Beginning February 1,  Sensorielle Holistic Spa and Wellness Center in downtown Boulder, CO,  put into effect a new business model where clients will pay-what-they-can for various spa treatments.

Jewl Petteway, owner & spa director said, "We believe that in these uncertain economic times, people need stress relief and holistic care more than ever, and are less likely to spend money on their wellness. I’m confident that our new structure will bring us loyalty and support with our community and clientele. Our staff is very excited about this direction. We want our healing sanctuary to be open to all." [source]

The spa’s price list will remain the suggested pricing for all services. Clients will pay what they can with absolutely no questions asked. The only requirement is a fair monetary exchange. The spa will maintain its high quality level with professional therapists, aestheticians,  and products.

Sensorielle will hold a grand re-opening open house on March 19 to officially launch their new program and celebrate their 4th anniversary. Some of the services you can get at Sensorielle include: massage, facials, detoxifying treatments, Ayurvedic treatments, prenatal and postpartum care, Thai Massage, Couple’s Massage Training, Reiki, Reflexology, Crystology, hand & foot treatments, Acutonics, and soon to offer Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine with a focus in Obstetrics and facial rejuvenation.

[image source: Sensorielle Holistic Spa and Wellness Center]

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Pay What You Can in Boulder

Well, if you’re near, or able to be near, the Mandala Welless Retreat and Spa in northern Georgia near the middle of April, think about factoring in a special two day retreat – Manifesting Health and Happiness.

Held April 18-19, 2009, this retreat will offer an opportunity to reorient your energies towards a healthier, happier you. Vibrant health and wellness reflect a state of balance in mind, body and spirit. In this world of ‘gogogo’, constantly rushing here and rushing there, Mandala invites you to slow down and develop ways to nourish your whole self. The goal is that you achieve an optimal harmony in your life.

On this retreat, you’ll learn how to:

• Tap into your creative energies, and have fun, with mandala drawing, creative writing and collaging (absolutely no talent or experience are required!)
• Open energy pathways in your body with Qi Gong exercises, gentle yoga and walking/hiking on beautiful mountain trails.
• Learn how to Let Go with guided imagery and deep relaxation.
• Explore the Joy of Healthy Eating with our Ayurvedic Dosha (body type) evaluation and recommendations for which foods and lifestyle choices will bring you into balance.
• Nourish your spirit with Mindfulness Meditation. Taught by the Buddha nearly 2600 years ago, Mindfulness teaches us a present moment awareness where we can find peace and clarity. (Both sitting and walking meditation will be taught – beginners will feel quite comfortable.)
• Pamper yourself with a Relaxation Massage or a Peaceful European Facial at Mandala’s Spa.

For pricing (ranging from $515 per participant) and scheduling details, please visit the Mandala Wellness Retreat and Spa’s site.

[image provided by Mandala Wellness Retreat and Spa]

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North Georgia Health and Happiness Retreat

Suncadia is offering an Ultimate Valentine’s Day Retreat and it’s one of SpaBeautifully’s picks for a romantic February getaway. Your romantic, relaxing retreat package includes:

• Complimentary amenity upon arrival
• Elegant one-bedroom penthouse suite with river view
• Private treatments at Glade Spring Spa
• 90 minute Tangerine Truffle Duo Massage
• 30 minute Soak, Steam and Sauna
• 60 minute Triple Chocolate Pedicure treatment
• Private Mediterranean Dinner (menu here)

Package price per couple $1199. Available, Saturday February 14th & limited to 2 total packages. Some restrictions apply.

If that’s a little too rich for your blood, try the Adventures in Aphrodisiacs Package:

Package Includes:

• Overnight accommodations for two in a cozy deluxe guest room.
• Your choice of champagne, sparkling cider or wine upon arrival.
• $100 dinner credit to put you in the mood.
• Romantic turndown with chocolate-covered strawberries and long stemmed roses.

Rates start at $319*. Suite upgrades available for $50 additional. Some restrictions apply.

[images provided by Suncadia Resort]

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Valentines Spa Retreats

They’ve got a couple of cool holiday specials on, that I’d love to check out, were I in the area! Treat yourself this season and take a break from the silliness and sped up drama. It’ll all get done, even if you take an hour or three to yourself.

The following holiday specials below are available through the end of the year:

Candy Cane Scrub $150 (save $12)
20 minute Mineral bath, ½ hr aromatherapy massage, candy cane scrub with a Cocoa Mint tea all for $150.  Book Monday thru Thursday only.

Sugar Cookie Scrub $125 (save $15)
20 minute Mineral bath, Brown Sugar and Vanilla Scrub, manicure and Vanilla Mint tea all for $125.  Book Monday thru Thursday only.

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Holiday Treatments: Delaware North

Candy Cane Facial: Awaken your senses with aromas of warm cinnamon spice and brisk, cool peppermint. This facial rapidly resurfaces the skin and reduces fine lines revealing a brighter, smother complexion. Get the results of having a peel without peeling!  This treatment includes a hand massage and is perfect for the holiday season!

