I am blogging from The Hotel Drisco in the Pacific Heights area of San Francisco during a record-breaking heat wave. Today I attended the Green Spa Network at the Golden Gate Club in San Francisco California. The purpose of the conference was to network with other green spa members, discuss sustainability and become familiar with Green Spa's Sustainability Assessment Tool (SAT). We were then addressed by The GSN Personal Care Advisory Forum and the Keynote speaker, Chip Conley, founder and CEO of Joie De Vivre Hospitality. Chip is also author of the book "Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow."
Following the keynote, the Green Spa Congress convened. I participated in the networking committee and realized that the entire conference reaffirmed for me our company commitment to green, sustainable and eco friendly practices. Michael Stusser the Chairman of the GSN stated, “It is a business ethos, not a marketing tactic.”
I discovered that regrettably some companies are practicing "Green Washing." Green Washing is the marketing and labeling products green because they contain a few botanicals but are in fact chemically laden. This is very confusing for the customer and reminds spa owners the need to educate our guests.
A happier discovery was my introduction to the tea docents at Chado-En. The Tokugawa family invited me to experience SHINWA, the Japanese word for the reliance on Mother Nature for health and beauty. It is a healthy and delicious practice that we will be introducing to our guests at Sonrisa. I’ll post information on the health benefits of Organic Kyoto Karigane when we receive the products.
I plan to attend the three-day conference this fall and hope to serve on a committee or as a liaison to other Wellness organizations.
Sonrisa is the only member of The Green Spa Network in Kansas City and the nearest spa member is in Chicago. I am very proud to be a member of this international organization and it's affiliates.