Every single day we make choices—from what to wear to which treatment is best for a particular client. But, can you honestly say that each day you make a concerted effort to choose success?

I was recently in New York attending the 11th International Congress for Salon & Spa Professionals presented by Repêchage for its spa owners and distributors, of which Skin Inc. magazine was a sponsor. For two full days, I existed in a room filled with professionals who, quite clearly, did choose success on a daily basis. And I must admit that it was quite inspiring.

Skin Inc. magazine’s editorial team was bestowed the honor of judging this year’s Repêchage Spa de Beauté Award of the Year contest, and the congress culminated in a gala presentation event at Tavern on the Green in New York City’s Central Park West. Marian Raney, group publisher, delivered an inspiring keynote titled “What a Difference a Year Makes: Innovative Retailing Drives Revenue Recovery.” Then she and I, alongside Lydia Safati, president and CEO of Repêchage and Shiri Sarfati, vice president of sales and marketing for Repêchage, announced this year’s award winners.

* Colonial House Day Spa of North Easton, Massachusetts, was the winner of the Best Skin Care Spa category and will be featured as Skin Inc. magazine’s “Spa Snapshot” for the November 2009 issue.

* Tatewari Spa at Villa Del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort & Spa of Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico, was the winner of the Best Destination Spa category and will be featured as Skin Inc. magazine’s “Spa Snapshot” for the December 2009 issue.

* Body Sense Day Spa of Hyannis, Massachusetts, was the winner of the Best Day Spa category and will be featured as Skin Inc. magazine’s “Spa Snapshot” for the January 2010 issue.

Lydia also presented two President’s Awards to Oasis Day Spa of South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and Three-13 Salon, Spa and Boutique in Atlanta.

At the culmination of the congress, Lydia stated, “There is no such thing anymore as ‘fake it until you make it.’ You need the skills. It takes tenacity and skill. But you need to trust yourself—you know more than you think you do.”

I’ll close with Lydia’s recommended steps so that you, too, can choose success every day.

1. Ask
2. Believe
3. Receive

Full Article and Credits

Day Spa, Massachusetts Day Spa, Spa Awards

From Sea Bright to Cape May, landlords and business owners have spent weeks readying the Jersey Shore for Memorial Day weekend, the summer season’s dress rehearsal.

Public works crews have dragged lifeguard stands and trash receptacles onto the beaches almost around the clock. Long Beach Island has put its traffic lights into full operation for the first time since fall. And bright spring blooms bob in freshly painted flower boxes everywhere.

In Surf City, on Long Beach Island, officials just this week completed a cleanup of unexploded military munitions that began to show up on the beach after a sand-replenishment project two years ago. Nearly 2,000 munitions later, the Army Corps of Engineers swears it has carted off the last of them.

Road crews have been busy, too, with workers wrapping up projects on the Atlantic City Expressway, Garden State Parkway, and other major roads in Atlantic, Cape May, and Ocean Counties.

Last Memorial Day weekend, 882,407 vehicles traveled the expressway, and 7.6 million used the parkway. AAA has predicted a slight decline this year, but with gasoline about $1.50 less a gallon now than it was a year ago and good weather forecast – mostly sunny with passing thunderstorms, highs between 75 and 80 degrees – tourism officials hope to prove the club wrong.

Until this week, most of the Shore’s traffic had been lines of delivery trucks carrying fresh linens, tortilla chips, suntan lotion, and other beach essentials to hotels, motels, restaurants, and shops.
In a rush

It takes a lot of work to get the resorts shipshape for their first big wave of visitors. And no one may be in more of a race than Mike Popdan and his small crew.

“I don’t know of anyone who’s in a rush like we are. We have to be out here from sunup to sundown to get this place together,” said Popdan, general manager of the private Club at Diamond Beach, just south of Wildwood Crest in Lower Township.

“We basically have three weeks to start from scratch to build our entire club,” he said.

Though a group of investors owns the 600-foot-wide beachfront – one of few such arrangements at the Shore – state law prohibits Popdan from placing anything on the property until May 1.

