2010 › May

Gadling’s Travel Tunes – episode 7

by Scott Carmichael on

If the temperature is any kind of indication, I’d say summer arrived early this year. And for me, summer is when I refresh my playlist to a more upbeat assortment of music. In today’s episode of Travel Tunes you’ll find a bit of everything – from The Pretty Reckless, all the way to the soothing tunes of Katie Melua.

Hopefully you’ve got some travel coming up, but if not, grab a cold drink and find yourself a spot in the sun and relax to these tunes. And yes – if you find this selection to suck, please feel free to leave your own top ten in the comments! Enjoy the long weekend!

Daily Pampering: Japanese-themed spa opens at Miyako Hybrid Hotel

by Melanie Nayer on

There’s a new kind of relaxation sensation making its way to the U.S., and SpaRELAKEN at the Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance, California, is prepping its pampering techniques.

spaRelaken opens at the hotel on June 27, 2010, as the first spa in the U.S. to feature the SGE ganban-yoku (or “bedrock bath”) treatment – a specialty of Japanese bathing culture that involves lying on a large bed comprised of ore mined from the mountains of Kyushu, Japan, known as “Super Growth Energy” stone.

The beds are placed low to the ground and located in a sauna-like steam room. When the stone beds are heated, the stones emit infrared rays as well as negative ions, which help heat the body and ignite the detoxification process through perspiration. The net effect is refreshment and relaxation, says the spa, as well as improved circulation and metabolism.

In addition to the bedrock baths, the spa features four treatment rooms, including one for couples’ treatments; separate areas for men and women to enjoy the dry sauna and deep Jacuzzi baths; and offers customized body treatments.

Want more? Get your dose of Daily Pampering right here.

Summer travel: how not to sizzle your skin

by Laurel Miller on

The good folks at CNN have released a helpful guide and accompanying photo gallery horror show of solar ray-blasted epidermis. In “5 ways to avoid getting deep-fried,” you’ll find dermatologist’s tips to protect your sun from UVA/UVB damage, skin cancer detection links, and entertaining anecdotes of CNN reporters’ worst sunburns/precursors to melanoma.

I love the sun as much as most holiday-makers, but years of basting myself in baby oil, combined with the onset of crow’s feet in my early twenties and my mother’s own ongoing struggle with basal and squamous cell carcinomas have turned me into the Queen of Sunscreen. While my friends still mock me, and a former farmers market employer once remarked, “I can always tell when you’ve been hugging my dog, because he smells like sunscreen!” I feel vindicated because at 41, I look a good ten years younger, and have yet to develop my first pre-cancerous lesion. I get an annual screening at my dermatologist, and religiously apply a minimum of SPF 30 UVA/UVB sunblock over all exposed body parts (please remember the back of your neck, hands, ears, and knees, and tops of your feet).

Gadling has a more detailed explanation of what the heck all this SPF stuff means, and a guide to choosing sunglasses that do more than just look hip. I also wear, and heartily endorse (unpaid, of course) the sun protective clothing by ExOfficio, and sun protective hats by Outdoor Research. Sounds wacky, but these items are constructed with UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) textiles that, while not a substitute for sunblock, provide a great dual-defense system. They’re also attractive, and incredibly versatile and travel-friendly. Don’t hide from the sun this holiday weekend; just take precautions, have fun, and think of all the money you’ll save by not requiring reconstructive surgery and Botox.

(Image credit: Flickr/Saspotato)

Swiss International Air Lines shows their flower power

by Annie Scott on


In celebration of their new flights from Zürich to San Francisco and back, Swiss International Air Lines has decided to wear some flowers in their air (sorry for that pun).

The new nonstop service commences on June 2, and the A340 which will be making the inaugural trip (originating in Zürich) has been painted with a colorful floral design, as well as the words “San Francisco.”

The design was chosen from a selection of three by about 30,000 readers of Switzerland’s 20 Minuten daily paper. It took eight individuals, three days and “almost 400 square metres of special film” to turn the once normal aircraft into a hippie airbus of love. That’s right. I said “hippie airbus of love.”

Inside the airplane are additional surprises! No, there isn’t a mile-high love-in and drugs are still prohibited, but this A340 (registration HB-JMJ) is the first of the SWISS fleet to include the new SWISS Business cabin, which has a unique, spacious seating arrangement and all-new, firmness-adjustable cushions.

The inaugural flight is long sold-out, but to be one of the first to fly ZRH-SFO or SFO-ZRH on SWISS, visit the website.
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Images courtesy of Swiss International Air Lines.

Madrid book fair opens today

by Sean McLachlan on

Madrid is one of the art capitals of the world, with amazing museums like the Reina Sofia and El Prado. What many visitors don’t realize, however, is that it’s a major hub for publishing too. Many of Spain’s large and small presses are based here, and the countless bookshops are a bibliophile’s delight.

Now book lovers are getting an extra treat, because today is the opening of the 69th annual Feria del Libro, Spain’s national book fair.

The book fair hosts the usual things you’d expect–readings by authors, a chance to meet the famous and not-so-famous, workshops, lots of events at like-minded cafes and bars, etc. While these are all great, the majority of events are in Spanish, although some writers from the English-speaking world such as Claudia Gray will be there.

The best part for the casual visitor (especially one who’s only Spanish comes from Taco Bell commercials) is the collection of bookstalls. More than three hundred publishers, bookstores, and rare book dealers have congregated at Madrid’s lovely Retiro Park. Books on every subject and every language will be on sale here, from cheap paperbacks to one-of-a-kind medieval manuscripts.

The Feria del Libro runs until June 13 and most events are free. After perusing the books all day, don’t forget to go out and enjoy Spain’s nightlife, assuming you haven’t spent all your money on books.

Image courtesy Feria del Libro.