There’s a new face on the stands this month, and boy oh boy, is it a pretty face! Even Vogue is intrigued by this new beauty.

Organic Beauty Magazine, the first glossy magazine for green beauty, launched offically on December 31, and features stories like Greening
your Makeup Bag, Wilde Style (with Olivia Wilde, from House), and the
latest Sulfate Free Shampoos. The premiere issue is packed to the brim
with interesting information, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!

While the economy might be tanking, and many of us are curtailing
spending on luxury products, a new lipstick or eye shadow can make you feel like a million bucks. The New York Times says that lipstick sales have soared up to forty percent in the last few months, but why? It could have something to do with the Leading Lipstick Indicator, a term coined by Leonard Lauder, the Chairman of Estee Lauder Companies, after lipstick sales more than doubled following 9/11. He observed a trend in which cosmetic purchases are one way to gauge economic status. “When it’s shaky”, he said, “sales increase as women boost their mood with inexpensive lipstick purchases instead of $500 slingbacks.” 

Makes sense. When everything around us sucks, it’s not secret we want to feel better and one of the best and quickest pick-me-ups is looking good.

I’m hoping to get an interview with Organic Beauty Magazine, Rona Berg later this week or early next. If there’s anything you’d like to ask her, leave it in the comments, and I’ll be sure to find out what Rona thinks! 

(image courtesy of Organic Beauty Magazine)

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Organic Beauty Magazine Launches

SpaFinder Magazine

Energy Medicine – terms like ‘qi (chi),’ ‘prana,’ ‘chakras’ and ‘doshas’ have been used in the spa sector, and the healing arts associated with them have been practiced in Eastern philosophies for centuries.  The emphasis is on clearing imbalances in a body’s energy field to promote healing of body, mind and spirit. Interesting spa examples are emerging, such as bite-size doses of energy medicine along with traditional massage at properties like Conrad Maldives Rangali Island; the extensive use of visiting consultant-‘practitioners’ at Thai resorts like Trisara, Chiva-Som and the new Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket; Canyon Ranch Resorts’ ‘Healing Energy’ menu and Jin Shin Jyutsu, which is said to balance energy pulses via a practitioner holding various energy ‘locks.’

Casinos & Spas -  When the Golden Nugget first put a luxury spa in in 1980, it was considered to be a big risk. Now, the new Canyon Ranch Spa Club at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino has expanded to 69,000 square feet and 90 treatment rooms, making it the largest spa in the world.  Across town, the new Fountainebleu Hotel & Casino (slated to open in fall 2009), promises a 60,000 square foot Lapis Spa, reportedly one of the most expensive ever built. In keeping with the over-the-top luxury of the original Miami Beach site, they plan spectacular water features, including an experiential ’rain tunnel’ with steam mist and penetrating water jets, mineral bathing areas, and gender-specific spa areas for men and women.

Medical and Spa Tourism  – The line between spas, medical spas and hospitals to become ever more creatively blended. The era of the ‘spa-spital,’ with consumers traveling wherever they want, to access the services they want, need, and can afford, is here. Crises within the traditional health care system (skyrocketing costs, millions of uninsured); the rise, with the Internet and globalization, of a more consumer-centric model revolving around increased choice and price transparency; and fluctuations in international currencies opening up attractive new markets, even within the U.S. means that whether people are traveling between countries, within countries, r even in their own region, consumers are seeking lower prices and cutting-edge medical/wellness offerings…and spas are right smack in the middle of it all.

Eco-Embedded Spas: A Deeper Shade of Green – In 2005, SpaFinder coined the term “eco-spa”, and in 2007, they noted that the eco-spa trend had shifted from being industry- to consumer-driven.  Spa-goers were demanding a meaningful, aggressive environmental position from spas. And in 2009, the eco-trend is going in a new direction – call it spa environmentalism 2.0 -  the ‘eco-embedded spa.’

