Incentive - December 2008 - (Page 38) TRAVEL planners have not seen any to injury, weight loss or weight gain, downturn in requests for spas in and lack of sleep due to worry. the programs they arrange. In Unfortunately, the average person’s fact, when looking at hotels, they income is feeling the effects of specifically look for a spa. The today’s economy and people are cutincentive trips they plan usually ting back on how frequently they get feature a menu of spa treatments massages.” And although those that participants can select, “but it is can afford it are coming in more freno carte blanche,” he says. “It’s quently, Domenici has noticed that an offering, like golf, and people there is a greater request for masappreciate it.” sages and treatments such as the Brian Martenis, managing ionic cleansing foot bath, which help director of Boutique Incentive detoxify the body of impurities, she Travel, a division of Gil Travel, says. “I think people are more consays that a lack of a spa will not cerned with trying to achieve wellprevent him from using a properness as opposed to services that ty for an incentive trip, but “the beautify them.” addition of a spa these days is The eco-friendly spa uses organic certainly a positive. I don’t really and natural products for its treatments, think that people going on a proincluding vegan nail polish from gram expect unlimited, unreSpaRitual and all-organic cotton for stricted anything. cotton balls and spa robes. “My experience is that spa is Spas like Verde and Blue Marble important, but most people really emphasize that well-being has limit it. On my programs I will never been more crucial than now, Blue Marble’s spa director says spa-goers are increasingly more educated on healthy products take them to a property where there and they take a multifaceted is a spa, but everyone pays for their own increasingly more aware of is that wellapproach to deliver the anti-stress remedies. treatments, because you couldn’t possibly do being begins with the product ingredients it in any equitable way.” Martenis also finds used in a spa treatment. The Right Award for Stressful Times that his clients are increasingly choosing Kyra Johnson, director of the Blue Marble At the core of the financial crisis is New spas for the relaxation aspect, and less for Spa at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa York City. It is no surprise, then, when their purely aesthetic purposes. “A spa treat- & Marina in San Diego, Calif., says, “WellMandarin Oriental New York’s Spa Direcment, or a spa itself, can be looked upon as ness is made up of a lot of different things, tor Denise Vitiello says that many clients a luxury item, as beautification, but true what you put in your body and what you put are voicing their concerns about feeling spas are beneficial.” on your body. The two together can have a more stressed as a result of the economy, In a recent trip to the Fairmont Sonoma really positive effect on your health if you and coming in more often because of it. Mission Inn in California’s Sonoma Valley, are educated about what you are using and While the spa encourages clients to book Martenis noticed that when organizers passed eating,” says Johnson. The spa offers several longer massages to enable massage theraaround the sign-up sheet for spa treatments, organic product lines, including Naturopathi- pists to really target the individual needs of many people chose therapeutic treatments. ca, Farmaesthetics, SpaRitual and Ayuroma, that client, she says it is important to “give “A lot of what people signed up for was pool for “consumers that are interested in what’s yourself that time to rebalance, refuel emotranquility programs, how to organize yourin the bottle and what’s been left out.” tionally and everything else to go back into self, yoga, and how to eat healthy; really getLynn Domenici, Spa Director of Verde the world with more of a level head and a ting into the mind-body treatments.” Spa at the Bellasera Hotel in Naples, Fla., is balanced feeling.” Vitiello says the spa conThroughout the country, planners, comalso aware of the benefits of incorporating tinues to have a solid base of incentive and panies and spas are latching on to the idea healthy ingredients. With stress levels so high corporate groups that visit, as “people have of using spas to reward employees in addiand the subsequent health detriments, she recognized the benefit of taking care of tion to promoting well-being for its says, “I certainly can see the physical as well people’s health in the workplace, because it preventative benefits. Another factor that as mental side effects in my clients this past actually helps them perform better.” individuals and spas are year—more tension in the body, more prone Send comments to feedback@incentivemag.com SPAS 38 | Incentive | December 2008 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com
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