By Shelby Jones, ISPA

With Breast Cancer Awareness Month right around the corner in October, many spas are helping to raise awareness and funds that benefit breast cancer research. (Read last night’s post on actionable ways YOU can help for BCA Month.) Known for their focus on healing and wellness, it’s no surprise that spas and spa product companies are offering special treatments, raising money and volunteering time for the cause.  Many spas around the country have therapists trained in oncology massage which adapts traditional massage techniques to safely provide relaxation and pain relief for cancer patients.

This type of massage focuses on helping the body heal. It can aid in reducing the symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, constipation, lack of appetite, insomnia and pain. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 230,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2011 alone. According to ISPA’s research, seventy percent of spa-goers are women, and almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by the disease.

The No. 1 reason people worldwide go to the spa is to reduce stress. Coping with cancer can put a tremendous amount of stress on patients and their loved ones. The spa industry provides a nurturing and relaxing environment for healing the mind, body and spirit.

Call your local spa and inquire about therapists who are trained in oncology massage. You can help the cause by visiting a spa that donates a portion of their proceeds to breast cancer research. Many spas will have special products in their retail areas from companies who donate proceeds to breast cancer awareness organizations in October.

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!

Even though yesterday was the first official Jersday of summer, today ‘s post is all about a little island off the coast of New York that’s home to all types of characters, from Juice Heads to Hampotonites and everyone in between. Two Long Island spas in particular are offering deep discounts on everything from facials to hair removal; check it out:


From now until August 31, Laser Plus Spa is offering 50% off their already low prices. That’s half off EVERY SINGLE SERVICE! From Laser Hair Removal, Cellulite Reduction, Vein Removal, Tattoo Removal, Facials, Massages, Body Wraps, Botox, Teeth Whitening, Gift Certificates and so much more. The best part: They have 2 locations, in Bellmore and in Carle Place, so you can snag an affordable treatment anywhere on the Island.
Orange Skye Spa in Valley Stream is offering an entire Weight-Loss Body Wrap System for just $64: Each individual is wrapped and sealed bandage is pre-soaked and infused with special, slimming ingredients; eliminating the mess associated with other, time consuming treatments. The treatment is an all-natural alternative to plastic surgery. It slenderizes and contours your body shape in only an hour. The body wrap produces therapeutic and cosmetic benefits by cleansing the body of toxins and reducing inches.And, the active fat-fighting ingredients stay active for up to 6 hours after treatment. Plus, before your appointment, relax with a complimentary Eucalyptus foot soak to relax your body and mind.

Cable bill: $100, groceries: $150, doggy massage lessons: $350? Yes, dog owners are racking up quite the expense just to give their dogs professional spa massages, as highlighted in a story last week by The New York Times. Everyone knows of the benefits of the massage which include increased circulation, improved digestion, and stress relief, but is all of that really necessary for a dog? Proud pet lovers aren’t sweating the dint in the pocket as they are signing up for expert training in the droves. From 1996 to 2003 admission rates of doggy massage classes rose from 6% to 21%.

Pets are needed for much more than just warding off trespassers and catching rodents, in fact in some households they are as much a part of the family as Grandma. For some, the care that goes into nursing a sick family member back to health is not above the family dog. Who knew long laps around the dog run was such a stressful job?

Being adorable certainly doesn’t hurt, as you proved yesterday—we posted this cuteness-overload photo of a baby bunny on our Facebook page for Easter and we’ve never received more likes.

While the concept of pampering your pet is nothing really new—there are the ever popular pet spas and their coordinating specialized spa treatments—some dog lovers prefer the DIY method and have shelled out hundreds of dollars for professional doggy massage training. We just hope those dedicated dog lovers are at least treating THEMSELVES to a therapeutic spa experience.

What is also interesting are the tips delivered by Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt, a teacher and practitioner of canine massage and author of “Canine Massage: A Practical Guide.”

• Start with light pressure. “Most people have so much power in their hands, they don’t realize that it can be too much for some animals,” Mr. Hourdebaigt said. Only if the dog seems comfortable should the pressure be increased.

• Maintain an even speed. “If you’re erratic — starting fast, slowing down, getting fast again — the animal worries too much,” he said. “If you maintain one stroke per second, whether you’re doing gentle kneading or friction, the animal can relax in the flow of the rhythm.”

• Place the pet on a table to keep your own posture comfortable. “If you massage on the floor on your knees, you will get sore knees and a sore back, which makes you tense up and makes the whole experience more negative,” he said.

• Avoid massaging the animal with other animals nearby. “If you have several dogs in your house, and take one particular dog aside and isolate him on the table while the others are having fun, he’ll feel like he’s missing out on something and won’t relax.”

• Learn palpation, a technique of touching aimed at discovering abnormalities. “Any time you feel unusual heat, puffiness or swelling on the animal, back off,” Mr. Hourdebaigt said. And before doing any massage on the suspect spot, ask a veterinarian. 

Sounds appeasing. A doggy massage could easily compete with a typical human swedish massage and add some candles and herbs and it would be as good as aromatherapy. So, are you fond of the doggy massage or is the whole idea is a little far-fetched?

Image via nytimes.com and petprosservices.com

If you live relatively close to New York and have a penchant for tennis, squash, cool massages and/or divine views of our pretty city skyline, CityView Racquet Club in Long Island City, NY is your new spa spot.

Step into the sprawling 80,000 square foot, prestigious, members-only sports club, an easy 10 minutes from the city by train, and feel the vibrant energy ricochet off the walls and envelop you upstairs in the CityView Spa.

