spa industry

A woman soaking in a wine barrel looking out at what you imagine to be a view of a beautiful vineyard – that’s a photo I remember seeing when I first read about the Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa opening in France. It was 1999, and the first time I heard the term Vinotherapie. It sounded intriguing […]

Spa and Medical Tourism – Learning From What Happened in Detroit by Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Many of you know that one of the top spa trends SpaFinder predicted for 2009 was the Medical and Spa Tourism Shuffle, so it didn’t surprise us when the New York Times recently ran an article titled, “Heads Up […]

Mandarin Oriental Spa’s New Spa Treatment and Product – Nuances that Countby Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Andrew Gibson, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s group director of spa asked me to try their new Signature Massage and product line as soon as it became available (this June). So I scheduled an appointment for the first Saturday in […]

“The Swiss – We are reliable.” Words from Adolf Ogi, Keynote at Global Spa Summit 2009 By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Mr. Adolf Ogi, former President of Switzerland and United Nation’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace was a keynote speaker for our third Global Spa Summit (GSS). There is more to the […]

Global Spa Summit, Switzerland 2009: HighlightsBy Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Global Spa Summit 2009 in Interlaken, Switzerland, just wrapped. I don’t know where to begin, as it was an extraordinary event if I do say so myself. (Actually I believe that every one of the delegates who attended said so which gives me courage to […]

Is Luxury “In” or “Out” for Spas? Susie Ellis SpaFinder Insider Buying luxury for yourself may be “out” right now. But gifting luxury is definitely “in!” That was my “ah ha” moment at the SpaExec event here in New York a week ago. Nancy Griffin, from SpaTrade/Questex, helped put together a solid program at the […]

May is Melanoma month. That makes sense since it’s right before summer, the sun gets stronger and people begin spending more time outdoors. It’s a good time to remind people to put on sunscreen, wear hats, and have regular mole checks with their medical doctor. It’s this last recommendation – about having moles checked – […]

How odd. On the front page of Thursday’s NY Times this week, I noticed this headline: “F.D.A. Orders Warning Label for Botox.” Yet when reading the article I found a far more interesting and important issue than what the headline touts. Let me know if you agree. Here is how the article began: “Botox and […]

Normally I would have no interest in NASCAR racing – however I couldn’t help but get involved this weekend. Peter decided to say “yes” to a crazy idea to become the primary sponsor for a car driven by NASCAR driver Danny O’Quinn, Jr. in the Talladega (Alabama) Race this weekend. He thought it might be […]

Spa Associations and Spa Research from Around the Worldby Susie EllisSpaFinder Insider Here are two resources you will love if you are in the spa world. One is a list of spa associations from around the world. The other is a list of spa research from around the world. Compiling these resource lists was a […]

Pritzker Architectural Prize 2009 goes to Builder of Famous Spa By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider An architect who built a stunning spa just won the Pritzker Prize – the top architectural award for 2009! Sometimes called the “Nobel Prize” for architecture, receiving the Pritzker is considered an amazing accomplishment. How excited I was a few […]

“Sorry. We are fully booked.” It’s surprising to me how often I hear this when I call a spa or stop in at a spa to see about booking a treatment. It happened to me twice today when I was trying to book a massage here in Freeport, Grand Bahama where I spent Easter weekend. […]

Exploring the Spa Industry in Canada By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Just returned from the Leading Spas of Canada spa conference in Toronto, where I had the privilege of speaking about spa trends of the future. I always enjoy seeing the Canadian spa owners, who are universally friendly and very supportive of both one another […]

On our list of top 10 spa trend predictions for 2009 was “Casinos & Spas: A Good Bet” so I am pleased (and not surprised) that the New York Times had a large feature on this very topic in their Escapes section this weekend! Titled in the paper, “A New View of Atlantic City,” and […]

I am behind on my blogging, with several topics piling up. I think it is the same problem everyone is facing…lots to do, limited time and feeling extra pressure because of the current focus on economic challenges. So I thought I would try something new: A short recap of four topics (that could each be […]

Visited Adlon Day Spa in Berlin. Learned that it is a day spa connected with the historic 5-star Adlon Kempinski Hotel…which was magnificently rebuilt right next to the Brandenburger Tor in the late 90s. The day spa is not part of the Kempinski brand, however, I think that this spa facility, with its 13 porcelain-colored […]

Am in Berlin – my first time at ITB Berlin which is the world’s largest international travel show. The numbers are staggering…11,000 exhibitors from 180 countries and almost 200,000 visitors – most of them trade. Clearly it’s “the” travel show to attend. In addition to the huge trade show spread out in pavilion after pavilion […]

Our time has come. Prevention is “in.” What spas offer is “in.” Wellness is “in.” Part of the reason we have arrived at this place is because people are understanding the importance and cost savings of reducing stress and staying healthy. Another reason is the global economic crisis which has resulted in a government stimulus […]

I remember when my twin sister, Katrine, first got engaged. The guy proposed, promising that a ring would follow. Well, when weeks turned into months and there was one excuse after another and no ring, she sensed he was waffling and decided to call it off. What followed were many tears and a lot of […]

A Massage and Facial at Thai Privilege Spa in New York Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider It was my privilege to be invited to a spa located in the Soho area of Manhattan called Thai Privilege. I noticed it on several “top 10” lists. Since Manhattan has many hundreds of spas, making a top 10 list […]