BY JANE SEGERBERG

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS MAY SEEM LIKE A LONG TIME— or a lifetime— to many of you, but when I look back on my 35-year journey as a member of ISPA, it feels more like a blink of my eye. The past three and a half decades have been a testament to the enduring power of commitment, innovation and a shared vision in the spa industry. ISPA has been more than just an organization during this period; it has been a guiding force and a supportive community that has continuously inspired and strengthened its members.

When I first became a member of ISPA in 1991, the spa industry was in a very different place. Spas were primarily seen as luxurious weight-loss retreats for women, and there was no community of spa leaders. Think about it— there was no

internet and no mobile phones. We had print news, and we wrote or typed letters and put them in the mail or called people from the phone at our desks. And, to put it further in perspective, Kelleye Martin was graduating from high school, and Lynne McNees had yet to appear on the scene.

When I was part of the team that opened the first spa at Sea Island, Georgia, in December 1989, networking and gathering ideas was done by traveling to other spas. In 1991, I visited the Claremont Resort and Spa in San Francisco and met Karen Korpi, who was the executive director. Karen told me about a group of spa leaders planning a first meeting and conference in the fall and encouraged me to go. As a believer in organizations that support their members, I attended and joined the International Spa & Fitness Association( the word“ fitness” was dropped a few years later) at Turnberry, Florida. The energy at that meeting was stimulating and filled with a sense of limitless

1999 ISPA Asian Spa Summit.

At the 2008 ISPA Conference with ISPA President, Lynne McNees.

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