SUPER SPECIFIC TREATMENTS
With more people educated about spas now, many companies are finding they need to go way beyond broad treatments such as a basic massage, and offer programs for specific body parts or ailments.

The new Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas, Nev., is scheduled to open Dec. 4, and in its two-level spa will be an 800-square-foot "Chinese foot spa." There your tootsies will get a dunk in an herbal bath followed by a long massage, while you recline in a chair overlooking the spectacular new CityCenter complex going up now.

Kohler Water Spas, with three locations including Kohler, Wis. and Burr Ridge, Ill., has a new sinus massage to help ease pressure. It incorporates peppermint and eucalyptus to open up clogged passageways.

The spa at the new Terranea Resort in Rancho Palas Verdes, Calif., goes even further than specific body treatments and offers menus for specific parts of the day, attempting to mirror the body's natural Circadian Rhythm.

LOCAL INGREDIENTS
Incorporating local ingredients into standard treatments has been big for a few years. Sometimes a spa promises that an ingredient has special anti-aging benefits, sometimes they simply like to work with local businesses. Either way, the treatments usually smell great.

Aspira Spa, part of the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wis., has a new elderberry facial, using ground-up dried berries in the exfoliant, and dried elderberry flowers in the mask. A cup of elderberry tea caps it off.

The Ice Spa at the new Sheraton in Anchorage, Alaska offers a "glacial facial" made with Arctic mud. Terranea uses quartz in some treatments, nodding to mining in the area.

NEWS YOU CAN USE
Many spas now want their visitors to go home with more than fancy bath products. They offer all kinds of life skills classes and information so people can continue with the spa philosophy when they leave the hushed halls of the treatment areas.

The Lodge at Woodloch, located a few hours from New York City in Hawley, Pa., hosts lectures every weekend, often focusing on topics such as hypnotherapy and color therapy, but also offering talks on relationships and even drumming circles.

At Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas, 19 acres of gardens provide food for spa meals, but are also the setting for gardening classes that teach people how to start home gardens and plant for specific needs, such as creating a cold-care garden of medicinal plants.

Doesn't it all sound good? Start saving those pennies now...a new, less-stressed you could be just around the corner, perfect to go with all those new fall clothes.