Leslie Lyon
While attending a Woman’s Convention earlier this year, one of the speakers said something that I have never forgotten. She said that if you come away from a conference with 2 or 3 good contacts, you have done well. That comment really put things into perspective for me. And since then, I have applied that benchmark to other situations, including my many visits to spas and the “takeaways” I find at each of them.
Whether I’m on a family trip, or a business trip, whether I encounter an inspirational takeaway, or it’s a lesson learned, these observations always make the experience so wonderfully worthwhile!
At a recent ISPA Conference in Las Vegas, I visited the Qua Spa at Caesars Palace. The simple, yet ultimate idea of having cedar warming closets for their clients’ robes really excited me! The little “fireplaces” contained in the closets were absolutely brilliant!
The Bellagio in Vegas re-sparked my passion for jaw-dropping decorating ideas when I viewed the stunning, vivid, hand blown glass flowers by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly gracing the ceiling of the Bellagio lobby.
The “epic” ski conditions in Aspen Colorado were inspirational enough, but while at the Remede Spa in the St. Regis Hotel there, I was further inspired. The smooth stones and pebbles used in the flooring, showers, and waterfall areas provided me with a unique perspective on new flooring ideas. The 2 hour “all-in” facial was a glorious experience, and it was interesting to note that the therapist used a ladle to fill shower caps with paraffin wax to wrap my hands and feet in. It was extraordinary to see this safe, efficient, and cost-effective method being employed in such an elite spa. And that evening at the hotel’s restaurant, Olives, the little coal burning BBQ that the youngest member of our family received to roast his hand-twirled marshmallow S’mores on was fascinating and won’t soon be forgotten.
The sensational multi-nozzle shower made with exotic moulds and colourful mosaic tiles at the Pebble Beach Spa in California was a spectacle to behold and inspired me to imagine that perhaps even a scaled down version could be just as fantastic as this one was, if done as well.
The four-hands massage at La Costa Spa in California confirmed to me that spa treatments are an art and above all else, our therapists must be trained to become artists.
The (Deepak) Chopra Centre’s unique selection of spiritual gifts, including posters; stones; scarves; candles; tapes & books, reminded me that shopping is an activity; it’s entertainment, and we must have at least of showing of these functional offerings for our hunting & gathering guests.
And aside from the most exhilarating experience of my life (zip trekking 300 feet in the air between Blackholm and Whistler mountains in British Columbia), the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel in Whistler sold me on their incredible choices of furniture and fixtures, reminding me of the importance of choosing where you’re going to splurge.
Do you like inspirational ideas? Please return to read Lessons Learned, Part II !