Welcome! Welcome to DiscoverSpas.com! I'm Julie Register, and I've provided information about spas on the Internet for over 15 years. On this page, you will find the latest: • summaries of and links to reviews of the spas I’ve experienced, • summaries of and links to opinion pieces, • upcoming spa courses I will teach, • events for spa consumers, • events for spa professionals, • articles about spa business, • lists of best spas, • news about spas, • news about people in the spa industry, • spa products, • spa studies, • reports on spa industry events that I’ve attended and • information about my other company SpaQuality LLC.
I invite you to explore the site further by clicking on the links to the left – US and global spa directories to help you find your next spa experience, archives of all the reviews and much more. If all this interests you, you may want to receive the monthly e-newsletter that highlights the newest information on DiscoverSpas.com. Just enter your email address in the purple box at the top of this page and click "GO".
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Finally, if yours is a spa that's enjoyed referrals from a free listing I've provided in the last 15 years, I encourage you to upgrade your spa's listing and help support this site.
"Opulent!" "Beautiful!" "Breathtaking!" These are just a few of the words people have used to describe The Spa at Encore to me over the past few years. The 61,000 square-foot spa has 51 treatment rooms, which include 14 garden suites that can accommodate two people. I finally had an opportunity to see and experience it for myself. I were handing out awards for personal favorites in elements of spa décor, The Spa at Encore would win three. Read about my experience at The Spa at Encore in Las Vegas.
We came upon Salt Sulphur Springs about 3 miles south of Union, WV. Thanks to stone construction, many buildings still stand. The Salt Sulphur Springs Hotel, a store, church, bath house, and spring house remain. It is the largest pre-Civil War stone building complex in West Virginia. Salt Sulphur Springs is no longer a resort. At the time of our visit, it was a private residence. There were three types of springs that flowed here: sulphur, sweet and iodine. We were told that one of the previous owners, in an attempt to increase the flow of the water, dynamited the springs. Sadly, the effect was the opposite of what they had hoped. The springs dried up. Read More.
~Julie
Red Sulphur Springs, built in 1832, once hosted Francis Scott Key and a future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Roger Tanay and his ailing wife among others. Red Sulphur was one of the largest and most popular resorts in the area. Not a trace remains except the spring itself and its rock foundation. We couldn't even find that. Read More.
Paying the Spa Staff - Employee vs. Independent Contractor
In Tony Hsieh's book, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, the Zappos.com CEO and frequent ISPA conference keynote speaker stated, "We should never outsource our core competency." He was referring to warehousing. However, my thoughts immediately turned to US spas. Delivering treatments to Guests is probably the core competency of any spa. Why would a spa outsource this to another company - an independent contractor? Read about how this spa practice can lead to Guest, staff and IRS dissatisfaction.
2,250 attendees from 38 countries attended the 21st ISPA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada November 7th, 8th and 9th, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Conference Center. The theme was Believe. Each of the three general sessions featured inspiring and interesting keynote speakers. The annual ISPA Foundation Live and Silent Auction raised $102,000 to fund scholarships, educational spa resources and research. I attended five of the 20 professional development sessions as well as the expo. One of my favorite parts of the conference, as always, was the opportunity to catch up with many of my spa friends that I only see at this event. Read about my highlights of the 2011 conference.
SpaQuality LLC awards The Spa Ritual with Level 4 SpaExcellenceSM Certification
The Spa Ritual, a day spa in Calgary, Alberta, Canada has achieved SpaExcellenceSM certification for the second year in a row. Last year, The Spa Ritual achieved Level 3 SpaExcellenceSM certification by having a formal, documented quality system in place for everything it does as specified by The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2010 from SpaQuality LLC - day-to-day operations, Guest interactions, behind-the-scenes processes, leadership, teamwork, system evaluation and continual improvement. This year’s assessment by SpaQuality LLC verified that The Spa Ritual’s quality system continues to function in accordance with The Standards but found that the system was performing at an even higher level. The Spa Ritual now emphasizes and benefits from continual improvement. As a result, The Spa Ritual is the first spa to obtain Level 4 SpaExcellenceSM certification. READ MORE...
~Julie
SpaQuality Education
SpaQuality LLC to Teach 6-Week On-Line Quality Management Course for Spas this Winter.
Julie Register and Linda Bankoski teach Building and Sustaining High Quality Systems for Spas in partnership with the University of California - Irvine Extension's online Spa and Hospitality Management Certificate Program. The 6-week course is offered as an online certificate elective. However, it may be taken without enrolling in the full certificate. The textbook for this course is The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM. The next course will be offered July 2 – August 12, 2012.
Click HERE to order a student PDF copy of the Textbook.
Here's a sample typical of the feedback provided by the past course participants:
Just loved the structured approach and the seemingly easy, straight forward way of explaining a complex system. Thank you for sharing and I have learned so much.
The instructors were very knowledgeable and very available for any questions we had as students.
The presentations were very organized & straightforward. Great visuals & examples. The instructorswere very friendly, helpful & knowledgeable.
Loved the sharing of ideas that we got from this class. It opens up so much creative thinking.
The processes and systems are high level and could be applied to so many businesses. I can think of several ways to implement these learnings. At the same time, I gained knowledge specific to spa business.
The course materials are great resources.
What an interesting assignment. I would never have attacked a problem the way you suggested in the reading...but what a great way to put a value to the problem and identify what needs to be done first! This assignment rocked! I will definitely use it in my business going forward.
This is really a class that the more you put into it, the more you will get out in application of the concepts.
This was a great course & I'm so happy that I took it.
I very much appreciate the layout of the text; simplistic, smart and useful. Plan, Document, Manage, Evaluate. So often, those of us in Spa lean toward the creative, "right brain" personalities and live in a state of creativity; we forget to take our creative dreams and ground them in a system that will successfully bring them to fruition. If we all started with these 4 steps we would find success easier.
LOVE the text - great work ladies, what a valuable resource you have created. Thank you!!!
The fifth edition, third revision of The Standards are available in four formats:
With Guidance and Examples
This 262-page book includes The Standards, concept discussions and examples.
Without Guidance and Examples
This 69-page book contains only the standards section of the larger 262-page book.
Print - $70 USD (There will be additional shipping charges for addresses outside the United States)
PDF - $35 USD (This electronic format can be sent to any email address that accepts attached pdf files.)
Click HERE for information on how to order and for details about the book's contents, the changes for this edition, the Model of a Process-Based Spa Quality System andThe Table of Contents.
The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM has been sold to spas in over 30 countries.
A spa quality system includes everything that the
spa's staff needs to know and do to safely, effectively, and efficiently deliver
treatments and services that consistently meet the needs of the spa's Guests.
By using a quality system approach, the spa is positioned for long-term success.
Click HERE to answer 20 questions
that are designed to help you determine if your spa's quality system is complete.
Welcome to DiscoverSpas.com! I'm Julie Register, and I've provided information about spas on the Internet for over 15 years. On this page, you will find the latest:
"Opulent!" "Beautiful!" "Breathtaking!" These are just a few of the words people have used to describe 
Red Sulphur Springs
