Spas are not typically known as being green with the amount of water and energy used in excess to offer ultimate relaxation for guests’, spas are now finding creative ways to “green” themselves that are not only great for the environment, but great for their bottom line as well.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which is a rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council to help companies design, build, and operate their structures more sustainably.

Certifications are awarded according to points earned for things such as, design, energy efficiency and water conservation. LEED certifications entail different levels of Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum in which only 118 buildings have received.

Here are a few spa pioneers whom have earned a LEED accolade and are setting a standard that other spas are soon to follow.

The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

Is the country’s largest LEED-certified high-rise building. Set on the Las Vegas strip, this resort opened in 2008 boasting an eco-friendly spa, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub offers an assortment of innovative spa treatments such the 100 minute Neuromuscular Therapy. This treatment is aimed to relieve tension headaches, back pain, TMJ, restricted ranges of movement and other musculoskeletal conditions. The service is conducted by a trained neuromuscular therapist, which includes referrals so you can continue treatments when you return home. All treatments incorporate organic spa products as well.

Other novel features include a 40-foot rock-climbing wall, water efficient showers, and valet bicycle parking.

 

 

Avalon Hotel & Spa, Portland, Oregon

 

Oregon’s first Silver LEED certification was awarded to the Avalon Hotel & Spa last August because of its energy and water conservation, recycling, and ethical purchasing efforts. Other reasons to visit this boutique hotel on the Willamette River are for its wine bar, complimentary breakfast, and 30 treatment rooms with Spa Chakra services.

 

The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia

The Callaway property sits on 13,000-acre preserve as a dedicated non-profit towards environmental education. The preserve consists of gardens, hiking trails and a butterfly pavilion. Receiving the title as a LEED certified property because it was built with recycled materials and has efficient plumbing, lighting, and air-filtration systems. The 13-treatment room spas uses natural, indigenous products inspired from the gardens that are on the property.

 

Gala Napa Valley Hotel & Spa, American Canyon, California

The Gala Napa Valley Hotel & Spa was the first hotel to receive the country’s Gold LEED lodging certification. Housing 132-rooms with a spa that is inspired by the wine region it calls home, offering locally sourced grape seeds for scrubs treatments and a restaurant that features seasonal, local and organic produce.

Its unique features that made this property LEED certified are its skylights that are shaped like magnifying glasses to help light interiors and real-time display of the hotel’s energy use in the lobby.

 

Nusta Spa, Washington, D.C.

The Nusta Spa is the first Gold LEED certified urban day spa in the country. Known as the pioneer for “spa-greening” in an urban environment it received this certification from its energy and water-saving features and waste reduction strategies. Sourcing only organic products along with its signature skincare line that contains sustainable, organic ingredients.

 

Hotel Terra Jackson Hole, Teton Village, Washington

The Hotel Terra has earned a Silver LEED certification by using an advanced water purification system that purifies wastewater and releases it back into the surrounding land, energy-saving fixtures, nontoxic paints and cleaning supplies. The Chill Spa offers organic and restorative treatments along with cotton robes and reusable water bottles for guests.

 

Other Spa’s that are in the process of gaining LEED certifications are:

Hyatt at Olive 8, Seattle Washington
Elaia Spa

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Colorado
Spa Anjali

Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa, Thompsonville, Michigan
Crystal Spa

Inn by the Sea Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Spa at the Inn by the Sea

Cavallo Point – The Lodge at the Golden Gate, Sausalito, California
Cavallo Point Healing Arts Center & Spa

The Springs Resort and Spa, Pagosa Spring, Colorado
The Springs Spa & Salon

Bardessono, Yountville, California
Spa Therapy Center

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For years, Michelle Palmer, a lawyer in Manhattan, bounced from aesthetician to aesthetician having her skin cleaned, assessed and exfoliated, simply because she had always heard that facials were the best way to get glowing skin.

“I never did a ton of research to figure out what those products were doing, or whether or not I could get results at home, or whether I was better off going to see a dermatologist — this is what single women in the city did,” said Ms. Palmer, 36, who paid anywhere from $100 to $250 per session.

