With room rates topping $500 a night in peak season for its signature creekside cottages, the exclusive L’Auberge de Sedona resort attracts a wealthy, well-traveled crowd.

Guests check in with ultrahigh expectations, expectations that hotel officials admit haven’t been universally met as the 25-year-old resort showed its age in recent years.
“Stale,” “dated” and “old” are words sprinkled in reviews posted in the past year on TripAdvisor.com, a popular travel-review site.

L’Auberge’s new owner hopes to erase any negative impressions – and attract a new generation of fans – by plowing $25 million into a major renovation and expansion.

The project, which began earlier this year, will add 17 hillside cottages the size of small houses (with a nightly mortgage to match), and 16 spa cottages. In total, L’Auberge will go from 56 rooms and cottages to 89, increasing its supply more than half.

Existing rooms and cottages are being updated to include amenities that have become standard in upscale and even midrange hotels: flat-screen televisions, iPod docking stations, wireless Internet and the like.

Workers are expanding outdoor decks on the cottages and addressing past guest complaints about poor lighting and low ceilings.

“We’re competing (for) people who live in gorgeous homes,” said Joe Mottershead, general manager of L’Auberge since 2006. “Our customers come in, and they’re looking for things they have at home . . . We’ve got to stay up with that.”

In follow-up surveys sent to guests, L’Auberge long has gotten marks in the mid- to high 90s out of 100 for its service, he said. Its rankings for the quality of the “product” have been nearly 10 points below. The goal is to close that gap. He said the resort is seeing early results from guests who have tried the renovated cottages.

Exclusive and well-known as it is, it doesn’t rank in the top 10 among 44 Sedona hotels and resorts rated on TripAdvisor based on reviews and proprietary factors.

“We anticipate that score to skyrocket as we bring these new units online,” he said.

Part of the lag in upkeep, Mottershead said, is because of ownership changes in the past few years.

L’Auberge was last renovated in 2004, but the effort wasn’t anywhere near as extensive as this one, especially in terms of updating furnishings, he said.

Scottsdale attorney and developer Al Spector, who purchased the hotel and adjacent property for nearly $40 million in May from a California hotel company, is redoing the entire place.

Spector owns the neighboring Amara Resort in Sedona and was one of the developers of the Scottsdale Princess, now known as Fairmont Scottsdale.

The main lodge, which has 21 guest rooms and suites, is done, as are half the cottages. Construction on the hillside cottages, which L’Auberge hopes to rent for $800 to $1,500 a night, is due to begin soon and be completed by the end of September.

The major expansion and makeover come at a time when hoteliers in Sedona and across the country are having a difficult time filling rooms.

Sedona’s occupancy in December and January fell below 40 percent for the first time in several years, according to Smith Travel Research. It stood at 34.6 percent in January, the latest month available, down from 40.3 percent a year earlier.

Fiscal year-to-date lodging-tax collections in Sedona are off 8.4 percent.

“We’re as concerned about the economy as anyone,” Mottershead said.

He said the resort’s timing may actually prove to be good, because the renovations have taken a lot of its rooms off the market as occupancy was plunging. On average, it has been down about 15 rooms and cottages, or more than one-quarter of its supply, every month this year.

It is slowing the renovation pace for its busy months of March and April, and bookings look solid, he said.

With its creekside setting and national reputation as a first-class romantic getaway, Mottershead said L’Auberge has generally outperformed its competitors in Sedona on key industry measures.

L’Auberge’s occupancy was 86 percent in 2007 and 84 percent in 2008, driving its decision to expand, Mottershead said.

“We turned away more business the past two years than we were actually able to book,” he said. “That gives you an indication of the kind of demand for the type of product we have.”

L’Auberge hopes the hillside cottages, which offer its first full views of Sedona’s trademark red rocks, and spa cottages will attract younger travelers.

It also hopes to gain a name with its new outdoor showers in its cottages, an idea it borrowed from some luxury Napa Valley resorts.

“We thought it would translate really well to Sedona,” he said.

Full Article and Credits

Arizona Resort Spas, Arizona Spas, Building a spa Sedona Spa Renovation, spa expansion

Massage firm at malls to give worker back pay

Oriental Chi, a chair massage business, agreed to pay an employee $767 after a state investigation found it had violated the minimum-wage law.

Steven Chen, Oriental Chi’s owner, said the employee was a trainee and had agreed to accept a lower wage. However, under state law, employees can’t waive their right to minimum wage, said Randall Maruca, director of the state Labor Department.

Chen said his therapists are paid on commission, and most make more than minimum wage.

“We have been complying with the minimum-wage law,” he said.

The complaint against Oriental Chi was first filed in November 2007 as a wage claim, which is filed when an employee believes he hasn’t been compensated for time worked, Maruca said. That claim was dismissed, and the minimum-wage claim was filed in April, Maruca said.

