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Lessons for Spa Industry from Clinton’s “Health Matters” Conference

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:15:51 +0000

I got lucky. Then I got super-lucky. I heard about the Clinton “Health Matters” Conference scheduled just prior to the Bob Hope Classic Golf Tournament (now called the Humana Challenge Golf Tournament) that was going to be taking place in Indian Wells, CA just a week before it was actually going to happen. Then I found out they were only giving out 200 tickets – yikes

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Lessons for Spa Industry from Clinton’s “Health Matters” Conference

Spa Alert: Uproar re NY Times Article, “How Yoga Wrecks Your Body.” Red Flag Needed!

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:58:41 +0000

Ok, let’s calm down.

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Spa Alert: Uproar re NY Times Article, “How Yoga Wrecks Your Body.” Red Flag Needed!

Lessons from the Maldives Spa Saga

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:27:25 +0000

Surprise, Shock, Confusion, Anger, Sadness, Relief, Perspective, Pride, Advocacy This sums up the range of my emotions and thoughts from the moment I read the first report that spas in the Maldives were being forced to close because of Islamic extremists’ accusations that they are fronts for prostitution – to today when I see that the ban has been lifted. My memory of the Maldives is, I believe, similar to the memories of many who have been lucky enough to visit this magnificent collection of islands (1,192 to be exact, of which approximately 200 are inhabited). The Maldives have always been seen as a magical place and the spas developed there offer awe-inspiring experiences.

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Lessons from the Maldives Spa Saga

Spa Trends 2012: Hot off the Press!

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:14:55 +0000

It’s always a highlight for me to be able to post our SpaFinder Top 10 Spa Trends Forecast for the New Year. The reason? It’s a lengthy research process (I work on it all year) and a somewhat tedious writing project (fortunately I have some help) because we have to be very exact. So finishing it always gives me a chance to breath a sigh of relief. Whew. This year’s full report ended up to be 10 pages long - a record. I have to thank Beth McGroarty for helping me put it all together. Beth is a tireless researcher who lives and breathes these trends as much as I do. She is also a good writer polishing up the wording so I end up sounding smarter than I am. (It’s a real blessing to have someone who has completed her studies toward a PhD at Stanford to work with!) While we have recently issued a short press release version of the trends to newspapers, magazines and other media, the full report is something that not many people know about. It is really only for those ’”industry insiders” who are into spa trends as much as we are. I have found over the years that people who read my blog are often exactly those people – crazy enough to dig through 10 pages of spa-trend-talk. So here is the link: http://www.spafinder.com/about/press_release.jsp?relId=240 It’s also fun for me (and I think others) to get your input, feedback, and suggestions – as well as your thoughts on trends that you are seeing so please do comment when you get a chance. Finally, for those who might be a tad busy right now with holiday preparations and won’t have time to look over the report until later, here is my attempt at putting all of the trends into a tweet where I am limited to 140 characters so you can get a taste of things to come! SpaFinder Forecasts # spa # Trends 2012: Feet/Cold/Coaching/ Gaming/Dining/Vibration/Glam/SpaEvidence/Family/Wow’s/and Employee Wellness! Here is a place where you can see each of the trends visually: Link to Photo Gallery Here are the links to each of the trends individually should you wish to read about one before the other: 1.

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Spa Trends 2012: Hot off the Press!

Spa in a Stocking Gift Idea!

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:36:06 +0000

For more ideas, check out my Glitzy-Glam gift guide! www.youtube.com Holiday Gift Guide 2011: www.youtube.com 15 Stocking Stuffers under $10: www.youtube.com Holiday Gift Guide 2010: www.youtube.com Holiday Gift Guide 2009: www.youtube.com Subscribe to my second channel: www.youtube.com Check out my website for daily blogs: www.elleandblair.com Tumblr www.girlinawhimsicalland.tumblr.com Shop my store! http Follow me on twitter! www.twitter.com Like my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com Get all my videos on Facebook now! Beauty channel: www.facebook.com Vlog channel: www.facebook.com Shop Cellairis for all cell phone cases designed by me and Blair! www.cellairis.com Disclaimer: This video is not sponsored. The gifts were picked and purchased by me.

http://www.youtube.com/v/qmZOHl24QTE?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata

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Spa in a Stocking Gift Idea!

Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Buzzwords – What’s Hot? What’s Getting Hotter?