Aestheticians and spas have long promoted such routine facials as required maintenance for radiant skin. But dermatologists don’t necessarily agree. Today’s bloated and breathless spa menus promise more than a mere facial can deliver, dermatologists say, and have people thinking that monthly facials can be their first line of defense against wrinkles.

“People will say, ‘I’ve had facial after facial and I still have wrinkles,’ ” said Dr. Amy Derick, a board-certified dermatologist from Barrington, Ill. “They have unrealistic expectations of what facials can do.”

Meanwhile, aestheticians say that some doctors downplay how effective their treatments are because they don’t want their patients consulting the facialist down the street. “They’re bad-mouthing us because they want our business to go to them,” said Wendei Spale, an aesthetician of 14 years and the owner of Peace of Mind Skin & Body Care in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles. “If my clients go to them, they’re going to talk them into fillers, Botox or a super strong peel they don’t need.”

Facials, a pillar of the $10.9-billion spa industry, are the third most popular service at spas nationwide, after massages and nail care, according to the International Spa Association.

Some facials are marketed as massages for the face, relaxation pure and simple. But most spas and aestheticians also offer a dizzying array of results-oriented facials that claim to do far more.

Aestheticians say that so-called oxygen facials can plump skin, produce collagen and regenerate new cells. A company called Intraceuticals has its technology in 300 spas, resorts and doctors’ offices nationwide. It uses pressurized oxygen to deliver modified hyaluronic acid to the face, but doesn’t have any research to back its machine, said Deirdre Burke, the director of sales and education. Still, the company believes in its efficacy, she said, adding, “If you have had a treatment, you’re a believer.”

But without scientific evidence, many dermatologists remain unconvinced. “Show me the data that oxygen facials make the skin better,” said Dr. Jeffrey Dover, a director of SkinCare Physicians, a comprehensive dermatology practice in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Exhale spa, with outposts in Dallas and in Santa Monica, Calif., promotes a $195 “non-surgical face lift” on their Web site that entails using “sub-sensory microcurrent waves to tone and lift facial muscles.” And the Manhattan flagship store of Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a board-certified dermatologist, offers an electro-stim lifting facial, which his site says is a “non-invasive ‘face lift’ ” that will “stimulate facial muscles to perform more youthfully….”

Dr. Derick, who isn’t familiar with these two particular facials, suggests that massaging of the skin alone can cause temporary swelling, which may be responsible for that lifting effect after a facial.

What then can consumers expect from deep cleansing, microdermabrasion and other staples of today’s facials?

To rid oneself of some of the outermost dead-cell layers, old-fashioned exfoliation, microdermabrasion or a glycolic peel will do the trick, many dermatologists say. A salicylic peel may help diminish sun spots, they say, and acne sufferers may benefit from a meticulous extraction of clogged pores.

More and more dermatologists are hiring aestheticians to perform such services. Ms. Palmer, now married, found her facialist of three years, Rowena Woo, at her dermatologist’s office, Tribeca Skin Center in Manhattan. “If client wants an ‘anti-aging’ facial, we don’t have that,” said Ms. Woo, who sticks to basics like cleaning, extraction and exfoliation.

Dr. Arielle Kauvar, the director of New York Laser & Skin Care in Manhattan, doesn’t offer facials per se, but she does offer microdermabrasion as well as glycolic and salicylic peels. “From a pure budgetary standpoint, facials can add up,” she said. She’ll advise patients who dislike their frown lines or crow’s-feet and spend hundreds of dollars on anti-aging facials to consider Botox. “The same amount of money would at least erase those wrinkles,” she said. (Temporarily, of course.)

Dr. Leslie Baumann, a dermatology professor at University of Miami, ignited a firestorm recently when she wrote on her Skin Guru blog for Yahoo that facials are a waste of money. Outraged aestheticians and their followers made up a lot of the 1,453 commenters. Two criticisms were particularly sharp: that aestheticians “often don’t know which products are right for the skin of each client” and that facials cause breakouts most of the time.

Dr. Baumann has since said that aestheticians play a vital role advising clientele about home care and the wearing of sunscreen. However, she is astonished that some of her new patients “throw facials in at the level of sunscreen.”

