Women's gathering room at The Spa at Essex, photo by Michele McIntyre
To read the article, click here to be directed to my National Spa Examiner page on Examiner.com.
Guest post by Richard Hemby: What to look for when choosing a spa November 13, 2009
This following guest post was authored by Richard Hemby, a freelancer that writes about accredited online colleges amongst other topics for Online College Guru, an online college guide.
Whether you’re looking for a day of beauty or a week-long vacation, a spa can provide a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. Day spas offer convenient hours for working people, and are often located within easy driving distance of home or work. Resort spas are often affiliated with a local hotel, and offer a complete vacation experience to their guests; food, entertainment, and lodging are usually part of the total resort spa package. Depending on the focus of the spa you choose, you can enjoy a variety of activities and services to refresh and recharge your spirit and your body. Here are some key elements to look for in each type of spa.
Fitness and health
Spas that focus on fitness usually offer the same amenities as a health club, but combine those with outstanding accommodations and personal services designed to help you look and feel your best. Fitness trainers are usually on hand to tailor a program specifically to your needs, while massage therapy and stretching exercises ease aches and pains away. While fitness spa vacations may be too strenuous for some, they can be the perfect getaway for active adults who want to improve their health while enjoying a holiday away from home. Look for a spa that retains a nutritionist on staff to educate their guests on proper diet and eating healthy. Some even offer in-house restaurants that provide delicious and healthful meals.
Stress Management
For those who simply want to relax and forget it all, stress management spas offer tranquil surroundings, massage therapy and soothing whirlpools designed to soak your troubles away. Many offer aromatherapy sessions, while others focus on workshops and classes to teach their guests stress-fighting techniques. Hypnosis and affirmation therapy are alternative therapies at some stress management spas. Biofeedback tools are also gaining in popularity around the country and allow guests to measure their level of stress instantly. Lessons in yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques are also commonplace at these serene retreats. Watch out for “single-method” spas; if their stress-management tools don’t work for you, you will still be out your reservation fee.
Spirituality
Vacationers in search of truth and beauty may find it at one of the numerous spiritual spa retreats throughout the country. Drawing from a variety of different traditions, these serene retreats offer guests a healing and nurturing experience that combines elements of stress reduction, holistic health, and spiritual wellness. A number of techniques are used to help visitors to the spas achieve inner peace and emotional clarity; religious ceremonies, hypnotherapy, Reiki, and eastern meditation techniques are often part of the spiritual journey. Physical cleansing and silent reflection are also popular treatments at spiritual spa retreats. Choose a spiritual spa that practices beliefs close to your own; a bad fit can lead to a bad experience overall.
Luxury
Luxury spas are what most people think of as “real” spas. Featuring exotic beauty treatments and devoted to pampering their guests above all else, these luxurious resorts offer massage therapy, beauty treatments and all the amenities one would expect, all designed to leave guests feeling relaxed, rejuvenated, and refreshed after their stay. Many luxury spas offer hair styling salons, manicure and pedicure services, and other deluxe beauty treatments to provide a complete makeover, all in a serene and peaceful environment. Luxury spas offer a taste of the affluent life at a price most can afford, at least for a day or two. In some cases, you may be paying more for the name on the door than the actual services rendered; be sure about what is included in your stay and which services cost extra to avoid an unpleasant surprise at check-out.
Interview with Anitra Brown: About.com Guide to Spas November 8, 2009
Anitra Brown hiking at Rancho La Puerta, Photo courtesy of Anitra Brown
Google just about any spa topic and the popular search engine will likely direct you to http://spas.about.com/. The website is a great resource for all things spa. I use it all the time to educate myself on spas and to look for trustworthy spa reviews.
That’s why I was thrilled when Anitra Brown, Guide to Spas for About.com, agreed to an interview. I wanted to learn more from the writer behind all that great information! In addition to writing for About.com and other publications, Anitra is an esthetician who resides in Cragsmoor, New York.
Here’s what we chatted about:
MM How did you start writing about spas?
