Articles by Susie Ellis

The ‘Post-Relative’ Spa Massage by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Here in the U.S., we are enjoying the four-day Thanksgiving weekend. It happens to be one of my favorite holidays. There is no gift-giving involved – rather people simply get together with family and friends, enjoy the traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings and spend […]

Please Join Us! SpaFinder 2010 Spa Trend Forecast Online Presentation with UCI by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider For you spa trend trackers… please mark Monday, December 7th (10:00 a.m. PST) on your calendar. This year I will be presenting and analyzing our 2010 SpaFinder Global Spa Trends Forecast through an online webinar (open to anyone) […]

A Day of Good News for Spasby Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Peter (my husband and CEO of our company for those who are new to the blog) was in Florida this weekend and stopped by to say hi and congratulations to Paul Lehr, President of Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa. We had recently heard the […]

I have become a spa candle snob…and to a large degree I have only myself to blame. I noticed it last week as I was touring the new Amrita Spa at the Swiss Hotel in Istanbul. Their spa is quite large and has a lovely ambiance. I was especially impressed with the long corridors, which […]

Medical Tourism and Spas – Some Surprises by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Though I posted a lot of Tweets sharing what I was learning during the Medical Tourism Congress I attended in LA last week, when I returned home my sister asked me an interesting question. She wanted to know, “what surprised you?” It forced […]

Medical Tourism Congress in LA was Intriguing by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Am sharing notes I took on Day One of the Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress in Los Angeles earlier this week. (The notes in red are some of my personal thoughts.) Am here at the Hyatt Century City at the World Medical […]

Had a lovely lunch with Rudy Tauscher, GM of the Mandarin Oriental, NY and Denise Vitiello who is their spa director extraordinaire. What a privilege to sit at one of the best tables in all of New York City overlooking Central Park on a beautiful fall day talking about my favorite topic – what else? […]

Houston, we have a problem. Within the past two weeks we have had these headlines: “What Happened at the Weston MedSpa that Left Rohie Kah Brain Dead?” (Sept. 30) — A woman in Florida went in for Carboxytherapy, a “medical service” that injects carbon dioxide into a patient to improve the appearance of cellulite or […]

QUESTION: What do you suggest I do when I have had a bad spa treatment at a spa?   ANSWER: All spas should continually strive to improve, so speaking up is important.  Here are my suggestions: 1. Tell your therapist, immediately, what would take the treatment from “bad” to “good.” Mention something to the therapist […]

Lance Armstrong Gets 200 Massages a Year : Spas are ImportantBy Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Lance Armstrong gets 200 massages a year! That – and the reason he even mentioned this – was one of the “pearls of wisdom” I gleaned from yesterday’s closing session at what turned out to be a very good ISPA […]

Three Gazillionaires Share Wisdom with ISPA AudienceBy Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Am in Austin, Texas, at the annual International Spa Association (ISPA) event. While there are fewer attendees this year, the mood is very congenial and people seem to be enjoying a more intimate setting. This year there are two especially outstanding sessions. Along with […]

Spa Sweep in Paris By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider On my brief visit to Paris for the Beyond Beauty Spa Event, I took a day or so to visit a few spas. The last time I was in Paris was 18 years ago when my twin sister, Katrine, and I went to Paris to participate […]

It’s always a treat to be able to attend a spa conference outside of the U.S. There are fresh viewpoints, new spas to discover, and emerging trends to observe. There’s just nothing like being present to witness actual dialogue and the exchange of ideas – sometimes quite different than my own. One example is the […]

QUESTION:
I’m looking for a place to go – a spa or wellness retreat in the United States – that offers both colonics and fasting and is also medically supervised. It would be a huge plus if yoga was part of the program.

Dr. Andrew Weil and Spas: SpaFinder Visionary Award A couple of nights ago it was our privilege to hand Dr. Andrew Weil SpaFinder’s 2009 Visionary Award. Our Visionary Award goes to one person each year who has made a huge contribution to the field of spa and wellness. (Previous recipients include Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. […]

This morning I read the sad news that Spa Sydell, with six locations in Atlanta, is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They have been in business for 25 years. This is just one week after I learned that Iatria spa in North Carolina is closing its three locations and filing Chapter 7. They started their […]

Spas, Wellness and Medical Tourism…Observations from a Medical Student in Europe by Susie EllisSpaFinder Insider My niece from Germany (yes….the third niece this summer) is visiting at the moment and we had a very interesting discussion last evening. Charlotte is a medical student in Germany who will be graduating next year before starting her residency. […]

Dazzling New Resort & Spa – Yet, A Bit of a Secret By Susie Ellis SpaFinder Insider Even if I am not scouring papers and magazines 24/7, I do not live under a rock. In fact I usually feel pretty “in the loop” when it comes to new hotel and spa happenings. So it came […]

As I was boarding my American Airlines flight from New York to San Francisco there was a young woman handing out free Internet cards to anyone who wanted one. I immediately realized that this must be one of those flights where you can connect to the Internet while in flight. I knew that some airlines […]

QUESTION:

I’m trying to find a spa that is open all night, not just ‘til late evening. Any ideas?

ANSWER:

If you live in Los Angeles or New York you are in luck….