Dr. Baumann said: “Getting a facial is a great cost to cut,” because, unlike sunscreen, “it’s not doing anything preventative or anything long term for your skin.”

Some aestheticians and their satisfied clients wouldn’t agree. Nancy Girten, a 50-year-old geologist from Los Angeles, used to have sun spots on her face, but since she started getting lactic acid peels 12 years ago from Ms. Spale, she is convinced that her skin tone has evened out significantly.

Dermatologists are also wary of facials that aren’t customized. “If you drop into a hotel, they do a similar thing to everybody,” said Dr. Dover, who has had aestheticians on staff since 2000, and is the co-author of “The Youth Equation.” “It’s a recipe.”

Such one-fits-all recipes where the aesthetician may not even do an initial skin assessment can backfire. Take the case of Dr. Dover’s wife, who is also a dermatologist. “She’s gone for spa facials where they put things on her skin that should never be put on,” he said. “Then they do a massage, and she breaks out in deep tender pimples.” Now she gives to others any gift certificate she receives for a facial. “The standard in the industry has to include a complete analysis of the skin,” said An G. Hinds, the president of Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics in Woburn, Mass. “Every aesthetician should know this.”

But often the consumer is the one to guess which facial might work. Dermatology Partners, a practice with three aestheticians in Wellesley, Mass., circumvents this by only booking the hour, not the service, said Milena Turok, the director of aesthetics. “We analyze,” she said. “It’s dangerous for a patient to pick a treatment.”

Demand customization, advised Celeste Hilling, the founder of Skin Authority, a product line used at 62 resorts and 37 doctors’ offices nationwide. “At the end of the day whether you’re spending $40 or $400,” she said, “if that facial doesn’t have active ingredients for what you want, it’s not worth it.”

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In late November, a couple of months after the global financial crisis leaped to the top of news reports, spa lovers browsing  were showing new interest in a concept fit for jittery times. Along with the usual search terms, like “day spas” and “massage,” a newly prominent word was typed into the site’s search engine three times more often than it had been in the summer. That word was “stress.”

Interest hasn’t waned since.   Not only is “stress” still showing up often in the site’s searches, but weekly traffic to “stress management”  has doubled since the summer months.

When the economy was good, taking a spa vacation was largely about pampering yourself. It didn’t matter that the afterglow of that $165 carrot-and-sesame body buff lasted only until your next shower. Now, with the sinking economy on most people’s minds, a trip to the spa has become something else — an investment of sorts, in well-being.

The shift in mood is not lost on spa owners, who have long been savvy marketers, convincing people of the purifying qualities of sweat lodges and persuading them that a nightingale cleansing mask, made from sanitized bird droppings, was truly worth $109.

 

Miraval, the spa resort company based in Tucson, Ariz., is offering a new De-Stress Me package designed for “these trying times,” according to Tracey Anne Latkovic, the vice president of sales and marketing.

 

 

The Eldorado Hotel and Spa in Santa Fe, N.M., is running a Stress Bailout promotion to attract travelers looking “to escape the non-stop coverage of the economy,” according to a press release.

 

 

And under the usual New Agey marketing jargon that flashes across the sleek home page of Canyon Ranch, the destination spa company that was luring guests for body poundings and weight-loss regimens before the modern spa proliferation was a gleam in marketers’ eyes, there is a new message straight from its founders, Enid and Mel Zuckerman. “Has there ever been a time when you could have used an escape to Canyon Ranch more?” it reads, under the caption “The Vacation You Need” and a proverb about health, hope and happiness.

“No?” the pitch continues. “Then book your healthy, revitalizing getaway today and let us help you re-establish your balance. In times like these, nothing — nothing at all — is more important than taking care of yourself and on focusing on what really matters: Health, hope, love and a tranquil mind.”

During past economic downturns, Zuckerman said in an interview, business had been “very strong, because people need to get away to deal with stress, deal with fear, go to behaviorists, do life management, protect their health.” So far, Canyon Ranch’s revenues are “holding up very nicely” this time, too, he said, despite a dip in occupancy of about 10 percent in Tucson and Lenox in 2008. And the company opened a new luxury spa in Miami in December, just when the recession was proving itself entrenched.

