Lauderdale Spa Chic is coming up Aug. 15 - September 30, 2010, offering $99 spa treatments at some of the top resort and day spas throughout Greater Fort Lauderdale. One of the more interesting treatments is an 80-minute Signature Rollerssage at Heavenly Spa By Westin.  In a new spin on hot stone massage, heated crystalline spheres selected for their energy-enhancing qualities are rolled over the body, melting away tension and relaxing tight muscles, while restoring balance to one's energy source.

I had this treatment by the creator, Matt Murdock, and it's wonderful because you get the sensation of heat and the therapist's hands at the same time.  So try that one!

The other unbelievable deal is a 45-minute aromatherapy salt glow AND an 80-minute Swedish massage for $99 at The Spa at Lago Mar.  That's two hours of services plus you get to use the spa's facilities, like a eucalyptus steam room and gym.  Alas, Lago Mar Resort & Club's private beach and pools are off limits unless you do the overnight special available September 1-30, 2010.   It's $261 per night for a stay in an executive suite, complete with separate bedroom, living room and private balcony.  That rate includes the $99 spa treatment for one person.

For both of you to get it you would have to stay two nights (why not?) or pay another $99.    There are more overnight deals during September.  To see the complete list of $99 treatments and overnight deals go to Lauderdale Spa Chic.

You also have the chance to win a Spa Chic Getaway for two, including two round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines, a three-night stay at The Atlantic Hotel with a Spa Chic treatment and dinner for two at ilios restaurant at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort.  The contest runs through September 1, 2010.

SpaFinder Deal Days has been scheduled for Sept. 20-26, 2010 -- this means $50 spa treatments or 50%-off wellness classes at Pilates and yoga studios -- and they're promoting it with "The Greatest Spa Giveaway Sweepstakes". The winner gets to take a friend for four nights and five days toMiraval in Tucson, Arizona, a health and wellness spa known for The Equine Experience, an outdoor adventure course, interesting spa treatments, and great programming that encourages your personal growth.

The prize includes casita-style deluxe accommodations, all your meals, a $520 spa and wellness service credit per person, non-alcoholic beverages (this is one spa that serves wine), and unlimited access to all regularly scheduled classes, activities and evening programs.  Everything, alas, but the airfare! Still, Miraval is one of the great spas in America -- Enter Now! I already have!

Miraval in Tucson, Arizona, has long been known for innovative programs like "The Equine Experience" and an outdoor adventure course that encourage you to go beyond your comfort level. Now there's a new challenge -- how you live your life when you go home.

Starting in August it's launching the Andrew Weil, M.D. Integrative Wellness Program, with an integrative doctor available to guests for private consultations and home follow-up.

The doctor won't be Weil himself (though he WILL be on hand for three days of lecture at "Weil On Wellness" coming up Oct. 24-27, 2010), but James P. Nicolai, M.D., a hand-picked graduate of the Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona in Tucson and board-certified family practitioner.

The program has three levels of participation:

• Level 1: "Introduction to Integrative Medicine." In one 50-minute, in-house consultation, Dr. Nicolai helps you look at how lifestyle impacts your health. He makes recommendations to Read more...

I'm so glad I asked spa bloggers to share their work because I discovered some great blogs I didn't know about. One of my favorites is "The Psychology of Well-Being" by Jeremy McCarthy, who earned a Master's degree in Applied Positive Psychology at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and wrote his thesis on "The Psychology of Spas and Well-Being".

Though this blog is personal, Jeremy is director of spa operations, development and marketing for Starwood Hotels, whose hotels include St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, and other brands. He knows his spas as well as his psychology!

The background on this blog is that research shows most Americans go to the spa to be pampered, while spas in Europe (and even American spas in the 19th/early 20th century) are/were more about "taking a cure" and historically, anyway, some fun and socializing!

Pampering sounds like a luxury that we can do without, especially in these tough times, while wellness is something that most people recognize as important, at least in theory. So spas have been talking up wellness and trying to get away from the pampering image.

McCarthy, however, argues it's a false dichotomy in his blog "In Defense of Pampering." He writes, "Science supports pampering Read more...