Tag Archives: Spa Real Estate

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.

All That Glitters…Is Gold – in St. Petersburg

ballroom 708544 All That Glitters...Is Gold in St. PetersburgWell, it doesn’t get more Cinderella-like than going to a grand dinner party at The Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg.

At-attention torch bearers welcomed our Virtuoso Travel group (both property reps and agents), who were all in black tie and ball gowns. We strolled through various palace rooms dripping with gold leaf and chandeliers and took photos in the amber room (whose walls are covered in amber and gold). Then we entered the grand ballroom, which was set for dinner. I kept thinking back to my days of working with Donald Trump, who loved this kind of setting. But there is a difference between creating something like this and seeing the real thing. Truly extraordinary.

It kind of makes you understand why there was a revolution in Russia. This sort of wealth for a few would be a mind-boggling contrast to the hardships most Russians faced. How wonderful that many of these places were preserved as museums and everyone can visit today.

Spas were not on my mind this evening. I was just grateful that I could still fit into a gown I bought years ago, which has a black velvet bodice and a lace train. It has never worked better than in this setting.

Thinking about spa and beauty in South America

This past week I have been preparing for a speech I will be giving in Monaco next Saturday at the Monaco Spa Congress. The title of my speech is A Spa Dialogue: Tracking perspectives in the Spa Industry. While I will be focusing on the spa dialogue between North America and Europe, I wanted to have a better understanding of what the spa industry and medical tourism was like in some areas of the world with which I am less familiar – namely Africa and South America.

Then today in the NY Times there is a prominent article about what’s happening in the Brazilian world of beauty. I have always known that Brazilian women were some of the most beautiful in the world (they win a lot of contests) and that their society is very body conscious. Someone once told me that having plastic surgery is sort of a “badge of honor” there and that people proudly wear their surgical bandages for others to see.

In today’s article they highlighted this obsession with beauty perfection and the fact that there seems to be a shift in standards. Instead of a more plump and rounded guitar-shaped figure being popular, the tall and thin Gisele Bundchen-like figure is “in”. That has resulted in Brazil becoming the country that swallows the most diet pills and is now exhibiting the sad results of anorexia. Apparently Miss Brazil 2001 admitted to having had 23 cosmetic procedures before winning the crown. Wow – and that was a long time ago.

This all gives me mixed feelings. On the one hand I am looking forward to spending some time in Monaco where there will be a large French contingency. The French, of course, are known to be quite confident with their natural beauty. On the other hand I think, hmmmm those Brazilian plastic surgeons have certainly had a lot of practice….

I wonder how I will feel when I return.

Attention all dentists….we would love a spa service while you are drilling!

The day after Christmas, I received an unwelcome surprise — a toothache resulting in my first root canal. It was a three-hour ordeal (not fun, although thankfully not too painful), and all the while I was thinking about my favorite dental spa experience, which occurred a while ago at Dell’Acqua Dental Studio in Palm Desert. That’s the place I wrote about in my Ask Susie column in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Luxury SpaFinder Magazine.
acqua1 754527 Attention all dentists....we would love a spa service while you are drilling!
After trying a variety of dental spas, I concluded that Dr. Renee at the Dell’Acqua Dental Studio has done the most to incorporate a spa ambiance and nurturing spa services into the dental experience. Unfortunately, the endodontist I was sent to hasn’t gotten with the spa program yet. While I was undergoing my root canal, I kept thinking: “This would be so much easier with a foot massage.”

In case you haven’t seen our latest issue, I will share with you what I wrote in my column. Please pass it on to your dentist, and let’s see if we can’t get more of our dentists (and endodontists) to offset their patients’ stress with relaxation treatments.

From Jan/Feb 2007, Luxury Spa Finder Magazine

WHAT I LOVED:

Being given a robe and slippers to change into. Andrea Bocelli on the sound system, flower petals at my feet, a warm aromatherapy towel around my shoulders, and an eye pillow on my lids during the dental exam and teeth whitening session. The way therapist Sam Nguyen expertly massaged my forearms and hands, placed them in warm mitts, and then performed a reflexology massage on my lower legs and feet during the dental procedure. (And at no charge — it’s all included in the fee.)

WHAT’S UNIQUE:
This isn’t a dental spa; it’s spa dentistry, a field in which Rene Del’Acqua, D.D.S., was a pioneer. The spa amenities, setting, and services (and the oxygen inhalation offered throughout my 90-minute treatment) left me as relaxed and rejuvenated as a regular spa visit–but this one included dental work.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
Not having quite enough moisturizer on my hands during the hot mitt treatment.

MAKE SURE YOU:
Book one of the newly decorated spa suites. Request Kelly Rambold for tooth bleaching. Her attentiveness makes me proud of the way spa practices have enhanced the practice of dentistry.

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.”