Spa Flyer: Blog for spa enthusiasts by SpaIndex.com

Ultimate Spa Escapes: The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia

When we hear the word "cloister" most of us think of a monestary or convent devoted to religious practices and seclusion, but  "cloister" also means a secluded, quiet place, or "to cloister" -- to seclude oneself away. 
In 1928, the founders of The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia, created a family friendly hotel  on an island between the marshland and the sea, and, for the past 80 years, the warmth and hospitality has remained constant.  Instead of falling victim to the decades, this multi award winning hotel has grown to a complex of accommodations and facilities which are luxury class, and it boasts one of the best spa and wellness facilities in the state of Georgia.

After the jump, a picture tour, and a spa package on Sea Island.

SpaFlyer Saturday Sweeps: Win a trip to the Sanderling, Outer Banks, North Carolina

 

Win a Special Two Night Package at The Sanderling Spa & Resort, North Carolina
Enter by September 17, 2008
Register to win a luxurious Romance Package at The Sanderling. The Sanderling Resort & Spa on North Carolina's Outer Banks touches the shores of both the majestic Atlantic Ocean and the serene Currituck Sound. Located near, Duck, N.C., The Sanderling is the Outer Banks only true resort. Its unique natural environment and secluded ocean beaches offer guests an exclusive setting in which to relax and unwind.

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SpaFlyer Sweeps: Win a $500 gift card to the spa of your choice, enter by August 31, 2008

WIN WITH SPIRIT SPA SWEEPSTAKES
ENTER BY AUGUST 31, 2008
Get What You Need Out of Life is a series designed to empower women to take action for their health. Each program provides educational information and entertaining activities for a healthy life — body, mind and spirit. This program is designed to bring women together as friends to laugh and learn about health and wellness and have a good time.   Celebrate your health and win a $500 gift card to the spa of your choice. Relax, unwind and Get What You Need Out of Life with Spirit.

Browse additional spa contests and sweepstakes at SpaIndex.com

Tour the award winning Umstead Hotel & Spa, Cary, North Carolina

The Umstead Hotel & Spa located in Cary, North Carolina, just a few minutes from downtown Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, is offering a $100 spa credit with a two night stay as part of the Leading Spas "Quest for Spa" promotion.

The Umstead is a recipient of the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award and the 2008 Mobil Travel Guide  Four Star Award, and a member of Leading Spas of the World. The Umstead Spa in Cary, North Carolina, offers an authentic and luxurious setting in a 14,500 square foot full service spa which includes10 treatment rooms including couple’s massage, facial and hydro-massage areas, luxury manicure and pedicure rooms, fitness studio, private locker rooms with steam, sauna, whirlpool, indoor and outdoor relaxation lounges for men and women, plus an indoor co-ed lounge and an outdoor meditation garden. 

The Umstead Spa also offers guests the opportunity to enjoy a spa experience with four to six close friends in a “spa within a spa” suite that includes access to massage/facial room; body treatment room with air-jet whirlpool color therapy tub, Vichy shower, combination Swiss-deluge shower and body treatment table; “massage for two” room; and private indoor and outdoor lounge areas with a personalized refreshment table.

The Umstead Fitness Studio offers a full range of Cybex strength training equipment, free weights, treadmills, elliptical machines and bikes. Also, each piece of cardiovascular equipment has its own entertainment system with a 15’ television and dvd/cd player.

The spa is available to both guest, and, public day visitors. 

After the jump, a photo tour.

The Spa at the Setai, Miami, Florida: Book 2 nights and receive $100 in spa services

The Spa at The Setai offers proven relaxation and restoration techniques from the east. Spa suites, complete with steam and showers, are available for individuals or couples that want to enjoy the experience together, while specialized, personal spa treatments are available in the privacy of guest’s accommodations as well. Natural foods, prepared with simple elegance, are included in the spa regimen. In this paradise of pools, palms and Zen-like peace, the Spa at The Setai also features a fully equipped fitness center with personal trainers who provide expert guidance and personally tailored exercise programs. Hours are sunrise to sunset daily.

After the jump, a photo tour and a limited time special offer.

SpaFlyer Saturday Sweeps: Win a spa vacation to Mendocino, California

WIN A SPA TRIP TO MENDOCINO, CALIFORNIA
ENTER BY AUGUST 29, 2008
Luxury Link is sponsoring a contest to win a 3 night sojourn along the Mendocino Coast, California at the Stevenswood Spa Resort which includes roundtrip coach airfare, 3 nights in a Grand Suite, welcome champagne on check-in, private property tour with resort owners, guided VIP winery tour, daily gourmet lunch picnics with local premium wines, custom chef prepared blind tasting 7-course dinner paired with local select wines, premium spa services for two each day, and even a compact car rental 4 days.

Browse Additional Spa Contests and Sweepstakes on SpaIndex.com

Treatment Spotlight: The Caldarium at Killarney Park Hotel, Ireland

The practice of bathing, steaming, and perspiring in a hot sauna dates back to ancient Roman bath houses or Turkish hammams, where the practice was considered both healthful and social, with participants often spending the entire day.    As bathers progressed through various stages of their bathing ritual, they'd visit different rooms intended for different hydrotherapy treatments or offering increasing or decreasing heat. 

The caldarium was usually the hottest room in the complex, with steam and a hot plunge bath, a dry sauna to induce perspiration, and typically an under-floor heating system. Bathers would cleanse the skin with olive oil, bath, steam and bake, and then proceed to a room with decreased heat, known as a tepidarium, and then progress to a room with no heat, and cool water, known as the frigidarium.

In modern times, we've seen the term caldarium used to simply describe a relaxation area with heated floors, but more commonly, it's a heated relaxation area with therapeutic lounges and aromatherapy intended to prepare you for your spa treatments.

Balance Spa Package at Hyatt Regency Bonaventure in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The Elizabeth Arden Red Door Lifestyle Spa at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a complete health and beauty center, featuring 30 treatment rooms, a Zen Garden, fitness classes, Pilate's studio, hot yoga room, movement studio, sauna, steam room, fitness and weight room, lecture room and the Bamboo Spa Café which places an emphasis on nutritional value and delectable taste

Balance Package
Valid through December 30, 2008
The Balance Package offers a full breakfast for two persons each day of your stay, enjoyed in your room or in the hotel's restaurant, a single $100 Spa Credit to be enjoyed in the the Red Door Lifestyle Spa, and a 2:00pm Late Checkout so you can enjoy spa services on the day of departure without rushing to return to your room.  From $478 per package, valid through December 2008.

SpaFlyer Picture Tour: Miramonte Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, California

The Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, California, promises an intimate, cozy charm for spa enthusiasts seeking the healthy desert lifestyle in Palm Springs, The Miramonte's Mediterranean themed setting, with bright bougainvillea, fragrant olive groves and the magnificent Santa Rosa Mountains set the stage for an exhilarating spa resort experience.

After the jump, wellness in the desert.

SpaFlyer Great Getaways: The Hot Rocks Package at Teton Mountain Lodge, Wyoming

The Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa in Wyoming is offering a great spa package through the Summer and Fall which includes a private guided climb in the Teton with world renowned Exum mountain guides. The climb involves hiking and some roped-in rock climbing, but is rated a low difficulty climb—an excellent way to get a feel for the high alpine climbing experience with some of the world's best guidance and instruction, in a legendary climbing destination. The second part of the Hot Rocks package is a restorative and balancing Hot Stone massage in the new Solitude Spa— rated HOT Spa for 2008 by Conde Nast Traveler.

After the jump, on the rocks in Wyoming.