A good employee gives their all to the company they work for; this includes their skills, their effort, their time, and yes, their health. The human body was not designed to be in an office all day, sitting at a chair, working on a computer, and engaging in a myriad of unhealthy and unnatural movements. Good quality companies that care about their employees – or at least care about their reputation and mitigating employee complaints – take such thing into consideration by offering ergonomic equipment for better positioning when working. This helps to avoid damages to bones, joints, ligaments, etc… caused by repetitive tasks including typing and mouse clicking. The usual areas of the body that incur the most damage from office work include the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, neck and back. Some companies are going the extra mile by offering employees massages by licensed therapists in the office.
A nice workplace massage for employee well being and loyalty never hurt anyone.
There are any number of reasons why Hollywood has chosen to incorporate spa treatments, such as saunas and massages, into feature films; enticing audiences by showing actors in a state of undress, revealing their vulnerability, or simply conveying luxury and pampering are but a few. Scenes of spa-like activity have been written into hundreds, if not thousands of films, ranging from action and drama to comedy and horror. Such repetition of its use is a testament to the timeless power of the spa, its firmly ingrained place in the American movie-going psyche, and further proof that Hollywood screenwriters are fresh out of original ideas.
Though we’ve found a few titles you might recognize that incorporate spas and massage, this is by no means a critical review or an endorsement for you to spend your valuable time watching them (hello, Hostel: Part II?).
Thunderball (1965):
Credit: IMDB
Perhaps there is no character in movie history that more fittingly deserves a spa treatment than “Bond, James Bond.” After all, an international playboy and MI6 operative needs to unwind after a hard night of drinking, gambling, womanizing and killing. In Thunderball, Bond drags a lovely lass off into a steam room and makes love to her. Later that night in a private room, Bond, wearing nothing but a towel, gets a massage from her mink-gloved hand. Good for them that PETA wasn’t founded until 1980.
Normally when you think of a bachelorette party you think of a bunch of girls going wild and crazy at a club or strip club in Las Vegas, but we have noticed that many brides today are beginning to use their chance to do whatever they want with their friends as a free ticket to the spa. Spa bachelorette parties have been gaining in popularity lately as these relaxing and fun alternatives let you and your friends spend some quality time together getting pampered and primed.
There are many companies that now cater to Spa Bachelorette Parties, some provide bachelorette party goers with yummy cocktails, food, and some even give you the option to have your spa party at home or at a special location. Sparty! is one such spa that offers bachelorette parties and blends their spa treatments with scrumptious cocktails of all types. Their Bachelorette Party services include signature drinks, hot stone massages, custom facials, manicures, and pedicures. Add-on options such as food, custom cakes, custom cocktails and gift bags are available. (Image courtesy of Sparty!)
While we wouldn’t say that the Geisha Facial is mainstream, this new facial is definitely starting to catch on throughout the US and is much more commonly found in Japan. The secret ingredient to this unique facial is called uguisu no fun in Japanese, or powdered, hygienic, Nightingale droppings. This traditional Japanese ingredient has been used for centuries by kabuki actors and the Geisha themselves to help keep their skin clean and clear.
The Geisha mask contains a very gentle cleansing solution that is completely natural, yet is able to cleanse the skin and the pores extremely well when compared to chemical alternatives. A rice rub can be combined with this Geisha mask to serve as an exfoliate. The Geisha mask is applied cold and feels calming when applied. It doesn’t really have a smell, besides a subtle scent of rice or oatmeal from the exfoliant. The Geisha powder typically comes from Japan, and is then made into a paste at the spa before the facial. You can expect to spend a bit more on a Geisha facial than other more typical facials (For example, the spa that made this treatment famous, the Shizuka NY Day Spa, commands $180 for a 60 minute treatment).
As knowledge about the Geisha Facial spreads it will no surely become more and more popular. No doubt Hollywood will be the next to catch on!
If you would like to try this unique spa treatment but don’t want to break the bank, you may want to wait for SpaWeek, as the Shizuka NY Day Spa was offering this spa last year for the $50 SpaWeek rate.
Our bodies have amazing – and fantastic – reactions when exposed to concentrated bursts of heat and cold. Need proof? Just look at an athlete after any game, sitting with a heat pack on his shoulder or soaking in an ice bath. And more often than not, athletes are advised to use a combination of temperatures – going from one extreme to the other – to facilitate circulation and healing. Turns out, sports aficionados aren’t the only ones who can benefit from this type of therapy. In fact, temperature-based relaxation techniques have become particularly hot among spa-goers, for their refreshing feel and myriad health benefits. (Read more below)
Hot and Steamy
It’s no secret that different temperatures cause different reactions in our bodies. Heat is a stimulant, increasing blood flow and accelerating physiological processes; while cold has the opposite effect, constricting blood vessels and numbing nerves. On their own, each extreme has specific health benefits, but when used in combination, the results can be invigorating. Exposure to a heated environment (which helps to increase blood flow and energy), followed by a sudden exposure to a cooler temperature, allows the cold to “trap” that increased blood flow, preserving that extra energy throughout your body and immediately increasing circulation. And happily, spas are quickly becoming the best place to experiment with hot-to-cold relaxation techniques, or what many call “contrast therapy.”
