Poseidon Spa at The Mansion on Forsyth Park

Poseidon Spa at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA unveils a brand new menu inspired by the oceans and enhanced with modern antioxidant rich products to restore and rejuvenate. Poseidon Spa is part of the Kessler Collection of Hotels, part of Marriott's new Autograph Collection and provides guests a welcome respite from the stresses of everyday life.

Under the care of ISM, this new spa menu is quickly gaining in both local and national attention, with services signature to the Poseidon Spa brand and indigenous to the unique geographical location of the spa. A particularly special treatment at The Mansion on Forsyth Park is the Tranquil Sea Odyssey. This luxruiously pampering treatment includes a facial, massage and body cocoon in one restorative experience.

To prepare for the new menu launch, ISM partnered with Privai Academy, the east coast's premier spa training facility and developed signature protocols and treatment standards unique to the Kessler Collection. Trainers from around the world were brought in to provide the five star training that ISM is known for delivering. For over sixty hours, therapists participated in elevated training classes to prepare for the launch of the new menu. Ilana Alberico, Founding Partner of ISM oversaw the transition and is staying on property until the welcoming of new spa director, Lindsay Neeley, formerly with Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel and Spa where she served as Assistant Spa Director.

At The Mansion on Forsyth Park, guests of Poseidon are pampered in style and enjoy full resort amenities including the Marble Courtyard, Pool, Fitness Center, and Spa Cuisine from 700 Drayton, home of the world class cooking school.

A doctor or a Fool

My grandmother said “By the time you are 40 you are either your own doctor or a fool.”  Start practicing these five simple health habits today and find a healthier you, soon.

1.  Keep a Health Journal.  This one habit can fundamentally change the relationship that you have with your body, mind and energy.  If you hold yourself accountable to writing everything that you eat down, you are more likely to monitor more closely what goes in your mouth.  If you start writing down your water intake, chances are you will start to drink more water.  Start by purchasing a journal that can easily fit into the bag or purse you keep with you at all times.  Write food down directly after you eat it.  Do not try to remember your entire day at once.  This allows for errors and selective memory to kick in.  Remember that everything counts.  That after dinner mint?  Write it down.  You will start to see patterns.  My health journal also serves as my water, sleep, exercise, energy, weight, and waking heart rate journal.  Because I track my energy, emotions and nutrients,  I can see the effects of my daily activities on my overall attitude and health.    
2. Eat Clean.  Reading food labels is confusing.  Don’t bother.  You have started a journal and most likely found that it is much simpler to eat clean.  One of the ways to eat clean is to eat foods with as few ingredients as possible.  My personal grocery rule is that if there are more than six ingredients on the back of a food, I don’t purchase.  Eating clean means eating fresh and this means changing up your diet with the seasons.  Shop for vegetables at your local farmer’s market as this practice not only supports your local economy, but it also provides you with the freshest and most nutrient rich vegetables available.  If you have to eat out, make sure you order items that are steamed, broiled, or grilled.  Ask for no butter or oil and no sauce.  This will save you from needless sugar, salt and fat. 
3. Drink More Water.  Like to the tune of a gallon. A hydrated body is a happy body.  Also, by committing to drinking more water, you may find that you end up eating less!  Your brain doesn’t really know the difference between full from water or food.  Your brain just turns on to being “satiated”.  Sometimes people eat food when really they need to rehydrate.  Staying hydrated will also have a desirable effect on the appearance of your skin.  I recently trained and competed in my first bodybuilding competition and part of the training included drinking large volumes of water, sometimes two gallons per day!  The more water you drink, the more efficient your body becomes in using the water for hydration and flushing out your body!  You will feel wonderful!
4. Be Present.  Being present is part of the journey to optimal health.  Multi tasking can actually be a counterproductive action.  Do you check emails while being on the phone?  Do you “mind talk” when you should be listening?  Staying in the moment with people will create deeper connections with them and deepen trust.  Try breathing consciously to bring you back into the moment.  In fact, if you can develop a habit of daily breath work (think simple: take ten slow deep breaths) you can start to “listen” to your body and focus your presence.  My father, who recently survived a pulmonary embolism, only realized there was something wrong when he sat to take his daily “meditation breaths” and felt a tightness and shortness in what he was used to experiencing.  Learn to “listen” to your body.  Close your eyes and take a “self scan.”  It could save your life.
5. Sleep More.  Your body needs rest to restore and replenish.  Give yourself permission to sleep.  Sleeping is the time that your body produces human growth hormone which supports vitality.  Operating on too little sleep can affect your ability to concentrate, make you depressed and cause more stress in the body.  Commit to powering down your tv, phone, laptop or any other electronic device at least two hours before bed.  Use your bedroom as a sleep room.  Reading, watching TV, working on your laptop, surfing the internet should all be activities for outside of the bedroom.

With a little discipline and a consistent commitment you can improve your overall health.

By:  Ilana Alberico, Chief Operating Officer of Innovative Spa Management, a Spa Design, Consulting and Management Firm and Founding Partner of Privai Academy which offers licensure programs and advanced training for Estheticians, Massage Therapists and Spa Managers.  To open a spa or learn about education, visit www.ismspa.com. Ilana may be reached at ilana@ismspa.com or 828-713-5240.

Scrub Island Spa Villa Opens!

Scrub Island in the beautiful British Virgin Islands opens its Spa Villa offering indigenous treatments including Massage, Facials, Nails, Baths and Body Scrubs. Inspired by the Age of Discovery when Christopher Columbus named the Island during his voyages at sea, the resort boasts an impressive Marina, two Dining options, a Boutique and Market.

