Articles by Susie Ellis

Stay Spa Close to New York City – Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa – Worth the RideBy Susie Ellis SpaFinder Insider Last Saturday was a honey-do day for me. Not the melon kind but the “honey do this, honey do that” kind. Peter loves his motorcycles and just loves riding in the beautiful countryside outside […]

Kids & Teens at Spas…Supply or Demand? by Susie EllisSpaFinder Insider This article, “Spas Go All Out To Give Kids the Treatment” by Andrea Petersen and Miriam Foster was in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. It’s about the trend of more kids and teens going to spas for treatments. I have two comments. Both relate […]

After all of the buzz about the newly announced Vagina Spa or Gyno-Spa here in New York, I feel compelled to weigh in on the conversation. As I share my thoughts, I am going to try to stay away from all the puns being used on the internet to describe this latest news item. (It […]

Advice from Seasoned Spa Consultants By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Judy Singer and Patti Monteson are spa consultants who I have known for almost 20 years. In fact, they were the first spa consultants I ever met. Their company HFD, Heath Fitness Dynamics, is based in Florida. (Sometimes I wonder if they would select the […]

Visiting Spas Has Other Than Spa Benefits By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider The family appreciates me these days. Am at a family gathering in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico for the 4th of July weekend. Peter and I are with his nephew and wife, their two cute little girls (ages 3 and 6), his sister and his […]

The Economic Climate Rains on the Spa Industry TooBy Susie Ellis, the SpaFinder Insider My twin sister, Katrine, gave me a verbal rap-on-the-knuckles the other day (sisters are good for such things.) I probably deserved it. Since she is on my blog list that automatically receives an email with my posts, she will often email […]

I felt really ‘out of it.’ Sitting at lunch with my niece Christa (17), my brother Rolf (49), his girlfriend Stacey (40), my step-daughter Courtney (30), and her girlfriend, Tana (28ish). They are all talking about the Wii and in particular the Wii Fit and how much they love, love, love it! It’s fun, they […]

Quite a Father’s Day surprise. Yesterday I received an email from Steve Kane, who is a senior vice president at SpaFinder, with some extremely interesting data. Apparently Father’s Day gift card and gift certificate sales this year have increased quite dramatically. That means that most day spas out there, if they did a Father’s Day […]

A Spa Moment of Balance with Hubby…by Susie Ellis My husband is a gem. Sometimes I mention him in my blogs – especially when I can poke a bit of fun – but today I feel like telling you why it is so great to live with him and what makes him the best husband […]

Peter and I did something this weekend which we were never able to do while living on the West Coast – hop on a short flight to spend the weekend in the Bahamas. It sounds so “East Coast” doesn’t it? Actually Peter is on a mission to convince me that getting into boating would be […]

Spa Industry Brain Dumpby Susie Ellis I had someone in my office yesterday who is a big-time investor (billions of dollars in a fund). He wants to learn about the spa industry as quickly as possible. Someone told him he should begin by getting in touch with me – I am flattered. Sitting here among […]

Dr. Richard Carmona Speaks About Spas and Their Vital Role in Global Health: Spas Matter! by Susie Ellis Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th U.S. Surgeon General (2002-2006), was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Global Spa Summit held at the Waldorf Astoria here in New York City last month. He received a standing ovation! Here […]

Global Spa Summit 2008: Spa Industry’s Key Questions Answeredby Susie Ellis Want to know the #1 problem facing the global spa industry today? We know the answer – thanks to an instant audience response system technology which was used at the Global Spa Summit last month here in New York. Here is a visual example […]

Global Spa Summit 2008 – Another Perspectiveby Susie Ellis Can’t believe that my one week vacation post-Global Spa Summit is over. Alas, I could use another week – however, I am grateful that even seven days away has helped me refocus and perhaps gain a wider perspective. When you work so hard on one project, […]

Global Spa Summit 2008: Ian Schrager Addresses Spa Design (or Rather, The Lack Of…) by Susie Ellis At the 2008 Global Spa Summit, Ian Schrager, who was the keynote speaker for Day One , gave a very inspirational talk. Looking somewhat “hip” himself (although in my opinion a tad older than the age (61) I […]

Global Spa Summit 2008: Spa Economy hits $255 Billion by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Whew…Global Spa Summit 2008 just wrapped and what an amazing event. I learned so much and had such fun. It was wonderful to see so many of my colleagues – there were 230 participants representing 29 different countries from around the world. […]

Spa Terminology: Wellness or Well-being?by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Earlier this week I attended the New York Spa Promotion Alliance (NYSPA) conference. This year it was held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Professor Mary Tabacchi organizes this event every year and despite the unfortunate timing (just days before the Global Spa Summit), I always try […]

Reiki. I have always found it mysterious. What is it exactly? Every explanation I have heard seems to be different. I have tried it a few times, however when faced with a choice between a wonderfully relaxing deep-tissue massage or a Reiki session, I have always opted for the massage. In Reiki there isn’t a […]

Trisara Resort and Spa: The Perfectly Designed Hotel Suite with Plenty of Room for Spa Treatmentsby Susie EllisLast year I experienced what I considered to be one of the most perfectly choreographed spa treatments I had ever had. It was at the Sphatika Holistic Treatment Center in New York – a 2 hour treatment superbly […]

Had a sneak peek at the soon-to-be-launched new Six Senses Destination Spa here in Thailand. It was a 30 minute boat ride from the Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi where I am currently staying. During a tour of the property which is nearing completion (although it looks to me will need more time than they […]