Now, there was a time I thought I didn’t like people walking all over me. Turns out, I love it. I experienced Ashiatsu for the very first time—and the more appropriate term to walking would be gliding. It was the spa’s 60 Min Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, which uses the therapists’ weight and bare feet to deliver deep compression and gliding strokes to your entire body. The smooth flat surface of the foot is able to produce a consistent and firm pressure without the sharpness of, say, a finger or elbow. The feet glide over warm oil and penetrate deep into your muscles in a different way than any other massage does. Watch the video:

Recognized as one of the top instructors and innovative pioneers in the massage industry, Ruthie Piper Hardee developed Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy® in 1995, and it was trademarked 3 years later. Why did she invent it? Ruthie had scoliosis (like me!)— she was always hunching over clients and using her hands to massage, and it became taxing on her bad back. She and her team developed specific therapeutic techniques and a DeepFeet training program, and sure enough, massage therapists around the country became trained to use their feet as their modern massage instruments.

Members and non-members alike have access the CityView Spa, which offers a wide variety of treatments designed with the athlete in mind, and during Spa Week they are offering Ashiatsu as well as a Swedish Massage in their $50 treatment offerings.

I suggest you leave yourself a few hours to enjoy the facilities; anyone who uses the spa has access to the sauna and steam room, and additional access to fitness equipment is included with your Spa Week treatment. Bring a friend and play a few rounds of tennis or squash—it’s $24-$36/person/hour depending upon singles play, doubles play, peak and off peak time. Book in advance, because this is the most premier racquet sports club in the New York metropolitan area—seriously, all the other nearby contenders are now shut down.

Depending on what time it is (or what mood you’re in) when you’re done with your sporty spa day, get a refreshing juice and salad from the juice bar, or opt for a stiff cocktail at the upstairs lounge with one of their healthy-ish meal options. I had the grilled salmon with veggies and the hand cut sweet potato fries over a few glasses of wine, and my day was deliciously complete. I was so relaxed that I didn’t even want to go back into the city… and that’s saying a lot!

CityView Spa
43-34 32 Pl Penthouse
Long Island City, NY 11101
718.389.6252

Spa Week $50 Treatments:

• 60 Min Swedish Massage-Soothing Massage Promoting Rest and Relaxation + Additional Access to Fitness Equipment
• 60 Min Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy-Therapists’ Weight and Barefeet Deliver Deep Compression and Gliding Strokes + Additional Access to Fitness Equipment

Ask about their special Spring Spa Week perks, many of which I mentioned above.

Ashiatsu image via bodyworkbydesign.com

When you think of a massage one would automatically assume that the experience would be just the most peaceful thing on earth. However, as the image above projects: not all massages are created equal. A bad massage can lack the necessary pressure, be too short, or not use the best techniques for your body. The owners of Elements Therapeautic Massage have avoided all the pitfalls by offering therapeutic, highly customized treatments.

Last year the chain performed over 400,000 massages, yet each one was treated differently. How so, you ask? The massage spa provides custom services by matching each client up with a therapist and the specific technique that’s best for your unique health. Therapeutic massages provide relief from back pain, reduce stress, increase circulation and much more.

The spa chain operates on a 4-level pressure system for each of their unique treatments, including the swedish massage which is best for relaxation and great for beginners, hot stone massages for easing muscle tension without deep pressure, the sports massage which is best for treating injuries, deep tissue massages which are best for chronically tight muscles, prenatal massage which helps decrease swelling and relieves aches during pregnancy, and the trigger point massage which works best for highly localized knots.

• Level 1: gives a light and relaxing massage
• Level 2: gives a medium pressure massage with no specific trigger point (commonly called knots) treatment
• Level 3: gives a medium to deep pressure massage including some trigger point work
• Level 4: very deep massage including trigger point (knots) work

Whether you consider your self a newbie or a massage pro, you’ll find your massage match at Elements. From April 11-17th, Elements Therapeutic Massage is bringing their expertise to the Spa Week Spring 2011 season at six different locations — five in Massachusetts and one in Illinois. The spa also accepts Spa Week Gift Cards. And don’t forget… they are 10% off through April 30th and you can earn 10% commission by telling your friends on Facebook. Sign up here.

$50 Treatments

55 Min Sports Massage with Relaxing Aromatherapy
55 Min Deep Tissue with Aromatherapy
55 Min Pre-natal Massage
Elements Therapeutic Massage of Beverly
45 Enon Street
Beverly, MA 01915
978.921.1144

$50 Treatments

55 Min Sports Massage with Muscle Relaxing Aromatherapy
55 Min Deep Tissue with Aromatherapy
55 Min Pre-natal Massage
Elements Therapeutic Massage of Tewksbury
Village Green Plaza
1555 Main Street
Tewksbury, MA 01876
978.319.4584

$50 Treatments

55 Min Sports Massage with Muscle Relaxing Aromatherapy
55 Min Deep Tissue with Aromatherapy
55 Min Pre-natal Massage
Elements Therapeutic Massage of Woburn
446 Main Street
Woburn, MA 01801
781.932.3500

$50 Treatments

55 Min Hot Stone Massage
55 Min Deep Tissue Massage
55 Min Prenatal Massage
Elements Therapeutic Massage Stoneham
200-A Main Street
Stoneham, MA 02180
781.438.4110

$50 Treatments

55 Min Sports Massage with Hot Towel Service
55 Min Deep Tissue Massage with Hot Towel Service
55 Min Pre-natal Massage with Hot Towel Service
Elements Therapeutic Massage of Acton
145 Great Road
Acton, MA 01720
978.493.5900

$50 Treatments

55 Min Deep Tissue Massage Treatment
55 Min Hot Stone Massage Treatment
55 Min Swedish Massage Treatment
Elements Therapeutic Massage – Orland Park
9559 West 151st Street
Orland Park, IL 60462
708.403.8828