ISM has trained two spa therapists through Privai Academy (www.Privai.com) and these therapists will be spending one magical year of their lives living and working at this Five Star Resort!

The Spa Villa is a 6,000 square foot exclusive venue for relaxation and pampering. With limited access and a private beach, infinity pool and attentive treatments, the Spa Villa offers incredibly personalized service in the privacy of a cliff-side location.

Anti-aging products rich in Antioxidants, Botanicals and Essential Oils provide treatments with effective results and authenticity.

ISM has facilitated the pre opening consulting of this phenomenal Spa and will continue to provide ongoing management.

Hands Across America – Massage for Haiti

Out of tragedy comes compassion and hope. Our Admissions Coordinator of Privai Academy, Gloria Coppola was inspired to take the generous hearts and gifted hands of the healing arts community that thrives in one city and coordinate efforts to organize an event that would donate resources to support the people of Haiti through Partners in Health.

 

On January 31, 2010, Privai Academy hosts Massage for Haiti, Hands Across America. Within 24 hours of confirming the concept and sharing the idea with a close network of professionals, the donations started pouring in. Thousands of dollars and dozens of hours were donated to contribute to help raise money for this cause. Within 48 hours, four other cities had signed up to become part of the Hands Across America and have committed to hosting their own events to raise money.

 

I am truly amazed at the effort, dedication and outpouring of support that the community and now country is sharing for this cause. Please join us on Sunday, January 31^st, 2010 from 1-4pm at Privai Academy located at Exit 51 on Interstate 40 in front of the Fun Depot!

 

Many thanks to those that are making this happen, but especially to Gloria Coppola who has spearheaded this event and made this flickering thought a national event!

 

With gratitude,

Ilana Alberico

Founding Partner, Privai Academy

Setting SMART goals

 

Close your eyes and imagine your dream life? What does it look like, feel like, include? Are you on your path right now to living your dream?

 

Life is not a series of events that "just happens." You actually play a role in paving the path of your experiences. Your dream life may seem like a far off distant experience, but you actually have great power in aiding your dreams to come true. Taking the first step of your journey is as simple as sitting down and setting some goals. According to Tom Venuto, "Success psychologists say that 95% - 97% of the people in the world do NOT have written goals and fail, while 3-5% have written goals and succeed." In order for you to find yourself living your best life, take time to create written goals to help you succeed.

 

I recently spoke with my husband about his goals for the year. He said his goal was, "To learn as much as I can to improve myself as an athlete." (he is a Mixed Martial Arts fighter). On first glance, this seems like a reasonable goal, but it's not. This is an empty, sure fire failure as far as goal setting is concerned. So, I asked him to think about what accomplishments would provide him with the knowledge he needed to improve himself as an athlete. I said, "Imagine that it is one year from now, what have you accomplished?" He simply said, "Trained for 8 weeks at a professional school. Increased my record to 5-0. Documented my food/training/emotions on a daily basis to learn what affects me as an athlete."

 

Goals have to resonate with five metrics. Luckily, the metrics spell an easy to remember word, SMART. The goals my husband spouted off each meet the SMART criteria and according to research he now has a higher percentage of achieving these goals. Note that his original goal "to learn as much as I can to improve myself as an athlete" was eventually broken into three different SMART goals.

 

Now its your turn. What would you like to achieve? Write down your goals and then measure them against the following acronym.

 

 

 

 

S= Specific

The goal needs to be specific. Make sure that it specifically answers the W's, who, what, where, when, why. A general goal would be, "eating healthy overall" and a specific goal would be, "Document my food intake daily." Being specific helps you understand exactly what it is that you are working towards.

M=Measurable

The goal needs to be measurable. Saying that you want to "learn as much as you can" is not measurable. Saying that you want to "improve your record to 5-0" is. At the end of the year, there will either be a 5-0 record, or not. Making sure your goal is measurable helps you stay on track.

A=Attainable

Does this goal make sense for you? If the goal is "Train for eight weeks at a professional school," make sure that this is attainable. Do professional schools exist? Do they offer training? Will your job allow you extended time off? Make sure your goal is attainable. Setting goals that are attainable will build your self confidence as you achieve them. Goals that once seemed unattainable will begin to become a reality as your expand your horizons to achieve the goal.

R=Realistic

You must be willing and able to achieve this goal. Be realistic, but not undemanding on yourself. Setting your sights high will allow you to be more motivated to achieve the goal. You must really believe that you can achieve the goal and understand that you will have to exert effort to ensure that you reach it.

T=Time Dated

Making sure that your goal has an end time attached keeps you accountable. Having a time dated goal creates a sense of urgency. A deadline makes you work harder to achieve the goal and minimizes procrastination. If you want to lose 10 pounds, make sure you indicate by when.

 

The more you think about your future and your accomplishments, the higher your chances of being successful. Happy Goal Setting!

 

Ilana Craig Alberico, is a Spa Consultant who specializes in creating successful business and management models, creative branding design concepts, and operations for unique spa properties.  She has consulted in the design, development, and operations of boutique and destination spas.  Formerly a Spa Director with Noble House Hotels and Resorts, a Spa Supervisor and Trainer with the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, and a massage therapist, she offers proficiency in both business and in the healing arts.  She is passionate about education and dedicated to elevating the professionalism of the spa industry through no nonsense education and is the Founding Partner of Privai Academy an accredited and licensed provider of massage and esthetics training.