By ‘eco-embedded’, the trend is going further and is expanded beyond just the green initiatives. The eco processes are quietly being emeshed throughout the entire spa.  While the spa consumer skews very green, consumers in general are feeling some serious “green fatigue” and “sustainability stress”.  So, from here on out, there will be no more loud and superficial greening of the spa. Instead things will simply… happen and spa goers won’t see the overt gestures.

The examples are endless: At El Monte Sagrado Resort in New Mexico the property is heated and cooled 100% geo-thermally. Rancho La Puerta serves cuisine from its organic farm, and embeds exclusively organic products (from cleaning supplies to spa products) throughout the resort, and at Six Senses in Thailand,  guests can eat all of the resort landscaping.

Mindful Spending – We all know that we’re facing a complicated economy this year. The concepts of “daycations” and “spacations” to move from mere vague catch phrases to realities. Not only are the discount spas going to increase in popularity, the luxury spas are going to be required to demonstrate why their services are worth the extra outlay.

Brands, Brands, Brands – With almost 72,000 spas around the world, the casual spa-goer can’t tell the difference between a Mandarin Oriental Spa and a Shangri-La Spa. A spa that establishs and broadcasts a truly unique brand identity will enjoy a powerful competitive advantage, and should attract more guests at a time when consumer budgets are under pressure. SpaFinder uses Shangri-La’s Chi Spa brand as their example of successful branding:  signature elements are incorporated throughout their spas, and are still retaining enough uniqueness at each property to make every Chi Spa a new – and yet familiar – experience. Their approach features “Five Element” pre-treatment evaluations; bold, red-colored décor; and “spa within a spa” treatment rooms complete with changing rooms and showers.

For the rest of the trends and predictions for 2009, check out Susie’s Spa Beauty Blog or the full press release from SpaFinder.

(image source: Newscom.com)

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Spa Trends for 2009

Described as “the first web-based magazine dedicated to spas, SpaFinder Lifestyle brings alive the world of spa in a way never before imagined. Here, travel, treatments, beauty, and well-being become a vibrant, interactive adventure for a savvy audience looking for the newest and the best in beauty products and spa experiences, while providing a compelling introduction for newcomers to the spa lifestyle.” [source]

The first issue’s cover stories include “Jungle Love” “Your anti-aging secret weapon” and “slenderizing body wraps“.

I’ve enjoyed flipping through SpaFinder in the past, and now I’m looking forward to virtually flipping through SpaFinder Lifestyle!

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SpaFinder Lifestyle Launches

Spas of America, the fastest-growing spa travel website, today announced their 600th spa listing and their first underground cave spa experience: Spa Terra within The Meritage Resort and Spa, located only an hour from San Francisco.

Forty feet below the iconic grape crusher statue that graces its southern end, Spa Terrais the first spa in the world to be developed entirely underground. Nestled in the heart of the earth, the spa features steam grottos, soaking pools, water walls and lavishly appointed private treatment rooms for individuals and couples. Its sumptuous decor reflects the resort’s Mediterranean theme. Spa Terra’s signature treatment is Solo Vino which combines an exfoliating grape seed scrub, an invigorating jet shower rinse, a hydrating body wrap with a wine cave mud mask and a Terra massage. A wine and cheese selection rounds out the two-hour treatment.

“We are pleased to welcome Meritage’s Spa Terra as a premium member listing,” says Spas of America president and founder Craig Oliver. “Their presence on our website benefits our existing spa listings and provides our customers from around the world with another fabulous option when seeking exciting and rewarding health and wellness travel experiences.”

This is a spa I HAVE to attend one day.  It looks and sounds gorgeous!  

www.spasofamerica.com    www.themeritageresort.com

Image: The Meritage Resort

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Spas of America Goes Underground to Launch 600th Spa Listing

As an added bonus, when you sign up, you’ll be automatically entered to win daily anti-aging products from Clinique, Olay Definity, Lancome, Avon, and Neutrogena, or the grand prize, a luxurious spa trip for two to the Golden Door in California!

I am so there!  Click here to sign up.

