February 8th, 2010 Stephanie Kinnear
If you’re in the Scottsdale area this Friday, February 12, celebrate an early Valentine’s Day and support relief work in Haiti at the Intercontinental Montelucia Resort & Spa’s Evening of Romance.
The event will feature a fashion show, live entertainment, a DJ/dancing, a cash bar, raffle prizes, a cigar lounge, and a VIP area boasting Julia Baker Chocolates and Taittinger Champagne.
In order to make sure you’re helping Haiti by attending, purchase a “Haiti Relief” ticket ($30)—you’ll be entered to win a 2-night getaway to InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa including dinner for two in Prado and a couple’s massage in Joya Spa.
Or, if you can afford to, splurge on the “Haiti Relief VIP” tickets ($60). They include access to the VIP room and one glass of champagne and chocolates.
Sound like your kind of event? Click here to purchase your tickets to An Evening of Romance.
—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor
Tags: arizona, cigar lounge, fashion show, february 12, montelucia resort, scottsdale
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February 8th, 2010 Stephanie Kinnear
Today’s post is from Lori B. Rosen, who writes Spa’s Zodiac Therapy each month.
As an Astrological Life Coach and a major fan of romance, I fully understand that passion/ physical attraction are major components of love—but, when it comes to affairs of the heart, couples must connect emotionally.
Having knowledge of your partner’s moon-sign gives you an idea of what kind of emotional pool your partner swims in. Being equipped with this information assists you in understanding their emotional reactions and their approach in the areas of love, family, and commitment.
Honoring/respecting one another’s moon-signs provides an emotional bond in a soulful genuine way.
*For more information on how to find out your partners moon-sign. Please contact me at; www.thezodiacdiva@yahoo.com.
Monday 2/8: Sag’s Moon hooks up with the Aquarian Sun, Neptune, and Venus creating optimum energy for creativity, the arts, and personal/professional partnerships.
Saturday 2/13: New Moon in Aquarius provides a brilliant vibration to journal/visualize your professional/personal goals in new trends and innovations, constructive solutions, humanitarian causes, networking, universal brother/sisterhood, and divinity.
Sunday 2/14: Pisces’ McDreamy moon sets the tone for a delightful Valentine’s Day. Remember the greatest love of all is the love of self.
Keep your love over the moon with compassion, consideration, and fantasy
Lori is an astrologer and certified life coach life coach based in southern California. For zodiac reports and consultations, find her online on Zodiac Therapy’s Facebook Fan Page or her
Tags: astrology, Lori B. Rosen, moon signs, Valentine's Day
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February 5th, 2010 Stephanie Kinnear
Have you ever dreamed of visiting a spa and trying an unlimited number of treatments? Now you can live that fantasy at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania. They’re offering an unlimited spa package on weeknights from now through the end of March. That’s right: unlimited spa treatments at their Woodlands Spa for just $415 per person, per night.
Deal: Unlimited Spa Package
Details: unlimited spa treatments at the Woodlands Spa, overnight luxurious accommodations, and a $20 Spa Boutique credit
Cost: $415 per person, starting rate – double occupancy
Deadline: Valid Sunday – Thursday Through March 31, 2010
Tags: luxurious accommodations, nemacolin woodlands resort, spa package, unlimited spa treatments
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February 5th, 2010 jsinclair
It’s no coincidence we often crave to be physically pampered, nourished, and soothed when we’re feeling stressed or run down — it’s our body’s way of telling us we need some tender loving care.
And according to the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, now science is backing this up. The college notes that studies conducted at the TOUCH Research Institute at the University of Miami have revealed that massage increases the availability of all neurohormones affecting brain chemistry.
According to the study, massage can increase focus and fine motor skills. It can increase alertness or bring on intense relaxation and easier sleep, relieve pain, and even help with tissue repair.
Read more about this new massage research at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
My fingers are crossed that soon insurance companies will see the value of massage in preventive care. I mean, it’s about time…right? We’ve all known this for years!