The complaint was resolved in June after an investigation found Oriental Chi had violated the state’s minimum-wage law.
The employee, whose name was not released because of state law, had been paid too little for about three months, and Oriental Chi agreed to pay the back wages, Maruca said. No further action against Oriental Chi was taken, Maruca said.

Oriental Chi also is working to get state licenses for its therapists, Chen said.
Oriental Chi’s workers had performed quick chair massages without massage licenses in local malls. In a Star story published in November, Chen said his workers were technically not performing massages but less intensive “energy work,” which does not require a license in Arizona.

A state board told Oriental Chi that it no longer could give massages until its therapists have state licenses.
In the meantime, Chen said, Oriental Chi’s therapists have been performing reflexology, which involves pressure areas on the hands and feet.

Oriental Chi has operated at Park Place, Tucson Mall, Foothills Mall and the Mall at Sierra Vista. The business has a total of 10 locations in Arizona, California and Colorado, and is expanding to Texas and Georgia, Chen said.

 

Full Article & Credits

Arizona Spas, Chair Massage, Lawsuits

HAPPY HOLIDAY’S SPA PACKAGES!

From: Dolce Salon & Spa (Borgata Location)

Dolce Salon & Spa Borgata

6166 North Scottsdale Road

Scottsdale Arizona 85253

Call to book appointments 480-222-3665!

Spa Gift Certificates Available!

All He Wants for Christmas

• 1 Hour Swedish Massage
• 1 Hour Custom Facial
• Quick Shave

$170 (value of $210)

All She Wants for Christmas

• 1 Hour Swedish Massage
• 1 Hour Custom Facial
• Makeup Application

$180 (value of $220)

5% of all holiday package proceeds will be donated to the Johnjay & Rich Christmas Wish Kids Foundation this season!

2 other great locations to serve you!

Dolce Salon & Spa Arrowhead

8385 West Mariner’s Way
Peoria Arizona 85382
USA

Dolce Salon & Spa (Chandler)

3325 West Chandler Blvd.

Chandler, Arizona 85226

AZ Day Spa, Arizona Spas, Day Spa, Spa, Spa Gift Cards, Spa Gift Certificates

 

This article is brought to you by Spavelous.com.

 http://www.spavelous.com

Scottsdale Spa Owner Wins 2008 Femtor Award

Heidi Lamar was selected to receive the 2008 “Femtor Award” in the “Made it to a Million” category at a ceremony in Dallas on July 10, 2008 that gave away over $126,00 in grants and raised nearly $200,000 with a live auction.

At the gala ceremony, attended by over 3,300 members of the e-Women network from around the world, Heidi Lamar, one of 4 finalists, was chosen for her “Femtoring” within her company and community. Presenters and speakers included Michael Gerber, author of “The e-myth”, Janine Turner, actress and author, Sheila Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television and Partner of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.

What is a Femtor?
The word Femtor is a registered trademark of eWomenNetwork. The term Femtor means “a wise and trusted woman providing knowledge, inspiration and practical information to other women.”  Femtor acknowledges the mentoring work done from a female experience and knowledge base. These experienced women seek out ways to teach, share their wisdom and help other women find their wings.

Made it to a Million Award
Current research shows that only 2% of women owned businesses generate revenues of $1 million annually.   This award recognizes an outstanding eWomenNetwork member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership and business skills in the course of starting and growing her company.  She must be the owner/CEO of a 51% woman-owned business that has a minimum of 5 full time employees with an annual company revenue of at least $1 million for the preceding fiscal year.

What does it mean to be an International Femtor® Award winner?
This prestigious international honor is awarded to women who have proven to be exemplary role models in the world of business. These awards acknowledge their outstanding achievements, skills, positive “can do” attitude and commitment to giving back to their communities. These women inspire others, are respected by their peers and volunteer their time and energy to serve others less fortunate.

The e-Women Network is recognized as the #1 resource for connecting and promoting women and their businesses worldwide. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, eWomenNetwork, Inc. is the fastest growing membership-based professional women’s networking organization in North America, committed to helping women and their businesses achieve, succeed and thrive in the new economy.

Self-described as “the accidental spa owner,” Heidi Lamar purchased a commercial building 3 blocks North of the Scottsdale Fashion Square, that came with 2 tenants and a failing day spa. Enlisting her staff’s help in learning the spa business, she eventually was rewarded by being named #7 on the “Phoenix Best Places to Work” list, and recently as the “Best Day Spa, Best Massage & Best Facial” by Phoenix City Search. Allure magazine called Lamar’s Shiatsu Massage “one of the most indulgent massages from Boston to the Bay Area”.

