BYO-Spa – June Jacobs luxe beauty products for travelers

by Annie Scott on


You can only buy certain products in that “Travel Items” aisle in the drugstore, and they’re not the best ones. Isn’t it time that a decent spa company came out with a line of luxurious, skin-friendly products you can get safely through TSA?

June Jacobs, known for rich, protective botanical products infused with antioxidants and anti-aging agents, has released a Flight Friendly Skin Care collection, consisting of a Face Travel Kit ($100), Body Travel Kit ($95) and Intensive Age Defying Travel Kit ($165). Those prices may seem steep, but for small versions of so many great products, you’ll find it’s actually a deal. And, unlike those drugstore products, June Jacobs’ products contain no parabens, preservatives, synthetic dyes or sulfates.

The Face Travel Kit, pictured above, contains the following elegant, crave-worthy potions:

  • Creamy Cranberry Cleanser
  • Pore Refining Oatmeal Scrub
  • Aroma Mineral Mist
  • Advanced Cell Repair Serum
  • Skin Amour Day Shield SPF 15
  • Ultra Light Citrus Moisturizer
  • Cooling Cucumber Eye Gel
  • Lip Renewal

One splurge on this package, and you’re likely to be more beautiful when you travel than when you’re home. Fortunately, these are all just mini versions of products available in full sizes from JuneJacobs.com. Even if you’re not traveling, dipping into one of these kits is a cost-effective way to try out the June Jacobs line.

Thank you, June Jacobs, for recognizing that luxury beauty consumers also tend to be travelers.

[Photo by Annie Scott.]

Daily Pampering: Cherry Blossom Mani-Pedis at Turning Stone Resort

by Annie Scott on

Turning Stone Resort and Casino’s Ska:ná Spa in New York’s beautiful Mohawk Valley has a cherry blossom manicure and pedicure sure to leave you feeling refreshed and pretty.

Inspired by the romance and beauty of the cherry blossom trees in Japan, these treatments offer superior hydration and exfoliation, leaving your hands and feet feeling brand-new and looking fabulous with the Sparitual polish of your choice.

The Cherry Blossom Mani-Pedi begins with a soothing coconut soak for both hands and feet, and follows it with sweet cherry almond oil and mineral salts to exfoliate. A Vitamin E mask is then applied to the feet, again, with that sweet cherry almond oil, which gives the skin a radiant glow. The hands are cleansed of salt using soft, warm towels. The ritual is completed with soothing massages for the hands, legs and feet, and, of course, nail and cuticle care and polish.

You’ll smell like cherries, and if you pick the right polish, your fingers and toes will remind you of the blossoms for as long as the polish lasts. The 90-minute Cherry Blossom Manicure and Pedicure at Ska:ná costs $100.00.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

[Photo by Jam343 via Flickr.]

Sheraton Hotels introduces Shine, the hotels’ new signature spa concept

by Melanie Nayer on

Combining pampering with practicality seems to be Sheraton’s new approach. Shine for Sheraton will debut across the globe in new and existing Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. The new spa concept is part of the hotel’s $6 billion brand revitalization efforts.

The new spa brand will offer guests an “upscale, approachable spa experience” in partnership with Germaine de Capuccini, a global spa and skincare brand.

Sheraton guests in select hotels in China, Vietnam, the Maldives and Slovakia can already experience the new spa concept, and the hotel group plans to open 17 more Shine spas in hotels by next year.

The spa offers five signature treatments: massage, facial, body treatment, manicure/pedicure and a treatment for two.

We’ve yet to experience this new spa offering but we’re certainly intrigued… what do you think? Can Sheraton hotels compete with other high-end hotels with spa offerings?

Bliss spas discounting for college students

by Tom Johansmeyer on

When I was in college, relaxation came from the best six-pack of beer I could find for under $5. But, it looks like times are changing. The W’s Bliss spa chain is kicking in 20 percent discounts on spa treatments for college kids this year. With fewer business travelers on the road, it looks like Bliss wants to get at least some cash from someone.

For Bliss, targeting the coed demographic is a first. The 21-location spa has typically stayed with a target market that can afford its luxury offering.

So, what’s it take to get your 20 percent discount? Well, you’ll be expected to bring your student ID with you. Wearing sweatpants and smelling like you haven’t showered in three days doesn’t constitute evidence of being a student … though it probably should.

[Photo by Design Packaging via Flickr]

Size matters when it comes to cruise ship spas

by Ralph Grizzle on

Spas are becoming increasingly important to both cruise lines and cruise line passengers who want to pamper themselves.

For their part, cruise lines not only are engaging in the battle of the biggest but also are working to heighten anticipation among cruise passengers.

This year, two new cruise ships laid claim to having the largest spas at sea.

First out was the German operator AIDA Cruises. In February, the line boasted that the brand new AIDAblu’s 28,000-square-feet Body & Soul Spa took the prize for the biggest sea-going spa. Then in June, Norwegian Cruise Line took the lead with the 31,000-square-foot Mandara Spa (pictured) on Norwegian Epic.

To give its passengers a taste of what they might experience on board, one of Italy’s major cruise lines has put its offerings online. Costa Cruises has developed a mini-site that allows visitors to browse the line’s Samsara Spa menu.

The site, www.samsaraspa.com, features videos and more from the Samsara Spas found on five of Costa’s ships. Costa’s Samsara site offers detailed descriptions of the varied treatments and spa stateroom alternatives in the Samsara Spa area on Costa’s ships.