Articles by Susie Ellis

Savvy spas are rethinking everything to address the needs of the growing “over-65” cohort. From facilities to equipment to programming, not to mention just plain old pain relief, spa menus are changing to meet the needs of clientele with back, neck, knee and mobility issues.

Question:

Is it customary to pay a gratuity for medical spa services, such as Botox® or laser hair removal?”

Let the Spa Research begin!  (Guess what…it already has.) When it comes to Evidenced Based Medicine (EBM) research studies that support many spa and wellness modalities (such as massage, exercise, meditation, yoga, Reiki, and the like) we need not wait to create them – they already exist. In my previous blog post I wrote about the two Global Spa […]

A dear friend of mine wants to spend a month at a spa to set himself up thoroughly for the ‘second half of his life’ (he’s just turned 50). He would like somewhere that combines high end testing with natural solutions and also offers a complete mind, body, and soul refresher. What would you recommend?”

It’s the New Year and it feels like some exciting changes are ahead.  In fact “change” is part of the theme for the upcoming Global Spa Summit that will be held May 15-18 in Bali, 2011 as we will be encouraged to “Engage the Change.”  Two initiatives that were birthed at last year’s Summit are now underway.  I think they could […]

Lots of spas say they can help you lose weight. In fact, SpaFinder.com lists over 100 getaway spas that offer weight loss as one of their primary programs. I would, however, recommend narrowing your search results through other filters to find spas where criteria such as “portion control” and “serves no alcohol” can help make it easier for you and your husband to lose weight and get fit.

Am enjoying a quiet moment here at the counter of my kitchen at our home in Palm Desert, CA.  The sun hasn’t even risen yet.  I’m still on New York time I guess.  Am reflecting on this past year – 2010 – the highs, the lows, what I have learned and what I feel may […]

It’s almost Christmas and I thought I would share a Q&A with you that came across my desk this week. A national network morning show was doing a story on the most popular gifts for Christmas this year. They went to several shopping centers to ask men and women, “What would you most like for Christmas this year?” The answer surprised them – so many of the women said that what they really, really wanted was a gift certificate to a spa!

Some of the year’s hottest spa trends.

Guests who come to Cal-a-Vie experience a magical place with unparalleled facilities and programming provided by owners Terri and John Havens.

Question: My husband wants to take our daughter, who is in recovery for bulimia, alcoholism, and drug abuse, and me to a luxury spa in a warm place, with no bar, for a week. Any ideas?

They had me at the Red Ferrari Cake Peter and I finally had a chance to experience the famous Montage in Laguna Beach California.  We had driven by it many times, heard people rave about it, and watched it win numerous awards – including top honors for their spa.  The fact that it was the […]

Question:

How do I know whether the spa in my area is a “good” one for a full cleansing facial?”

In a recent survey, travel agents reported the #1 emerging spa travel trend was people increasingly hitting stay spas for special occasions. Occasions like the big ’0s’, anniversaries,

Last year at this time we predicted that there would be more need in the real world and more emphasis in the spa world on…stillness.  Well, the former has definitely happened however the latter has a ways to go. After you re-read our #10 trend prediction for 2010, I will grade myself and comment once again […]

Rereading our Diversity Trend from last year’s trend report it strikes me that the statement, “Spa-going has become so mainstream that the face of the spa-goer will now continue to reflect the wider global population” pretty much sums it up.  And I think we gave a fair amount of good examples that were on the radar.  […]

Question:

I have been trying to plan a vacation for myself in August and thought maybe I could find a spa-type place to go. I am a single mom (age 43), not into the typical “singles” scene, but don’t want to go somewhere there will be lots of families. I love outdoor activities (snorkeling, hiking, etc). I love fitness classes and just doing things I haven’t tried before. I like to be in a group with organized activities rather than try to go it alone. I would love to go to the Caribbean, British Virgin Islands, somewhere tropical, but not too quiet and sedentary. I am not sure about Mexico at this time. I would like something economical and not looking for gaudy, just classy and fun. I would fly from Newark, NJ or in that area.”

When we predicted this trend last year we decided to draw attention to the scary and silly spa stories to make the case for ‘evidenced based medicine’ (EBM) to begin being associated with spa modalities.  We considered using the term ‘evidenced based medicine’ in the title of the trend but then decided that it was likely […]

Reviewing this trend prediction for 2010 makes me smile.  That’s because I think we were right on; in fact, this trend exceeded our expectations!  That has some very important implications for the future of our spa industry. Go ahead and reread what we wrote about Wellness Tourism a year ago and then at the end I will […]

Question:

I am 42 years old & I have never had a facial. What kind would you recommend?”

Thanks,

Y.A.