Tag Archives: Miraval

During times of grief, can there be help at a spa?

debbie.simon During times of grief, can there be help at a spa?This is one blog I have not looked forward to writing.  It is September 10th – the first anniversary of the day one of my best friends, Debbie Simon, took her own life.  It is still so unbelievable to me.  It was a tremendous loss to her family, the many friends (there were over 1,000 at her funeral), and others whose lives she had touched.

What to say?  Well, frankly I don’t know.

I could tell you what a wonderful person Debbie was –beautiful inside and out.  I could tell you that she was a model for “living life to the full.”  I could tell you how she relentlessly stayed at her son Scottie’s side during the months he was in a coma, what an amazing job she did raising her talented daughter Lauren and exceptional son David.  I could tell you about the wonderful times we had together or I could share some of the incredible tragedies that led her into a deep depression, ultimately causing her to end her life in a horrific way.

Instead I have decided to share a positive that has stemmed from this heartbreak.  About six months ago, her daughter, Lauren, phoned me.  She said that while attending support group sessions for those whose lives have been inflicted by suicide, she felt there was a need for something more.  Lauren wanted to gather with other fellow survivors in a supportive retreat setting.  Was there a spa somewhere that dealt with this topic?  And if not, could I recommend a place that might work with her to put together such a retreat that would honor her mother while at the same time help others?

I immediately thought of Miraval.  Michael Tompkins, the GM at this award winning spa, was very responsive and together they created what will become the first annual Touched by an Angel, Sisterhood of Survivors Spa Retreat (open to both men and women).

The first retreat will take place Thursday, Feb 3 – Sunday, Feb 6, 2011.  Judy Collins, a Grammy Award winning actress and author whose son committed suicide, will be one of the attendees and speakers.  There will be grief experts.  I will be there.

I cannot predict how I will feel during the retreat or what will come of it.  I do know that getting together with others who have gone through similar experiences is a healthy thing to do.  And I know that a destination spa setting is the most healing environment to facilitate such a gathering.  So I trust it will be a positive in my life.
Today my heart aches.  I really miss Debbie.

My twitter address: @susieellis

Special Spa Training in Ayurveda

Special Spa Training in AyurvedaI just received a follow-up email from Dr. Swati, the Indian born doctor in Ayurveda, Natural Medicine, and Yoga Therapy who I met at Parrot Cay. Dr. Swati just joined the staff at Como Shambhala and I must say she is a very impressive addition. She gave a presentation to our group, which was the most thorough explanation of Ayurveda I have ever heard. She has worked many years in Indian hospital and healing settings, and it was obvious to our entire group that she is a gifted healer (in addition to being very smart with a good sense of humor.) A private consultation with her is $150 which, after meeting her, is really a true bargain; I wish that I would have had more time to take advantage of that opportunity. But if anyone is reading this who is thinking about going to Parrot Cay….take my word for it and schedule a consultation with Dr. Swati before word gets out and she is totally booked!

Kudos to Chi Spa for Etiquette. Learning about China.

shangri la.pudong 759619 Kudos to Chi Spa for Etiquette. Learning about China.One silly memory – but because it is one of my pet peeves – I am sure I won’t forget it. Of the many spa treatments I’ve had, I can count on one hand the number of therapists who have washed their hands in front of me before starting the treatment. Here at the Chi spa in Shanghai, at the Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai hotel, my therapist made it a point to say between each part of my treatment, “I will go and wash my hands now.” She must have said it 3 times. Kudos then to my first spa therapist in China. And kudos to the Chi spa training program.

A thought. After our first Shanghai spa experience, Nicholas and I had dinner before heading to the Bund to see a bit of the nightlife. When we returned later in the evening, our cab driver dropped us off at the side entrance to the hotel amongst quite a bit of traffic. After we got out of the cab (thankfully) our cab driver got into a fist fight with someone from another vehicle because both vehicles wouldn’t budge to alleviate a traffic jam. This was frightening.

I thought later about how I am seeing two aspects of China here….one is the very modern face with skyscrapers, western style restaurants, and plenty of contemporary glitz. The other is a backwardness which is very foreign to an American. The fight was one example; another was a woman helping her young child, about four, squat down to go the bathroom right in front of me on a ferry ride, like a dog going to the bathroom in the street. Then there were the sounds, and sights, of older men clearing their throats and spitting on the sidewalk. It’s a bit of a yin and yang experience and I look forward to learning more about the dichotomy while I am here. I wonder if the shift from the dark ages of the cultural revolution to the modernizing influence of the west on this communist country is at the root. It certainly hasn’t been a gradual evolution of change for them.

Global Spa Dialogue, Courtesy of Skype

skypelogo 728434 Global Spa Dialogue, Courtesy of SkypePeter just got off a Skype phone call he had this morning with our partners in Japan and Hong Kong. When it is 7 a.m. in New York, it is about 7 p.m. in that part of the world – a good time to schedule business calls. After his one-hour three-way phone call, he walked into the room where I was on the internet and was just giddy about how Skype has made these calls possible.

In the past, that hourlong phone call would have cost him more than $500…Instead, with everyone this morning on Skype, it was free! And he noted that there were ten million people on Skype at the same time today. It always boggles my mind how technology can affect us – but this has got to be one of the biggest leaps.

New Six Senses Spa at Punta Cana and Tortuga Bay

The Dominican Republic is probably known more for its all-inclusive affordable vacation packages than for its luxury resorts. Based on my recent visit, I’d say that is about to change.
01 777231 New Six Senses Spa at Punta Cana and Tortuga Bay
One of the properties leading the change is the repositioned PUNTACANA Resort & Club, no longer an all-inclusive but a more traditional resort offering – and yet it has remained very affordable. A luxury addition called Tortuga Bay with a few beachfront estate villas was added to the property. I was told that Oscar de la Renta designed the interiors of these villas (pictured at right), and they are exquisite! Both give you access to the newly opened Six Senses Spa.

The rooms at Tortuga Bay cost more than $600 per night and, at PUNTACANA, less than $200 per night. I was lucky enough to have the Tortuga Bay experience as well as a taste of the resort’s two gourmet respaa 706125 New Six Senses Spa at Punta Cana and Tortuga Baytaurants. But as usual, the Six Senses Spa was the highlight. My four-handed 90-minute massage was one of the best I have ever had. There is nothing like having someone massage a fragrant Sodashi product on your face while another therapist is giving you a foot massage. And of particular interest to me was their use of very warm towels as they alternated between compression and massage.

In all honesty, it is one of the first times I have thought that it truly is possible to have a signature spa treatment that is so unusual in its choreography (and its execution) that you can actually say “That’s a Six Senses Spa Treatment.”