Win Cool Travel Prizes - Take the Survey! What Motivates YOU to Travel?

This is a cool survey you won't want to miss!

For all those lovers of vacations and travel and well-being experiences, if you take this survey, you will be entered into a drawing. (It takes 15-20 minutes and the survey must be completed in its entirety and must be a US resident!) 


To take the survey, click here

***Survey participants are eligible to win one of several travel prizes: one grand prize winner will receive a three-night oceanfront stay at Southern California’s hidden Pacific Coast gem, the luxurious Terranea Resort; one lucky winner will receive a Vespa tour of South Beach with Roam Rides; six additional winners will receive a Kuhi comfort travel pillow – the ultimate in traveling well and five additional winners will receive skincare travel kits from KleanSpa!***

An intro to social media

After having attended the Global Spa Summit in Turkey in May, it was apparent social media could no longer be avoided, ignored or put on the back burner.
Step 1 - Relinquish my cute, functional flip phone and move to a "Smart phone". Apple vs Droid? I had waited for iphone to come to Verizon - during late summer - this looked like it might not happen to after much evaluation - I decided to stick with Verizon and go with Droid 2. Very happy with it.

Step 2 - Droid 2 Set up - took a little bit of time but pretty easy to sync email, find both useful and fun but silly apps. Tip calculator, metric conversion, language translator, Pandora and Hello Kitty are my favorites.

Step 3 - Texting - Yes, I bought the texing package. I didn't think I would use it but it is now a part of every day life!

Step 4 - Twitter - um, well, after opening an account, I just went ahead and tweeted without any followers. I have 4 now. I invite you to check out my tweets:

www.twitter.com/camillehoheb

and that is it for now

Limited Time Offer - 1995 REQUEST + GSW2010 = $605 in savings for the Medical Tourism Congress

For a limited time until Friday, 8/27, register using the promo code GBOspecialrequest1995 to receive $505 off the $2,500 rate.

Use a second promotional code GSW2010 to save an additional $100 and the total savings will be $605 off the $2,500 registration or $1895 per registration.

GBOspecialrequest1995 + GSW2010 = $605 in savings

Offer ends 8/27/2010 for $1895 registration

http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com/

Spa to Go - Rancho Bernardo Inn

Having just enjoyed a number of Spa Services at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, I wanted to post their "Spa to Go" recipe card which includes an at-home therapy and recipe to help continue the spa experience.

Water Melon Toner
1 cup watermelon chunks
2 tbsp witch hazel
2 tbs distilled water

Puree watermelon chunks in a processor. Strain the liquid and discard the solids. Mix the strained water with the remaining ingredients and pour into a glass spray bottle. Gently mist over face.

Watermelon is good for the skin due to its moisturing properties. Rich in Vitamin A,B, and C, it keeps the skin fresh, radiant and hydrated. The non-greasy oil helps to smooth skin by refurbishing elasticity. (Courtesy of the Rancho Bernardo Inn)

Renegotiating your spa or salon lease

Having secured over a hundred spa leases and worked with landlords, tenants, attorneys and brokers, I have collected skills and experience and want to share some advise. I notice that over the last several months, there have been a good number of blog "hits" searching for "how to renegotiate your lease".

Here are a few pitfalls and mistakes that are fairly common.
Don't wait until a month before your lease ends to renegotiate your lease. By then your pretty much backed into a corner. If you haven't thought through the worst case scenario - which is having to move - finding a new location, building it out, having your business interrupted is bad for business. The best time to renegotiate a lease is 4-6 months prior to termination. It gives you enough time to think through your short term and long term business goals and time is on your side.

Don't try to engage your former broker to renegotiate your lease for you. There is no upside to him/her to lower your rental rate. If the lease has terminated and you engage your former broker thinking they will save you money - guess what. The landlord will pay them their commission and that will be built into your lease and you will end up paying their commission.

Retaining an attorney for lease negotiations. A landlord doesn't want to go through an attorney for a lease renewal and why would you want to pay big bucks when you already have agreed upon terms? If you are going to go this route - at least hire a real estate attorney and not a generalist. If your going to hire an attorney - engaging a real estate attorney - preferably one that has worked on leases for small businesses - is the way to go.

Lastly, if you are interested in lease review and coaching to reduce your rent or to strategize before your lease terms have expired, please contact me at contact@globalspaandwellness.com
As they say in the real estate industry, I'm ready, willing and able to help you.

Medspa Liquidation - Equipment Sale

Cutera Xeo
Vichy Thermal
Spa Soli-Tone
Celesta Deluxe
Oakworks Table Silhouet-
Tone Elite
Platinum Spa
Chair Belladerma II
Combo Cirrus 500
Hot Towel Cabinets
Aqua Detox S
terilux Sterilizer
Maginfying Lamps

If you are interested in any of the following, please email me at contact@globalspaandwellness.com.

Massage Therapy Licensure - Senate Bill 731 and More

Senate Bill 731
With the new year comes new regulations regarding the licensing of massage therapists in California. It is a hot topic since it changes (increases) the requirements for practicing massage therapy. I wrote an article from a national perspective that came out in the Dec 08 issue of Massage Therapy but here is what CA State Senator, Jenny Oropeza had to say about the changes in CA:

Up until now, regulation of the practice of professional massage therapy has been left to local counties and cities. In larger metropolitan areas, different massage practitioners could be subject to several different sets of rules and regulations, all within a few miles. Some cities require a license, proof of training and/or a background check. Others have no requirements at all.

Legitimate massage therapists, many of whom undergo hundreds of hours of professional training, at great expense, are offended by being tarred with the brush of illegality and harassment from investigators. The system, if it can be called that, is clearly broken.My bill creates a new non-profit statewide organization, the Massage Therapy Organization to certify legitimate massage practitioners and therapists.

Our goal is to help both massage therapists and law enforcement by setting clear, consistent statewide rules. In addition, statewide certification of massage therapy will provide consumers with recourse if they are harmed in the process of receiving a massage. These new rules will also help consumers determine which providers are legitimate and which are not.

Here's the lead in to my article on the changing regulatory landscape for massage therapists.

A Strong Foundation by Camille Hoheb
Although regulation can sometimes be confusing and frustrating, legal recognition of the massage therapy profession is good for everyone. Misconceptions abound, and changing people’s perspective isn’t easy. But with more and more consumers seeking out massage therapy, having a clear, easy way to define your profession is important.

Regulation is a good foundation to stand on when you’re trying to educate consumers. Having laws in place that work to protect your clients and raise the reputation of the massage profession can be invaluable to massage therapists who are working to bring the benefits of massage to more people.

To read more of "A Strong Foundation" click here: tp://amtamassage.org/journal/winter08_journal/winter08_art4-1.html