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:11:38 +0000

Before we leave our 2011 SpaFinder Spa Trend Forecast behind, let’s review the ”Hot/Getting Hotter” list. We always have a lot of fun creating these as they become a short, handy way for people to get a sense of what’s in our trend report. It also gives us a chance to throw in a few things that maybe didn’t make our top 10 list but caught our attention nevertheless. And I have also found that our hot/hotter list often contains some seeds of trends for the following year. Hint….there is one on this list that became a 2012 trend. And speaking of 2012 spa trend predictions – those have just come out and will all be listed in my next blog post! Hot Stone Massage Bamboo Massage Oxygen Facials Stem Cell Facials Waxing Threading Saunas Infrared Saunas Aging Silver Spa-ing De-stress Mobility Fitness Coaching Wellness Coaching Relaxing Massage Pain Relief Massage Groupon SpaRahRah Kick Boxing Zumba Pilates Barre Method Celebrity Chefs Celebrity Stylists/Therapists/Aestheticians Farm-to-table Farm-to-massage-table Spa Cuisine Gluten-Free Spa Cuisine Hammam Salt Caves U.S. Asia One-of-a-Kind-Spa Branded Spas Indigenous Hyper-Local Extreme Fitness Extreme Beauty Express Services Super-Express Services Essential Oils Moroccan Oil Online Marketing Scent Marketing Predictable Surprising Body,Mind, Spirit Purpose, Meaning, Priorities Thanks to those who walked through the review of the entire list of 2011 Spa Trend Predictions with me. I have heard from some of you and really appreciate that you took the journey with me. Next we will look to 2012…and I have a feeling you will really like some of those trends And, there is at least one that I think will totally surprise you.

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Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Buzzwords – What’s Hot? What’s Getting Hotter?

Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Counter-Trends

admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:41:13 +0000

Last year was the first time I added a “counter-trend’ section to my annual trend report. I felt it was important for people to understand that it is ok – even a good idea in some cases – to go against what is trending. There is still value, however, in a person recognizing that this is what they are doing because it gives clarity to a strategic direction. Another perspective: the concept of the “counter trend.” Sometimes creative and successful ideas emerge when businesses move against the mainstream, with the caveat that “swimming upstream” against dominant trends requires carefully determining whether the specific market will support more niche approaches. Trend: Aging…Raging Counter Trend: Boomers represent the largest spagoing demographic, but Gen X and Millennials (aged at 30-45) lag not far behind.

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Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Counter-Trends

Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Surprising Special Events

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:05:16 +0000

This was our 10th spa trend prediction for 2011 and while we are definitely seeing new and creative special events added to spa programs, I think we are also learning that if you get too narrow on a theme or topic, you might have a hard time attracting enough participants. For example, while gluten free programs seem to be super popular and filling up quickly in many spas, the “Sisterhood of Survivors” retreat at Miraval offered for those who have been touched by suicide, had to be cancelled due to low enrollment. (Kudos to them for giving it a try, however!) On the other hand, Six Senses brought Richard Branson to Soneva Fushi a few months ago for a pow wow on SLOW LIFE. That was impressive – and definitely a surprise to me! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jziWaqtNJGI I think that this trend prediction deserves a B. Good…but not excellent – it has a ways to go. Downright surprising special events and activities will continue to pop up at both destination and resort spas.

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Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Surprising Special Events

Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Spa, in a New York Minute

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:18:16 +0000

Our 9th spa trend prediction for 2011 was about adapting to people’s busy schedules via express spa treatments. While we mentioned quick services, no appointments necessary, several services at once, expanded hours, mobile, etc. there have been some new developments that we didn’t forsee just 12 months ago. New to the scene are ”Drybars” (U.S.) where its all about getting a blow dry, ”Simply Glowing” (U.S.) for quickie make-up, wax only salons or “Zoom Groom” (UK). I am going to give us an A- grade for this because we somewhat underestimated the strength of the trend. On the other hand, it does show just how right we were! “In a New York Minute” means in an instant, referencing how things get done faster in hectic New York City. It’s also the name of a whole suite of mini (15- to 30-minute) spa treatments (designed to be performed simultaneously by multiple therapists) at the new Auriga Spa at The Setai Fifth Avenue (NYC).

Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Extreme Beauty: Spa Edition

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:13:04 +0000

This, the 8th trend we identified in our list of the Top 10 SpaFinder trends for 2011, was all about the lengths people will go to (especially women) for beauty. Rereading what we wrote a year ago, I was struck by our prediction that the use of the term ”stem cell” would become huge. How right we were. In fact here is verbiage from a press release that landed on my desk just today! Cellure , the first skin care line introduced to the U.S. that uses adult human stem cell technology , is truly changing the face of skin care…The revolutionary beauty brand of the leading stem cell research facility in Korea has… Have a look at what we wrote about Extreme Beauty last year: The common element in spa beauty these days is that beauty-seekers are pushing all known boundaries and taking it to the max. Extremes are, of course, easy to spot when surveying the new technologies and scientific innovations appearing on the market with increasing regularity.

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Spa Trend Analysis 2011: Extreme Beauty: Spa Edition