Professor Niehans dies.

1976: Armin Mattli, a Swiss banker, purchases Clinique La Prairie.

1978: Mattli creates La Prairie Cosmetics, a range of skin products based on the clinic’s expertise in cellular revitalization.

1982: Mattli sells his skin care line Laboratories La Prairie, Switzerland to the American-based Cyanamid Company (a large, diversified, American chemical manufacturer) for a reportedly huge sum of money which he used to finance new buildings and medical programs. (I find it absolutely fascinating that he created and sold this line so quickly and so successfully!)

1987: American Cyanamid Company sells two of their product lines, La Prairie and Jacqueline Cochran, for $54 million to Sanofi.

1987: Sanofi, very shortly after purchasing La Prairie, turns around and sells it for a $20 million profit to Georgette Mosbacher for around $30 million. La Prairie has $20 million in worldwide wholesale volume.

1991: Georgette Mosbacher globalized the La Prairie line, doubled its sales (impressive!) and then sold the company for an estimated $45 million to Beiersdorf Group of Hamburg, Germany. Mosbacher is now CEO of Borghese.

1991: Clinique La Prairie adds a new Medical Center on their property in Switzerland. It is a hospital and has a surgical theater with specialties in myriad of areas, radiology, dentistry, plastic surgery, etc.

1992: Mattli launches Prestige Products of Switzerland from which he developed a new skin care line, Swiss Perfection. It is based on Iris flower cells. Apparently his son now runs this part of the business.

2002: The World of ResidenSea – a resort community circumnavigating the globe which has private apartment residences available – launches with the first Clinique La Prairie Spa.

2002: The first spa in the United States with the La Prairie name opens in New York, called La Prairie at the Ritz-Carlton Spa.

2004: La Prairie opens its first California spa at the Beverly Hills Hotel, now called the Beverly Hills Hotel Spa by La Prairie.

2004: A La Prairie Boutique spa opens at the Ritz-Carlton Berlin.

2005: Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland adds a health spa to its facilities. They added wellness rooms, thalassotherapy, a salt water pool, etc.

2006: The Ritz-Carlton Silver Rain La Prairie Spa opens in Grand Cayman.

2006: A spa-inspired condominium project in Miami is announced. It is a new project by Armin Mattli as he spends his time between Switzerland and Miami. He is calling it Clinique La Prairie Lifestyle Residences at Te
n Museum Park. This will have a Clinique La Prairie spa without the medical aspect.

2007: Clinique La Prairie sues Ritz-Carlton over the use of the name La Prairie in New York.

2007: Banyan Tree Spa replaces Clinique la Prairie as operator of the spa on the World ResidenSea.

2009: Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage is to open a $25 million La Prairie Spa.

Final comments:
Re La Prairie Skin Care: I have tried some of their products and really like them – especially the subtle fragrance and the clean feel. Many people swear by them. However, I haven’t tried the entire range or used them long enough to give a thorough analysis.

Re Clinique La Prairie: After visiting, I give it a thumbs up. What I saw was impressive. To me, they appear to be a superb medical spa, possibly one of the most advanced in the world. They have a first-rate hospital. The staff is professional. They are in a fantastic location right on Lake Geneva. Lovely rooms, tastefully designed dining room, and I am thrilled to see that they now do have a very nice spa. I think that the popularity of spa around the world necessitated that recent addition and upgrade. Good for them.

So…as we left, my husband suggested I come back sometime for an “in-patient” visit. Not sure if he was referring to my need for plastic surgery or testing to see if I would try the “Revitalization therapy.” But after giving it some thought, I had to admit that the idea of coming here for a total tune-up, inside and out, was appealing. And yes, I would probably give that “Revitalization therapy” a go – in the interest of spa research of course. (Yeah, right.)
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The Famous Clinique La Prairie Medical Spa – Memory Lane

The Famous Clinique La Prairie Medical Spa – Memory Lane
by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

It was 1974 when I first heard about Clinique la Prairie. I had just begun working at the famous Golden Door spa in southern California and would occasionally hear guests whisper about the sheep cell injection therapy at this expensive place in Switzerland. Our Golden Door guests, who at that time included mostly wives of corporate executives, celebrities, and an occasional royal, were fond of comparing notes on other spas they had heard about. In those days, however, most did not spa-hop, they stayed true to the one they had chosen. Names I remember included the Greenhouse in Dallas, Elizabeth Arden’s Maine Chance in Phoenix (no longer in existence), the Lancaster Beauty Farm at Brenner’s Park in Germany, Champney’s in England and Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland. None of them used the term spa at the time.

In later years I ran across photos from the famous Clinique La Prairie – medical setting, doctors in white lab coats, guests dining or lounging in chaises, and a lake and the Alps in the background. I would learn that well known “patients” included Marlene Dietrich, Charlie Chaplin, and Winston Churchill.

