Spas Books - Page 2

Leisure Settings: Bourgeois Culture, Medicine, and the Spa in Modern France

Douglas P. Mackaman

Amazon Price: $60.00 List Price: $60.00 Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks By: University Of Chicago Press Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $57.06

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Editorial Review:

The artful use of one's free time was a discipline perfected by the French in the nineteenth century. Casinos, alpine hiking, hotel dinners, romantic gardens, and lavish parks were all part of France's growing desire for the ideal vacation. Perhaps the most intriguing vacation, however, was the ever popular health resort, and this is the main topic of Douglas Mackaman's fascinating study.

Taking us into the vibrant social world of France's great spas, Mackaman explores the links between class identity and vacationing. Mackaman shows how, after 1800, physicians and entrepreneurs zealously tried to break their milieu's strong association with aristocratic excess and indecency by promoting spas as a rational, ordered equivalent to the busy lives of the bourgeoisie. Rather than seeing leisure time as slothful, Mackaman argues, the bourgeoisie willingly became patients at spas and viewed this therapeutic vacation as a sensible, even productive, way of spending time. Mackaman analyzes this transformation, and ultimately shows how the premier vacation of an era made and was made by the bourgeoisie.

Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest

Marjorie Gersh-Young

List Price: $18.95 By: Aqua Thermal Access Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $0.63

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

"WILD GOOSE CHASES OF THE SOUTHWEST" 1 out of 5 stars.
11 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I selected 3 natural hot springs to visit during my last vacation. Of those 3, NONE WERE OPEN! You can imagine the disappointment after driving hundreds of miles. This is in addition to low-quality black/white pixely photos, low-quality maps, and extremely general directions. If you do acquire this book, I would recommend using another guide and good maps as a supplement to enhance and clearify any real substance you might chance upon.

Getting in hot water can be a lot of fun! 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I've thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as it's sister volume for the Northwest. It adds an extra dimension to my travels. Springs are listed as commercial or "wild" type springs, and also categorized by water temperature and ease of access. I prefer wild springs, but as a relatively lazy sybarite, I won't bother with a spring that's only "warm" when the access is moderate or difficult. On the other hand, if the review is great and the water nice and hot, I don't mind a hike. Definitely use directions in conjunction with a road map as recommended; some springs are in squirrely locations. A spring we visited in New Mexico last year was truly breathtaking and one of the highlights of the trip.

SPA-Finders Guide to Spa Vacations: At Home and Abroad

Jeffrey Joseph

List Price: $17.95 By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 1.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Join the five million people each year who are making health and fitness vacations today’s hottest travel trend … Spa-Finders^® Guide to Spa Vacations "You’ll find the widest possible range of spas … as well as unique spa tours and packages available exclusively through Spa-Finders." —Shape magazine As founder of Spa-Finders (the world’s largest travel service dedicated solely to health and fitness vacations), Jeffrey Joseph has introduced the fitness, pampering, and revitalization services of spas to thousands of health-conscious travelers. His unique approach to fitness-oriented travel is the only one that’s based on actual guest feedback, and it’s available here for the first time in book form. The unique Spa-Finders Guide to Spa Vacations provides complete and entertaining descriptions and costs for 120 of the world’s finest spas, and it offers thousands of dollars in free coupons from top spas and a 5 0iscount on bookings through the Spa-Finders service! The Spa-Finders Guide features:

• A special rating system based on expert opinions and thousands of Spa-Finders’ client questionnaires
• Self-discovery tests designed to help readers pinpoint their exercise and weight-loss goals, set desired price ranges, and develop a lifestyle profile as part of selecting a particular spa
• Coverage of seven major types of spas: Fitness and Beauty Spas (Self-Contained and at Hotels and Resorts), Luxury Spas, Weight-Loss Spas, New Age Retreats, Mineral Spas and Spas Abroad
• Critical assessments of such factors as ambience, clientele profiles, cuisine, facilities, and services
• Full rate, location, and contact information

Produced by The Philip Lief Group, Inc.

Healing Places

Wilbert M. Gesler

Amazon Price: $29.95 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $3.52

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Editorial Review:

Wil Gesler examines how different environments affect physical, mental, spiritual, social, and emotional components of healing.

Healing Centers & Retreats: Healthy Getaways for Every Body and Budget

Jenifer Miller

List Price: $16.95 By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $0.07

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The definitive guide to alternative healing centers. 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

It's been a long time coming but my search is finally over. I have been waiting for a book of this type to come along since I was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Finding contemporary medicine unable to treat the pains I suffer, I soon began seeking "alternative" medicine. I was shocked to find so little information available and it soon became a struggle to combine work and healing on my very frequent business travels. Now with Ms. Miller's book always tucked away at my desk I am sure to find a center to fill my needs. I find her guide to be accurate, concise and interesting. Her descriptive style entices me to try new places and new treatments. I wish this book had been written five years ago, it sure would have saved me a lot of time, trouble and headaches. I seriously recommend this book as a must for travel agencies with clientele looking for "alternative" vacations. They and their clients will not be disappointed.