His crew has three weeks to install walkways, two bars, a restaurant, decks, cabanas, restrooms, outdoor showers, a children’s playground, and all of the club’s electrical wiring and plumbing. Each year, it carts in a small forest of palms and other tropical plants to give the place a Caribbean-South Seas feel.

The property, at the end of Raleigh Avenue, got a bad rap a few years ago when it was the Atlantis Beach Club and its then-owner charged tenants of adjacent condominium complexes exorbitant fees to use the beach. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that the property must provide public access at a reasonable rate.

Under new ownership, the Club at Diamond Beach charges $5 for a daily beach tag and $300 for the season. An additional $40 buys membership to the club, which sells alcoholic beverages. Lunch, beach chairs, umbrellas, and other amenities are extra.

“It’s really cool when it all comes together, to see that nothing was here but the sand and ocean, and then there’s this little slice of paradise for people to come, bring their families, and enjoy a beach day,” Popdan said.
Finishing touches

Almost as busy as Popdan’s crew is Robert Duzy’s painting operation. The Core Painting Co., of Marmora, spends each spring primping more than a dozen Cape May businesses, rental properties, and amusements owned by Cape Advisors Inc., a company whose holdings include the venerable Congress Hall hotel.

“We do work all over Cape May County, in Ocean City, Avalon, everywhere. But this time of the year, we do nothing but work in Cape May. Because of weather and other conditions, spring is the only time we can do it here,” Duzy said.

All the recent rain has left his crew working overtime to brush, spray, and dapple the resort’s Victorian treasures. The contractor also has helped put finishing touches on a luxurious spa opening at Congress Hall this weekend.

“You never get it all finished by Memorial Day,” said Denney Mayberry, manager of the Southend Surf Shop on the beachfront in Cape May.

The holiday is the “soft opening” of beach season, which doesn’t really hit its stride until around July Fourth, Mayberry said. “You have to see what you need and get your personnel in order. . . . Memorial Day is a good barometer for all that.”

Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, hears that from her membership every year, she said.

“They kind of use Memorial Day to feel out how they think the summer might shape up,” Gillian said. “But even with all the work they might still have to do, they all tell me they are very ready to see the visitors come back.

“Even if they don’t have all the painting finished or every single item in yet, after a long, hard winter, they’re definitely ready for the season to start.”

Full Article and Credits

Spavelous South Jersey Picks

Aquamedica Long Branch NJ

Cape May Day Spa – Cape May NJ

New Jersey Day Spa, New Jersey Day Spa Events, Spa Openings Jersey Shore Spas

The Greenbrier’s new owner and Marriott International have reached a tentative agreement that allows the hotel giant to market the historic resort.

In exchange, Marriott won’t challenge the resort’s sale, said Jim Justice, who purchased the Greenbrier’s stock earlier this month.

Justice worked out the deal with Marriott executives late Friday night at the Greenbrier Valley Airport.

“It can be a wonderful marriage,” Justice told the Gazette this morning. “Marriott will be an integral player in sending us guests. There are so many advantages that can come from this.”

Two weeks ago, Marriott questioned The Greenbrier’s sale, saying it had a contract to purchase the resort from Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX.

Under the tentative deal struck Friday, Marriott will receive a special fee for every Greenbrier guest booked through the hotel chain’s marketing network.

Justice would have to pay Marriott a $7 million “break-up fee” if he ends Marriott’s marketing partnership.

Justice said no written agreement has been signed, and many details must be worked out.

On Tuesday, a U.S. Bankruptcy judge in Richmond, Va., is expected to consider whether to dismiss The Greenbrier’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that the dismissal of the bankruptcy is imminent,” Justice said.
Also today, Justice announced he has reached a new collective bargaining agreement with The Greenbrier’s union workers. The union overwhelmingly approved the new contract. The agreement includes significant improvements in health benefits for employees, Justice said.