Image: Veer Photography
—Julie Sinclair, editor-in-chief
Tags: acupressure, adrenal glands, massage techniques, massage therapy, neurohormone, sympathetic nervous system
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February 4th, 2010 Stephanie Kinnear
If you’re looking for a good excuse to escape from the daily grind and focus on your health and well-being, you might want to think about taking a friend or family member along with you.
Golden Door, in Escondido, Ca, is offering a $500 discount if you book a week and bring a friend. Now the question is, who are you going to take?
Deal: Bring-A-Friend
Details: daily in-room massage, daily facials or body treatments, two herbal wraps, manicure and pedicure, make-up lesson and hair consultation, personal fitness guide, personalized take-home program, fitness classes and lectures, accommodations and airport transportation.
Cost: $7,250 each ($500 savings) for 7 nights
Dates: Through December, 2010
Tags: escondido ca, fitness classes, Golden Door, personal fitness, spa deal
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February 4th, 2010 jsinclair
I always look forward to the annual San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference, not just because of the great marketplace that’s open to everyone (this year I especially enjoyed sampling ZICO coconut water and being guided by Grace Aroma Wellness on what essential oil would help boost my immunity) but also because of the amazing yoga teachers it brings to town.
One of them was Spa contributor Felicia M. Tomasko, who is also a registered nurse, a practitioner of Ayurveda, and the editor-in-chief of LA Yoga magazine. (Want a soothing yoga practice you can do at home? Check out 8 Yoga Poses for Simple Stress Relief that Felicia sequenced and wrote for Spa. The poses are beginner-friendly, and while simple, they are highly effective at calming the body and mind.)
One night during the conference, I was lucky enough to share dinner with Felicia. As we were heading to my apartment and discussing what to eat, we agreed that we wanted something warming, grounding, and healthy—yet simple enough to whip up quickly so we wouldn’t spend the whole evening cooking. So we stopped at a grocery store, and the result was the following stir-fry that took only about 1/2 hour to make, including preparation.
INGREDIENTS
1 pack of Thai rice noodles
3 small bunches of bok choy (sliced lengthwise)
1 yellow onion (chopped)
4-6 chives (chopped)
4-5 cloves of fresh garlic (peeled and crushed or chopped)
3-5 inches of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced)
1 head of broccoli (roughly chopped)
3 tablespoons of sesame seed oil (add more as needed while cooking)
2 tablespoons of mustard
DIRECTIONS
1. Boil water and prepare rice noodles according to package
instructions. When done, rinse and set aside.
2. Add sesame oil to a hot wok or large frying pan, then add onions,
garlic, and ginger and cook until onions are translucent (about 3-4
minutes). Stir constantly.
3. Add broccoli and mustard, and stir until broccoli is your desired tenderness.
4. Add cooked rice noodles, stir until noodles are mixed in and warm, then serve.
Voila! This turned out to be so delicious and easy, it’s going to become a dinner staple of mine. We ended up going with mostly green vegetables, but you could include anything that sounds good to you or you have handy in your fridge. For me, the ingredient I am now going to keep in my house regularly is fresh ginger. In addition to adding a tasty zing, ginger offers a host of benefits.
If you try the recipe, please let me know how it turns out—especially if you do some experimenting and find that you think more or less garlic is better, or if you’ve tried a different mix of ingredients in the stir fry.
Bon appetit!
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottfeldstein/ / CC BY 2.0
—Julie Sinclair, editor-in-chief
Tags: broccoli, ginger, healthy stir fry recipe, rice noodles, sesame oil, sesame seed oil, Stress Relief
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February 3rd, 2010 Stephanie Kinnear
Just in time for the Super Bowl, The Setai in South Beach, Miami is rolling out their Setai Experience Package. Soak up the sun and relax in luxury at a hotel that overlooks white Sandy beaches. Not a bad way to celebrate the final weeks of winter.
