How to Plan A Spa-Oriented Trip

To avoid disappointments, travelers should know precisely what amenities are offered at any place offering spa-related experiences.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Spa vacations have become quite popular as a more health-conscious public seeks fitness-oriented getaways. However, travelers should be aware that terms such as "spa" and "health club" can sometimes be misleading. "Spa" has such a health aura that it has become chic to claim it as a selling point even when a place has minimal facilties.

2. Pin down what you're looking for. Women may be more interested in special diets, massage treatments and exercise programs for weight reduction. Men, on the other hand, may be especially interested in places emphasizing general fitness. With growing obesity a national problem, both genders may be interested in trimming body fat.

3. Most spas fall into one of three categories: traditional European-type spas with thermal springs; spas with a variety of health/fitness programs but without thermal springs, usually found in hotels or specially designed fitness facilities offering accommodations; and minimal spa facilities found in hotels. The trend has been for properties with thermal springs to add fitness facilities such as jogging, hiking, and various sports such as tennis.

4. While there are no set standards, general criteria call for a hotel offering a spa to have an organized program for overnight guests, a professional staff with fitness credentials, and a full service facility that offers a variety of services and treatments including special cuisine as well as indoor and outdoor exercises.

5. The most difficult sorting out is usually to determine the difference between a serious spa, a resort spa, and what is basically a health club. A serious spa offers specific programs for some aspect of health and fitness. A hotel could have a health club on its premises with all kinds of equipment but that still doesn't make it a spa unless it also have a structured program and a professional staff.

Tips & Warnings

• Assess what services are available, on what basis, and what is specifically included in a stay or package.
• What kind of meals are involved, regular or spa/nutritional?
• Is there a daily schedule to adhere to?
• Does an on-staff doctor check guests out before they begin a certain regimin?
• Don't expect magical transformations and to emerge from a spa trip looking like a movie star.
• There is an International Spa & Fitness Association in Washington D.C. which can provide information on its members. Another source is the International Medical Spa Association in Union City, New Jersey.
• Be careful not to over exert yourself with any arduous activity, or any activity you haven't been doing on a fairly regular basis.
• Find out if there is any activity that isn't included in the regular stay or package, but which involves an extra charge.