Image: Allure.com

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Win a Trip To The Golden Door Spa

Positioned as the “ultimate insider guide” to luxury spas, Allure Spa will cover topics including spa beauty treatments, diets and the growth of the medi-spa, spas that provide medical treatments. As for advertising, the title has such categories as beauty, fashion, spas and personal care marketers in its sights.

“It’s clear that women want more information on the spa experience, which makes Allure Spa an exciting next step for our brand,” said Nancy Berger Cardone, publisher of Allure and Allure Spa.

I am excited to see this new publication. What about you?

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Allure Spa Magazine

Once a year the editors of Luxury SpaFinderpen unabashed love letters to the spas that spark their passions – from Nam Hai in Vietnam to Royal Palms in Arizona.

To help you discover 60 of the world’s best spas, Luxury SpaFinder has created an interactive map as a fun way to scan the globe, pick a destination, and learn more about it. Using the latest version of Microsoft Virtual Earth technology, you will be able to instantly learn details about the spa that’s perfect for you.

The 60 spas are sorted into six categories including:

DAMN THE EXPENSE: PRICEY SPAS THAT PAY OFF
The bill may be as stunning as the decor, but these spas are worth every pretty penny. Luxury SpaFinder salutes its dearest indulgences, from the $8,000-$12,000 per night Private Reserve at Soneva Gili in the Maldives, accessible only by boat and with its own spa and butlers, to Mexico’s Las Ventanas al Paraiso, whose Total Spa Lifestyle Program/Fitness ($13,425 for four nights) includes your very own personal staff of trainers and therapists and a gorgeous two-bedroom suite with its own massage room.

URBAN SANCTUARIES: CITY ESCAPES IN THE CITY
Sometimes sanctuary is only a cab ride away. Even the reception area of the spa at Prague’s Mandarin Oriental inspires quiet contemplation – in keeping with the14th-century building it occupies, a former convent-turned-monastery. In Chicago, the Peninsula boasts the Miracle Mile’s largest hotel spa, where guests can enjoy a Thai massage in a glass-walled studio twenty stories above the city.

CULTURAL IMMERSION: LOCAL FLAVOR
At Bali’s Hotel Tugu, the spa blends its own products, and the star therapist is a former laundry-room staffer who revealed a gift for a type of massage punctuated by prayer. Bathing is elevated to an art form at Japan’s Gora Kadan, which offers visitors an escape not just from the 21st century, but from the 20th, too.

Other categories include: Design Showstoppers, Domestic Bliss, and Exotic Hideways. The magazine’s contributing editors also chose spas they love in their respective areas of expertise: PoundWise columnist Susan Crandell “weighed in” on her three favorite fitness faves, and value-loving spa spy “Vera Value” fell hard for five deals she found.

This is an excellent resource so definitely visit the site!

http://www.spafinder.com/spaswelove

image: Las Ventanas al Paraíso

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60 Spas that Luxury SpaFinder love

The top Destination Spa was awarded to the Canyon Ranch, located in Tucson, Arizona, The Caves in Negril, Jamaica, was awarded the top Spa for Couples and the Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, California was awarded top Eco/Green Spa.

To see the full list of winners click here.

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Spa Magazine Announces Readers’ Choice Winners

There is nothing more delightfully indulgent that flipping through a thick, glossy magazine, with images of gorgeous spas.  It makes me ‘almost’ feel like I am at each of the properties shown.  Here are a couple of great publications that act as an excellent guide to the top spas in North America.

Leading Spas of Canada
This quarterly publication offers in-depth profiles on spa resorts and destinations throughout North America.

Luxury SpaFinder Magazine
An in-print publication (6 issues yearly) that provides information on luxury spas and related lifestyle pursuits. Sign up for their enewsletter and receive spa news and specials.

Spa Magazine
This in-print and digital publication (7 issues yearly) is devoted exclusively to spas and the spa experience at home. Receive home spa tips, great spa deals, and more by signing up for their enewsletter.

Spa Life Magazine
This quartlery in-print publication spotlights spas from across North America, as well as feature articles about the latest developments in the Spa industry.

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Best Spa Magazines