Playing well with others is how Nishikawa does business, a philosophy that worked in her favor in 2003 when she left her previous employer, Amparo Chaves Santiago, to start a competing spa across the street.

According to a San Diego dermatologist, women and men who want to rejuvenate their appearance are turning to more affordable, minimally-invasive skin treatments and delaying their decisions to have cosmetic surgery.

 The slumping economy is affecting practically all sectors, from housing and transportation to food and clothing. One San Diego dermatologist has noticed a significant shift toward patients considering non-surgical options to make it more affordable to look their best and delay more costly surgical procedures. At Dr. Susan Stewart's dermatology practice near San Diego, Fraxel® skin care, BOTOX® Cosmetic, and popular injectables (a full list is available at http://www.lajollaskin.com/injectables-fillers.cfm) are helping patients weather the downturn in style.

While her observations aren't scientific, Dr. Stuart has seen more patients in recent months who are interested in professional skin care that can give many of the benefits of cosmetic surgery at a fraction of the cost. These observations are in line with national news stories that suggest women and men are delaying cosmetic procedures or stretching out the decision-making process.

IN the world of spa travel, the Northeast is not known for leading the way. With a few exceptions, the best-known, most sought-after destination spas tend to be far west of the Mississippi and well south of New Jersey; California, Arizona, Utah and Florida are some of the hot-spot states.

But as more travelers seem to expect spa treatments to be part of their getaway experiences, and spas within driving distance of New York City recognize that travelers in a squeezed economy want to stay closer to home, a growing number of nearby hotels and resorts are building spas, revamping existing ones and rolling out all-out marketing blitzes to draw more travelers to the luxurious land of the facial, the massage and the manicure.

Even if you've had some success, everyone would like to have more clients and more cash flow. Especially when seeing other businesses in your field growing, you wonder, "Why are your revenues stagnant?" In these days of economic turmoil, knowing how to properly market your business and create a good sales process is more critical than ever. Perhaps it's time to start tooting your own horn!

Traditional means of increasing sales would be by placing an ad in your local newspaper or trying a new email marketing campaign. You can always begin cold-calling prospects and maybe on call 132 you actually have success. But how do you know you're targeting your potential customers the right way?

Blue Water Spa Featured at Medical Spa Conference in Orlando, Florida. Kile Law, owner of Blue Water Spa in Raleigh will provide medical spa consulting in an advanced Medspa training session. In this fast paced session, Kile Law, owner of Blue Water Spa, voted best medical spa will share secrets of a successful medical spa including selecting technology, spa layout, finding and retaining an excellent staff, selecting a spa menu, medspa marketing, affordable advertising and more. During a time when some medspas are closing their doors, changing ownership or experiencing financial problems, the medical spa community needs to learn strategies for medical spa success from a top medical spa.

But she draws the line when the client isn't old enough to wear a bra.

"I set those moms straight," Esser-Thorin said of mothers who seek leg, bikini or even more extreme body hair removal for their 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds.

As she tells it, the student, Nathaniel Stevens, said that for $10 he would take her existing site and redesign it to drive traffic to her salon. If she got more business, they agreed, he would get additional money. Ms. Brodsky, a Russian immigrant whose interests run more to cranberry facials than the Internet, thought why not.

Ms. Brodsky now maintains three Web sites and estimates they have brought in thousands of dollars in business. "People are coming to my Web site daily."

The broadening health dynamic of the multi-billion dollar cosmetic market bodes well for Jamaican manufacturers, who have access to many of the most demanded raw materials for that segment of the industry on local shores.
Ginger, pimento, aloe vera and coconut are just some of the local plants whose oils are highly sought after to produce chemical-free natural formulas for the booming subsector.

Estimated medspa revenues in the United States reached more than $1 billion, Leavy said. That includes typical medspa services such as injections of Botox and dermal fillers, skin treatments and laser hair removal.

The Europe Hotel & Resort in Kerry is the latest five-star hotel to invest millions on everything from mud baths and rain showers, to infinity pools and laconiums. The hotel will open its €35 million spa in August, offering customers no less than 4,600 square metres of space in which to indulge and pamper themselves.

But in the current economic climate, will they get a return on their spa investments? Michael Brennan, general manager of the Europe Hotel, said the spa under construction was part of a €75 million investment in the hotel and its facilities. Today, you cannot have a top-end luxury resort without a spa, said Brennan.

‘‘The competition is fierce, but spas are the swimming pools of the 1970s. A spa is regarded as an essential," he said. Brennan said spas often failed to make money in their own right, but that they drove occupancy rates and spend in other areas of the hotel.

They might not splurge on fancy vacations or a new car, but they're faithfully scrubbing, kneading and exfoliating away their stress at local day spas and beauty salons. "It sounds cliche, but when you look good, you feel good," says Nancy Parse of Tampa, a regular spa visitor who works in marketing. "With that in mind, I don't feel guilty for pampering myself during these rough times. In fact, I ask myself, 'Why don't I do more of this?'"

Remove the cucumber slices and peel back the hydrating mask and you'll see the international beauty industry continues to prosper, to the tune of $160 billion a year, according to London-based Economist magazine.

AT ONCE homey and luxurious -- boasting a staff of mostly European and Russian aestheticians who will tell you straight-up when it's time to wax that cheek fuzz -- Thibiant Beverly Hills has been an institution for 33 years, having deep-cleaned the pores of almost every major star, including Deborah Harry, Jodie Foster, Rod Stewart and Hayden Panettiere.

But even well-moisturized eras must end. Now 80, Aida Thibiant is retiring and selling her business to plastic surgeon Harry Glassman and his business partner, Herminio Llevat. Though Thibiant will stay on for a year as a consultant, the new owners will be converting the business into a medical spa by September, delegating a suite of treatment rooms for Botox, Restylane and lasers.

TheSpa Project announces the launch of the first dedicated online socialnetwork designed specifically for spa lovers. A niche-market website,The Spa Project offers:

* A guide to the hottest spas from around the world categorized according to special interests and consumer ratings
* A social network for spa-goers and spa owners to communicate with each other
* Trip planning tools and resources
* A Rating Reward Program