AB I’ve been a journalist my entire career, but I started out covering wine and spirits when I lived in New York City. Eventually I moved to the country, went freelance and wrote restaurant reviews and stories about food, farming stories, home and garden. But all my neurons fired when I got a travel assignment from Westchester Magazine to cover six overnight spas within two hours of Westchester. I went to Canyon Ranch and never looked back. I was totally hooked.
MM How did you become About.com’s Guide to Spas?
AB I would go regularly to spas.about.com to do research, and noticed when the Guide photo went down and an “apply here” sign went up in late 2003. I was accepted for their unbelievably rigorous application process. You basically have to learn how to use all their tools, write compelling content, and create a sample website — and you’re competing with five other people doing the same thing! It was a lot of work, but it was worth it! Especially since I got the job!
MM What business model does About.com use?
AB About.com is owned by The New York Times Company, and its mission is to deliver high-quality, original content written by an expert you can trust. About.com has nearly 800 Guides covering travel, health, beauty, parenting, cooking, technology, hobbies and so on. We’re there to help consumers get reliable information on just about any topic.
MM What made you decide to become formally educated in skin care?
AB I wanted to develop my expertise, like a restaurant reviewer deciding to go chef school. I spent a lot of time getting spa treatments, and I could tell the difference between the bad, the mediocre and the great treatments. But I wasn’t sure what it took to become that great therapist. I decided the only way to really find out was to become a therapist myself.
I also wanted to find out if what estheticians said was true. You know, “This product will penetrate into your skin and do such and such.”
MM Why did you choose skin care over massage?
AB Esthetician school took 600 hours of training in New York State, compared to 1000 hours for massage therapy! And being an esthetician is easier on your body. Massage therapy can be grueling and has a big drop-out rate. Plus I always loved skin care. I started getting facials at age 24 because my mother always said she wished she had started taking care of her skin at a younger age. But I would still like to get a massage therapy license.
MM Where did you get your esthetician training?
AB Atelier Esthetique in New York City.
MM So did you figure out what it takes to be a great therapist?
AB First, you have to have “the touch”. Some of the girls in my class just pawed at my face like a dog digging in the dirt! You also have to have loving energy and a true a desire to help people. And you have to have the knowledge, technical skill and the commitment to keep learning.
It’s also important to pace yourself and learn how to use your body so you don’t burn out or just go through the motions. A treatment is really a form of living communication between two people, and you have to show up for that.
MM On your blog at About.com, readers comments can sometimes be harsh. It would be natural to take the comments personally, but you seem to take it in stride.
AB Anyone is entitled to disagree with me! I actually love the conversations that get going on my blog And if anything is truly nasty or personal or inappropriate — directed towards me or anyone else — I can always delete it!
MM Your favorite spas of all times?
AB I truly love Canyon Ranch for the breadth, depth, and quality of their talent. There is so much going on there, with their medical emphasis and behavioral health — things you can’t get at other spas. Plus I love to learn and spend a lot of time in the lectures that go on all day. You learn all the latest in wellness from their experts! It’s very stimulating.
Thanks Anitra!
Anitra just returned from a long awaited trip to Miraval Resort and Spa in Tuscon. You can read about her adventures at her blog at About.com.
Spa Review: The Spa at Stoweflake (Stowe, Vermont) November 4, 2009
Stoweflake Aqua Solarium - Photo courtesy of Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa
It’s October and I’m visiting Stowe, Vermont for an annual girlfriend getaway spa weekend. Click here to read the rest of the article.
Somibo.com: The soul, mind and body connection October 30, 2009
Somibo.com
Somibo.com is the soul, mind and body connection. The site’s mission is to help wellness-seekers connect and find the best resources and businesses locally, nationally and around the world. The site is free.
Somibo.com’s founder Avi Rubel had this to tell me about the site:
“I’ve spent the last 5 years getting more and more interesting in health and wellness. I’ve developed a regular yoga practice and try to eat well. I’ve also become more and more interested in local-eating and various forms of exercise and alternative therapies. My yoga practice has also introduced me to people who do acupunture and reiki. For a few years, I thought over and over again that with so many people looking to live with more health and balance in their lives, there needs to be one central place for listings, reviews, discounts/coupons, and a community forum.”
