[Image: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels] Training and education provider ASTECC has introduced wellness coaching for estheticians, massage therapists and other holistic healers. Spa Wellness Coaching is 12-week curriculum that covers hydrotherapy, thalassotherapy, constitutional body typing, transdermal nutrition and stress management techniques. Participants will learn how to deliver individualized client programs online, in addition to practical skills that will help them build their own coaching business. Weekly Zoom calls support practitioners’ progress thoughout the coaching development ..read more

[Image: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels] Luxury wellness retreat Shou Sugi Ban House in Water Mill, New York, has announced a series of new culinary retreats led by chef Mads Refslund, cofounder of Noma in Copenhagen, four-time winner of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and two-time Michelin star recipient. Refslund leads Shou Sugi Ban House’s innovative, plant-rich culinary program and designs its seasonal menus. The “Of Land and Sea: A Culinary Immersion” retreats will take place Thursday, September 17, through Sunday, September 20; and Friday, October 9, through Monday, October 12. Participants ..read more

The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Orlando is delivering restorative experiences for guests, thanks to Vibrational Sound Therapy (50 min./$190; 80 min./$270). The treatments, which involve the use of Himalayan singing bowls, are aimed at cleansing the spirit of negative energy and emotions to help improve health and healing—especially important as the hotel reopens after closure due to the pandemic. “Sound therapy works through the ears first, then to the brain to quiet your mind and bring about a meditative state,” says the resort’s master spa therapist Stephany Collins. RELATED: The Healing Po ..read more

In an effort to support the recovery of the wellness tourism industry, the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) surveyed nearly 4,000 consumers from 48 countries and territories to discover their motivations for taking wellness vacations as the industry begins to recover. The online consumer survey was administered from April 2020 through June 2020 in collaboration with WTA member Danny Kessler, PhD, of Youngsan University in Busan, South Korea. Respondents were 54% female, with 73% between the ages 26 to 74, and close to 78% indicated that they already include wellness activities when they tr ..read more

[Image: Oleg Magni/Pexels] Wellness software company Mindbody has made some changes to its executive board, appointing a new CEO, executive chair member, president and chief revenue officer. The company’s cofounder and CEO, Rick Stollmeyer, will transition to a new role as an executive chair. Josh McCarter, president, was unanimously voted in as the new CEO. Sunil Rajasekar, the chief technology officer, has been named president. Aaron Stead, the SVP of North American sales, has been named chief revenue officer. “Mindbody has been my career and singular passion for more than two decades, an ..read more

Hyatt Hotels has opened two properties in the Berkshires—Miraval Berkshires and the Wyndhurst Manor & Club. The two travel destinations opened right next to one another in Lenox, Massachu­setts, and Miraval Berkshires houses the brand’s largest Life in Balance Spa. Miraval Berkshires is the brand’s first East Coast location, and the Life in Balance Spa spans 29,000 square feet with 28 treatment rooms, built with Miraval’s most beloved signature treatments in mind. Standouts include a dedicated indoor spa pool treatment room for the Miraval signature Vasudhara water treatment; and a new ro ..read more

GSN Planet (GSN) has announced the appointment of Thor Holm, general manager for Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary, as GSN’s board president following his two-year term as vice president, as well as recent appointments to the board of directors. Holm will succeed Bonnie Baker, founder of Satteva Wellness Group, who has just completed her two-year term as board president. Baker’s passion and dedication to the planet and wellness has left a lasting impact on the organization during her six-year tenure on the board of directors. GSN shares it’s deepest appreciation and gratitude for her service. G ..read more

[Image: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels] Registration is now open for the first ever Face & Body Virtual Event! The event will take place September 14 to 16, 2020. Attendees will be able to partake in manufacturer classes, purchase products and attend product-neutral education for continuing education credits. Face & Body Virtual will have two days of product knowledge classes, where attendees can learn a wealth of information from the industry’s top minds, and then buy products at show rates. The Product Knowledge classes will be held Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15. You ca ..read more

We can all breathe a little easier, as Bioelements has exceeded its tree planting goal with sales of its Undo Cleanser. The company partnered with reforestation organization One Tree Planted to aid in the fight against pollution. Since the launch of Bioelements Undo Cleanser, every purchase has gone toward planting a tree to create a forest. The sales allowed for more than 600 trees to be planted and over 30,000 pounds of carbon to be removed from the atmosphere. Each tree planted removes 48 pounds of CO2 each year, so every new tree planted does make a difference. “We really appreciate this ..read more

Karisma Hotel & Resorts has opened the Margarit­aville Island Reserve in Cancun. The resort is the first of its kind in Mexico, with more coming in 2021. Margarit­aville Island Reserve is a laid-back, all-inclusive resort with 148 guestrooms and amenities including customized in-room bars, oceanfront and swim-up rooms, daily live entertainment and daily physical activities. Nightly rates cover all food options, premium drinks and 24-hour room service. The reserve also includes St. Somewhere Spa, an 8,000-square-foot spa with a full-service salon. “We’re thrilled to introduce our unmatch ..read more