International SPA Association
2000 Annual Conference Silent Auction
by Julie Register, Your Guide to Spas

The Silent Auction offered the chance to bid on over 125 items donated by various spas and vendors and raise funds for the ISPA Education Foundation. The auction was opened on Wednesday, November 8 from noon to 8pm. Bids started at 20% of the retail value and had to be made in $10 increments. High bidders were posted at 10pm during the Masquerade Ball. Included were gift baskets with food, spa products, and spa wear, books, advertising, CDs, subscriptions, spa consulting services, spa equipment, spa day packages in California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Texas, New York and Florida, and mini-vacations to spas in Arizona, Thailand, Belize, California, Mexico, Canada, England, Florida, Idaho, Indonesia, Malaysia, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Singapore, Texas, and Virginia. I was outbid on all four items I bid on - but not by much. 

To Keynote Speakers

To Roundtable Discussions

To Breakout Sessions

To ISPA 2000 Overview

Silent Auction










photos by Julie Register

Who is ISPA?

The International SPA Association is recognized worldwide as the professional association and voice of the spa industry, representing more than 1,300 health and wellness facilities and providers in 45 countries. Members encompass the entire arena of the spa experience, from club spas, cruise ship spas, day spas, destination spas, resort/hotel spas, medical spas and mineral springs spas to service providers such as physicians, wellness instructors, nutritionists, massage therapists and product suppliers -- fully representing the variety of wellness options in this exciting industry.

Founded in 1991, ISPA began as a grass roots movement to build a common network for member spas, their affiliates and the media. Since then, ISPA has grown dramatically in both membership and scope, representing a vast majority of domestic and international spas. The ISPA Annual Conference draws more and more participants from around the world each year. Geared toward education and business, the conference focuses on seminars by respected leaders in the medical, financial, and health fields, and exhibits of the latest products and services in the spa industry.

ISPA has created two strong international chapters to serve regional members better. Both the ISPA Europe and ISPA Asia chapters have grown exponentially since their inaugurations in 1997 and 1999. The ISPA Europe members blend Europe's rich wellness tradition - several spas are hundreds of years old - with American business techniques, while the ISPA Asian chapter in Singapore continues to further the East-West melding that has become the latest hallmark of the wellness experience.

ISPA is committed to forming and maintaining alliances that will educate, set standards, provide resources, influence policy and build coalitions for the industry. Professionals in the industry, consumers and the media look to ISPA to clarify and standardize the spa experience. ISPA promotes and defines the spa experience as "Your time to Relax, Reflect, Revitalize and Rejoice."

ISPA's mission is to raise awareness of the spa industry and educate the public and industry professionals about the lifelong benefits of the spa experience. In this way, ISPA helps to revitalize humanity through the promotion of spa wellness. As the voice of the spa industry, ISPA attracts and retains a diverse global membership, fulfilling the educational, informational, and networking needs of its many members worldwide. Using the tremendous potential within the spa industry, ISPA generates the financial, technological, and human resources necessary to serve and represent its members in the most comprehensive manner possible.