Of course, a little financial incentive also helps. To battle the uncertain economy’s dampening effect on leisure spending, spas are marrying their new emphasis on stress relief with a flood of discounts and deals.

Rancho La Puerta, just over the California border in Tecate, Mexico, explains its decision to keep prices at 2008 levels — starting at $2,795 a person for seven nights, double occupancy — this way on its Web site: “We feel that in these tumultuous times a destination spa vacation is more important than ever.” It has also run Bring a Friend promotions that allow a guests to double up and share $1,500 to $2,200 in savings.

Miraval’s Authentic Remedy package, which starts at $399 a person a night — more than 40 percent off regular rates — includes extras like organic wine tastings and cooking classes. Mii amo, at Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Ariz., is holding rates at 2008 levels and offering other discounts.

Not to be outdone, the Golden Door in Escondido has rolled back weekly rates to 2007 levels of $7,750 a person through May 24, down from $8,275 originally planned for this year, and is offering $500 savings if you bring a friend.

Even Canyon Ranch, which has never lowered its published rates — “I could never compromise our standards or cut our programs because we no longer could be who we are,” Zuckerman said — is tinkering with pricing.

Canyon Ranch in Tucson is offering credits of up to $350 for stays of at least four nights (which start at $3,770 a person, based on double occupancy) to out-of-towners, to help offset airfares. Its sister property in Lenox, Mass., has a fifth-night-free deal through April — in effect a discount of as much as $1,000 depending on accommodations and time of week — and is also offering 15 percent in savings when two guests who have never stayed at a Canyon Ranch resort share accommodations.

Last year, at the second-annual Global Spa Summit in New York, Ian Schrager, the trendsetting hotelier who is designing a new spa brand for Marriott, suggested another way spas could improve business — add spaces where spagoers can hang out. “These are places where people can meet and socialize before or after spa treatments,” he said in a keynote address. “People feel good when they come out of the spa and spas can take advantage of that.”

Spa owners have no more insight than anyone else into how long tough economic times will last. “I have no idea whether we got another year or two or three years ahead of us,” Zuckerman said. But recently, Canyon Ranch bookings have been picking up ever so slightly, he said, which he takes as “the message that people still want and need what we have to offer.”

For the nail-biting stress victim who still has enough money left to relax at a spa at all, this may not be entirely the worst of times.

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Introducing a Kitchen for Your Mind: The Ojai Valley Inn & Spa Artist’s Cottage

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa’s Artist’s Cottage & Apothecary is the next generation of spa – a ‘Kitchen for your Mind’.

OJAI, Calif., Ojai Valley Inn & Spa’s Artist’s Cottage is the next generation of spa: a “Kitchen for your Mind.”

“Traditional spas just focus on the wellness of your body,” said Janis Clapoff, Managing Director, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. “At Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, we strive to go one step further, allowing our guests the opportunity to treat not just their body, but their mind as well, through use of our Artist’s Cottage and Apothecary.”

Considered to be the heart of Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, the Artist’s Cottage and Apothecary is staffed by the multi-talented Renate Collins, the facility’s in-house Artist in-Residence. Ms. Collins supervises a wide range of creative activities, including the signature “Personal Mandela” session that provides a remarkable insight into one’s own personal life and creative side. Complete details can be found at www.ojairesort.com.

“Renate and the entire team in our Spa Village are dedicated to making any visit here remarkable,” noted Ms. Clapoff, adding, “We are so grateful for the recognition received from our guests concerning our Spa and its offerings, and the rating that has been given by Trip Advisor as #1 Spa in the World.”

About Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

Since 1923, vacationing guests have sought the tranquil pleasures of the historic Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, an AAA Five Diamond property located on 220 tree-shaded acres offering an incredible golf course ranked as one of the finest in North America. Located 35 minutes south of Santa Barbara, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is approximately 90 minutes north of LAX. Affirmed by its many prestigious awards and fresh from a $90 million renovation, this legendary Inn is one of North America’s unique hidden treasures. For reservations, contact 1-800-422-6524

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Radiance  Spa and Salon Owner Arrested After Overcharging Clients

A day at the spa drained the bank accounts of dozens of local women. Investigators say the owner of three day spas stole at least $30,000 from her customers.