Everythingspa’s blog has been listed in the spas section of “Wellness Resources” on somibo.com: the soul, mind and body connection.
To advertise on somibo.com, please contact advertise@somibo.com
Spa Review: Topnotch Resort and Spa (Stowe, Vermont) October 29, 2009
Topnotch Resort and Spa - Women's Spa Lounge (Photo courtesy of Topnotch Resort and Spa)
It’s October and I’m visiting Topnotch Resort and Spa…(Click here to read the rest of the article)
Guest post by Amy Cook: The Impact of Massage on Patients with Chronic Pain October 24, 2009
Guest blogger Amy Cook contributes today’s post on the impact of massage on patients with chronic pain. Enjoy!
The Impact of Massage on Patients with Chronic Pain
Pain is a part of being human – we feel it when we get hurt or when we are injured. It’s something that we try to bear because we know it is temporary and that it will become better as time goes by. But when it is chronic, it becomes a part of your everyday life, sticking to you like a fly to a wall. It dictates your every move and interferes with your activities. Chronic pain is not something that we can dismiss lightly, and although you may think that you just have to grit your teeth and bear with it, there are some forms of therapy that do bring relief, like a massage for example. Massages are great way to relax even when you’re as fit as a fiddle, so you can imagine the impact they have on you if you’re suffering from chronic pain.
• Massages help relieve the pain, and even though the relief may be temporary, when you suffer from chronic pain, being pain-free for even a few minutes is a wonderful feeling. The massage soothes the areas that are painful and prevents the pain from radiating to nearby organs and tissues.
• Massages help manage the pain on a long-term basis. When you’ve been living with the pain for the better part of your life, you know you need to find some way to learn to manage it, because if you don’t, it gets too much to bear.
• Massages help improve the quality of life of patients who suffer from chronic pain. They allow them to move about as much as possible and they are able to lead a normal life, given that they are limited by the pain and other symptoms of their condition.
• Massages even help bring relief from the pain in the long term. When they are done by professionals who know exactly what they are doing, massages help bring permanent relief. This saves you from going in for surgery or other more expensive and intrusive forms of treatment.
Massages have been known to work wonders, not just for people who need to unwind and relax, but for those who suffer from chronic and unbearable pain as well. They are a healthy alternative to popping painkillers and ruining your health even further. Seek out the services of licensed medical massage therapists if you or someone you know is suffering from chronic pain.
This guest article was written by Amy S. Cook, who regularly writes on the topic of LVP to RN online . She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: amy.cook@rediffmail.com
Friday Afternoon Club at Stowe Mountain Lodge: Happy hour fun and pampering spa treatments October 21, 2009
I’m visiting Stowe Vermont in mid-October on a 6th annual girlfriend getaway weekend to check out the spa scene. It’s somewhere between when the stunning peak fall foliage New England is famous for ends and when ski season begins. We’re here to relax at the local spas, shop, drink wine and enjoy great meals together – no kids, no husbands, just the girls.
We start our weekend and our spa tour of Stowe with a visit to Stowe Mountain Lodge and the Friday Afternoon Club (FAC). From 5 to 7 pm each Friday, FAC guests enjoy paraffin hand or foot treatments, wine, appetizers and entertainment for $20 in the stunning setting of Stowe Mountain Lodge.
To continue reading the article, click here.
Destination Spa Cookbooks may inspire your next spa vacation October 8, 2009
Gone are the days when spa cuisine meant plain broiled fish and steamed vegetables. Modern Destination Spas are known for cuisine that is fresh, delicious, flavorful and healthy. Guests come back time and again for the recipes that are often handed down for generations. To showcase the talents of their chef’s along with the experiences and beliefs of their founders, a number of spas from the Destination Spa Group have published cookbooks so guests can take home a little bit of the magic and learn the techniques in their own kitchens. These are more than cookbooks – you can read them cover to cover to get a little bit of history on the spa itself and some wellness advice; along with unique recipes and general kitchen techniques. You just might get some inspiration to begin planning your next destination spa vacation!
Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta
Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta, by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider, with Chef Jesus Gonzalez, Chef of Cocina Que Canta. Photographs by Robert Holmes
The cookbook is aptly named because it’s organized by the four seasons. Within each seasonal section, you’ll find themed menus that incorporate appetizers, main dishes and desserts that are light and healthy but satisfying. Rancho La Puerta’s founder Deborah Szekely remembers personal food and cooking related moments from throughout her 86 years. Buying organic, local and seasonal food is deeply ingrained in the reader’s mind.
A section on basic ingredient notes and cooking techniques teach readers the foundations of healthy cooking. The final chapter, The Spa, offers a primer on spa treatments; skin care and body treatment recipes that readers can make at home sound good enough to eat – but readers are warned that they’re for external use only.
Golden Door Cooks At Home
Golden Door Cooks At Home, by Dean Rucker with Marah Stets
This cookbook is a standout for its sharp, full page, full-color photography that’s so vivid you can see the individual grains of sea salt in the photos. Images from the Golden Door Spa, its blooming gardens, and fresh fruits and vegetables can be found on almost every page. Each recipe has a forward, with tips on ingredient selection, cooking techniques or the story of how the recipe came to be part of Golden Door’s celebrated menu.
Interspersed throughout the recipes are “Tips from the Golden Door” – lifestyle tips about incorporating healthy practices into your daily life such as meditation, the benefits of keeping a food diary, and fitness.
Golden Door and Rancho La Puerta aren’t the only Destination Spas to publish cookbooks. For a complete list of cookbooks from members of the Destination Spa Group, click here.
To read my blog post on the Destination Spa Group, click here.
Review of The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House September 30, 2009
Mohonk Mountain House
Your visit to Mohonk Mountain House begins as soon as you drive up to the gatehouse. They’re expecting you, so drive on through and continue the last few miles of your journey. It’s here that you get your first notion that this is no ordinary place. As you make your way up the one-way road – the return trip back down is also by a one-way road – boulders of conglomerate rock line the drive and signs remind visitors: “Slowly and Quietly Please.”
Mohonk Mountain House is a 140 year-old historic resort hotel in New York’s Hudson Valley, just 90 miles north of New York City. Mohonk has been owned and operated by the Smiley family since 1869, when it opened as a 10-room summerhouse. Guests arriving by air can fly into Stewart International Airport, just 25 miles away in Newburgh, NY.
If you’ve seen the stunning iconic photography of Mohonk, you’ll be expecting the breathtakingly beautiful setting. But seeing is believing – it’s even more magnificent in person than the images let on. And if staying at Mohonk isn’t special enough, guests visiting in 2009 are treated to programming unique to the 140th Anniversary celebration.
In 2005, The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House opened to the delight of guests and the finest spa and travel publications in the world; the list of awards, honors and accolades just doesn’t quit. In the 30,000 square foot spa wing, you’ll find an indoor heated pool with shallow children’s area and underwater sound system, a fully equipped modern fitness center with motion studio and an award winning eco-friendly spa.
Spa Reception and locker room:
The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House is located on the 3rd floor of the spa wing. Guests enter the spa through a retail shop offering spa products, clothing and gift items. After checking in at the reception desk, the guest is invited to complete a spa intake form near the fireplace before being led on a tour of the spa.
Keyless lockers contain your robe, towel and a bag to store wet swimsuits. In the showers, Rosemary Mint Shower Gel, Shampoo, and Conditioner from Essentiel Elements. Vanity amenities are supplied – like razors, combs and brushes, body lotion, hair products and hair dryers – everything a guest needs to get ready to enjoy the resort after their spa visit.
Chilled bowls of thinly-sliced cucumbers invite ladies to relieve puffy eyes; chilled chamomile facial spritzer refreshes skin after the heat of the steam room or sauna, located in the men’s and women’s locker room.
Treatment Rooms:
Couples treatment room at The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House
There are 16 treatment rooms including four facial rooms, three wet treatment rooms and two couples rooms, one with a fireplace. As an added feature, the wall between one of the couples rooms and an individual treatment room slides open to allow three guests to enjoy treatments together – a popular option for the multigenerational families who frequent Mohonk and want to enjoy massages together.
