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Monday, May 18, 2015

CNN Coverage of Wellness Trends

Marijuana and forest bathing: Wildest new trends in the wellness world


(CNN)Walking in the woods, cannabis day spas and rolling around in sand.
These are just a few of the hottest trends in wellness according to SpaFinder Wellness 365, which claims to be the world's largest spa media and marketing company.
But which trends will turn out to be fads and which will stick?
Strange as they sound, it's worth remembering that some pretty odd wellness practices have come and gone through the ages.
Cleopatra indulged in milk baths and mud treatments -- variations of which can still be enjoyed today.
For some reason, though, bloodletting and leeches didn't manage to survive the test of time.
Distinguishing a useful practice from snake oil is a far easier exercise in today's wellness world.
    "Science is now able to analyze wellness practices to prove which can be helpful and which are not," says Dr. Mark Liponis, corporate medical director for Arizona-based Canyon Ranch.
    "As a result, there will be a greater adoption of therapies when science confirms their value."

    Marijuana day spas

    Liponis points out that numerous studies are being conducted on the benefits of marijuana, such as its usefulness in stress management and symptom alleviation.
    SpaFinder's 2015 Report on Global Spa and Wellness Trends notes that cannabis wellness is experiencing a high.
    For decades, Amsterdam, with its "coffee shops," has been Cannabis tourism central.
    A recent visitor survey noted that 16.5% of visitors admit that coffee shops/soft drugs is one of the main reasons for visiting, although marijuana use is a legal gray area in the Netherlands.
    Given recent decriminalization laws in the United States, cannabis tourists may be trading out a Dutch treat for a Rocky Mountain high.
    Colorado has been ahead of the pack in terms of legalizing recreational usage, to the point where "bud and breakfast" inns, luxury cannabis tours and the "the world's first cannabis day spa" have sprouted up.
    Although state tourism officials deny the correlation, Colorado has been experiencing an increase in tourism since the law was enacted.
    According to SpaFinder, a 2014 study discovered that out-of-state visitors account for 44% of marijuana sales in larger cities and up to 90% in mountain resorts.

    Forest bathing

    Forest bathing, an import from Japan, has nothing to do with water and you don't have to get naked to do it.
    Basically, it's a wander through the woods, with all senses keenly open to the sights, sounds and smells therein.
    The Japanese government coined the term in 1982 ... a translation of "shinrin-yoku," meaning "taking in the forest atmosphere."
    Since then, the government has funded forest-therapy studies, showing impacts ranging from lowering blood pressure to alleviating depression.
    Research like this has made forest bathing a pillar of preventive medicine in highly urbanized Japan.
    But now, walking in the woods for wellness is taking root around the world.
    According to the SpaFinder study, South Korea is developing a multimillion dollar National Forest Therapy Center.
    In Canada, the Trout Point Lodge (189 Trout Point Road, East Kemptville, Nova Scotia; +1 902 482 8360) is a center for forest bathing, as is Armathwaite Hall in England (Bassenthwaite Lake, Keswick, Cumbria; +44 17687 76551).
    Um, didn't this used to be called hiking?

    Psammotherapy

    Middle Eastern and Islamic health traditions date back more than two millennia.
    The hammam experience is the ritual the world knows best.
    The deep-cleansing practice of scrubbing, soaping and pummeling is now gaining steam beyond its traditional borders.
    For example, there's an authentic hammam circuit at the Hammam & Spa Oktogon in Bern (Weihergasse 3, Bern;. +41 31 311 31 01).
    In South Africa, guests can experience a Turkish-style hammam at Oyster Box Spa in Umhlanga, Durban (2 Lighthouse Road, Umhlanga Rocks, Durban; +27 31 514 5000).
    The latest Middle Eastern trend to go West is psammotherapy.
    This is the therapeutic application of warm sand to alleviate aches and pains.
    As far back as 1000 AD or so, the Persian philosopher Avicenna wrote about sand's anti-inflammatory properties.
    Back in the day, people just dug a hole in the sand and enveloped themselves in it.
    Nowadays, it's done with less messy sand tables.
    In August 2014, Spa Nalai at the Park Hyatt Manhattan (153 West 57th St., New York; +1 646 774 1234) became the first place in New York City to offer psammotherapy sand table massages.

    Silent treatments

    Silence may be golden, but its value is largely underrated these days.
    "In the past, luxury was defined by cushy bathrobes and the thread count of sheets," says SpaFinder chief brand officer Mia Kyricos.
    "But today's noise-saturated world, silence, solitude, space -- these are the true definitions of luxury."
    Finland is tapping into the rising demand for quiet with an entire tourism campaign centered around the tagline "Silence, please."
    Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland are even studying ways to make silence a tourism asset in the sparsely populated North Karelia region.
    Finland is far from the only place where silence is a virtue.
    Fogo Island Inn (Joe Batt's Arm, Newfoundland; +1 709-658-3444), which opened two years ago in Newfoundland, Canada, proudly promotes silence in its marketing material, boasting of "miles and miles of blissful nothingness."

