The Southwest’s Main Event!

The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa, Dallas, TX 2008

Three inspirational days packed with fascinating career enhancing experiences and informative lectures for skin care and spa professionals marked the 2008 Inter­national Congress of Esthetics and Spa in Long Beach, CA.
From September 20th to the 22nd, the Long Beach Convention Center was filled with enthusiastic skin care and spa professionals attending the exciting workshops, lectures, classes and demonstrations performed by world-class leaders in the esthetics industry and watching the educational demonstrations unfold. Jami Lin, an internationally renowned feng shui master and licensed esthetician who led a seminar at the Green Summit, commented, “There is always a bustle of new technology, exciting information and lots of great people with whom to exchange ideas. I don’t know what is more fun—sharing the content I love or learning from all the other experts!”
The higher than expected attendance exceeded the expectations of congress management.
“The International Congress of Es­thetics and Spa in Long Beach was very, very successful for us,” said Han­nah Mur­ray, vice president of marketing for Athena Cosmetics, creator of Revita­Lash, an exhibitor at the show. “This is a great event because the visitors know that they are coming to a quality show to see an eclectic group of vendors that you oftentimes will not see at other spa shows.”
The show was a huge success for exhibitors, as the impressive number of attendees allowed them to make valuable contacts and strong sales. For some exhibitors the networking payoff from the show was significant. Donna Tokugawa, an exhibitor and a cofounder of spa tea company Chado-En, said, “Long Beach was a great experience for us with contacts continuing to call us with feedback and new orders.”
Margarita Saian, an exhibitor at the Long Beach Show, was impressed with the enthusiasm of the show’s attendees. “We really loved the crowd,” she said. “They were very knowledgeable and knew what they were looking for.”

Learning at its peak

The first two days of the conference included lectures and demos on topics spanning various types of skin care, esthetics equipment and tweaking a spa business for increased profitability. General Session lectures and demonstration topics included:

• “Indian Herbal Wheat Dough Facelift—A Facelift Without Machines” by Ani Miryala
• “Male Grooming—What is Missing in the Waxing World?”
by Deborah Coddens
• “Advanced Esthetic Equipment: Fact vs. Fiction”
by Susanne Schmaling
• “Fabulous Beyond 40” by Sally Van Swearingen
• “Chronic Exfoliation Ages the Skin” by Ben Johnson, M.D.
• “The Rhythm & Blues® and the Wave® Massages: The Latest Rage From Europe” by Olivier L. Aron
• “Living the Life of a Champion—Achieving
Your Dreams While Overcoming Obstacles”
by Lauren Gartland
• “Scientific Treatment Solutions for Acne”
by Lydia Sarfati
• “Transitioning to a Wellness Spa for Profitability and Professional Integrity” by Tom Porter

The show’s setup received praise from speaker Sally Van Swearingen, who commented, “By providing large screens and a comfortable, spacious room, the attendees can bite into the information presented, up close and personal.”
Maria, a spa facialist from San Diego, CA, was intrigued by the wheat-dough facelift demonstrations. “The wheat-dough facelift was the most creative facelift form I’ve seen in a long time!” she exclaimed. “I’ll be the talk of the town when I start offering that treatment to my clients.”

Enlightening extras

Some of the conference attendees came specifically for the Green Summit, which received great response, said congress management, noting that the show was the first to have an eco-friendly conference series. Lake Louise, one of the presenters and the host of the Green Summit, observed, “The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa shows are always well organized. They always stay on top of the industry trends and what’s going on.”
The Green Summit consisted of the following lectures:
• “10 Ways to Green Your Spa” by Lake Louise
• “How and Why a Green Spa” by Rhana Pytell
• “Learn to Recognize Harmful Ingredients and
Their Impact on Appearance, Health and Wellness”
by Linda Chaé
• “Enhance Your Spa Experience With Sensual,
Visionary and Touchable Illuminations” by Jami Lin

Plus, the Natural & Organic Pavilion—the first of its kind—was a real hit. “Sharing our products and educating professionals...in the new Natural & Organic Pavilion was exceptionally rewarding. Estheticians, spa owners, medical and wellness center operators as well as students learned how to... enhance skin care protocols, create signature facials and introduce self service foot soaks,” said Donna Tokugawa. “With today’s challenging economic and environmental pressures, discovering... cost effective solutions that are also sustainable will set the leaders in the spa industry apart as we all journey towards a healthier mind, body, spirit and planet.”
During the last two days of the conference, attendees went on to hear speakers at the In-Depth Makeup Class, Advanced Salon/Spa Business Seminars and manufacturers workshops. The In-Depth Makeup Class, “The Power of Makeup: Why and How Your Makeup Tells the World Who You Are” by Gail Johnson, dazzled the crowds. Corinne, an esthetician and makeup artist from San Francisco, CA, said, “This lecture offered insightful ways to individualize my clients’ cosmetic treatments. I can definitely improve my services with the techniques I’ve learned here.”
Topics at the Advanced Salon/Spa
Business Seminar included:
• “Six Secrets to Spa Publicity Without a
Publicist” by Heather Gallegos
• “Safeguarding Your Business: Evaluating Your Salon/Spa for Safety and Liability” by Jerry Tyler, Recia Valera, Sharlyn Ada and Sumiye Richards.
Tanya, a luxury spa owner who runs her business solo, commented, “I was very pleased with the publicity seminar. It helped me think of new ways to promote my business that I had not considered before.”

Overall satisfaction

Attendees of this year’s Long Beach congress were treated to a broad and useful wealth of information. Ani Miryala, presenter at the show and owner of Anoo’s Herbal Day Spa pointed out, “People were happy with the presenters and the overall performance of the show.” Without a doubt, the skin care and spa professionals who attended the show went home with new skills and knowledge to improve their services and businesses. n

Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa and Dermascope magazines cosponsor four International conferences/trade show annually in Dallas, TX, South Beach, FL, Long Beach, CA and Philadelphia, PA. International Congress of Esthetics and Spa 2009 conferences: Arlington, TX, March 22-23, Miami Beach, FL, May 2-4, Long Beach, CA, September 12-14 and Philadelphia, PA, October 25-26.

Amanda Clinton is the editorial assistant at Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa. E-mail her at amanda@LNEONLINE.com.

Check out the Long Beach 2008 Photo Recap
Return to the Long Beach 2008 Website