Willow Stream Spa Brews Up a Spook-tacular Contest

Willow Stream Spa is encouraging you to have a little fun this Halloween season by participating in its Maniacal “Mask”-erade Contest. To enter, simply take a funny, creative photo of yourself wearing a facial mask, and upload it onto Willow Stream Spa’s  Facebook page during the month of October. It’s that easy. The participant with the best photo will win a Willow Stream product. Good luck!

La Costa Resort and Spa Supports the Cause

From now through Nov. 7,  the Spa at La Costa Resort (Carlsbad, CA) is offering a Pink Ribbon promotion, which allows guests to book a 50-minute La Costa Massage or Facial at the discounted price of $125 when booked from Sunday through Friday. With each Pink Ribbon Treatment sold, the resort will donate $5 to the San Diego chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. What’s more, guests who book the Pink Ribbon Treatment also receive a one-time 25 percent discount in La Costa’s Plaza Shops through the end of October and a special price on the Spa Café’s Pink Ribbon dessert, a Tahitian vanilla bean cupcake with pink buttercream frosting created by the resort’s pastry chef Jaimie Hileman in honor of breast cancer awareness month. “Our spa is all about wellness, not just pampering,” says Rianna Riego, spa director of The Spa at La Costa Resort. “This type of promotion supports the wellness message and allows our guests to do something for their own physical well-being while feeling good about supporting a worthy cause.”

Questex Media Group Reaches Debt Restructuring Agreement with Lenders

This week, I’m on the road for the ISPA convention in Austin, TX. The show happens to coincide with some headlines about Questex Media Group, the parent company of American Spa magazine, the International Esthetics, Cosmetics, and Spa Conferences (IESCC), SpaExec, SpaTrade, and Spatec. For those of you with whom I haven’t been able to speak to on the show floor, I’d love to take this opportunity to clarify the news and what it means for the magazine and the rest of the Questex spa team. So here are the details:

• Questex has reached an agreement with its senior lenders that allows it to reduce the company’s debt and strengthen its capital structure.
• The agreement, which essentially provides a restructuring of the company’s balance sheet, has no impact on its day-to-day businesses, meaning that all of the properties in Questex’s spa division will continue to operate in a business-as-usual format.
• Based on the strength of the company’s business plan, the senior lenders have committed financing as a part of the filing, including both debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing and exit financing. In fact, it’s expected that the company’s senior lenders will purchase all of the assets of the company over the next 60 days, ensuring that it emerges from its voluntary Chapter 11 status.

According to Kerry Gumas, Questex’s chief executive officer, “We are pleased with the strong support we have received from our lenders and business partners for a restructuring that will allow us to reduce our debt and achieve a strong, sustainable capital structure. Questex has attractive assets, market-leading brands, a great talent base of professionals, and a track record of performance that has allowed us to continue to generate strong cash flows. This restructuring will better position the business for future growth for the benefit of all of the company’s stakeholders. Questex’s top priority is serving our valued customers. This restructuring will enable our team members to remain focused on creating and delivering the superior products and services our customers have come to expect.”

I hope this clears up any questions you may have. I’d like to reiterate Kerry’s point—American Spa is dedicated to serving the spa industry as its leading business publication, and we look forward to doing so for quite some time into the future.

Please feel free to email me with any questions and concerns (jkeller@americanspamag.com). I will do my very best to get you the answers you need.

The Inn at Perry Cabin’s Linden Spa
Gives the Gift of Spa to Take Home

Nothing brings a spa treatment home for guests quite like learning how to create the products used and then taking them home to recreate the spa experience. Starting on Nov. 1, guests at The Inn at Perry Cabin by Orient-Express (St. Michaels, MD) can continue their Linden Spa experience by attending an experiential spa class ($35, 60 minutes) in which they’ll learn to create an aromatherapy sea salt scrub or a custom-blended massage oil or lotion. Working with the spa’s knowledgeable staff, guests will be taught the inherent qualities of botanicals before then choosing the herbs and oils they want to use to create their own products to take home. The classes will be offered through Jan. 31, with two classes daily, Thursday through Monday.

SkinMedica Launches New Kit to Help Clients Heal Faster at Home

To help clients speed up recovery time after laser resurfacing treatments and chemical peels, SkinMedica recently introduced the Ablative Post-Procedure Kit. The kit contains Sensitive Skin Cleanser, a gentle cleanser that calms irritated skin; Restorative Ointment, a non-petroleum-based ointment that contains vitamin E for quicker healing; TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream, which contains ceramides, peptides, and growth factors to restore moisture; and Environmental Defense Sunscreen SPF 30+, which protects newly treated, sensitive skin from the effects of the sun. Available for $65 on the company’s website, at physician’s offices, and in medical spas, this kit is a great way to help clients put their best faces forward even sooner.

Spas at Benchmark Hospitality Hotels and Resorts Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Spa Luana

Throughout the month of October, the Spas at Benchmark Hospitality’s hotels and resorts is contributing 1 percent of its total system-wide service revenue to increase awareness and combat breast cancer. Benchmark is also providing guests with important information on breast cancer awareness.