The best approach to this casual science can be summed up in three steps: heat-cold-repeat. And while some prefer the more traditional hot tub/cold plunge-pool method, don’t feel limited to any technique. Remember, it’s more about the change in temperature than how you get there! Which means that you can do ten minutes in a steam shower, followed by one minute under a cold rain faucet (and then back again!) for an energizing burst. Or take a seven-minute soak in a heated pool and then a five-minute respite with an iced washcloth over your face and behind your neck – best feeling in the world. To get the most out of your extreme temperature adventure, it’s best to use your time exposed to your cold source (be it shower, plunge pool or ice sauna) as more of a “burst” than an elongated period of time. Try different combinations and see what you like best! Ready to give it a shot? You’re getting warmer…
To all our Talk Spas readers; we are here today to address the spa fanatics, members of the spa industry as well as the home spa enthusiasts of the world to let you know that the spa is here to stay. In the past year we may have not seen the spa industry or the number of home spa projects grow in number, but we did see the diversity in services and product offerings expand to a new high. Out of nowhere new markets have become much larger than before for the spa industry, including Medical Spas, Pet Spas, Teen Spas and even Baby Spas. In the past year, outrageous, amazing and extremely expensive spa treatments had their day in the limelight, while more custom, personal and home based spa services have continued to increase in popularity.
Las Vegas continues to be a hotbed for amazing new spas and more and more people are now using the quality of the spa amenities to choose their next resort or cruise vacation. While destination spas are still very popular, the home spa and more specifically the inclusion of a luxury steam shower with advanced technological systems continue to increase home values in these tough times.
Make no doubt that times are still tough for the spa industry as we have seen many close their doors and go bankrupt, but be clear that the surviving day spas, spa product manufacturers and resorts will come out of this downturn stronger than ever before. People across the world are beginning to re-discover how and why it is so important to treat your mind and body to spa treatments that provide relaxation that ultimately improves your overall health and well being. We can assure you that even if the tough times are not yet behind us, the light is visible at the end of the tunnel, and the light will please your senses and rejuvenate your body and soul.
Writer and director Nancy Meyers is well known for films that use amazing and beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces within her films, and her newest film “It’s Complicated” is no exception. In this romantic comedy the lead character, Jane – who is played by Meryl Streep – is renovating her Spanish-style ranch home in Santa Barbara. Throughout the film there are various scenes which take place in this bathroom . Jane makes us all jealous while she relaxes and lounges in her magnificent bathroom.
In the film the cozy bathroom serves as the room for many scenes including a controversial phone call, a love confession and even the room where Alec Baldwin’s character enjoys some ice cream. One thing that you will notice in this film’s bathroom is that it is very charming with its cast iron tub. Viewers of this film are raving about this bathroom, and especially the bathtub. The film seems to be reigniting the pleasure of soaking in a nice, large, cast iron claw foot bathtub. In addition the bathroom also has beautiful limestone floors and steel windows for an all around beautiful design. It looks like there is a Louis Ghost Chair (designed by Philippe Starck) that Alec Baldwin’s character is leaning against, which is being used to hold a variety of towels.
This bathroom is very spa-like and will no doubt inspire designers and homeowners alike to invest in a cast iron, claw foot bathtub for their next bathroom renovation. The limestone is also a perfect addition to any bathroom for those who are looking to bring more luxury to their bathing experience.
Here is a picture of the bathroom, please click the image for a larger version:
Here are a few of our favorite spa moments from TV:
The first clip is from the famous “Lifeguard On Duty” skit from SNL with Jim Carrey & Will Ferrell.
Clip two is when Elaine is begged by Jerry Seinfeld to see if his girlfriend has had a breast enlargement job while she’s using the gym’s sauna.
Clip three is a Mad TV sketch where a couple is just trying to enjoy their time in a hotel hot tub when an annoying hotel guest ruins their experience.
The next clip is a very funny snippet from a Seinfeld episode where Kramer loses power when he falls asleep in the jacuzzi.
Clip five is one of our favorites, when George from Seinfeld gets a very uncomfortable massage from a male masseuse.