Investigators say because this is such a nice looking day spa that attracted high-end clients, the owner was able to get away with the alleged crime for a long period of time.

“Some people do not check their credit card statements, and do not see the money missing,” explains Jim Hudson, Placer County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators say dozens of customers were double or triple billed at Spa Radiance in Granite Bay. They arrested the owner, 33-year-old Heather Collins, inside the spa on Friday for allegedly holding on to credit cards and charging them over and over again.

“Have a nice time in jail, that’s where you deserve to be,” said Steven Williamson.

Steven Williamson says his wife and mother-in-law were charged for services they never had, which totaled more than $600 after their initial visit for a day of relaxation.

“I actually bought her gift certificate there for a facial and massage,” says Williamson.

Detectives say Collins owned three spas at one point, two of them in Citrus Heights that have now shut down. But, customers who went there are still being charged by Balance Body Works and Enchanted Skin Services.

The owner is charged with identity theft and fraud, but investigators say there may be more charges as new victims come forward.

Placer County detectives have identified about 40 victims so far. They are expecting more to come forward as customers check their old statements.

The loss to customers is unknown, authorities said. Anyone who thinks that they may have been charged improperly at the spa is asked to contact Detective Jim Hudson at (530) 889-7800

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Once an economic sweet spot, spas are aching for business.

Spas are discounting or tossing in freebies “to get people in the door,” says Shelby Jones, an International Spa Association (ISPA) spokeswoman. An ISPA survey found specials at slow times (Monday-Thursday) and more free use of amenities such as pools and hydrotherapy areas.

More hotels (1,646 in the USA had spas as of June, ISPA says) are giving spa credits. When ISPA president Lynne Walker McNees checked into a Lexington, Ky.-area Marriott after a power outage, it gave her a $40 spa credit.

Some soothing offers driven by the stressful economy:

•Through May, Miraval Tucson in Arizona (an Oprah Winfrey favorite) is touting “Authentic Remedy” packages from $399 a person daily to help manage angst. That covers meals and one spa service (up to $125) a day.

•At the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina, visitors who book a 60-minute massage ($145-$160) also get a free mini-facial or foot refresher.

•Usually heavily booked Rancho La Puerta across the Mexican border from San Diego is holding rates at 2008 levels and running a “bring a friend for 50% off” deal on slow weeks.

•Pennsylvania’s The Lodge at Woodloch is massaging wallets with savings of 25% for a four-night minimum stay and 20% for three nights.

Even VIP-luring Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is value-minded. It’s doing massages in a cabana at no extra cost, spa director Derek Hofmann says. “And if you’re a Bloody Mary girl, we’ll bring you one.”

Vegas spas deals:

•The Golden Nugget spa gives guests who have 50- or 80-minute services a free manicure or blow dry, based on availability.

•Some packages at The Mirage Hotel & Casino are deeply discounted ($150 for a massage and facial vs. the usual $260).

•The opulent Caesars Palace spa now gives new guests $25 off a service on request; all can get free eye treatments with a facial.

You can tell the industry is hurting  says Lindsey Gockenbach of the Spa Week Media Group. 

More spas with “treatments of $200-plus” are joining in, Gockenbach says. Among the 250 newcomers: pricey The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa in Arizona. “These are spas that never participated in Spa Week because of this discount but now are almost forced to do so.”

Spas also are touting wellness over pampering. But in general, rates for spa basics such as massages ($150-plus hourly at some chic sanctuaries) aren’t sliding.

“The idea is to protect the brands,” says Bernard Burt, co-author of 100 Best Spas of the World. “Historically, the best spas have ridden out recessions.”

Meanwhile, at a time when a good kneading is needed more than ever, he suggests asking for discounts. It can’t hurt, he says.

“The smart shopper will call direct and ask for the best price.”

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The pleasant fragrance of lavender and bergamot in Jade Dragon Medical Spa is a welcomed departure from the familiar smells of most doctor’s waiting rooms.

