One of the funniest shows on television (in my opinion) is Parks and Recreation. During a recent episode they embraced the powerful ways of the spa. Hey, public officials in Indiana like pampering themselves too! While Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson are in the wilderness with the Pawnee Rangers, Tom and Donna celebrate “Treat Yo Self 2011.” It’s the one day in the year that they allow themselves to buy whatever they want. I think I implement this too often with my online shopping addiction. Noticing that Wyatt was down on his luck, they brought him along to help him relax. Can my friends surprise me with a spa trip?!

The  boys look quite comfortable in their spa chairs and robes. Tom, a relaxation novice, educated Wyatt, a spa newbie, on the ways of the spa.  It was great to see some male bonding at the spa since most think it’s just a chick thing.

Donna enjoyed some acupuncture. I enjoyed her lessons in relaxation. Her first lesson: “Acupuncture. It’s great for your back and your rear.” Well I’m not so sure about the last part of that statement, but acupuncture has been known to help with back pains and arthritis.

I can definitely get behind this message: Treat. Yo. Self.

Guest contributor: Shelby Jones, Public Relations Manager, ISPA

It can be tough to decide on the right spa treatment. What’s the difference between acupressure and acupuncture anyway? To make the right choice, the first step is to do some homework on your options, then talk with your spa therapist about the right treatment to meet your goals. Being the generous resource that we are, we’re giving you the Cliff Notes version on acupressure, shiatsu and acupuncture below to help you get started.

Acupressure has been practiced in China for centuries and is believed to improve the flow of chi (energy) throughout the body. This massage releases muscle tension and promotes healing by applying pressure to “energy points” or “meridians” in the body. Pressure is applied to these points with the finger for a deep tissue feeling.

Shiatsu is a Japanese massage technique literally meaning “finger pressure.” It’s similar to acupressure because it works with the body’s energy meridians and uses finger-thumb-palm pressure. But, unlike acupressure, which is more of a pinpoint massage, shiatsu manipulates other parts of the body to stimulate balance and healing.

Ashiatsu is the opposite of shiatsu and translates to mean “foot pressure.” The therapist uses overhead bars to balance and apply just the right amount of pressure. It borrows the same techniques as shiatsu and acupressure by utilizing energy points on the body to release tension. (Side note – I’ve tried this treatment, and it’s fantastic if you like deep pressure. Need a better visual? Watch this video of Michelle getting walked all over.)Acupuncture was developed 3,000 years ago and is based on Taoist philosophy. Like the treatments above it focuses on energy meridians and permits the body to “heal itself.” It does involve inserting fine needles into key points of the body that relate to different organs in order to relieve muscular, neurological and arthritic problems, cure disease and relieve pain. (Side note – I haven’t tried this, but Michelle has, and I have been assured that the needles don’t hurt.)

If you want to learn more about different spa treatments visit ISPA’s spa glossary at experienceispa.com.

If you’re in the spa industry, we encourage you to become a member of our partner ISPA; weekly emails with pointers like these are just one small part of the package to help you succeed!

SO many have you have been enthused about the wonders of acupuncture recently, and while I know a bunch of you are trying it for the first time this Spa Week (woo!) many of you I know are still a little freaked out. For those of you teetering on the edge, sitting on pins and needles at the thought of needles, or for those who are just plain curious about what it’s really like to go get acupuncture, tune in today, April 12th at 2pm EST (possibly more like 2:15) for the Live Spa TV demo at Green Tea Massage & Spa in New York City.

I’ve blogged about the granddaddy of healing a bunch of times here, most recently in Acupuncture – From Facelifts to Fertility (Mariah Carey said it helped her get pregnant) and last summer I blogged my acupuncture facial which has many of the appearance benefits of a facelift, minus the surgery.

With over 40 known conditions it treats, something or other is going to be looking/feeling way better after this segment is over. See you at 2! PLEASE chat below to ask me and my acupuncturist any questions you may have—there’s no one I’d rather hear from while I have needles in my chest than you.

Post-puncture UPDATE:

Woah do I feel like a million bucks! Just got back to the office – if you missed the livestream, here are the recordings below— this first one is just the intro.

But before I get to the acupuncture, let me start with the surprise massage they did (they wanted me to be able to blog the full Green Tea experience). Seriously— it was SO amazing that I convinced them to update their Spa Week listing to accommodate all the wonderful, therapeutic modalities used: Now you can get the 60 Min “Everything Massage” including Deep Tissue, Ashiatsu (walking on your back), Stretching and Reflexology. And I suggest you do.

Green Tea will give your body so much massage loving in every single spot it’s begging for it—and if that means hopping on the table and stretching you legs back, or holding onto the bars on the ceiling and gliding all over your back and upper arms with their feet (Ashiatsu), so be it. I’ve always been a huge fan of small Asian spas for the most hard core massages, and Green Tea truly delivered a masterpiece.

