The International SPA Association (ISPA) recently hosted the 16th annual ISPA Media Event in New York City. The ISPA Media Event works to promote the spa industry, discuss the latest trends and release new ISPA research while the participating spas perform innovative and unique treatments on the media. New treatments were introduced along with several trends at the event including:
• Ancient treatments with a modern twist - Miraval Arizona in Tucson, AZ, took the ancient Chinese treatment of acupuncture and combined it with cranio sacral therapy to introduce the Qi Grounding treatment. The treatment helps clear physical restrictions that hold emotional and energetic imbalances. Rancho La Puerta located in Tecate, Mexico performed a Hydrating Hand Treatment which utilized the pressure point chart of the hand. Releasing pressure points assists in increased circulation and relaxation.
• Bring the outside in - Elements of nature were popular in several treatments featured at the event. Aspira The Spa located in Elkhart Lake, WI, incorporated wild chamomile, an herb indigenous to the area, in a mask used to help relieve tired legs and feet. Lake Austin Spa in Austin, TX, used recycled bamboo trunks crafted especially for their Warm Bamboo Massage.
• Customization - Spas are catering to their guests' every need. The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa located in Asheville, NC, showcased a treatment that allows you to choose from a mountain-, water-, sky- or heaven-themed offering, all designed to help melt muscle tension and reduce stress. The Montage Resort and Spa located in Laguna Beach, CA, introduced a new series of seasonal, organic body wraps for winter, spring, summer and fall. After determining which season is best suited to you a personalized hand treatment helps you relax. The Spa at Trump in New York City tailors every treatment while stimulating each of the five senses with their personal Intention Journey. Clients select everything from the music to the tea service.
• Giving back - The spa industry is known for its healing benefits and generous spirit. Mandarin Oriental Spas in New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Miami, Las Vegas and Bermuda are giving back during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the Spa for a Year program. Purchase a raffle token, the proceeds of which go to Evelyn Lauder’s Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and at the end of the month, one person in each city will receive a signature spa treatment every month for a year.
• Insight through dreams - The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, PA, introduced a new program focused on dreams. Through Shamanic Dreamwork sessions with a Dream Coach clients are able to gain insight into their life purposes, healing, creativity, relationships and more.
• Soothing soreness - Suffering from stiffness or aching feet is totally uncalled for when the spa can help set you straight. Kohler Waters Spa located in Kohler, WI, provided a Stretch and Flex treatment utilizing Thai massage, orthopedic and myofascial techniques to help alleviate pain, improve flexibility and the health of muscles, tendons and ligaments. Mohonk Mountain House located in New Paltz, NY, helped to bring a spring back into the media’s step with The High Heeler and Man on the Go: Real Relief for Calves and Feet treatment. Using integrated massage techniques the treatment helps refresh your tired legs and feet.
• Take your vitamins - Massage Envy Spas located throughout the United States introduced a Healthy Skin Vitamin C Infusion Facial that utilizes Murad products. The facial helps repair and prevent free radical damage caused by environmental exposure.
"Every two minutes there is a new breast cancer diagnosis in the United States." Timetospa.com has pledged to donate $10 of every Sparkling Beauty Collection kit sold to Living Beyond Breast Cancer with a minimum donation of $10,000. 
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Is the economy getting you down? Are you cutting back on non-essential services in your personal life? It's unfortunate that during a time of major financial cutbacks, when stress is at an all time high, services that help reduce stress and restore health go straight out the window. 
The International SPA Association (ISPA) recently hosted the 16th annual ISPA Media Event in New York City. The ISPA Media Event works to promote the spa industry, discuss the latest trends and release new ISPA research while the participating spas perform innovative and unique treatments on the media. New treatments were introduced along with several trends at the event including:
SpaFinder conducted their fourth annual State of Spa Travel Survey in an effort to understand how the spa travel sector is doing, particularly in light of the sluggish economy. The results show that the spa industry has "performed surprisingly well despite a depressed economy in 2009, and is clocking measurable, if modest, growth for the first half of 2010." 
Spa Week announced a list of the top 12 treatment trends for the fall season:
Flosaldrome is a new floating spa pool featuring a spacious floatarium with a 3-meter (9.8ft) round pool that gives a unique sensation of weightlessness and the feeling of freedom from time and space. The user of the round floatarium pool is suspended in a non-irritant saline solution (30 percent saline) that is heated to between 35 and 36 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). A color spectrum with visual inspiration and a state-of-the-art acoustic system offers the user the optimum experience in deep relaxation by isolating the distractions of outside surroundings. 
Ladies Home Journal $24,000 Spa Giveaway Sweepstakes 
This masque offers the exfoliant enzymatic action of pumpkin along with other pumpkin extracts to rebalance the skin’s hydrolipidic barrier. This is essential because as incredible as pumpkin enzymes are, they can be a little too much for delicate or sensitive prone skin. Remember, if you irritate or inflame your skin, you are causing free radical damage . . . stronger, longer, and more aggressive is not always better.
Is your skin looking duller, fine lines becoming more apparent, and pores more noticeable? This is a result of the corneal layer (top layer of the epidermis) thickening in a defense to continual UV exposure during the summer months. These are also signs that indicate an exfoliation intervention is needed to renew and refine your skin. 
The brightness of the sun during the summer and the tendency for the epidermis to thicken in defense usually results in more visible lines in the eye area. This eye product is a gem, loaded with hyaluronic acid in different forms to ensure immediate and delayed hydration as well as peptides, copper, centella asiatica and vitamins needed to trigger collagen synthesis. Centella asiatica not only promotes collagen synthesis, it will protect the skin from collagen degeneration. 
Fall is just around the corner. My, oh my, how time flies. Colder temperatures, cooler air, and depending on where you live, the possibility of rain and/or snow looms around the corner. Furnaces are turned on in our homes, heaters in our cars, and we all cover up for warmth. All of these things greatly affect our skin. The cooler temperatures cause a drop in the humidity leading to increased moisture loss, and the dry warmth of the furnace pitches in to finish off the job by robbing your skin's moisture levels. Sitting in a car with the heater blowing may feel warm and toasty, but it your skin into panic mode. 
Win a Getaway at Canyon Ranch in Tuscon
Spas, Pilates and Yoga Studios around the country are offering a selection of their services for a flat rate of $50, or discounting them by 50% in honor of Wellness Week during September 20th through September 26th. Hundreds of top notch Spas around are offering their signature massages, facials, and body wraps while joining the money saving trend.
