Articles by Susie Ellis

Yesterday marked an annual event I always look forward to: Our announcement of Spa Finder’s “Trends to Watch for” in the upcoming year. This is the fourth consecutive year for which we have issued a spa trend “prediction” report. We always do a press release as well as one of my “Spa Finder Insiders” in […]

We received a call at the beginning of the fall semester from several Cornell students who are in Professor Mary Tabacchi’s Spa Management class requesting our help for a class project. They have designed two short surveys – one for spa managers and one for spa consumers – and asked us to help distribute them […]

Eco-Conscious Resort and Spa Beginning Construction in Vietnam The Christina O, Legendary Luxury Motor Yacht, Unveils Six Senses Spa Platinum Hotel and Spa Opens in Vegas Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Readies for December Debut N Reagan Spa Partners with Delray Beach Marriott $20 Million Renovation of Colorado’s Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Will Add […]

Oh dear. I am torn. Last night, I went to the grand-opening announcement of Miraval Living in Manhattan. I so love the idea of spa living. The thought of owning an apartment in a high-rise and living with people who share my love for a healthy lifestyle is so appealing. I dream of living: Where […]

Sister time with my twin, Katrine, on a walk during our stay at the Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, CT. Things don’t get much better than this. I would love to hear feedback from those who read my blog! Please post a comment by clicking on the link below that reads “Comments.”

“Wow, that spa is so clean!” Those were the first words my brother-in-law, Bill Formby, said when I asked him how his massage was at the new Mayflower Spa this weekend. I had to laugh because there are so many extraordinary aspects of this new spa that could be mentioned (the setting, the artwork, the […]

Miraval Living is getting ready to launch. I have been hearing bits and pieces regarding Miraval opening something in New York for quite some time now. The PR office for Miraval confirms that the pieces are finally coming together. Next week, there will be an “official” announcement, and I think it will cause quite a […]

Luxury Spa Resort Will Open in Southern Utah Lapli Spa Opens at St. Lucia’s Discovery at Marigot Bay Maia Spa Opens in the Seychelles New York’s Turning Stone Resort and Casino Features New Spa Six Senses Spa Opens at PuntaCana Resort & Club, Dominican Republic Shangri-La Hotel Will Debut in Abu Dhabi in February Oceanfront […]

Even if you have never been to Brenner’s Park Hotel and Spa in Baden-Baden, Germany, you may have seen this famous photo of their pool, which overlooks a glorious park. We were lucky enough to be there on a crisp sunny fall day where the leaves were turning, and I had to wear a scarf […]

Although I had spent a few minutes in a sand therapy room at Brenner’s Park Hotel in Baden-Baden many years ago, the one here in Wiesbaden was different. As soon as I entered the room, I noticed that the entire floor – all the way up to the edges – was made of deep sand. […]

We spent our morning at the special Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme here in Wiesbaden. It is a marvelous, refurbished ancient bathing establishment. This one has an outstanding circuit of water and heat treatments. I think the Germans are probably the best in the world in understanding the physiology of contrast therapy (hot and cold) and its health benefits. […]

Spa May Open in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Shizen Spa in the Cosmopolitan Toronto Hotel Offers Urban Weekend Spa RetreatWailea Beach Marriott Begins $60 Million RenovationAngsana Spa Emirates Hills Opens in DubaiSpa Opens in Singapore’s Changi AirportCompletely Renovated Exhale Spa Reopens in New York CityIreland’s Park Hotel Kenmare Adds Spa Residential RetreatsPlaya Hotels & Resorts, […]

We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany this morning. Peter and I are attending and speaking at the Wellness Summit in Wiesbaden. “Baden” means bathing in German, so we assumed there would be natural thermal water. That assumption proved to be correct, though we were pleasantly surprised that in addition to the traditional German mineral baths for […]

You have to check out this new product, which is marketed as “color for the hair down there.” Even if you never use it, you’ll want to know about it. Here is the introduction from Nancy Jarecki, who I understand from a friend of hers is quite a hoot. What a clever idea. Wonder what […]

My favorite spa of all has to be Lake Austin. I don’t see why they haven’t won our Crystal Award yet. This spa comes with my highest recommendations and high hopes that next year they will win “Top Spa in North America.” As I was driving up to the resort, I saw a sign that […]

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 […]

It feels like Spa Finder Europe Day here in the office. Kevin Turnbull, the CEO of Spa Finder Europe, is visiting and having meetings with various staff members about transporting much of the Spa Finder website and gift voucher program “across the pond” (to the UK and throughout Europe) in the upcoming year. His wife, […]

I received a call yesterday from New York 1 requesting an interview about pedicure equipment at spas and what consumers should know to make sure they are safe when receiving a pedicure. Since manicures and pedicures are the most popular beauty services at spas, this is clearly an important topic. With the hundreds of thousands […]

Well, sounds like I missed a great party! I hate when that happens, but you just can’t avoid it sometimes. The new Townhouse Spa had a splashy opening party last night, and since I wasn’t able to attend, I asked Nikita (our director of research) and Jasmine (our day and medical spa account manager) to […]

I’ll give you my layperson’s version of the Moxa Ventoza treatment I experienced at The Farm at San Benito. And then you can check out this CBS News segment on a similar treatment called “cupping” that aired the day after Gwyneth Paltrow was seen with round red marks on her back, which she attributed to […]