Tag Archives: Mary Tabacchi

LA Spa Conference: A Medical Spa Insight, Touching Remarks from “the Godmother of the Spa Industry” and Excitement about Spa Booker

LA Spa Conference: A Medical Spa Insight, Touching Remarks from “The Godmother of the Spa Industry” and Excitement about Spa Booker
by Susie Ellis

Just returned from the Los Angeles Spa & Resort (and Medical Aesthetics) Expo & Conference. Highlights included hearing John Buckingham, the Founder and President of Solana MedSpas speak on “The Evolution & Revolution of the Medical Aesthetics Industry,” hearing Deborah Szekely share some of her life’s journey including the founding of Rancho La Puerta (60+ years ago) and the Golden Door (exactly 50 years ago this year), and seeing the energy surrounding the Spa Booker booth on the trade show floor.

The surprising thing I learned from John Buckingham, who has a network of more than 40 locally branded medical spa facilities, is that the real market for these services is NOT the aging baby boomer, but rather Gen X and Gen Y. They have an entirely different attitude toward these procedures – partaking with abandon, reasoning that it is worth the money they spend, and not caring who knows they are having “work” done.

Come to think of it, my husband’s niece (in her 30′s) is a perfect example. She pops in regularly for procedures like Botox®, laser hair removal, endermologie, and IPL, etc. I have to say she looks fantastic, has a lot of confidence and, as a mother of two with her MBA, enjoys “having it all.” Even her husband does a bit of spray tanning now and then.

John said that many baby boomers have become “comfortable couples” meaning that they are happily married and no longer feel the need to iron out every wrinkle, or cover up every bulge. Although there are still plenty of single baby boomers, and people who want to keep a youthful appearance to stay competitive in the labor market, he predicts that the Gen X and Gen Y will be the bread and butter of medical spas in the future.

Deborah Szekely at age 85 looks marvelous, her memory is as sharp as ever and, she is as informed (and opinionated) about today’s political scene as she was during the 17 years she worked in Washington D.C. Clearly…the Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door lifestyle she leads is working.

Spa Booker – the new software (that comes with leads) by SpaFinder – had a fun booth on the showroom floor. I loved watching the buzz from afar….so many of our young staff talking to new clients and demonstrating the product. It was an idea in Peter’s mind a few years ago, and now it is a reality. I marvel at how Peter’s mind works….he really is a visionary. With a single purpose – to bring more customers to our partner spas – he leaves no stone unturned. It makes me proud.

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Using Spas To Stop Aging – At All Costs

Today’s New York Times had a huge story in their Style Section entitled “Beauty Regimens Reach for the Gold Standard.” It was an article written about three women in Beverly Hills describing how much they spend – and what they have done – in terms of their beauty regimes each week. Even I was quite shocked. Not only the money spent but also the time taken!

One woman, Ginger, figures that she spends about 10 hours and $1,000 each week on grooming. (And if you count her personal training and exercise coaching, you would add another $500 per week to that.) Another woman spends about $500 per week on grooming although that doesn’t count the $60,000 she spent this year on liposuction and a face lift. The third woman spends about $225 per week which in comparison looked quite reasonable. That’s still almost $12,000 per year!

It is bittersweet to read these stories. Clearly the demand for these services is part of why our spa industry has such robust growth. On the other hand it is kind of sad to think that the desperation to look young forever is so very important to so many of us – and I do include myself. Perhaps the best solution is for other parts of the spa industry – the part concerned with the body/mind/spirit, community and self-acceptance – to become more successful in helping people reach a healthy outlook on aging gracefully.

We can hope.

Feeling Bad About Your Neck?

I learned something remarkable the other day. I learned that Botox is being used to get rid of the strong vertical lines which appear on our necks as we age and that the procedure really works!

These muscles in our neck are called platysma muscles and as we get older a downward pull creates vertical fibrous bands. I know what these bands look like because I see them in the mirror every day. I didn’t even know these were muscles or that anything could be done about the way they age us.

Apparently neither did Nora Ephron who wrote the book (which is still on the NY Times Bestseller list) “I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.” But thanks to the artistry of Dr. Richard Foxx at the Medical and Skin Spa at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort and Spa (and his willingness to point out fixable flaws) Nora and I don’t need to feel bad about our necks any longer. Presto…with a series of very small injections along the lines of these cords, they become totally relaxed the next day.

Amazing.

