“We are all aging into disabilities,” Bonnie St. John reminds us.
But aging well is the best revenge.
Judging by the enthusiastic audience at the Washington Spa Alliance symposium last Tuesday, there is a new synergy between wellness and spa.
Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder Wellness, based in New York, chairs the Global Spa Summit to be held in India this October. "For the first time," Susie told us, "government ministers of health and tourism are meeting to set standards for hotel and resort wellness programs."
Virginia is about to gain two major resort spas.
The venerable Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va., is partnering with Canyon Ranch in Tuscon, Az, to build a Canyon Ranch SpaClub. Complete with cafe, the new spa will complement swimming pools fed by thermal springs, and outdoor adventures in the southern Allegheny Mountains.
Completely original, Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Va., will feature equestrian courses as well as culinary courses and wine tastings. Set on 340 acres in Hunt Country, Salamander Resort will have a 168-room lodge and restaurant open to the public. The brainchild of Sheila Johnson is scheduled to debut in August.
Aflredo Carvajal, recenty appointed COO of WTS International based in Rockville, MD, was at the WSPA Symposium for the first time. His company manages hundreds of properties, ranging from spas to fitness centers to tennis clubs. According to Carvajal, the Washington spa market is in for a big surge. Concepts under development include a new spa at The Watergate Hotel.
Deborah Szekely, founder of Golden Door in California and Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, announced the opening of headquarters in Washington for her new "Wellness Warriors" campaign.
Staying in shape has never looked better.
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