Manna in Majorca - Blau Porto Petro Beach Resort & Spa

I had the pleasure of visiting Blau Porto Petro in Majorca about a week ago...and the effects of this heavenly experience are still emblazoned across my mind, body and soul. A bit dramatic, I know...but perhaps it was the easy and painless trip from London Luton to Palma or perhaps it was the warm welcome on my arrival at midnight (including dinner in my room - "all our guests need to eat no matter what time they arrive!") or the lovely bottle of local wine and the basket overflowing with fruit? Or maybe it was the view of the port from my room when I awoke in the morning to see a handful yachts bobbing peacefully? Or could it be the morning jog along the water? Well, all those things were amazing.

But I think what has stayed with me most are are the effects of the glorious Ayurvedic massage that I had in the Ecologic Natural Spa with Angelica - not to mention the graciousness of their lovely spa manager, Anotonia.

I had heard about Ecologic before from Linda Nicolau, the director of the company. Ecologic currently operates two spas in Majorca and one in Menorca and is working on several other in Spain and is considering projects in India as well. These are full service spas - with a high quality, five-star water therapy circuits as well as hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy treatments - and one of the most in-depth spa treatment menus I'd ever seen. You could have virtually any massage you desire - from Lomi Lomi to Reiki to Shiatsu to Ayurveda to Thai or stone. Looking to combate cellulite? Then try one of the dedicated sessions designed just for it. And if you have a few days or even a week to spend at the spa? Then visit Blau Porto Petro and book into one of the Wellness Retreats for a completely personalized programme. Whether you want to slim, relax or re-energize, Ecologic Natural Spa will deliver.

Post Global Summit blues – not a chance!

The next step on the GSS journey was a post summit trip from Interlaken to Lausanne for a visit to the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. This is like no other university you have ever experienced! Walk into the main building - half the students are suited and booted reflecting the 'front of house' part of their hospitality education - and you can't help but appreciate these students are living their vocation.

After touring the facility and discussing the goals of the establishment we had lunch at their gourmande restaurant - where everything is done by the students (under the watchful eyes of their 'tutors') - including food preparation, cooking, service and management. I can tell you honestly that I have dined at many a Michelin starred restaurant with worse food and service! The experience was a great credit to the students and the staff at the school.

Lausanne to Montreaux (home of the famous jazz festival) for a flying visit to the Clinique La Prairie Clinic - a pioneer in medical spas. Or alternatively a visit to the Forever Laser Institut in Geneva. Then overnight at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace - another 5 star lakeside Grand Hotel and a fitting end - finally - to the Summit.

This was truly a trip about collaboration and friendship; about learning and experiences; about today and the future...roll on the 4th Global Spa Summit!

Spoil Dad - Give Him The Gift of "Spa" This Father's Day

What better way to tell Dad you love him then by treating him to some downtime? SpaFinder Gift Vouchers are the perfect gift for Dad! He can use them for any treatment he wants at more than 300 spas in the UK and 6,000 spas worldwide - there are even men-only spas for a traditional hot towel shave or male-specific facial or massage.


Nickel Spa - London
Gentlemen's Tonic - London
Jason Shankey Male Grooming - London
Jason Shankey Male Grooming - Belfast

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Jason Shankey - Belfast
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Elemis Day Spa
Book any advanced anti-ageing or Time for Men facial and receive a complimentary Well-Being Back or Deep Tissue Back Massage worth £50.
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Whittlebury Hall
Make the most of this special occasion and treat Dad this year to our unique Grand Prix 2009 Hospitality. Inspired by motor sport and situated adjacent to the world famous circuit, we play host to the F1 drivers and teams during the race days. Be at the heart of all the racing action and join us for a three-course Lunch on Sunday 21st June and watch Lewis Hamilton defend his F1 World Champion title on a Big Screen Race Broadcast.

The Sunday Lunch & Big Screen Race Broadcast package includes:
Secure off-road parking; VIP access to the main Hotel, Bar and Restaurants; Bucks Fizz on arrival; 3-course Lunch

Special Price: £29.95 per person. Quote SpaFinder when booking.

Go on, make his day! Buy a SpaFinder Gift Voucher now! Free delivery on orders over $50.

