ISPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ELECTED OFFICERS CHAIR

Patrick Huey We Care Spa

I RECENTLY READ A BOOK called Microjoys : Finding Hope ( Especially ) When Life Is Not Okay . The author is a woman named Cyndie Spiegel , and she wrote the book after her mother died , her nephew was murdered , her brother had a stroke and went into cardiac arrest and she received a breast cancer diagnosis . All of this notokay-life happened within a 10-month timeframe in 2020 . Her response was to find little moments of mundane joy along the very rocky path that helped her make it through what was the most difficult time in her life — things like a pink manicure , a beautifully made cup of chai tea that she learned to make traveling in India , buying an unnecessary dress to celebrate the New Year ( no more big words or resolutions to forget by March ). The microjoys taught her that two things can be true at once : You can be having the hardest year of life , and there can still be small joys and mercies to get you through the tough times . This “ but / and ” approach is what life calls upon us to embrace all the time .

I am currently writing to you from Krakow , Poland . If ever there was a place , a city , that embodied the idea of finding joy and life in a place that has become synonymous with death , Krakow is high on the list . World War Two began in Poland , and right outside of Krakow is Auschwitz . And while the horrors of the 1930s and 1940s are still present here , there are beautiful museums and thriving restaurants in the Jewish Quarter . And lush parks filled with kids on scooters and lovers holding hands .

We are still discovering a world that brings us new twists and turns each day . Our postpandemic packed resorts and spas are quieter this summer as so many of our regular guests are on holiday . Patrons who last year unquestioningly paid top dollar for spa services are now asking for deals and discounts . And how 2023 will end is anyone ’ s guess . But as we stare into a tunnel of the unknown , know that this is the promise of life : mystery mixed with small delights along the way . If only we will seize them and enjoy them for what they are . Microjoys . Tiny specs of surrender and light in the hurly-burly of life .

VICE CHAIR

Kelleye Martin Trellis , The Spa at the Houstonian

SECRETARY / TREASURER

Michelle Adams Somerville Woodstock Inn & Resort

DIRECTORS

Taylor Fields PCH Hotels & Resorts

CG Funk Massage Heights Corporate LLC

Jennifer Holzworth Montage International

Barry McCaffrey BABOR

Terry Prager Seed to Skin

Charlotte Prescott Privia Spa at the Kimpton Epic , Arch Amenities Group

Kenneth Ryan Marriott International

Eric Savage Freedom Spa , LLC

Foundation Chair Todd Shaw Fountain Life

Jessica Shea Hilton

Jessica Timberlake Jessica L . Timberlake Consulting

Lynne McNees President International SPA Association

MEDICAL ADVISOR Brent A . Bauer , MD Mayo Clinic

2 PULSE n AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2023 — PATRICK HUEY , CHAIR