Questex Media Completes Financial Restructuring

The holidays have come early for Questex Media Group, parent company of American Spa magazine. The company has successfully completed its financial restructuring and is no longer subject to Chapter 11, news for which we are all thankful. The new company, Questex Media Group LLC, will be led by its existing executive leadership along with its existing management teams. The new company has its own financing and is not subject to Chapter 11 cases filed by the predecessor companies. The new company will operate with an improved capital structure and increased financial flexibility to better position it for future growth, according to president and CEO Kerry Gumas.

“We are thrilled to complete the financial restructuring and provide a new future for our businesses,” says Gumas. “I would like to thank all of our dedicated employees, loyal customers, partners, advisers, and our senior lenders and investors for their contributions to the success of this process. We now have the opportunity to move forward with strong financial footing to continue delivering great products and services for our customers.”

I’d also like to personally thank all of our friends and partners for their support during this transition. My team and I are thrilled with the new developments and are excited about the bright future of American Spa. Happy holidays!

Zents Holiday Candles Evoke the Right Scent-Iment

Freshly baked Christmas cookies: check.
Holiday cards hanging from the mantle of my fireplace: check.
Views of a record NYC snowfall outside of my windows: check.

Yes, I’m heading down the right path, but, unfortunately, the holiday ambience stops there. I would love to have a Christmas tree, but there’s just no room in my apartment. I mean, there is really no room—at one point while moving into my tiny studio, I thought that I was going to have to choose between my bed and my couch. (Thanks to some stealthy space-saving friends, I was able to keep both.)

In any case, my saving grace this winter season has been Zents Holiday Candles. These non-toxic, 100 percent vegetable- and soy-wax candles emit the most subtle scents that put me in a holiday state of mind. Even the product descriptions on the website give you a warm, fuzzy feeling—i.e. City Sidewalks, my favorite candle, is supposed to remind you of “luscious fruit-filled cakes [that] sweeten the air as ice skaters clasp mitten-covered hands; berries adorn festive windowsills, while inside bubbling champagne glasses are raised to toast new and old friends.” Sure, without a tree, my apartment may not look like the mecca of merriment, but, with the festive fragrance of Zents, it feels like it is.

Lake Tahoe Welcomes Five-Star Luxury With Launch of The Ritz-Carlton Highlands

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to experience the opening of The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe. The forecast called for close to 48 hours of steady snowfall during the first part of my trip and I welcomed the excuse to stay indoors and truly experience the brand-new resort. Its sleek-and-chic look is carried through to the spa, which houses a number of modern art pieces and photographs that are inspired by the area. Also giving a nod to its surroundings, the treatment menu incorporates locally sourced products, such as Pinyon Pine Nut cultivated from the trees that populate the region. Leading up to the visit, I had been having trouble sleeping so I signed up for the Drift to Sleep Program. The soothing service took place in a spectacular room that had a panoramic view of the snowy Sierras. After a warm milk-infused bath in a copper tub, I was privy to an intense, head-to-toe massage and was left to rest—and drift straight to Cloud 9—for 30 minutes.

A beautiful blue bird day finally lured me outdoors to the slopes where I signed up to learn how to snowboard. After being battered by the mountain, I discovered a true appreciation for après-ski pampering. Following a six-hour lesson, I shuffled into the spa—in snowy ski pants and all—and went right for the Ski Patrol Aching Feet Rescue Pedicure. I watched the sunset from the windows in the salon, where I had a direct view of the pine-filled snowy mountains and a watering hole, which sometimes attracts local critters. I got lost in the view and ended up dozing off while my feet and legs were being brought back to life with a deep massage and an application of a menthol masque and peppermint cream. For more on this revitalizing alpine escape, be sure to check out our February issue!

SalonGalaxy.com Launches New Diversion-Free Shopping Cart

SalonGalaxy.com has launched a new diversion-free shopping cart on its site specifically for spa and salon professionals. This new service allows manufacturers and distributors the opportunity to get their non-diverted professional products to spa and salon owners and their clients. The site offers guaranteed diversion-free professional products, and is able to control diversion of these products by not accepting commonly diverted name-brand products, keeping manufacturer fees to list products to less than $10 a month, and restricting consumers from purchasing more than two products at a time. To become a member of SalonGalaxy.com and take advantage of this special feature, visit www.salongalaxy.com.

What Has Been the Most Challenging
Aspect of my Job This Year?

“I would have to say that would be not being able to provide service providers with their full-time schedules and having to reduce spa staff as well as spa hours. As we know, the economy has hit spa resorts very hard with group business declining and vacations cancelled. Emotions can run high when one’s paycheck is reduced or non-existent. I am very fortunate to have such a wonderful team that is patient and believes in me as a director. We have come up with some great incentives to gain the foot traffic of our locals and a great birthday celebration promotion that features a complimentary treatment for those celebrating birthdays in the current month. I am very proud of my spa team and know we will face challenges ahead, but I am certain we will come through this a better, stronger spa and very much focused on providing even more exceptional service for our guests.”—Lory Plaster, spa director, Hyatt Grand Champions Resort Villas and Spa (Indian Wells, CA)

Harms Software Kicks Off Perfect Match Contest

Love is in the air for the beauty biz, courtesy of Harms Software, creators of Millennium. To thank the industry for its recent win as Favorite Spa Software in American Spa’s Professional’s Choice Awards—and as a nod to Valentine’s Day— the company has launched The Perfect Match contest, with up to $13,000 in prices.

In 500 words or less, contestants must describe heartwarming characteristics of Millennium as if it were his or her significant other. Descriptions should explain why Millennium could steal or has already stolen your heart and why it Millennium is your Perfect Match. All entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges from Harms Software Inc. who will then select their favorites. Judging will be based on the most compelling and creative submissions. The contest deadline is March 15. For details, visit http://harms-software.com/perfectmatch.

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.

Institut’ DERMed Turns 20

Institut’ DERMed Medi-Clinical Spa in Atlanta recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary. Established in 1989 by esthetician Lyn Ross, the medical spa has grown into a 3,000-square-foot, 11-treatment room flagship facility, offering clients an array of treatments featuring the latest medically based technology. As a special birthday bonus, the spa added the signature Diamond Peel to its menu, which was created specifically to mark the company’s milestone.

How Are You Preparing for the
Upcoming Holiday Season?

“We’ve created three spa packages for the holiday season for our guests to enjoy. They are all 75-minute packages that contain multiple treatments that are like mini spa tasters. This is a follow-up to the successful spa holiday packages that we promoted to our guests last year. In 2009, we took the development a bit further and created warmth-inspired treatments that would be attractive to guests with different needs. In addition, the price value is set so that our guests are receiving valued treatments that are of high quality and beneficial to their needs. This year’s packages are the Joy Intensif Facial, the Peace Back and Foot Ritual, and the Harmony Back and Scalp Ritual. We have also added more gift selections from which our guests can choose. The selections are at a price point that is attractive for them and work with the spa treatments that we offer.”—Robert Seibel, spa director, Qua Baths & Spa (Atlantic City)