Deal: Setai Experience Package
Details: luxurious accommodations, welcome champagne, daily breakfast buffet, and a roundtrip transfer between Setai and the Miami airport or a choice of one 60-minute spa treatment for two.
Cost: starting at $775 a night – with 3-night minimum stay
Dates: through April, 2010
Tags: breakfast buffet, champagne, setai, south beach miami, spa treatment
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February 3rd, 2010 Maria Wakem
We receive A LOT of interesting information on new spa treatments here at Spa, but the Vajacial at San Francisco’s Stript Wax Bar definitely raised the most eyebrows.
According to the press release, the Vajacial (50 minutes, $60) is “a four-step ‘facial’ designed specifically to pamper and primp your nether regions.” Best performed within a week after a bikini wax, the treatment begins with a warm antibacterial wash and is followed by a Smooth-A-Peel Body Exfoliating Gel to break down dead skin cells. An expertly trained esthetician then extracts all ingrown hairs, after which a calming anti-freckle masque is placed on the area to help purge skin of impurities and reduce red spots. Once the masque is removed, a lightening cream with vitamin C, mulberry, and licorice extract is applied to lighten any discoloration.
Though you’d have to travel cross-country, we realized a Vajacial could go well with a service called Vajazzling offered at Strippers Waxing Salon & Boutique in Washington, D.C. The treatment, which involves decorating down under with colorful crystals, will be at a reduced price of $50 during Spa Week (April 12 to 18).
This could be just the excuse you need to take your little lady on a road trip.
Image: Corbis
—Maria Wakem, senior editor
Tags: bikini wax, ingrown hairs, spa treatments, vajacial, vajazzling
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February 2nd, 2010 Stephanie Kinnear
If you want to eat better foods, exercise more effectively, and lead a healthier life in general, but don’t know where to start, we’ve got a really fantastic opportunity for you to consider. Sign up for the Living Abundantly Package at Scrub Island and you can spend 5 nights and 6 days in the British Virgin Islands, focusing on your health, and learning about nutrition and exercise from Floyd “Ski” Chilton, Ph.D, author of Inflammation Nation and The Gene Smart Diet. Here are the details:
Package: Living Abundantly
Details: five nights in a deluxe ocean-view room, healthy gourmet breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, a complete pre-trip Gene Smart Health Assessment, up to three one-on-one personal coaching sessions with Dr. Chilton, morning exercise sessions, group activities led by Dr. Chilton focused on the Gene Smart program’s principals for mind, body and spirit health, an interactive cooking class working side-by-side with Scrub Island chefs, three dinners in exotic locations, one half-day snorkeling trip around the British Virgin Islands and a day trip to the nearby island of Anagata, a comprehensive welcome kit, and access to world-class spa.
Dates: April 15 – 19, 2010
Cost: starts at $5,998
Tags: british virgin islands, deluxe ocean view room, Living Abundantly Package, scrub island, smart diet, world class spa
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February 1st, 2010 Stephanie Kinnear
Today’s post is from Lori B. Rosen, who writes Spa’s Zodiac Therapy each month.
Monday 2/1: Moon in Virgo squares off with Uranus and clashes with the Sun, Venus, and Neptune. Be mindful to pick your battles, stay flexible, and breathe.
Wednesday 2/3: Libra’s moon makes harmonious contact with Aquarius, cultivating a breezy atmosphere for social/intellectual interactions.
Friday 2/5: Scorpio’s moon squares off with Mars’ and Aquarius’ sun igniting passion and desire. Brace yourself for antagonistic behavior in yourself and others.
Super Bowl Sunday 2/7: Sag’s sporty moon makes contact with the warrior-God Mars creating a super fantastic energy for your Super Bowl festivities. Let the games begin!
My favorite time to dream..Sunset and moon rise. –The Zodiac Diva
Lori is an astrologer and certified life coach life coach based in southern California. For zodiac reports and consultations, find her online on Zodiac Therapy’s Facebook Fan Page or her
Tags: aquarius sun, god mars, passion, super bowl festivities, uranus
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