    Sleep helpers

    Of course, silence is just one element in getting a good night of sleep.
    Staying well means sleeping well.
    But in today's 24/7 world, something's gotta give, and that something is usually sleep.
    At Canyon Ranch (8600 E. Rockcliff Road, Tucson, Arizona; +1 520 749 9000) in Arizona, there's an actual lab where visitors can be monitored with sensors to diagnose sleep patterns.
    Still, most places promoting "sleep therapy" are not hooking snoozers up to machines.
    It's more about comfort, environment and special lighting.
    For example, Stay Well Rooms at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (799 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas; +1 702-891-1111) are specifically designed to enhance rejuvenating sleep.
    Features include blackout shades; energizing light therapy, which exposes guests to short periods of blue-shaded lighting to increase energy; and a dawn simulator, which gradually awakens the body through light and sound.
    Clearly, there's a yawning gap in the sleep market in Vegas.
    Due to demand, Stay Well at MGM Grand has quadrupled its room count from 42 to 171 in less than two years.

    Journalist Laura Powell was one of CNN's original travel reporters. Her focus is on international travel news and trends. Read more of her work at www.dailysuitcase.com. Twitter: @dailysuitcase.

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/07/travel/new-spa-treatments/


    Thursday, May 14, 2015

    Discover America's Great Outdoors

    I have had the pleasure of writing a number of stories on Americana for Brand USA's United States of the Great Outdoors website.  Although the site is geared toward international travelers (hence, measurements are in kilometers, for example), anyone interested in finding out about the country's offbeat and off-the-beaten path places should check it out. Here are some of my pieces.


    First, I write about one of America's most prolific and timeless movie stars

    Image result for mount rushmore
    www.visitrapidcity.com


    Next, a look at New Mexico's ancient wonders

    Image result for petroglyph national monument
    www.explorenm.com


    For more content made in America by moi, visit this link: 


    Thursday, April 30, 2015

    9 Images from Saigon on the 40th Anniversary of the Reunification of Vietnam

    It's been fascinating to be in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on April 30, 2015. It's the 40th anniversary of what they call Liberation Day--the day North Vietnamese troops stormed the gates of the presidential palace and seized control from the South Vietnamese government.

    Reunification Palace, formerly
    the Presidential Palace
    Interestingly enough, in no way does this feel like an anti-U.S. celebration (that said, I can't understand what is being said). But the vibe I am getting from the locals is that while Vietnam is very much following the Chinese model in terms of a Communist government allowing some private enterprise, the younger generation is very much pivoting toward the U.S. In fact, their favorite president is Bill Clinton, who normalized relations with Vietnam in the 1990s. He's a huge hero here.

    The Reunification Day Military Parade
    Channels Chanel
    Despite the seeming prosperity and consumerism rampant in Saigon, communism reigns. When I quietly ask if the Communist Party will ever be swept from power, people clam up, citing the fact they have children or otherwise deflecting the conversation.

    And this 40th anniversary celebration --it's orderly in a way reminiscent of Soviet-style special events of old in Eastern Europe. For example, I was told by several people that all potential troublemakers were rounded up and thrown in detention the week before. 

    Also interesting to note that while the public could watch the military part of the parade (from my vantage point, the soldiers were marching right in front of the soon-to-be-open Chanel store), only dignitaries got to watch the floats and the singers and the dancers gyrating to tunes like the theme from Star Wars. The masses watched those festivities on big-screen monitors.

    This is the 'crowd" that turned out to watch
    the festivities (closed to the general public) on big
    screens in front of the Opera House.

    Finally, one further indication communism that is still in full force here--although I found two versions of Monopoly in Cambodia, there was not a Mr. Moneybags to be found in Vietnam, knock-off or otherwise.  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.








      




    Sunday, April 26, 2015

    9 Images from Cambodia's Central Market Phnom Penh

    Although it is on many a tourist itinerary, the fact is that Phnom Penh's Central Market is not just for visitors. In fact, if you get out of the central hall and explore the mazes, you'll discover a Cambodian version of Wal-Mart...only better.  Aside from the vendors selling everything from fresh produce to automobile parts to electronics, tailors, hair stylists, and pharmacists are also doing their thing.
    Cnetral Market, Phnom Penh

    The Main Hall features dozens
    of jewelry vendors

    A Cambodian verseion of Hair Cuttery