Tag Archives: Labor Shortage

Are Spas a Necessary Evil? Impressions of the Monaco Spa Event

monaco.blog 738199 Are Spas a Necessary Evil? Impressions of the Monaco Spa EventAre Spas a Necessary Evil? Impressions of the Monaco Spa Event
By Susie Ellis

Just returned from the Monaco Spa Event. With such a
jam-packed schedule of symposium sessions, meetings and exhibits to see, there was little time for plugging in and writing on my blog. The hotel’s charge of 20 euros ($30.00) for connecting to the Internet each day didn’t help either.

But I am back and happily thinking through some of the highlights. I will elaborate more in the next few posts, but here are a few things that stood out:

  • The Director of the Lausanne Hotel School in Switzerland ended his remarks with “Spas are a necessary evil.” YIKES
  • Jacques-Olivier Chauvin, CEO of Relais & Chateaux, has a keen understanding of the value of connection in hospitality. I was extremely impressed with his insights.
  • The Monaco Spa Event really shone in the arena of spa architecture and design. My feeling is that this could be the foundation of its future.
  • The Group Director of the Tschuggen Grand Bergoase in Switzerland (famous for its sail-like features which we featured on the cover of one of our Luxury SpaFinder Magazines) told the story of how that came to be and showed the photo which inspired it all.
  • A 600 calorie meal prepared by a star spa chef, in an elegant setting such as the L’Hermitage Hotel, can be quite impressive.
  • Rasmus Gaupp-Berghausen, Director of the European Research Center Hado Life Europe, in Liechtenstein gave a talk on water (with mixed reviews) yet struck a chord with me, when he suggested that the quality of a spa should be judged by the quality of its water. He also convinced me to drink local water wherever I am.
  • Our magazine editor, Gary Walther, gave a presentation on spa architecture around the world – it was a visual feast of “wow’s” and made me proud to be part of the international spa industry.
  • The medical side of spas in Europe is beginning to soften its strict doctor-knows-best approach. Who would have thought that a European doctor would talk about “transformation” and refer to people suffering from heart disease as “broken hearted?”

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SpaFinder’s Hot Spa Trends for 2008!

top.ten 751767 SpaFinder’s Hot Spa Trends for 2008!SpaFinder’s Hot Spa Trends for 2008!
By Susie Ellis

Buzz Words: New Spa Gyms, Star Therapists, Wellness, Luxury Detox, Spa Real Estate, Sleep, Spa and Weight-loss, Fertility and Spa, Hydro and Thermal Spa Experiences, Urban Ethnic Spas, Spa and Technology.

This week is Trend Week at SpaFinder! We released the findings of our year-long studies on emerging trends for the spa industry. The links below will take you to the SpaFinder Insider, which was emailed to industry professionals who have signed up to receive this email newsletter. In it, I outlined each of the top 10 Spa Trends for 2008.

SpaFinder Insider on Trends

I am also giving you a link to the press release that went to the media. As there is always a flurry of media interest in our trends, do let me know if you have spotted an example of one of them (perhaps you have experienced a fertility spa or know of an urban ethnic spa “gem”) or you are a spa which is an example of one of these trends.

SpaFinder Global Trends Press Release

For a quick snapshot….here are SpaFinder’s 10 Spa Trends to Watch in 2008!

The “Feng Shui’d” Gym
A Star (Therapist) Is Born
Wellness, Wellness, Wellness
Luxury Detox and Luxury Bootcamps
Spa Real Estate Mania
Taking Sleep Seriously… Especially if you Want to Lose Weight
Fertility Tranquility
Hydro and Thermal Super-Experiences
Urban Spa Explorer
Plug-in or Unplug: It’s up to You
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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!

Nap Spa, Sleep Spa, Yelo Spa: Napping in New York City – $24 for 40 minutes

yelo window 794018 Nap Spa, Sleep Spa, Yelo Spa: Napping in New York City $24 for 40 minutesNap Spa, Sleep Spa, Yelo Spa: Napping in New York City – $24 for 40 minutes
by Susie Ellis

Ever since SpaFinder and Yelo were mentioned in the same New York Times article, I have been wanting to give Yelo – the nap spa – a try. Late last year when we came out with our list of top 10 spa trends for 2007, “Sleep Health Added to Spa Menus” was at the top of our list. And coincidentally (or not) Yelo was just opening. Yelo is a place in Manhattan where you can go for some quick r & r. Basically they offer foot reflexology and naps – in a kind of sleep cab, equipped with a special sleep chair designed for the most comfortable sleep position, music and lighting, all perfectly conducive to sleep.

Here is my report:
It was late Sunday afternoon as I rushed in a cab to get to my nap before Yelo closed. No one was available for foot reflexology because “they were all booked” which in spa-speak usually means “we don’t have enough therapists.” Indeed that seemed to be the case…but understandable since they just started opening on Sundays. I paid $18 for a 30 minute nap (and was told if I wanted to extend it I could). So I went to sleep cabin number 3 with the attendant and sat in the chair. She gave me a choice of music – or no music – or white noise. I choose a dreamy kind of music, she put a cashmere blanket over my legs, checked my temperature and adjusted the chair so that my knees were bent and my legs were slightly elevated above my torso. She is turned out the lights and let me know I will be awakened gradually with a simulated sunrise.

It takes me time to relax….my mind is wandering, thinking about the financials of this concept, whether or not I chose the right music, etc. Before I knew it, 30 minutes had passed and the sunrise light is coming up and I have only slept a few minutes. I asked for an extension and also for a music change to white noise. As soon as she closed the door, turned the music off, and added white noise, I noticed I was falling asleep almost instantly. 15 minutes and another sunrise later I meandered back to the front desk, payed for my extra nap, perused the retail area(which had various sleep aid products) before heading out to the sound of mid-town Manhattan.

Bottom line? Clever concept. Has possibilities. Could do more for sleep health. Anticipate expansion in other big cities. Not sure how profitable it is.

It will be fun to watch if the sleep cabs catches on…clearly sleep health is an important issue and there certainly have been times (like in airports or at work) when I would love to crawl into a sleep cab for a few minutes.

A 4th of July Kick Start

zuckerman 790853 A 4th of July Kick StartPeter and I are at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires. This is the second year in a row we decided to spend 4th of July here and I am once again glad we did. There’s nothing like the great food, exercise and education here that gets me motivated to make some changes for the better in regards to my health. And all the green trees everywhere make me feel that I am getting more and better oxygen than I do in Manhattan.

On the first day here Peter ran into Mel Zuckerman in the gym. On the second day Mel was there again working out. That is really telling. Mel and his wife Enid founded Canyon Ranch in Tucson in 1979. I believe he is over 80 now. Seeing him still so committed to exercise and a healthy lifestyle is a great inspiration to all the staff and guests here. Deborah Szekely (Golden Door and Rancho La Puerta founder) is also over 80 – in fact she just turned 85. Both of these icons in the spa industry have been practicing what they preach. Lucky for us, we get to see by their example how these principles really work.