The 2 Day Summit

The Summit is like no other conference! Modeled loosely on the annual World Economic Forum at Davos – participation mandatory; movers & shakers only; by invitation only; everybody pays – this is a true global strategy session, not a talking heads get-together. Kicking off with 25 – that’s 25 - individual country reports on the state of the spa industry, this is a forum setting the agenda for an industry moving from niche to mainstream in a hurry!

It’s almost impossible to detail all the content over the next 2 days – but it varied from research presentations about the scale of the Global Spa Industry, Hotel Benchmarking and the Spa Consumer; to Medical Tourism and the Role of Spas. There were key note addresses from Reto Wittwer, the President and CEO of Kempinski Hotels. There were break-out sessions on every important spa industry subject from thermal spa experiences and the bottom line (so that’s how you do it!); the relevance of internet marketing (be elsewhere at your peril!); branding of spas (you need a brand!); managing Day Spa operations (it’s not all about hotel/resort spas!); the changing curriculum of hospitality schools (they increasingly understand spa as a key part of the hotel offer); and the convergence of medical…. and beauty…. and Spa.

To me, the most energizing part of participating in the summit – was the participants! With attendees from all around the world this was a truly global collaboration of ideas and completely reflected the theme of the summit. Inevitably, friendships were made and business partnerships were forged. The buzz was non-stop and the level of personal involvement and ‘commitment to the cause’ was, frankly, astonishing!

Add to that the first night lake cruise and dine around, followed by the second night ‘we found this amazing restaurant’ experience – it was just great to be with this bunch of enthusiastic, outgoing, talented individuals who just happened to work in the spa industry! That’s the commercial for next year’s event!

The Road to Interlaken

Travelling from Zurich to Interlaken, the venue for the Global Spa Summit, we are subjected the pleasure of the Swiss rail system – part of an integrated approach to transport that is a joy to behold! Zurich – change at Bern by exiting train, walking 3 metres and joining the connection almost immediately – then on to Interlaken. Not a hitch; never a delay. Perfect travelling – enjoying the cross country journey and the scenery around the lakes, surrounded by the snowy covered Alps.

The venue for the Global Summit was the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa – a luxurious 5 star hotel with an ESPA spa and wellness facility. Again a fantastic property, perfectly suited to the Summit with a great spa and fitness centre and superb service. The pre-conference programme kicked off on the day of arrival with one the most interesting parts – a series of global collaborations about the opportunities for the spa sector… and the roadblocks standing in the way of growth. These included serious sessions on design, human capital, product, medicine and spa, marketing and spa associations – all stressing the theme of the conference ‘The Power of Collaboration’. These sessions were empowering, participative and genuinely groundbreaking – all working together with the purpose of problem solving in order to benefit the spa consumer and the global spa business!

The Global Spa Summit has also mobilized the spa and hospitality managers of tomorrow by actively partnering with a number of world class educational establishments – the Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne, the IMHI ESSEC Business School, the Elmcrest College of Applied Health Sciences and Spa Management, and the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. Their non-stop organization administration and their active participation – including a ‘Spa of the Future’ Student Strategy Challenge – were fantastic!

The day ended with a welcome dinner and an address from Adolf Ogi, former President of Switzerland, who brought his own personal reflections on the’ Power of Collaboration’ – amusing, humble, relevant and always forward looking. Very inspirational!

Global Spa Summit – Recap of this Year’s Summit Experience

2009 marks the 3rd year of the Global Spa Summit – an annual conference for the great and the good of the global spa industry who have accepted the daunting challenge of providing leadership and insight into the future direction of the spa sector. As spa irresistibly moves from niche to mainstream this is an important forum for decision makers from all aspects of the industry – hotel groups, spa brands, wellness practitioners, consultants, educators, designers and the like. Their mission is, literally, to boldly go where the industry has never gone before!

Over the next few posts, the I Spy Spa Blog will be highlighting different events from GSS (which took place May 17-19th in Switzerland). It’s the first time the Summit has been held in Europe and the venue is the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa in Interlaken. But more on that later as the Summit actually kicked off on Saturday with a pre-conference visit to the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich. The Dolder is a traditional hotel and only recently re-opened after an extensive four-year renovation. Now the challenge of updating a famous hotel, adding a spa, balancing the traditional with the contemporary is, to be honest, beyond most designers. But not at the Dolder! This is a brilliant transformation by Foster & Partners of a traditional property into an elegant hotel and spa destination – the old and the new blending seamlessly into each other.