There are those who are ardent proponents of Clinique La Prairie’s “revitalization therapy” as it came to be called. There are those who call it quackery.

I am not qualified to pass judgement since I don’t have the scientific or medical background. However from a purely common sense point of view, I find it hard to imagine a place that has been open for more than 75 years, where people from all over the world return time after time and pay $18,000 a week to stay there, not to have something pretty compelling.

The La Prairie skin care products seem to have taken a slightly different path. They had (and still do, I believe) a very good reputation. Clearly they carry the prestige, cachet, and high price of the Clinique La Prairie establishment where the products were created. I remember wondering if there were sheep cells in the products. Apparently not.

In the past few years, however, I have come across many people who told me that La Prairie skin care products have nothing to do with Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland. I have often wondered, how did that happened?

Spas also began appearing with the name La Prairie in them. Are they associated with Clinique La Prairie? My list of questions keeps getting longer and I looked forward to visiting this famous place in Switzerland to finally unscramble the mystery.

Why do the department stores sell La Prairie products but say they don’t have anything to do with the Swiss Clinique?

Why does the La Prairie logo say Switzerland when it doesn’t have anything to do with the facility in Switzerland?

Why is there a La Prairie Spa at the Ritz in New York that insists they also don’t have any affiliation with Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland, however they sell La Prairie products.

There is a La Prairie Spa at the Ritz in Berlin and a new one opening at the Ritz in Rancho Mirage. I assume they will be selling La Prairie skin care products but also deny involvement with the Swiss Clinic.

Why is there a La Prairie Spa at the Beverly Hilton, when all the other ones are at Ritz Carlton’s?

Why a spa with yet another name….the stunning new spa in Grand Cayman with the name, The Rain La Prairie Spa, at the Ritz Carlton.

There is a project on the drawing board in Miami called Ten Museum Park. It is a beautiful high rise residential building that will have according to their website, “the first Clinique La Prairie Spa.” This spa will not carry La Prairie products – they will be using a line called Swiss Perfection.

Later I read that Clinique La Prairie is suing Ritz Carlton over the use of the name La Prairie for their spa in New York.

Is all of this clear as mud?

Well…finally I can say it is pretty clear in my mind although it took a visit to Switzerland, and countless hours of Internet research to solve most of the puzzle. I have put together the answers and a timeline which I will share with you in the next post.

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Pritikin Spa Edging to a New Generation

Pritikin Spa Edging to a New Generation
by Susie Ellis
SpaFinder Insider

Just returned from a very nice Labor Day Weekend which Peter and I spent down in Florida on a boat tied up right near Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Aventura. Paul Lehr, President of Pritikin and author of their new book Pritikin Edge, was kind enough to invite us to be day guests while we were down there. That made our Labor Day Weekend a healthy kick-start for the fall season. It also gave me a chance to see what was new:

1. Younger clients. I was really surprised to see so many young people there. I met a mother with her two adult daughters, one in medical school and the other an actress – none of them more than a few pounds overweight. There were also some “high powered” New York women who also looked quite healthy as well as quite a few girlfriend pairs. In general, it was a nice mix of men, women and a variety of generations. On previous visits, I remember the guests being older. This mix of ages was cool.

2. Crowded. Well…not in a bad way, however the last time I was there, I remember there were some empty tables at dinner. This week – all the tables were full. And this was August in Florida!

3. More spa services. Their spa menu has expanded. The spa is still not as much of a focus as the fitness, medical and diet aspects, but there was a greater variety of offerings and my treatments were good.

4. Botox and fillers. I had heard that Pritikin was now offering these aesthetic medical services which was a surprise as they have always been so wellness-focused. However, I think it is a good idea. Many people are going to have these services anyway…so having them during a stay at a medically supervised longevity program isn’t such a bad idea. And I do think that a little bit of “freshening up” can score some mental health points. (Guests go off the premises to see a medical specialist for these treatments.)

5. Plastic surgery recovery. I didn’t realize that some people come to Pritikin post-plastic surgery. That might also include post mastectomy or reconstruction surgery, etc. Perhaps this has always been the case, however the information was new to me. Healthy eating, exercise, and stress reduction under medical supervision would be a great pre-surgery regime also.

6. No more ice cream. Boo hoo. Years ago I remember that their dessert options at dinner always included ice cream. For me with quite a sweet tooth, it was a real highlight. I believe it was Edy’s ice cream which was on their “OK” list at the time because of the low fat and no sugar. (Edy’s uses Splenda which is supposed to be better than the other artificial sweeteners.) Well, after more analysis by the Pritikin pros, there seemed to be some no no’s, and ice cream was taken off the menu. Guess it was too good to be true.

Alas, it’s probably better for me to distance myself from that sweet tooth rather than continue to indulge it.
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