The Spa at Aria Celebrates Grand Opening

With all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I must admit I haven’t been really focusing on an upcoming trip I have planned to Vegas mid-January to check out The Spa at Aria in the newly built CityCenter complex. But, with all the excitement surrounding Aria Resort & Casino’s grand opening this evening, I can hardly wait to check it out for myself. The 80,000-square-foot, two-level spa will feature 62 treatment rooms with walls made from soil to preserve an indigenous feel, a full-service salon, a fitness center, a boutique, poolside spa cabanas, and a co-ed spa balcony with an outdoor therapy pool. The spa’s salt meditation room will feature a wall of illuminated salt bricks to help clients with skin irritations and upper respiratory problems, while a second meditation room will feature Japanese stone sauna (“ganbanyoku”) beds with heated black mineral stones that emit negative ions and far-infrared rays. A fire lounge will also be available for relaxation before or following treatments. Much like Sin City itself, everything about The Spa at Aria seems to be over-the-top. Stay tuned for more on the spa after my visit.

Crystal Awards Asia Pacific 2009 Winners Announced

The Crystal Awards Asia Pacific, an annual event organized by Global Ratings & Audit Solutions (G.R.A.S.) to recognize the best of the spa and wellness industry in the Asia Pacific region, revealed the winners of the Crystal Awards Asia Pacific 2009. All entrants of the awards are put through various stages of judging methodology that ensures they are evaluated based on merits and actual performance from a guest’s perspective.

• Best In-Spa Education Program: ESPA International
• Best Spa Academy: Chiva-Som International Academy (Hua Hin, Thailand)
• Best Spa Consultant/Company: ESPA International
• Best Wellness & Spa Group: Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
• Best Petite Day Spa: Jiva Spa, Taj Residency (Bangalore, India)
• Best Day Spa: Jiva Grande Spa, Taj Wellington Mews (Mumbai, India)
• Best Boutique Hotel Spa: Kayumanis Ubud Private Villa and Spa (Bali, Indonesia)
• Best Hotel Spa: The Oriental Spa, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong)
• Best Resort Spa: The Barai Spa at Hyatt Regency Hua Hin (Thailand)
• Best Destination Spa: Chiva-Som (Hua Hin, Thailand)
• Best Wellness Retreat: COMO Shambhala Estate (Bali, Indonesia)
• Best Complementary & Alternative Medicine Wellness Centre: Kamalaya Koh Samui (Thailand)
• Best Signature Experience: The Enchanted Reef: A Journey to Serenity at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa
• Distinguished Industry Leader: Julie Garrow, Intelligent Spas

Visit www.thecrystalawards.com/winners.asp for more information and a complete list of winners.