The stay included a tour of the extensive spa and wellness facilities by the designer, Sylvia Sepielli, who mesmerized us with the emotional and practical considerations for building this amazing space. Drawing inspiration from the canyons of the Swiss landscape and incorporating the very latest technology, the spa has a real substance – no more so than the amazing mirrored relaxation/contemplation area. Designed around a ‘classic traditions with a techno-beat’ philosophy it also perfectly captures the yin and yang of the old and the new. Add in flawless but understated customer service, fantastic bedrooms (very contemporary in the spa wing; more traditional in the main building) and easy access (by taxi for the lazy; by funicular and tram for the adventurous) to the beautiful and lively centre of Zurich – this was great kick-off to the main event.

Harrogate's Born Again Turkish Bath and Spa

Continuing my English spa journey I visited Harrogate in North Yorkshire, another traditional spa town alongside Bath, Buxton, Leamington Spa, Tunbridge Wells and Cheltenham. Many of these towns are seeing renewed interest in their spa facilities although many have been lost during the 20th century as dilapidation and re-development have taken over.

Harrogate is another architectural jewel of a town with many fine Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian examples. The Baths are still in the centre of the town but the original buildings have been converted into multi use facilities. What does remain, however, is the original Turkish Baths and this was extensively re-developed by the town council and re-opened in 2004.

Almost miraculously given the lack of TLC during the 20th century, the facility is historically complete and in full working order. Its interior décor is original and quite beautiful – with great Moorish arches, vibrant glazed brickwork and coloured tiles and terrazzo floors. There is a steam room and Jacuzzi, 3 interconnected hot room chambers – the Tepidarium, Calidarium and Laconium – and a cold plunge pool for the brave hearted! There is also a relaxation room (frigidarium) and the furniture and fittings all feel very authentic. A health spa has been added as part of the re-development and this offers facials, massage, body treatments, waxing and tinting, manicure and pedicures – with products supplied by Germaine De Capuccini and [comfort zone].

I went on a mixed session (bathing costumes mandatory) but there are Ladies only and Gentleman only sessions with costumes optional – a very natural experience if you haven’t tried it. Very common in traditional bath-houses in Central and Eastern Europe, naked communal bathing is not so usual in the UK – maybe our straight laced Victorian ancestry has something to do with it - but good to see that Harrogate has gone out of its way to preserve important traditions for the general public to enjoy.

For me it was a chill out, de-stress, relaxing and cleansing session. Now that was 2 hours well spent!

Buxton Spa – part of England’s Spa Heritage (and a great place to visit)

Kevin writes...

"Recently I was invited to speak at the Buxton College, part of the University of Derby and specializing in spa and beauty therapy and management. I’ve been to Buxton before and it’s simply an awe-inspiring place. If you like living history this is a ‘must do’ visit – and all set in the beautiful Peak District, an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Buxton’s history has been traced far back and it is one of the original spa towns of England. In the Roman Times it was called Aquae Arnemetiae – ‘The Waters of the Goddess of Spring’ and was famous for its 3 bath houses. It came back to prominence in the 18th century when royalty and the rich and wealthy visited to enjoy the healing waters and this ushered in a period of amazing transformation. From 1780, when The Crescent - a superb example of Georgian architecture - was built, there is a continuous stream of elegant buildings and parks, from the Stable Block with its unsupported dome (bigger than St Paul’s in London), the glass and iron Winter Gardens and the Opera House. The railway opened up Buxton to the middle classes in the 19th century and the prosperity continued until after the 1st World War, when a general decline set in – typical of the other spa towns in the UK.

Today it is enjoying a re-birth in popularity – there has been considerable re-development and re-furbishment. This includes the Buxton campus which is centered around the Dome and which has re-opened the old Hydropathic Hospital spa as the Derbyshire Spa – a commercial spa and a teaching unit for the college. There are also plans to redevelop the Crescent – which was originally built to house 2 spas and residential accommodation for spa visitors. Although a stunning piece of architecture it has been empty for a long time but there are plans, led by the Danubius Hotel Group, to re-open the Buxton Crescent Spa Hotel. More news of that when we have it.

The students were great. Not only did I meet them in the spa itself, where they do Continuous Professional Development (CPD) as part of their course – so they are the therapists, receptionists and spa managers – but also in the lecture theatre where they were interested, informed and outgoing – if a little worried about job prospects in the middle of a recession!

The next day I took off to Harrogate in North Yorkshire to experience another traditional spa town…. but more of that next time."