Editorial Review:

A former editor for "Spa" magazine profiles more than 200 healing centers, retreats, and spas across the U.S.

100 Best Spas of the World, 2nd (100 Best Series)

Bernard Burt, Pamela Joy Price

List Price: $19.95 By: Globe Pequot Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $0.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Very Informative 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This book has some great information on what appears to be some fabulous spas and resorts. It was nice to see not only great photos but real practical information like the types of packages offered, the prices, accommodations available, and even information on tourist attractions near the spas. It also gives you some explanations of the types of services offered which was helpful. It covers spas from all over the globe which makes it quite a nice comprehensive overview as well. I haven't actually tried one of them out yet - but it has been nice to dream.

Stick to Internet Search 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was hoping to find out of the obvious spas identified, not The Four Seasons and the Ritz. A simple search of high end spas would have done this, I was hoping for hard to find and interesting rather than what would have been easily found on yahoo. I am terribly disappointed this was a total waste of time. The pricing is unclear as to what includes the hotel and what is for spa services only, so it's not even useful information. I still have to go research each one to simply compare pricing structure and services offered.

Editorial Review:

Both first-timers and avid spa-goers will adore this guide to the top 100 spas in the world. Details on spas at resorts, on cruise ships, in world-class hotels, on remote islands, and in centuries-old cities, along with full-color photographs make selecting a relaxing getaway stress-free.

Spa Style Asia: Therapies, Cuisines, Spas (Spa Style)

Archipelago Press, Marilyn Seow, Ginger Lee

List Price: $24.95 By: Weatherhill Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $1.37

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Editorial Review:

Spa Style Asia is the authoritative guide to Asia's healing traditions and the luxury spas that practice them. The book opens with Spa Therapies, a study of the major healing systems of Asia—Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, and Thai. It offers an overview of the cultural and historical backgrounds of these healing traditions, details what you can expect from specific treatments and therapies, and provides recipes that can be recreated at home. Spa Cuisine surveys the major national cuisines of Asia and provides healthy recipes for complete meals comprising soup, appetizer, main course, dessert and drink, together with calorie, protein, carbohydrate and fat counts. While Asia is the primary focus of these first two sections, traditional Asian treatments and recipes that have been updated with a modern twist, and international therapies and cuisines are included in the New Asian and Cosmopolitan chapters respectively. Spa Digest is organized geographically, and serves as an illustrated directory to the region's extensive range of quality spa retreats. Insights into the essence of each property will help you decide on the spa that best suits your needs, personality and preference, while a fact-packed Spa Statistics panel summarizes the facilities, treatments and therapies, provisions for couples, availability of spa cuisine, services, recreation options and contact details.

The Cheapskate Guide To Spas: Over 150 Great Escapes, Romantic Retreats, and Family Adventures

Nathaniel Altman

Amazon Price: $12.95 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Citadel Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $1.26

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Spa Guide U.S.A. (Open Road Travel Guides)

John Segesta, Anne Stein

List Price: $14.95 By: Open Road Amazon Marketplace: 16 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The best spa guide! 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 12 people found this review helpful.

Other spa guides only go skin deep, but this one gave me the detailed information I needed to plan a perfect spa vacation.

VERY INFORMATIVE 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 10 people found this review helpful.

The book contained all the information I needed to pick the best spas

Spa Journeys

Linda Troeller, Annette Foglino

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: powerHouse Books Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $1.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Spas have been a cherished indulgence for the greater part of human history, representing the ultimate fusion of physical pampering and spiritual renewal. From austere retreats to luxurious pleasure palaces, spas can be found on mountaintops and on beaches, in deserts and in vineyards the high seas. Spa Journeys showcases a superb selection of remarkable retreats, from historical sites that have been attracting pilgrims for centuries, to the sumptuous holistic enterprises that are changing the face of health in the beauty and wellness industry worldwide. Seamlessly blending an artistic exploration of these oases of symbiotic mind, body, and soul rejuvenation with expert practical information on what to do, when to go, and what to have done, Spa Journeys features writer Annette Foglino's examination of twenty-five spa destinations, while Linda Troeller¹s beautiful and inviting photographs provide the perfect complement with vivid, atmospheric images illustrating the signature style of each spa. Covering the latest in spa technology, treatments, activities, and cuisine, Spa Journeys pairs both extensive practical information with first-person narrative so that readers can choose the spa experience best suited to their needs. Spa Journeys will take you to Rancho La Puerta in the desert outside Tecate, Mexico, with its sacred Indian mountain and extraordinary variety of fitness and meditation classes; to Miraval in Tucson, Arizona, with its innovative horse-whispering program and focus on Zen "mindfulness" techniques; and to the Toskana Therme in Germany, with its "Liquid Sound," a creative melding of music and water. These spas all offer powerful reflection time along with their bliss. Just open up Spa Journeys, and you will open yourself up to new worlds.