My “Spa” Story

Spa Wishes, Candy

Why Spa Around the World?

Jules Verne’s portrayal of Phileas Fogg struck a chord with me. A quirky inventor who dreams of ideas to improve others lives but is outcast as a bit crazy by his contemporaries.

Perhaps modeling Phileas after himself, Verne was always fascinated by foreign lands and traveled as much as possible, and though he attended law school, he instead pursued a career in writing (I did the exact same thing!).

My affinity for spas comes not from a desire for pampering and luxury (though I’m definitely not against these!) But rather from my own spa experience.

A shy, overweight teen, one summer I decided to make over myself. I remember reading about a spa in a magazine and thinking, “WOW! I have gotta go there!” Of course, my Mom and Dad couldn’t just fork out a few grand for their insecure teenager to traipse around on some spa holiday.

So I became the ultimate armchair traveller, requesting brochures from every spa I could find. I kept them in a purple & yellow plaid suitcase under my bed.  After poring over catalog after catalog, I mimicked the Golden Door’s program at home & lost 50 pounds.

Ever since, I’ve been obsessed with translating spa time into the real world – I love teaching cooking classes, doing SpaHome nights in stores or writing about spa design and how to set the stage for luxury & wellness at home.  My first book, The Art of the Spa was published in 2006 by Andrews McMeel.

I’m very curious about the link between spas and health, since stress is a huge contributor and aggravator to disease development – especially lifestyle related diseases like diabetes which led me to found Spa4Diabetes.

Spa Candy v. Anti-Spa Candy

Every story has two sides.  Though I try to live the spa way, I have an evil twin who sometimes thwarts my efforts.  Just for fun, here are some  of my challenges:

Spa Candy Anti-Spa Candy

Wakes up at 6 AM to do Yoga                               Sleeps until 10 am – sometimes

Eats fruits and vegetables                                     Caves to a Long John Silver craving

Schedules her day                                                 Forgets the schedule & goes shopping

Drinks only fruit enhanced water                          That martini looks awfully good

A few of my crazy habits/hobbies

• Dances for fitness – tap, jazz, hip hop and modern are my faves
• Queen of Useless Talents Like Baton Twirling & Hula Hooping
• Chocaholic – Have you tried Chocolat Noir? It’s uberdark 90% Cocoa delish
• Super Klutzy – I once knocked over an entire endcap display at a grocery store!
• Loves Old Musicals, Fred, Ginger, Gene, Cyd are my fave dancers

Spa along with me on Twitter

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Become my friend on Facebook here!

I’m here for you and would love to answer any questions you have about spas, design, healthy living, etc. Email: candace@artofthespa.com.

Spa wishes, Candy