Thoughts on this Spa Industry Trademark Lawsuit

This article caught my eye this morning, “Swiss Spa Files Suit Against Ritz-Carlton for Trademark Violations.” It is one of the issues I brought up during my presentation at the Monaco Spa Conference in January when I was asked to give a list of suggestions for the spa industry going forward. My #6 suggestion was:

“Let’s respect each other’s intellectual property; patents, trademarks, and copyrights.”

Having not studied the specifics of the La Prairie and Ritz-Carlton case, I have no idea whether the lawsuit has merit. I suppose the courts will decide. However, it does strike me that as our industry grows, violations of intellectual property are likely to increase. Some of it is innocent (in fact much of it is) but I think we have an obligation to be very careful about using names, titles, and terminology which has proprietary value. And when we have done so inadvertently, make a quick change. That is the right thing to do.

I remember in the early 90’s when Deborah Szekely tried to stop the Golden Door name from being used by someone in Australia who was opening a new spa – unfortunately she was not successful. Now there is an entire chain of Golden Door spas in Australia – all resembling the original Golden Door which Deborah and her late husband, Edmond, opened in Escondido, California in 1959. The Szekely’s had invested everything they had to create what became one of the most celebrated spas in the world. They had earned millions of dollars in media exposure through decades of hard work and sacrifice. Now that was going to be leveraged (and still is) by another company which simply decided to take the name for their venture. They even used a logo and font for their Golden Door name which was very close to the one used by the Golden Door in the U.S. at the time.

I think this was unfair.

Even if using someone else’s name is “legal” because of international gaps in the system, it creates ill-will within our industry and is costly in the long run. Precious resources that could be invested in improving health and well-being are, instead, diverted to legal fees for both parties. And now the very claim that Deborah Szekely made all those years ago – that the consumer will be confused – has indeed happened. When I travel throughout Asia and mention that I worked with the Golden Door, most people assume it is the Golden Door in Australia.

It may be too late to change that situation, but it is my hope that our industry will be conscientious about this issue going forward and retain the spirit of the law – even if the letter of the law would allow otherwise.

At Spa Finder we have successfully worked with many who inadvertently used the Spa Finder name inappropriately. Thankfully, in virtually every instance we were able to reach an amicable resolution before needing to take legal action. We have even become friends with some as we worked together and found synergies.

I’m kind of a stickler about this issue (as you can probably tell) and so I have made it a point to make sure that at Spa Finder we don’t tread on other’s trademarks. One example is the term medi-spa which I learned many years ago is a registered trademark owned by Dr. Bruce Katz, a well known medical doctor here in New York. We do not use that term without crediting him.

I don’t know the specifics behind the La Prairie and Ritz Carlton dispute. For all I know it might be tied to the issue that the Swiss Clinique La Prairie and the skin care company La Prairie have been separate companies for quite a while now (something which has been confusing to me all along). However, it is my hope that they resolve the issue quickly and in good faith.

Tucson as a mecca for “health tourism”

drweil 700139 Tucson as a mecca for health tourism The Arizona Daily Star ran a story on Thursday, December 7 announcing that Dr. Andrew Weil was in conversation with developers and Tucson, AZ city politicians about opening a new integrative-medicine wellness center to promote “health tourism.” Later that day, I received a call from a writer asking for my comments. At first I was a bit confused. I knew that Dr. Weil was working with Miraval, Life in Balance to establish a new center, which will open on the property in a few years. I wasn’t quite sure whether the wellness center the Star described was “in addition to” or “instead of” the forthcoming center I knew about.

Dr. Weil’s office, and in particular Dr. Weil’s business partner Richard Baxter, filled me in on the specifics. The project Dr. Weil was proposing was not only an additional health-tourism attraction but also a museum and education center – it would not have any overnight or spa components. The idea is to create a place where people could get information about integrative medicine via interactive exhibits, including computers and access to online courses on nutrition and health as well as botanical and mind/body medicine. Also part of this resource center would be a reference library and an auditorium for films, demonstrations, and lectures. In addition, there would be outdoor attractions, such as a garden of indigenous medicinal plants.

All of a sudden I “got it.” It dawned on me that they were describing something similar to the marvelous Living Desert in Palm Desert, California. The Living Desert is a museum/education center with gardens and a wilderness park that focuses on desert terrain and animal life. What a great idea it is to create someplace similar to educate people about integrative medicine in a location that can lay claim to being a mecca of health tourism, with Canyon Ranch, Miraval, Life in Balance, and the University of Arizona all in support.

Susie's Spa Blog

Susie's Spa Industry Blog