Spa Facilities:
Women's veranda at The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House
There are endless places to relax at The Spa at Mohonk. Separate men and women’s verandas and a co-ed veranda feature self-service tea bars and bowls of fresh fruit. Walls of windows in the verandas let the outdoors and abundant natural light in. You can nap in the sunshine or shade on cushioned reclining lounge chairs covered in a cozy chenille throw blanket, while sipping one of five blends from TeaSpa: Romance, Energy, Purify, Earl Gray Jasmine and Immuni-Tea.
Step out onto the co-ed outdoor terrace and settle into a relaxing lounge chair or enjoy a soak in the clover shaped heated mineral pool. The half-moon shaped co-ed solarium features an impressive stone fireplace with mosaic tiling above the mantle, cushioned wicker furniture and a reading rack with newspapers and magazines.
Co-ed mineral pool at The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House
The spa décor is so warm and simple, with touches of Mohonk’s signature colors of green and ivory and richly stained custom woodwork. The Smiley family’s private art and photography collection hangs on the walls for the enjoyment of guests. Green plants grow in just about every corner.
Spa Treatments:
The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House is a full-service spa and salon featuring massage, body treatments, skin care, hair styling and nail treatments. Many of the treatments go beyond basic, making use of indigenous ingredients offered by highly trained practitioners. Teens, gentlemen and couples have their own treatment menu, as do the 6 to 15 age group (services are performed in the salon only).
Private meditation instruction for one or two can help you alleviate stress, lower blood pressure and promote general well being. Dr. Nina Smiley, co-author of The Three Minute Meditator, is also available for private meditation sessions.
Created in honor of the 140th Anniversary Celebration, the Signature Elements of Nature – Indigo Herbal Poultice Massage (80 minutes, $186.90) is a keeper that will remain on the menu even after the celebration ends. As described in the treatment menu:
“This powerful, deeply soothing treatment is ideal for those who are looking for immediate relief from the stresses of modern life. This new treatment is inspired by the Indigo plant grown locally, and features a steamed Indigo Herbal Poultice (muslin pouch) to ease tension, loosen sore muscles and increase circulation. A combination of Royal Thai Massage, acupressure, aromatherapy, and herbal heat detoxify the body and provide an overall sense of well-being. Our Guided Power Nap ends the experience, leaving you refreshed and renewed. An elixir of the day and a special gift conclude your session. “
The indigo poultice is filled with wild herbs and spices. It’s a warm stone massage minus the stones; the herbal pouch is more flexible and aromatic than stones but equally soothing. Techniques from The Three Minute Meditator inspire the guided power nap. As the treatment ends and your therapist settles you into a comfortable chair in one of the relaxation rooms, you’re served grapes and a refreshing elixir – how does Pomegranate and Acai Berry antioxidant fruit extract from Pure Inventions sound?
Learning how this uniquely Mohonk treatment was inspired from Spa Director Barbara Stirewalt was a real treat. The leaves of the Indigo plant, found locally on the Mohonk preserve, yield the distinctive blue dye that was commonly used in denim before synthetic dyes were invented. In this treatment, indigo supplies the dye for the muslin pouch.
For a treatment that brings the outdoors in, literally, try the Signature Elements of Nature – “Shawangunk Grit” Mineral Body Treatment. Your skin is gently exfoliated with the resorts signature “Shawangunk Grit”, quartz minerals that were excavated from the conglomerate rock found on the property, finely ground and applied to the skin.
An 18% gratuity is added to all spa treatments.
Cuisine:
Remember that fitness center? You’re going to need it. Room rates at Mohonk include breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, plus the very popular afternoon tea and cookies. The food is abundant with an emphasis on high quality ingredients that are fresh and locally sourced.
The Main Dining Room at Mohonk Mountain House
A continental breakfast is served in the Lake Lounge overlooking Mohonk Lake. It’s the perfect place to grab coffee and a light bite before heading out for an invigorating morning hike around the grounds. When you return, head to the Main Dining Room for the heartiest of breakfast buffets. The tender, freshly made Belgian Waffles topped with walnuts and bananas in caramel sauce are more like dessert. The freshness, selection and variety are impressive.