Spa Lamar, is Arizona’s largest privately owned resort-style spa. Massages, Facials and Pedicures start at just $50 including all-day use of the sauna, steam room, swimming pool, whirlpool, private changing cabanas with lockers robes and towels and a tropical fruit and tea bar

Full Article and Credits

AZ Day Spa, Arizona Spas, Day Spa, Spa, Spa Awards

 

This article is brought to you by Spavelous.com.

 http://www.spavelous.com

Couple hope to tap into growing med spa trend

Add Goodyear to the growing list of Valley communities that are now home to med spas, the resort like centers where clients receive cosmetic procedures in a luxurious and relaxing environment.

Husband-and-wife team Brian and Jennifer Dursteler are the latest to cash in on the boom with their Deja Vu Med Spa, which opened Friday on McDowell Road east of Bullard Avenue. It will offer more than a dozen treatments and procedures ranging from couples massages to acne therapy to laser cellulite removal. The Durstelers’ business model is to lure customers by offering advanced technology they say isn’t offered at other med spas, such as the Slimdome. The Japanese-designed contraption claims to enable users to shed up to 600 calories in a single 40-minute session by inducing three times the volume of sweat that can be produced by a traditional sauna.

“They call it the ‘marathon sweat,’ ” Brian said, because the oil-based sweat the machine induces comes from the sebaceous glands, the same source the body uses to produce sweat when undergoing heavy endurance training.

The spa also will offer treatment by a device called the Omnilux, which emits different-colored LED lights designed to remedy skin afflictions. Blue light is said to kill acne-causing bacteria, red light reduces redness caused by cancer treatment.

Dr. Michael Desvigne, a plastic and reconstructive-surgery specialist at Banner Arizona Medical Clinic in Peoria, isn’t surprised the Durstelers are going the high-tech route.
“As the Baby Boomers get older, the demand continues to rise for non-invasive alternatives to cosmetic surgery,” he said. “People don’t want to come into a sterile office with everyone wearing white coats. They want a place where they feel comfortable.”
Desvigne added they don’t want long recoveries, either.

The Durstelers expect their biggest draw will be the Lipotherme, a minimally invasive alternative to traditional liposuction. The patient undergoes only local anesthetic and is fully awake while the operator inserts a tiny fiber under the skin to heat and dissolve layers of fat tissue. The laser also stimulates collagen production to help the skin tighten itself and to eliminate the need for further skin-smoothing procedures. The treatment is one-third to half the cost of traditional liposuction, and the patient reportedly can walk out of the office with only minor redness and essentially no recovery time needed.

But Dursteler said safety is the biggest benefit of the Lipotherme. Most complications with liposuction are related to the anesthesia, he said, so “by keeping the patient awake, the Lipotherme is a lot safer.”

Safety should be consumers’ top concern when considering treatment at a med spa, Desvigne said. One way to ensure quality treatment is to look at the center’s medical director. Check his or her license and training at the Arizona Medical Board’s Web site, www.azmd.gov, and look into the credentials of the other staff members. Ideally, anyone conducting a procedure should be a registered nurse or have some sort of medical training as well as laser training.
As for Deja Vu’s employees, all seven have received laser training, and the only two staffers who will administer injections are the Durstelers.

Jennifer is a physician’s assistant, and Brian, Deja Vu’s acting medical director, is a physician. Both work at Goodyear’s West Valley Hospital, where Brian is vice chief of medical staff and medical director of the emergency department.

 Deja Vu Med Spa

Full Article & Credits

 

 

Arizona Spas, MedSpa, Spa, Spa Business, Spa Opening

Brandi Nuttall wanted a better working environment. That desire was the impetus to her starting a salon-and-spa business that has evolved into a multimillion-dollar operation that employs close to 300 workers at multiple locations.

After attending cosmetology school as a teenager, Nuttall worked at a few salons. She found the pay lacking, as were opportunities for further education and other benefits.

“I couldn’t find that all in one place, so it was kind of out of necessity,” Nuttall recalls. “I knew it could be done, and it had been done at other places.”

Nuttall faced a few hurdles before opening her first Dolce Salon & Spa location in 2002 near Chandler Fashion Center. The biggest was persuading a bank to lend to someone who, at the time, was in her early 20s. She struggled with the same obstacle when trying to negotiate a lease for her first location.

Eventually, she struck a deal with her father, who provided financing to Nuttall much like a traditional lender would. Since then, Nuttall’s company has been able to obtain financing through banks, helping it to expand.

One year after opening, Nuttall expanded into the space next door. She since has opened a location at Borgata of Scottsdale and built a 30,000-square-foot spa and salon in Peoria.

She says she would like to open more but wants to wait until her newest locations get acclimated.

“I definitely want to cover the Valley,” she said.

Full Article

Arizona Spas, Day Spa, Spa, Spa Business, Spa Business Plan