Green Options » spa

Handmade Soaps: Health and Happiness for You and the Environment

Gennefer Snowfield — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 02:46:02 +0000

With green living, homeopathy and natural alternatives growing in popularity, soap makers are springing up around the world, concocting magical creations of coconut and lime in gleaming, glycerin-infused goodness that cleanse the body, mind and soul.

Oh, and your hands too!

Growing up in my house, ‘handmade’ soap consisted of my mother gathering up all the remaining bits of bar soap from the shower and bathtubs, tossing them into a container with some water and shaking it up. “Voila, hand soap!” she would state proudly. But her objectives were to save money, not create a luxurious lather to soothe and soften the skin. And, trust me, an acrid amalgum of Dial and Irish Spring was anything but soothing!

But today’s handmade soaps are a beneficial blend of nourishing nutrients, rich with essential oils and alleviating aromatherapy that care for the skin and calm the senses. And because they’re chemical-free, they’re an eco-friendly alternative to their caustic counterparts, making them a great way to indulge yourself and the earth.

New Generation of BPA Free Bottles Aims at Spas and Gyms

John Simonetta — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:23:03 +0000

This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of ProformaGreen, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy. John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.

I mentioned before in this blog that the gym and spa industry is one of the main buyers of sport bottles. It makes sense, sign-up for a membership, get a water bottle and t-shirt.

I also mentioned that the BPA scare pretty much halted the market for plastic gym bottles. This was an event especially felt by eco-friendly gyms, yoga studios and spas that had been using bottles as giveaway items. Many businesses gave up on plastic altogether and moved to aluminum or steel bottles.

Well the industry is fighting back with BPA free bottles especially designed for gyms - like Glass America’s 19 oz. Treadmill BPA Free Bottle - bottles designed with wide mouths and easy grips.

These new bottles also have the words “BPA free” imprinted directly on them to make sure the audience does not miss the fact these are “safe” bottles.

We will see how well these new bottle designs do. It is nice to see the industry bouncing back in this area and at the same time moving forward on green products.

For more information on BPA free bottles from Glass America please visit their website or visit us at Proformagreen.com.

Bamboo in the Bath

John Simonetta — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:52:45 +0000

Managing or starting up an eco spa? Trying to “green” your fitness center? Launching a new green hotel? Then this may be for you.

Pro Towels has released a new line of towels made from bamboo. They are lovely and great for any spa or water related business with a green agenda.

Bamboo as a woven material is popping up more and more in the industry. I would say it feels closer to silk than cotton and is being used in bags, totes, shirts, the usual suspects.

The Pro Towel Bamboo Collection advertises itself as a 35”x60”, heavyweight, twill hemmed and looped finished towel of 100% bamboo. Colors available are Sandalwood, Ivory, Leaf Green and Pure White.