Full Article and Credits

Spa Business, Spa Legal Issues, Spa Openings, West Virginia Spa Resort body fusions, Facials, hydrotherapy, Massage, The Greenbrier Spa, White Sulpher Springs

Voted “Best Spa in Pittsburgh” by Citysearch. Spa Uptown has recently undergone positive changes that we would love to share with you. We want you to make our spa your urban retreat, where you can relax, rejuvinate and renew your spirit.

Geri Mataya, President Spa Uptown

Letter to our Clients:
I would like to extend a Thank You to all of the wonderful guests we encounter on a daily basis.

Spa Uptown has recently undergone positive changes that we would love to share with you. We want you to make our spa your urban retreat, where you can relax, rejuvinate and renew your spirit.

We understand the financial restraints our economy has put on many families and we know that it is more important than ever to feel good in a down economy. We want you to continue treating yourself and we want to help…During the coming months, we will be offering e-mail specials and incentives for your favorite services. We hope they will make a difference in your lives. Be sure you give us your e-mail, if you are not already signed up….. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to continue to pamper yourself. 

We hope together we can get through these slump times to a bright new future. Thank you again for your patronage.

Geri

Day Spa, PA Day Spa, Spa, Spa Awards Best Day Spa PA, Best Spa In Pittsburgh, Spa Awards Pittsburgh PA

 

The outbreak of disease in people caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin continues to grow in the United States and internationally. Today, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports additional confirmed human infections, hospitalizations and the nation’s first fatality from this outbreak. The more recent illnesses and the reported death suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging in the United States. Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths are expected in the coming days and weeks.

CDC has implemented its emergency response. The agency’s goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by the new virus. Yesterday, CDC issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with this virus. Young children and pregnant women are two groups of people who are at high risk of serious complications from seasonal influenza. In addition, CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. This is a rapidly evolving situation, and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.

How your spa should handle the situation

According to industry experts Rebecca James Gadberry, chairman and co-CEO of YG Laboratories, and Terri Wojak, director of True University, the following steps should be taken by your spa to help make it as safe and sanitary as possible for clients and employees alike.

1. Hand sanitizer. Place hand sanitizer in key areas throughout the spa, especially in the reception area, bathrooms and locker rooms. Provide all employees with pocket-sized hand sanitizers and encourage them to carry the sanitizer when they’re off-premises, too.
2. Protective gear. Make sure all estheticians wear gloves and a medical-grade protective face mask throughout services. For the esthetician to see, the mask should lay flat over the mouth and nose rather than in a bubble shape. Do not touch anything else while wearing gloves, such as your face, nose and other surfaces. If it’s unavoidable, change gloves before continuing the service and properly disinfect any areas that were touched.
3. Wipes. Wipe down frequently used doors, phones and communal key boards with sanitation wipes once an hour.
4. Keep rooms clean. Thoroughly wash bowls, brushes and other implements with antibacterial soap and use a medical-grade disinfectant. Always change sheets, towels and bedding after each client.
5. Keep products sanitary. Products need to be kept sanitized, as well. Dispense products into separate bowls before touching the client, or if you need to grab something else, again make sure you have on a fresh pair of gloves. Every product should also be wiped down with a disinfectant after every service.
6. Cancellation policy. Suspend your cancellation policy until the pandemic has passed. Clients who feel ill may decide to come in rather than lose money because they cancelled an appointment.
7. Do not treat ill clients. If a client shows signs of being ill, do not treat proceed with the treatment. It is better to be safe than sorry, and it is not fair to put providers, employees or other clients at risk for illness.
8. Send employees home. Make your staff aware of the main symptoms of the H1N1 virus. These can be found further down in this article. If an employee feels ill at work or before she comes to work, allow her to stay home. This illness comes on suddenly, so make sure you have backup plans to replace employees who may call in sick or be sent home during their shift.
9. Visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Web site. Not only can you keep up with the latest news about the virus, you can also download a variety of posters to help build awareness about how to protect against passing along the disease and being exposed to it.

The swine flu and you

The following information was provided by the CDC Web site.

What is swine flu?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

Is this swine flu virus contagious?

CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it is not known how easily the virus spreads between people.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How does swine flu spread?

Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?

Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?

First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within two days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?

People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to seven days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?

Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his eyes, nose or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can  spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface such as a desk and then touches his own eyes, mouth or nose before washing his hands.

How long can viruses live outside the body?

We know that some viruses and bacteria can live two hours or longer on surfaces such as cafeteria tables, doorknobs and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school, and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?

If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water. or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. The CDC recommends that when you wash your hands—with soap and warm water—that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn’t need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you live in areas where swine influenza cases have been identified and become ill with influenzalike symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact your health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed. If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others. If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flulike symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

How serious is swine flu infection?

Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the United States with no deaths occurring. However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died eight days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey, occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.

Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?

No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

From the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov). Accessed April 30, 2009

Full Article and Credits

Health, Health Tips, Spa Business, Spa Safety, Spa Safety Sanitation Spa Safety, Spa Safety Swine Flu, Swine Flu

Bedecked in more than $2 million of decorative glass, massage chairs and a shower that rains in color, Mitchell’s Salon & Day Spa will open its new location April 15.

The salon, at the developing Kenwood Towne Place in Sycamore Township, is about a third larger than its 21-year-old space down the street on Montgomery Road, and includes the added services and breathing room to use it. Employing a staff of roughly 80, salon founder and owner Deborah Schmidt expects to add 10 more, and sales are projected to increase over the next 12 months by 10 percent to 15 percent (prices for services will not change).

“We definitely want this to be a resort atmosphere,” Schmidt said, after passing through the granite-counter bathrooms and dimly lit relaxation parlor, with its chaise lounges of muted gold. “When you are here at the spa, we want you to feel like you are at a resort.”

Schmidt and Michael Batchelor, general manager at Mitchell’s, took time a few days before the opening to provide a tour. Schmidt invested $2.2 million in the new space, and it shows. The 13,600-square-foot location, with its expanded manicure and pedicure rooms, spacious salon and 10-room spa, is adorned with quartz-tile walls, locally produced art and custom-made glass throughout. The wall of the main entry is slate, and the Mitchell’s sign hangs against backdrop of highly polished copper.

Accessing that main entrance may take a while, however. Kenwood Towne Place, also anchored by Crate & Barrel, the Container Store and Kroger Marketplace, has been mired in liens and lawsuits filed by subcontractors who say they have not been paid in months. But several of the tenants are up and running, and Mitchell’s is easily accessible from the elevators in the parking deck.

“This is a magnificent location,” Schmidt said. “I think the building will ultimately be successful. It just ran into a hiccup.”

The Mitchell’s space can best be described as handsome. It is not gender-specific, not ultra-feminine like many salons and spas. This is intentional, Schmidt said. Roughly 17 percent of her clients are men, and the figure is growing. So there is a men’s locker room along with the women’s, and the colors, lighting and fixtures all were carefully selected to appeal to both.

Overall, the style is minimalist. The tables and bureaus, for example, are dark paneled and the colors lean toward warm earth tones. The chandeliers are simple wheels of dark copper, and the floors are porcelain tile, one of the few surfaces that can withstand the chemicals and beatings a salon dishes out.

Many of the amenities at Mitchell’s current location – the refreshment area, the Macintosh computers, the catered lunches – will carry to the new locale, but with more space. The salon in particular is much more capacious, each of the 29 work stations is equipped with two right-angle mirrors and streamlined cabinets to handle laundry, trash and anything else that might pull a workers from her space. Of the added amenities: a photo booth, where clients can have their new style photographed, or e-mailed, for future reference. It will be available within 30 days of the salon’s opening.

“You haven’t seen anything,” Schmidt said. “Wait until you see the spa.”

Separated from the rest of the salon, the spa is beyond a glass-paneled door. Down a long hallway stand 14 rooms, for treatments, relaxation, changing and, at the very end, dining. Schmidt walks through each, pointing out the custom cabinets that hide the hot stones and facial scrubs. Gilded art work and glass-tile trim adorn the walls. Four rooms are for massage, five are for skin treatments, and one is the water treatment room, where a client can have a luxurious vichy shower, with seven massage heads, followed by the multi-colored waterfall shower, also new.