To support the spas’ efforts, consider booking a treatment at one of the following locations:

Arizona:
Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center and Amansala Spa (Scottsdale)

California:
Chaminade Resort & Spa (Santa Cruz)

Florida:
Costa d’Este Beach Resort and Spa (Vero Beach)
Naples Bay Resort and Spa (Naples)

Hawaii:
Turtle Bay Resort and Spa Luana (North Shore, Oahu)

Illinois:
Eaglewood Resort & Spa, Itasca (Chicago)

New Jersey:
The Heldrich Hotel, Conference Center & Spa (New Brunswick)

Tennessee:
The Chattanoogan, Tennessee’s Urban Resort & Spa (Chattanooga)

Virginia:
The Founders Inn and Flowering Almond Spa (Virginia Beach)
Lansdowne Resort and Spa Minerale (Leesburg)

West Virginia:
Stonewall Resort’s Mountain Laurel Spa (Weston)

Oasis Encourages Clients to Wear Pink

In honor of breast cancer awareness month, Oasis Day Spa (various locations) is offering clients a 10 percent discount on all spa services booked Monday through Friday until Oct. 31 when they wear pink to the spa. Five percent of all proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Fighting Frizz With MoroccanOil

Ever since I was young, I’ve been ironing, pulling, drying, curling, diffusing, and praying so that my frizzy hair would go away. I live in fear of high humidity levels, travel with an arsenal of products and tools, and tie my hair back in an I-don’t-feel-like-dealing ponytail all too often. It’s not that I need pin straight hair—I really do try to embrace my natural wave—I just can’t handle the bumbling halo of flyaways that creeps up on me and rests on the top of my head on pleasantly warm, albeit humid, days.

After hearing a lot of hype about MoroccanOil, I decided to try the products for myself. I started off my trial session by working the recently launched Moisture Repair Shampoo through my unruly Latin locks. I then did something I never thought I would do because of the time commitment it required—I deep conditioned. I applied a generous amount of Restorative Hair Mask and let it soak into my hair and washed it out after about ten minutes. Although it was dripping wet, my hair already felt silkier. I finished off my shower with the Moisture Repair Conditioner and quickly applied Hydrating Style Cream. After about 15 minutes of air drying, I started sectioning my hair and blasting it. Something amazing was happening–my hair was drying much faster. My new-found routine cut my styling time by more than half and left it smelling fresh and clean. And the results? Better than ever!

Apparently, the secret to MoroccanOil’s success is argan oil that is sourced from, well, Morocco. This miracle ingredient, which is blended with keratin, is rich in fatty acids and is ideal for repairing distressed locks. Finding this treatment was just what my post-summer hair needed to bounce back from being sapped by the sun for the last few months. I repeated my routine from the other day and had equally amazing results this morning—shiny, smooth, and healthy-looking hair that I’m proud to let loose and show off. For more information on MoroccanOil and its latest products, click here.

Spa Biz Does Good

Spa and wellness companies are contributing to the cause in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Check out these products that give back:

Company: Arcona
Product: Cranberry Toner
Charity: 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Cancer and Careers.
Contact: www.arcona.com

Company: Decléor Paris
Product: Aroma Solutions Nourishing Lip Balm
Charity: A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Cancer and Careers.
Contact: www.decleor.com

Company: Elemis
Product: Essential Beauty Secrets Kit
Charity: A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Breast Cancer Care.
Contact: www.elemis.com

Company: LaLicious
Product: Sugar Kiss Products
Charity: 15 percent of proceeds from Sugar Kiss-scented products will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Contact: www.lalicious.com

Company: Mama Mio
Product: Boob Tube Bust & Neck Firmer
Charity: $1 from each sale will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Contact: www.mamamio.com

Company: Mirabella Beauty
Product: Hope Lipstick
Charity: $1 from each sale will be donated to City of Hope.
Contact: www.mirabellabeauty.com

Company: One With Nature
Product: Rose Petal Bar Soap
Charity: 10 percent of proceeds will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Contact: www.onewithnature.com

Company: Ooohlala of Beverly Hills
Product: Sooo Pink! Shea Beauty Bombs
Charity: 20 percent of proceeds will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Contact: www.ooohlalabath.com

Company: VedaPure
Product: VedaMama Purify Detoxifying Body Cream
Charity: A portion of proceeds will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Contact: www.vedapure.com

Company: Zendals
Product: Pink Minq Robe
Charity: Pink Minq Robes will be donated to Avon’s Walk for Breast Cancer beginning on Oct. 10.
Contact: www.zendals.com

For more items that give back, check out the October issue of American Spa.

Eminence Launches Holiday Spa Sweepstakes

Courtesy of Éminence Organic Skin Care, you can help make the holidays particularly jolly for your spa clients. This season, Eminence will be offering two new Holiday Gift Sets, each of which includes a complete selection of skincare products and the chance to win a trip for two to Spa Grande at Grand Wailea (Maui, HI), part of The Waldorf Astoria Collection.

Among the gift set options are the Biodynamic Collection, which includes nine travel-sized selections from the hypoallergenic and clinically-tested line created with potent, all-natural ingredients culled using biodynamic farming and green practices. The other gift set features travel-sized versions of the Stone Crop Collection, which includes products that lighten and prevent pigmentation while moisturizing and soothing the skin.

Each gift set comes with a unique number that can be registered on the Eminence website for a chance to win a trip to paradise, something that will make this a particularly spectacular season for one lucky spa-goer.