Now, the acupuncture: My back has been hurting a bit this week for some reason, so since the Spa Week treatment gears towards pain management, it was perfect. Maybe that’s why my back started hurting—so I’d have something to heal. Anyway, I’ve gotten acupuncture on my back once before, and this time was very different. Something tells me this is the true Asian way, while the other time was maybe a ritzy seventh generation American way.

My acupuncturist Michelle Yan had a special way of nudging the needles into my body—it wasn’t terribly painful but she definitely “made sure” each needle was in. Focusing on my back pain, she placed the needles in my upper back, down my spine, in the backs of my knee caps and one near my left heel. At first I was a bit uncomfortable and couldn’t really get my mind to rest. Then all of  sudden, I began felt a surge of delightful energy through my body as I drifted off into an almost-snooze. I couldn’t believe how much I felt a difference from beginning to end of the session. It was absolutely dreamy!

After about 20 or 30 minutes Michelle came back to remove the needles, a process I didn’t even feel because of her special technique of circling the skin around the needle before removing each one. And now—I feel just fantastic and pain-free. Now, I know how I usually feel after a massage, and I can tell you that this feeling is notably different. It feels as though I’ve been breathing in cleaner oxygen and my blood stream is suddenly carrying more vibrant blood cells to my back. It had to be the acupuncture.

As a bit of a massage junkie, I would recommend anyone doing this combination in a heartbeat. Acupuncture alone works wonders, but if you’re not used to it, an invigorating massage will definitely round out your day of holistic, therapeutic healing.

Green Tea Massage & Spa
240 East 28th Street
New York, NY 10016
212.683.4048
http://www.greenteabeautyspa.com

$50 Spa Week Treatments

• 60 Min Deep Tissue Massage or Hot Stone Combination Massage 60 Min “Everything Massage” including Deep Tissue, Ashiatsu, Stretching and Reflexology
• Pain Management with Acupuncture or Reflexology
• 60 Min Deep Cleansing Facial with Head, Neck and Shoulder Massage

Also visit their sister spa, offering the same $50 treatments:

Green Tea 38 Spa
38 West 38th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
212.278.8298
http://www.greentea38spa.com

You’re 39 years old and have run into two significant difficulties in life: One, you can’t get pregnant, and two, you are seriously starting to look like your mother.

Your solution? Look to the healing powers of Acupuncture.

Acupuncture is one of the oldest healing practices, dating back in Chinese history over 4,000 years, healing everything from headaches and insomnia to wrinkles and infertility—it is known to treat over 40 coniditions. One of our spas, ilumina Healing Sanctuary in Scottsdale, Arizona, has made a name a name for itself as one of the top Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine facilities in the state. Their practitioners are highly trained and renowned for their gentleness, effectiveness and women’s focused care. So let’s start the mending process, shall we?

FIRST, THE BABY: Needles of the holistic sort have been proven to help with infertility, conception, pregnancy, and post-partum care. So much so that women who are using In Vitro to get pregnant are more successful if they pair it with acupuncture.  Dr. Dana Price at ilumina Healing Sanctuary is one of only four doctors in Arizona who is an American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM) Certified Practitioner. She is celebrating ten years in practice and has been working with western doctors, OBGYNs and hospitals who believe in the power of acupuncture in helping the body conceive and heal itself.

NEXT, YOUR WRINKLES: Embrace the natural face lift known as facial rejuvenation, acupuncture face-lift or cosmetic acupuncture. Whatever you want to call it, it’s caught the attention of more and more women who prefer not to undergo surgery or chemical injections like Botox, yet aren’t keen on the sundried fruit look for skin.  The idea behind the success? People have a lot tension which gets concentrated in facial muscles causing wrinkles. Acupuncture creates relief and softens the tension so hinders the lines from forming. Read my account of an Acupuncture Facial last year—I can tell you that I definitely saw and felt a difference in just one session, in terms of my skin looking healthier and more vibrant.

Check out ilumina’s blog for some good info on the subject.

ilumina Healing Sanctuary
7520 East Camelback Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
602.957.2602
http://www.iluminahealing.com

Browse spaweek.com in your area for other spas offering acupuncture during Spa Week this Spring. If you try it for the first time, please let me know, I’d love to hear how it goes!

Photo courtesy of Bella Sugar, who just happened to do a Spa Week post yesterday! Thanks times 2, bellas.

Can acupuncture help you conceive? For months the rumors seemed to spread like wildfire, was she or wasn’t she? She must be pregnant because she has a glow and gained a few pounds, and no she can’t be because she was just spotted drinking champagne at that award show in LA. Last week Mariah Carey put the rumors to bed once and for all by confirming what was super obvious – after years of trying she was finally pregnant. Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon sat down with Access Hollywood to explain their long journey which involved painful moments like a miscarriage suffered two years ago, and how a chat with fellow powerhouse singer Celine Dion (who just had a set of twins) introduced her to the treatment she credits for helping her conceive. Bringing a child into the world is the most precious gift Mother Nature bestowed upon womankind, but for some it doesn’t come easy. In the video below, Mariah explains how acupuncture became apart of her calming daily routine. Mariah says that acupuncture helped her reduce her stress level which was so crucial in getting her pregnant.