The wall of herbs behind the reception desk contributing to the aroma are one of five branches of traditional Chinese medicine. The other four are nutrition education, Tui Na, Qui Gong, and most commonly, acupuncture, all of which are provided at the Sunny Brae spa.

Jade Dragon Medical Spa owner and licensed acupuncturist, Jessica Baker, has accumulated over 3,200 hours of undergraduate and graduate work in the field of Chinese medicine, at Five Branches University in Santa Cruz.

Baker has a personal stake in providing wellness through traditional techniques. She grew up ailed by medical problems that led to the lifelong use of antibiotics. The drugs seemed to be of little help and were overshadowed by negative side effects. Baker said she sought unconventional medicine and experienced amazing results with a simple change in diet and the use of herbs.

”Sometimes it’s harder to make those smaller changes like diet, than it is to make the drastic one,” Baker said.
Inspired by her renewed health, Baker wanted to share the techniques with others. That was more than a decade ago, and Baker opened the Jade Dragon in November. She said it is the only one of its kind in the area, in that walk-ins are welcome, and spa services are available in addition to the medical treatments.

Spa services include a foundation foot soak, hot stone placement, massages in a variety of techniques, as well as services for children from newborn to six years of age.

”We like to treat people before they get sick by focusing on wellness, not illness,” Baker said.

There are over 40 common health problems that are recognized by the World Health Organization, which can be eased with the use of acupuncture. Those include disorders concerning the ears, nose and throat, respiratory system, circulatory system and more. Traditional Asian acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese theories of the flow of qi through distinct channels within the body, similar to nerves and blood vessels.

I was given a treatment of two needles placed in my forehead and skull, in an area commonly used to treat congestion and reduce stress and anxiety. I laid on an amethyst bio-mat, which uses negative ions for relaxation. I barely felt the needles being placed, but experienced a heavy sensation reaching to my toes once they were in.
Baker said the experience is different for everyone and people have reported feeling energy running throughout their body, with a result similar to an internal massage providing energy and rejuvenation.
Baker’s sister, Lia Harrell helps with the spa’s operations as its business and marketing director. The sisters grew up with a father in the military, living on bases and moving every two years.
As a tribute to their father, Baker plans to work with another licensed acupuncturist to open a veterans clinic for soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Baker is a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders, who have used the techniques to treat victims of Hurricane Katrina, wildfires, and other tragedies leading to the disorder. The veterans clinic would be open one day a month and operate on a donation basis.

Other plans in the works for the medical spa include the addition of an esthetician, and Harrell is studying to provide Reiki sessions

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Closed San Mateo spa gets new owners

The owners of a beauty supply store are taking over the space previously occupied by an spa that closed in October.

Mostafa Karim and his wife, Monir Zarrin, have leased the two-level Third Avenue facility that was home to the Sandra Caron European Spa until its closure. The couple, who own the California Beauty Center, decided to take over the space after losing their lease on Fourth Avenue at the end of December.

They plan to start selling beauty products by the middle of next week and hope to offer spa services before Valentine’s Day, Karim said. Those services will include massages, facials, waxings, mud and foil wraps, as well as access to a steam room and sauna.

Karim and Zarrin took over all of the equipment and merchandise left at the spa, including massage tables, washers and dryers, facial creams and an assortment of dancing gnomes and Betty Boop dolls.
Sandra Caron closed its doors after failing to make its October rent, and employees say they weren’t paid or given notice.

The state Department of Industrial Relations said last month that two former employees filed claims against the spa for unpaid wages. One is for three months’ work valued at $6,000, and another is for $270, the department said. Former clients have also complained to the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown San Mateo Association about unredeemed gift certificates.

Karim said he plans to offer former Sandra Caron customers gift
 certificates and significant discounts on spa treatments. He will probably give those who don’t want services some of the closed spa’s merchandise.

“We know that people are kind of pissed off,” Karim said. “They took money — it wasn’t so pleasant. We’re trying to bring a different image.”
Karim noted that his relatives were members of a massage membership program at Sandra Caron and lost $700 when the spa closed.