“It feels,” Schmidt said, “like you died and gone to heaven.”

The dining room, which seats 17, will be catered by the Cheesecake Factory next door, at Kenwood Towne Centre.

Running a salon of this size requires a lot of maintenance. Behind the scenes, two industrial-sized washers and dryers handle dozens loads a days. There are five water heaters, and a kitchen where incoming food is plated and garnished (dishes from Crate & Barrel).

A salon of this size also requires a lot of staff. So in addition to the stylists and manicurists (of which there is always a shortage), there is a graphics designer, a vice president of education (for staff) and a bridal coordinator. Schmidt shares her office, she said, with the head of information technology.

Winding up the tour, Schmidt remembers that Mitchell’s was recently chosen by Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) as one of five U.S. flagship salons to carry its Sebastian products. With so much going on, it just slipped her mind. She still had to say goodbye to the old location.

Mitchell’s closed its former location, at 8118 Montgomery Road, April 11. The staff held a sleepover there that night.

Mitchell’s operates locations in Hyde Park, West Chester, Northgate and Tri-County and also owns Pump Salon in Norwood. A second Pump is opening May 15 at Kenwood Towne Centre in the former Walden Books locations.

Full Article and Credits

Mitchell’s Salon & Day Spa Corporate Profile

Day Spa, Ohio Day Spas, Spa, Spa Openings Cincinnati beauty salon, Cincinnati day spa, Facials, hair salon, pedicure - Mitchell's five locations in Cincinnati Ohio

 

Two Hawaii hot spots have been named to Condé Nast Traveler’s Hot list for 2009.

The Royal Hawaiian hotel has been named a hot hotel and the spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua on Maui made the hot spas list.

The list features hotels, restaurants, spas and nightclubs chosen by the travel magazine’s editors. Most are new establishments.

The Royal Hawaiian has “reclaimed its past glory” with its recent $50 million renovations, the magazine said.

The Ritz-Carlton spa was noted for its large number of treatment rooms and private areas, so the spa never feels crowded.

Full reviews of each hotel, restaurant, nightclub and spa will be in the May issue of Condé Nast Traveler, available April 21.

Destination Spa, Eco Friendly Spa, Hawaii Resort Spas, Hawaii Spa, Resort Spa, Spa, Spa Awards, Spa Resorts, Spa Travel, Spas by City Conde Naste Awards, Hawaii Spas, Maui Spa Resort, Resort Spa in HI

 

Enso Wellness Center & Day Spa: Opens for business

Enso Wellness Center & Day Spa opened for business on March 15th and will be celebrating their Grand Opening on Tuesday, May 12th. Enso provides a variety of therapeutic massage, spa services and more – all within a serene setting providing clients with a true escape. Owners Darcy & Michael Schwerin are ready and eager to provide superior service to their clients.

After time in Santa Fe, New Mexico Darcy and Michael have made their way back home to Wisconsin. “Bayfield has always been a very special place for us and the rest of our families. It is nice to be back home sharing our experiences with the community and helping create a balanced and healthy lifestyle,” explains Michael. Michael received his training from New Mexico Acadamy of Healing Arts, one of the leading massage therapy schools in the country. His training provides over 15 different treatment modalities ranging from deep tissue massage to lymphatic massage and craniosacral therapy. “Each client walks in with very specific needs. We work to be sure we are addressing those needs in a serene and calming setting,” explains Darcy. Darcy received her Esthetician certification from the Aveda Institute of Beauty & Wellness, providing superior training for spa treatments including facials, body treatments, waxing and makeup application.

Enso Wellness Center & Day Spa is also proud to be the first Travel Green Certified spa in northern Wisconsin. Travel Green is a voluntary program that certifies and recognizes tourism businesses throughout the State of Wisconsin that have made a commitment to reducing their environmental impact. Enso’s space has been designed using environmentally friendly materials, systems, green supplies and products for clients. “We have worked very hard to analyze our decisions based on cost, environmental impact and sustainability,” says Darcy Schwerin, “The beauty of this approach is that our clients experiences will be enhanced.”