Seasonally, a barbecue style lunch with all the trimmings is served at The Granary, a shady lakeside picnic grove with lovely lake and mountain views.
Dinner is a four-course seated affair in one of three candlelit dining rooms – the spacious Main Dining Room, and the more intimate East and West Dining Rooms. The Main Dining room boasts gorgeous wood floors, an enormous brick fireplace and high ceilings.
Choose two courses from the appetizer section of the menu – gourmet soups, salads, artisan cheese plates and hot and cold appetizers are available each night. For the entrees, fish, perfectly cooked steaks, poultry, vegetarian dishes and nightly chef specials delight guests from a rotating menu. Desserts are so rich and decadent; you can’t help ordering one even when you think you can’t possibly have room.
If you’re looking for less rich and decadent, the Sound Choice menu provides selections that are lower in fat, cholesterol, calories, and sodium, yet full of flavor and creativity. As an alternative to the dining rooms, the Carriage Lounge serves cocktails and light fare in an intimate setting with a fireplace and cozy seating.
If you can’t stay for lunch on the day or your departure, order a trail lunch “to go” at breakfast. Pick it up at the Main Dining room on your way off the mountain and you’ll enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch for the ride home. Going hiking during lunchtime? Take your picnic lunch on your hike with you.
Accommodations:
Guests can choose from four types of room accommodations at Mohonk Mountain House: Tower Rooms, Suites/Junior Suites, Victorian Rooms, and Traditional Rooms.
Victorian style guest room 567 at Mohonk Mountain House
Room 567, a Victorian style room, featured a King Size bed, working fireplace, balcony with wooden rocking chairs and a spectacular view of the Shawangunk Mountain Range. Everything you’ll need to enjoy a fire is provided: wood, matches, fire starter and instructions. Need more wood? Guest services will bring some right up.
Victorian style guest room 567 at Mohonk Mountain House
Spa touches are carried through to the guest rooms with Rosemary Mint bath products in the bathroom and terry bathrobes. You’ll find the accommodations cozy and comfortable, with individual climate control, ceiling fans, and plenty of in-room lighting for reading. Beds feature pillow-top mattresses, silky sheets, matelasse bedspreads and fleece blankets; extra pillows and blankets are in the closets.
While you won’t find televisions in the guest rooms, you can book a fireplace room and watch the crackling fire instead. You’ll never miss it!
Activities:
Craving outdoor adventure? Mohonk’s got it all. Ice-skating, snow tubing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing beckon winter guests to explore the acres and acres of grounds. During the rest of the year, mountain biking, rock climbing, tennis, golf, boating and fishing are among the countless recreational opportunities. Mohonk is a hiker’s paradise, with over 85 miles of marked trails for hikers of all abilities.
For the brave and adventurous, try The Labyrinth, a difficult 45-minute rock scramble that takes climbers up a 300-foot ascent to Sky Top Tower. The reward for your efforts? 360-degree vistas from the observation deck at the top of tower. But you’ll have to descend by less challenging means – the Labyrinth is a one-way only upward path.
A daily activities schedule highlights recreation options, exercise classes, nature programming, dining locations and hours, kids activities, evening entertainment and special theme events. The schedule serves as a complete guide to everything that goes on at the resort.
Mohonk offers a variety of theme programs to please every interest. The Hudson Valley Harvest, Apple Festival, Halloween-themed events, Mystery Weekend and wellness themed programming are just a few of the events held throughout the year that keep guests coming back time and again.
Mohonk is an outstanding destination for families (large and small), couples, solo travelers, business retreats and girlfriend getaways. You can celebrate a special occasion here or no occasion at all. But one thing is for certain: as you descend the one-way road for your return trip back down the mountain, you’ll be planning your next trip back again before you reach that gatehouse.
1000 Mountain Rest Road
New Paltz, NY 12561
1-800-772-6646
www.mohonk.com
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary lodging, spa service and meals for the purpose of writing this article. While it has not influenced this review, we believe in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. Thank you to Mohonk Mountain House for inviting the writer to experience their property and for seeing the long-term benefits of a neutral review for their business and for their guests.