Six women filed lawsuits last month accusing a masseur who worked at the Sandra Caron spa of inappropriate touching during massages. The spa settled a previous civil lawsuit, in which the plaintiff accused masseur Kevin Bradshaw of touching her breasts and pubic region without consent during a May 2007 massage, for $500,000.
Bradshaw was sentenced to one year in San Mateo County jail for that crime and for inappropriately touching a second woman at Massage Envy in San Mateo.

Karim said he will take the time to review candidates’ applications carefully before making hiring decisions to avoid similar problems. “We are going to screen them,” he said.
“That’s why we don’t want to rush things to open. We have an obligation to the landlord and the public, so we want to do it right.”

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Destiny Health Group Launches Growth Strategy Acquiring Acclaimed Sherman Oaks, CA Med Spa, Aspect Beauty

Destiny Health Group LLC, a California based Health and Wellness Company launched its new growth strategy with the acquisition of the medical spa, Aspect Beauty.

With recent studies identifying the fastest growing retail healthcare segment as minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, combined with the ever growing consumer interest in looking and feeling young, we decided that Medical Spas are the best starting point to grow our business

What’s great is today’s busy consumer can come to Aspect Beauty for their complete beauty needs: new hair style, makeover, laser skin rejuvenation, Botox, Juvaderm plus more, all in one convenient location.

Destiny Health Group was interested in Aspect Beauty for numerous reasons including its team of highly skilled professionals, it’s prominent location next to Macy’s, Ann Taylor and William Sonoma within Westfield’s Sherman Oaks Fashion Square Mall as well as the loyal clientele that frequent the location.

Sherman Oaks, CA  Destiny Health Group LLC, a California based Health and Wellness Company launched its new growth strategy with the acquisition of the medical spa, Aspect Beauty. Destiny Health Group LLC was formed by partners Dennis Draudt and Robert Zasa to leverage the consumer’s heightened interest in wellness and retail healthcare.

Forming a strategic alliance with a top industry player, Acara Partners, nationally recognized medical spa experts, to provide operational and marketing expertise, Destiny Health Group is focusing its initial growth on the acquisition of west coast based medical spas. “With recent studies identifying the fastest growing retail healthcare segment as minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, combined with the ever growing consumer interest in looking and feeling young, we decided that Medical Spas are the best starting point to grow our business”, states Dennis Draudt, CEO for Destiny Health Group.

Aspect Beauty combines the traditional services found in a spa and salon with the latest in cosmetic medical technology to bring skin care and beauty to new levels. “What’s great is today’s busy consumer can come to Aspect Beauty for their complete beauty needs: new hair style, makeover, laser skin rejuvenation, Botox, Juvaderm plus more, all in one convenient location.” comments Mr. Draudt.

Destiny Health Group also plans to expand the service offering in the New Year to include Medically Supervised Weight Loss and SmartLipo. Both will support the medical spa program with weight reduction and body sculpting. Already many new changes have taken place with the introduction of Redkin and Pureology Hair Lines and YoungBlood Makeup.

“Destiny Health Group was interested in Aspect Beauty for numerous reasons including its team of highly skilled professionals, it’s prominent location next to Macy’s, Ann Taylor and William Sonoma within Westfield’s Sherman Oaks Fashion Square Mall as well as the loyal clientele that frequent the location.” states Francis X. Acunzo, CEO of Acara.

About Destiny Health Group:
Destiny Health Group provides physician-directed comprehensive and integrated wellness and spa programs. Destiny’s primary focus is to promote healthy aging, optimize physical and mental performance and enhance the overall well being, appearance and quality of life for its clients. Under the leadership of CEO, Dennis Draudt and Co-owner Bob Zasa, Destiny Health Group is implementing their comprehensive plan to integrate healthcare, wellness and aesthetic services to promote a healthy lifestyle. 

About Acara Partners:
Acara is the business team for the spa industry offering turnkey solutions to owners, operators, physicians and investors seeking to develop, manage and market their Spa, Medical Spa, Wellness Center, Cosmetic or Aesthetic Practice. Acara is led by industry leader Francis X. Acunzo and his team of expert consultants with over 25 years of spa, med spa and retail healthcare experience. 

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California Day Spa, California Spa, Med Spa, Medical Spa, Spa Business