Enso is also the perfect location for women’s retreat, wedding parties, corporate or group event. The spacious Gathering Room is available and Enso is more than happy to customize your their clients’ experience.

Full Article and Credits

Green Spa, Green Spas, Spa Openings Day Spa Bayfield WI, Spa Openings, Wisconsin Day Spa

Members of a Kintnersville Brownie Girl Scout troop raised $652 for a spa day to count toward their Healthy Habits badges.

Instead, the girls may learn a different lesson: always get it in writing.

Troop leader Rosemary Korchek, who had already paid for the April excursion over the phone with her credit card, arrived at the Seedlings Salon in Doylestown this week to find it locked and empty. The Web site for the children’s salon and its grown-up counterpart, Annodam, said the businesses shut down “due to current economic conditions.” An outgoing voice mail message said a new salon and spa will open in the near future but didn’t offer specifics.

The business closed March 7 after owners learned a day earlier it had to file for bankruptcy, co-owner Karen Lafferty said. Employees have been scrambling ever since to connect clients with other salons and hadn’t gotten to the Brownies’ mid-April appointment yet. She said the salon will refund the troop’s money.

This is a low point, Lafferty said, and the salon has 19,000 clients who’d have positive things to say about their experience with her business.

“We’re trying our best, dealing with everything we have to deal with,” Lafferty said.

The 19 Brownies raised the $652 by selling magazines, nuts and sweets, said Korchek. The troop paid up front in early February to lock in an April 10 appointment for manicures, pedicures, a lotion-mixing session and aromatherapy at Seedlings, Korchek said.

After hearing from Korchek, Serenity Day Spa and Wellness Center on Swamp Road stepped up Wednesday afternoon and offered the girls a Saturday afternoon session free of charge, so long as they leave a tip. The girls will learn about facial and nail care from two manicurists and four estheticians, then head home with some goodie bags, said Serenity co-owner Jennifer Wiegand.

Earlier on Wednesday, Korchek, whose own 6-year-old daughter was among the Brownies looking forward to the Seedlings trip, said she hadn’t told the girls their spa chances looked bleak.
Advertisement Click here!

“They’ve really looked forward to this. They’ve really worked hard,” Korchek said of the Brownies, who range from 6 to 8 years old. “I’ve got to explain to them, sorry, we can’t go.”

Seedlings opened in the summer of 2004 as a place for kids to get away from the stresses of everyday life. The rainforest-themed business offered yoga classes, parties and a full range of salon services. This week, a peek inside the South Main Street spa’s windows shows an all-but-gutted Annodam and a darkened, empty Seedlings, a phone message pad and scattered business cards lying on an entryway bench.

Korchek said she’d spent half an hour conference calling with Seedlings management to organize the trip and was asked for full payment over the phone; she was told no-shows would be credited back to her card, and any moms who came along would be given $25 coupons for the adult salon next door.

The Bucks County Office of Consumer Protection is aware of the spa’s closure but hasn’t heard any formal complaints, said department director Michael Bannon.

When a business shuts down unexpectedly, consumers would be surprised how often sending a certified letter results in a refund, he said. Mail is generally forwarded to a new address, and letters copied to the consumer protection office will be filed away for future reference.

But buyers have to protect themselves in this economic climate, he said — first and foremost by documenting any exchange of money. Consumers should always get contracts, receipts or other paperwork to verify their transactions.

When there’s only a verbal agreement, the business may have a moral obligation to follow through but pinning down its legal obligations is trickier, Bannon said. Consumers need to do their homework, which includes asking businesses up front about financial stability and the possibility of closure.

“We have to ask those questions these days,” Bannon said.

 

Full Article and Credits

PA Day Spa, Spa & Salon Closings, Spa Closing, spa closings Annodam Closed, Doylestown PA Day Spa, Spa Close, Spa Closing