spa industry

Slow is the New Fast – Slow Food, Slow Schools, and How About Slow Spas? by Susie Ellis SpaFinder Insider Just returned from Las Vegas where I attended Virtuoso Travel Mart. Each year Sallie and I teach a Spa Specialist training class there where we help the very savvy Virtuoso travel agents understand the nuances […]

More Thoughts on the Spa (Skilled) Labor Shortage By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider In my last blog entry day I quoted Jacqueline Le Sueur, Managing Director of Creative Health & Training as saying, “Our industry does NOT have a labor shortage. What we have is a shortage of spas willing to invest in training.” In […]

Spa Industry needing Massage Therapists, Aestheticians, Spa Managers. Is there really a Labor Shortage? By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Networking sometimes leads to “ah ha” moments. I guess that is why most conference feedback polls show networking as the number one reason people attend. At the recent Australian Spa Conference, held in Hobart, Tasmania, I […]

I was very impressed with Gwinganna Health Retreat in Australia. But there are always ways in which a spa can improve. Since I have been to many spas around the world and have garnered a certain amount of expertise, I have developed a sensitivity to what’s working and what’s not working. I always wrestle with […]

Spa’s Colon Cleansing Program, Yin/Yang Exercise Classes, Luxury Villas and Resident Nature Expert Make Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat Uniqueby Susie EllisSpaFinder Insider Before leaving the Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat here in Australia, I wanted to share a few more observations. From my previous posts you will notice that I found their program to be quite thoughtful and […]

Free Spa Treatments in Aspen next Weekend, August 9th and 10th. By Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider Am still in Australia at the wonderful Gwinganna Health Retreat where last night’s dinner conversation turned to Aspen – someone comparing the skiing here ‘down under’ to Aspen skiing. In her words they were “different leagues” like kindergarten and […]

Spa at Gwinganna in Australia Shows Innovation in Massage, Facials and Body work – and it worksBy Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider What a novel idea. Instead of creating a spa menu and then hiring therapists to perform the various massages, body scrubs and facials offered, how about hiring the practitioners first and then creating the […]

Gwinganna Spa Lifestyle Retreat has Got it Right By Susie Elils, SpaFinder Insider Am here in Australia at Gwinganna – a new spa (where Hugh Jackman and many others go). It opened less than two years ago and seems to be a smashing success. After just a few days here, I can see why. More […]

One fun element of spending time at a spa where you interact with other guests (especially at destination spas – my favorite kind of spa) is that you learn some interesting tidbits from others.   Between conversations on a hike or chatting with someone at a meal, I get a glimpse into other people’s lives […]

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 […]

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 […]