Show our Facebook page some LIKE, and we’ll spread the LOVE. If you haven’t yet joined our fun, spa-filled world on Facebook, now is the time. Spa Week pledges to donate 25¢ to the American Heart Association for every new Like in February, which is American Heart Month.

Tell your friends and let’s help raise money and awareness for a heart-healthy future!

In other <3 news: Be sure to enter to win a 1-year supply of POM Wonderful + a $300 Spa & Wellness Gift Card, and strengthen your loving relationship in 15 minutes a day by joining Andrea Syrtash’s LOVE Challenge.

The holidays are a time for giving. While you’re buying everyone on your list a Spa & Wellness Gift Card (wink, wink) let us not forget those who are less fortunate. We talked about how spas are giving back all year round, but the holidays are a special time to reach out to the local community. We love hearing stories about spas giving free massages to deserving unemployed people. It warms our hearts to see spas (that already bring us joy with their amazing spa treatments!) reach out and give all that they can during the holiday season. Not every child is going to be able to unwrap a toy this Christmas. Here are some spas that want to change that:

Last night, American Laser got in the holiday spirit by co-hosting the GIVE 2 GET Beauty event with Pretty City. Guests who donated a toy received a gift card for one free treatment of choice. Now that’s a reason to give!

The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, Los Angeles is having their annual Teddy Bear Tea event where kids enjoy a puppet show, storytelling by one of Santa’s helpers, and pictures with Santa. Guests are asked to bring one unwrapped, packaged gift for donation to Hillsides charity. Teddy Bear Tea will be held December 17-23 from 10 am to noon.  For reservations call 626.585.6218.

Alantra Spa in North Reading, Massachusetts is offering 10% off any service for every un-opened new toy you bring to the spa from now until December 30th. The toys will be donated to the Toys for Tots Foundation.

Bring in an unused toy to your local Massage Envy for their ‘12 Days of Christmas‘ event until December 19th. The toys will be donated to Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation. Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation is the nation’s largest gift basket distributor to children with cancer serving 220 children’s hospitals and pediatric oncology treatment centers nationwide. For the nearest location call 866.553.3689.

RELATED: Be sure to check out how these 8 bloggers are making a difference this holiday!

Images via and via

Is getting your child’s hair cut a chore? Most squirm around in those big salon chairs and claim how it is so unnecessary. That will all change once they start going gray and they’ll be happy to sit in those comfy chairs for hours on end. But I digress… Let the professionals help and your child’s haircut could go towards a great cause. We’ve told you about Hair2Help’s mission and their great spa day event but now they are offering free hair cuts for kids when you make a donation to their charity, which supports cancer patients and their caretakers.

Bring your children, ages 4-10, to the James Corbett Studio in Union Square, NYC for a Holiday Haircut and Priti Princess non-toxic manicure in exchange for a 100% tax-deductible donation.

The goal of the day is to help raise money for those who are battling cancer. Your child will have the opportunity to make get well cards for patients at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge.

For more information visit the Hair2Help website, or to get involved, please contact James@Hair2Help.org or call 212.388.1296.

If you’re in New York visit Sunday November 13, 2011 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the James Corbett Studio. The address is:

32 Union Square East #311
New York, NY 10003

Here’s the invite:

By Shelby Jones, ISPA

The newly released ISPA 2011 U.S. Spa Industry Study reveals a ton of new information about the different types of treatments offered at the spa. We’ll be digging into the different offerings in the weeks to come, but we wanted to take a minute this week to show you what spas are doing locally for their communities.

The following chart shows just what true do-gooders people in the spa industry really are. Almost all spas (96 percent) are undertaking one or more of the following outreach efforts:

Spas clearly recognize the importance of reaching out to locals. Whether it’s through food drives, makeover nights for nurses or showcasing artwork from local artists the spa is the place to go to help make a difference in your town. The next time you want to get involved consider working with the spa in your neighborhood.

Editor’s Note: As for Spa Week Media Group, giving back has always been part of our DNA. Each season we donate a portion of our proceeds to Cancer and Careers, an organization very dear to our CEO Cheryl Reid’s heart.

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

Shelby Jones is based in Lexington, KY at the ISPA  headquarters, Spa Week’s exclusive trade partner. She has worked as ISPA’s Public Relations Manager for five years where she connects with top media outlets to promote ISPA members and the spa lifestyle. To get in touch with Shelby please email her or follow @ISPADoYou on Twitter. If you’re in the spa industry, we encourage you to become a member of ISPA; weekly e-mails with pointers like these are just one small part of the package to help you succeed!

A funeral service was held in the ruins of Port-au-Prince Cathedral this morning to remember the 230,000 people killed in the earthquake that devastated Haiti exactly one year ago. The Haitian people have withstood what was named one of the worst natural disasters of our time, a government in turmoil, and an unexpected chlorea outbreak which had claimed over 3,500 by the end of December. Experts estimate that 400,000 Haitians may get cholera over the next year. With all this going on, still the spirit of the country has not been broken; they’ve chosen not to run, but to rebuild. 

A year later, people are still actively organizing to help a country in need. All the organizations below, as reported by MSNBC, are dedicating a portion of their budget and time to Haiti relief. Even with all the global support that has rushed in, it is nowhere near enough. Contact any of the below and see how you can help make a difference for Haiti in 2011.

Accion International 617-625-7080
Action Against Hunger 877-777-1420
American Friends Service Committee 215-241-7000
American Jewish World Service 212-792-2900
American Red Cross 800-733-2767
American Refugee Committee 612-872-7060
Brother’s Brother Foundation 412-321-3160
CARE 800-521-2273
Catholic Relief Services 800-736-3467
ChildFund International (formerly Christian Children’s Fund) 800-776-6767
Children Incorporated 800-538-5381
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation 800-225-0292
Church World Service 800-297-1516
Compassion International 800-336-7676
Doctors Without Borders – USA 888-392-0392
Food for the Hungry 800-248-6437
Freedom from Hunger 800-708-2555
Gifts in Kind International 703-299-7532
Habitat for Humanity International – N.O. 800-422-4828
Heifer Project International 800-422-0474
International Medical Corps 800-481-4462
International Rescue Committee 877-733-8433
Lutheran World Relief 800-597-5972
Medical Teams International 800-959-4325
Mennonite Central Committee 888-563-4676
Mercy Corps 888-256-1900
Operation USA 800-678-7255
Oxfam-America 800-776-9326
Partners in Health 617-432-5298
Plan USA 800-556-7918
Project Concern International 858-279-9690
Salvation Army 800-725-2769
Save the Children 800-728-3843
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) 800-554-8583
William J. Clinton Foundation 501-748-0471
World Concern (Program of Crista Ministries) 800-755-5022
World Neighbors 800-242-6387
World Vision 888-511-6548

Image via NYTimes.com’s comprehensive Haiti Earthquake Multimedia section.