Japanese Red Flower Ritual: Indulge in tranquility with this lavish treatment! Relax while you receive a gentle body exfoliation with Ohana Gingergrass Bamboo Scrub followed by a Wild Cherry rice buff to nourish and soften. A Shiatsu-inspired massage followed by a Hinoki Mint Mineral Bath Soak soothes your entire body!

Peppermint Mocha Body Scrub: This treatment will really get you into the holiday spirit! A full body exfoliation followed by an application of hydrating lotion. Add on a stress reducing 50-minute Swedish Massage and you’ll love this more than the Starbuck’s drink!

Peppermint Mocha Pedicure: A peppermint mocha exfoliating scrub and a wonderfully relaxing Skinsational Pedicure with your choice of holiday colors! Santa, here we come!!

(Image provided by Skinsational Skin and Body Spa)

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Holiday Spa Treatments: Skinsational, Carlsbad CA

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

Elizabeth Snowdon, owner of Nusta Spa (which is from a tribal language used in Peru, which means “royalty” or “wealth”) told the Washington Post that, “With the overall economic condition and people feeling the impact on their disposable income, the spa industry overall is less reactive to bad economic times than people would think.” [source]

The prediction for 2009 is that the spa business becomes the luxury that you can afford – one that lets you have a mini vacation, an escape of sorts, if you can’t get away for weeks at a time.

The idea of a $90 massage, that helps you relax and makes you feel like you had a serious break from life, looks downright cheap when you compare that to a $2,000+ week away.

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Recession-Proofing, Spa Style

Oxygenating Trio with Mineral Powder Application: Anti-oxidant treatment that corrects free radical damage caused by environmental and holiday stress. Improves tissue respiration and increases the oxygen level in the skin. Results: a glowing and radiant complexion. Followed by Glominerals – a Mineral Powder cosmetics line that contains no fillers, talc or silicates. It contains Vitamins A, K, E, C and Green Tea extract and an SPF 17 for a smooth, safe and hydrating finish. Comes in powder and liquid form and can be matched exactly to every skin tone. $100.00

Glycolic Acid Application with Hydrating Lip Treatment: (45 minutes) We use a topical Glycolic Acid application to lift dead cells and smooth and brighten the skin surface. Great to slough off Winter skin! Lip Treatment: The Peptide lip treatment that follows treats chapped lips and plumps and refines lip line. Finished off with a lip balm to protect and hydrate. $65.00

De-puffer Eye Contour Treatment: (30 minutes) Using enzymes, peptides and anti-oxidants, this three-step process reduces signs of sleep deprivation (dark circles), puffiness, aging, and airborne irritants. Great party recovery weapon. $45.00

I’m a huge fan of the de-stressor type spa treatments, especially during the holidays!  I may be stressed through the holidays, but I sure  don’t want to look like I am.

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Holiday Spa Treatments in Hollywood

Drift has just launched their holiday treatments, so treat yourself (or someone special) this holiday season with some Champagne delights!

Sugar & Spice with Veuve Clicquot —  (Single) 50/min
Sparkling skin is only moments away with a sweet Champagne sugar exfoliation and envelopment. The bliss ends with a soothing application of champagne body butter that will leave your body glistening for adventures that await.

Bash for Your Body with Veuve Clicquot — (Single) 80/min
Begin this “party” with a body buffing from champagne sugar exfoliation.  You will then be wrapped in a mud like no other.
An application of luxurious Yellow Label Champagne Body Butter tops of this “celebration” for your body.

A Toast for Two with Veuve Clicquot — (Couples) 80/min
Both of you will be dazzled by a champagne exfoliation. Next, immerse yourselves into a little bit of the bubbly. The bath is filled with effervescent champagne flakes. Your bodies will be left feeling silky smooth after a veil of Yellow Label Champagne Body Butter is applied.

Champagne Celebration with Veuve Clicquot — (Couples) 105/min
Celebrate each other. Delight in gentle exfoliation with a sugar body polish. Indulge in a warm, fizzing soak for two. Next, hydrate and detoxify in a mud wrap enhanced with champagne. For the finale, a lavish Champagne Body Butter is applied.

(image source: Drift Spa Hammam)

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Champagne Wishes: Holiday Spa Treatments

With an A-list client list which includes Christina Applegate and Britney Spears, Spa Connections’ services are available from 8am – 11pm, 7 days a week.

They offer the full slate of services, from facials and massages through to make up application (by their tv and movie trained, veteran make up artist, Jessica deBen) that leave you completely camera-ready.

So, if you live in LA (then I’m kinda jealous, just sayin’), try Spa Connections next time you’re in need. And colour me jealous. Because I’d be *all* over that.

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The Spa that comes to you