Tag Archives: Press

Exhale Spa Santa Monica – The Mind/Body Spa

I’m in Santa Monica, California. Today was the day of the Spa Finder media breakfast, which we do each year. It is a chance for me to present the top Spa Trends that we predict for 2007. This year we held the breakfast at the new Exhale Spa. I had a chance to tour the spa before the breakfast and got a feel for why this place is so popular. They opened a little more than a year ago and are now running at nearly full capacity, I hear! Their core fusion classes (ocean view from the exercise studio) are super-popular, and there were already lots of people checking in or out for massage treatments when I arrived at 8:30 a.m.!

The Exhale Spa took over the space where the Aqua Spa used to be. The staff is friendly, the retail space has some great “hot” workout clothes, and the whole vibe matched the cutting-edge program for which they are famous. Namely – outstanding therapists and a mind/body focus that makes healing and spa a reality. This is their eighth location…and I hear they have a major announcement planned for next week.

More about the press breakfast tomorrow…

Tamara’s Visit to Cooper Wellness Center

Since I have been immersed in some projects at the office this week, I can’t report on any spa experiences (darn), but fortunately there is hardly a day on which someone from our staff of over 50 people isn’t at a spa. So here is an email I received from Tamara Bedrosian – one of our top account executives – from her recent trip to the “big” state of Texas.

“I am out in Texas visiting spas and, wow, the variety here is pretty fascinating. My trainer told me before I left that Texas is the “fattest state” as kind of a warning not to stray too far from my usual healthy eating regimen and regular workouts. Well, whoever said that Texas is the fat state apparently hasn’t visited Cooper Aerobics Center, founded by Dr. Ken Cooper in Dallas. This place is so full of fit people. The grounds are beautiful- unlike anything I had ever seen before. This is NOT a destination spa. Health and wellness is the main game, with serenity and relaxation second. I felt as though I was back at University…Actually, if you can picture this, a college campus crossed with the White House. I stayed at the Lodge at Cooper Aerobics Center, which has a very regal feeling. My room was fit for a queen (which is fitting), and I have heard that several presidents have stayed at Cooper. Everything about this place is inspiring. I woke every day to joggers doing laps around the outdoor track. Joggers of all ages, I might add, as well as all sizes. The focus wasn’t necessarily on being thin but being fit.

Guilt and curiosity dragged me to the fitness center bright and early before my meetings. The center is 40,000 square feet and has everything you can possibly imagine and more. About 70% of the guests there worked with trainers. The renewal rate on memberships at Cooper is 89%, which is one of the highest in the country. I can see why: this place is serious on results. I hope I haven’t scared you, though. Cooper is lenient on a couple of things. They still have Snickers Bars in the vending machine and now they are offering BOTOX® in the Spa. Might that seem contradictory? Perhaps. But Dr. Ken Cooper understands, that sometimes nature needs just a little nurture.”

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Korean Massage in Korean Airport

incheon 784835 Korean Massage in Korean Airport I’m at the computer terminals (free!) at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea. I have a three-hour layover before my flight to Cebu, Philippines boards. I am on my way to the Turning Point Spa Conference. After almost 15 hours of flying, I’m happy to discover that this very sleek and modern airport has massages and showers available. So up to the fourth floor I go and sign up for a 60-minute massage. My appointment is in about 45 minutes. The cost: $81. I guess I will find out about the tipping policy when I go back for the massage. There’s just enough time to check out the array of designer shops, and it looks as though Chanel is right across the way…..

Fashionable Spa Professionals Worldwide

Abaya 785957 Fashionable Spa Professionals Worldwide One final observation in regards to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dubai, its multicultural epicenter. At the spa forum I attended, I sat next to a young woman wearing the traditional abaya (long black robe) and sheyla (head scarf) worn by some Emirati women. She was taking notes during the panel discussion. I noticed that underneath her long black robe she was wearing blue jeans. And on her feet were rhinestone flip-flops. She carried a designer handbag, wore makeup, and her head scarf had embroidery and some sparkly appliqué. When I leaned over to ask her whether she was in the spa business, she responded in beautiful English that she was from Pakistan and was hoping to open that country’s first spa. It was a poignant moment. We aren’t so different after all… and the spa industry is a great environment in which to rediscover our similarities.

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Dubai SPAspitality

gallery31 728579 Dubai SPAspitality My spa touring continues. Grand Hyatt is next on my list, where I find a fairly traditional spa facility very much like the spas I see in the US health clubs, but with gracious hospitality a la Dubai from Steven, the spa director, and Peter, the regional GM. Note to self: Showing enthusiasm when someone is visiting (even unannounced) is very impressive.

Over to Emirates Towers and a peak at their brand new H²0 Spa – the first all-male spa in Dubai. I’m curious to see how this concept works – a very large hotel with a spa only for men? After meeting with Anthony Lawrence, the group director of marketing (and a very busy man with the telephone), I head down to the all-male spa for a tour. Cecelia Larson, the stunningly gorgeous Swedish, blonde spa manager, greets me (I know instantly at least one reason why this spa would be popular with men!). She shows me around – lovely ambiance, minimalist décor, blacks and woods, very small (just a few treatment rooms). The hotel is 80% male business travelers. Females are relegated to the day spa in the attached shopping center. This hotel does, however, offer the “Chopard Floor,” which has guest rooms for women only, with an all-female staff. The women don’t get a spa – but they do get a floor.