Talkin ’bout Massage Chair

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer ()

Cleaning through some old e-mail the other day, I ran across one item that suggested that if you really want to save gas money, give up driving one day each week.

One day a week: Walk, take the bus, catch a ride with a neighbor, hop on your bicycle, stay home. Not a bad idea.

It got me thinking. What if we gave up shopping one day each week during the holiday season? No picking up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, no quick trips during lunch hour, no dashing to the mall to use that coupon before it expires.

Too drastic? How about avoiding shopping, entirely, for just one day?

When I shared this idea with my husband, he responded: “One day? How much money could you save? People don’t shop 24/7.”

Oh, they don’t? And this is from a man who calmly watched me buy three winter jackets, all on sale, this season. Winter white, gray and black. Furry, wool and puffy.

Shopping is a 24/7 budget buster this time of the year. There’s a holiday ambush everywhere.

Yes, there are other ways to control spending. Such as:

Don’t touch - or don’t try it on. If you try it, you’re more likely to buy it, said Joann Peck, professor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Once you touch it, you feel the sense of ownership - psychological ownership,” Peck said.

Peck also warned that even if you’re shopping online, you are more likely to buy something if you imagine wearing it or using it.

Watch your kids to see how this one works.

On the day after Thanksgiving, my son patiently waited while I was buying some door-buster items at the Sharper Image. He sat in one of those comfy chairs that can massage your feet.

My 9-year-old son then proclaimed that he needed this chair for Christmas. The price: About $2,000. No, he’s not getting one. But I am confident he will bring up this gift idea save money, you also can use those points on some credit cards to buy gift cards.

“That’s …

Source: PR Web (press release) ()

Got the Flu? Do 5 Dahn Yoga Exercises

Winter means flu and cold season. To protect yourself from the flu, keep your immune systems healthy. Drawing from traditional Asian health practices, Ilchi Lee, founder of Dahn Yoga, indicates that the cold and damp energy conditions in the air cam enter your body and lead to the flu. Releasing this negative energy can be achieved through exercising the meridians (energy channels) and acupressure points. Lee describes five exercises, which when done daily during the flu season, can help your body sidestep or stop the flu.

Sedona, AZ (PRWEB) December 14, 2007 — The winter season is here, which means it is the flu-and-cold season too. With no guaranteed vaccine against the flu and colds, avoiding and recovering from them is an annual occurrence for you and your family members.

The best way to protect yourself from the flu is to keep your immune system strong. It is your greatest ally in both preventing and treating colds.

According to Ilchi Lee, president of the University of Brain Education (South Korea), "The best way to protect yourself from the flu is to keep your immune system strong. It is your greatest ally in both preventing and treating colds." He points to overexertion, fatigue, minimal exercise, poor eating and excessive stress as the usual causes of a weakened immune system.

To prevent the flu, it is important to combine consistent exercise, adequate rest and a positive attitude. As for treatment, you can get relief from the symptoms by boosting your natural healing capacity.

Lee advises, "There is merit is viewing the flu in terms of traditional body-mind energy principles, which have been practiced in Asia for thousands of years. In contrast to Western medicine's viral model of the flu, Oriental medicine holds that when conditions in the air are cold and damp, then this cold energy can enter your body." …

Source: Hindustan Times ()

Controversy haunts ghazal singer Zila Khan. Be it her relationship with her siblings or her father, sitar maestro Vilayat Khan, Zila Khan is often scotching rumours about her father’s unhappiness over her taking to the stage. Ask Zila and she asserts that this is the handiwork of the envious who grudge her emergence as a successful artiste. She concedes that the only time her father was furious was when he was told that she was singing while liquor flowed. Zila’s version: “He called me and sought an explanation but when I told him that I did not begin singing till the drinking stopped, he cooled off”.

The years have helped Zila. In the initial years she was unable to hold her audience’s attention for too long. Today she can be rated as being “sometimes good”. Even her abba (father) fixation has waned.

She describes herself as a “brinjal-coloured” kid with dark spots on her “nothing-to-look-at-face”. Packed off to the famous Peshwa hospital for treatment in Dehradun, a cardiac surgeon declared that they are “calcium marks” (read calcium deficiency). They fed her bananas and milk till she concluded that the food for the dogs was better. So she took it upon herself to feed her father’s pets. His dogs, of course, went hungry while Zila savoured their meat and roti meal.

Apart from when she accompanied her father, Zila dressed like a tomboy: shorts and tee-shirts. Her hairstyle often misled people to believe she was the ustad’s son. It is, therefore, not without reason that her husband Khalid complains about her not “being feminine”.

Fond of a back massage, Vilayat Khan often summoned his kids to do the job. They hated it but were terrified of refusing his command. Zila got the worse of it given that she would doze off before her father could. She often feigned illness, but there was no getting away from the back A slip-up could mean getting caned. Other forms of punishment included being locked up for the …

Source: PR Web (press release) ()

Ohio Dentist Adds Pizzazz to Holiday Cosmetic Dentistry Offers

Dentist Dr. Mindy Munowitz mixes cosmetic dentistry procedures with facials and massages to create holiday gift ideas for friends and loved ones.

West Chester and Greater Cincinnati, Ohio (PRWEB) December 12, 2007 — Ohio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mindy Munowitz has some gift ideas for the person who has everything.

Munowitz and her staff recently created "Holiday Sparkle Packages" that include teeth whitening procedures, facials and massages.

The holidays can be a stressful time, so it was important for us to create packages for our patients that would not only brighten smiles, but also provide a bit of pampering

"The holidays can be a stressful time, so it was important for us to create packages for our patients that would not only brighten smiles, but also provide a bit of pampering," Munowitz said.

Each package includes the Zoom! whitening procedure. Teeth whitening procedures are popular in cosmetic dentistry because of their dramatic results, Munowitz said. The Zoom! procedure eliminates stains on teeth caused by drinking coffee, tea, cola and red wine or smoking.

A dentist or other Zoom! clinician applies the proprietary Zoom! whitening gel, designed specifically to be used with the Zoom! light. This low-heat light penetrates the teeth and works with the hydrogen peroxide contained in the gel. The gel attaches itself to stained molecules on the teeth, breaks up the molecules and reduces the discoloration by allowing oxygen to enter the tooth enamel. The gel is applied for three 15-minute sessions.

During this time the patient can relax and enjoy a luxurious paraffin hand wrap. After each Zoom! whitening session, the patient undergoes a five-minute fluoride treatment.

packages also include an individual makeup consultation and application with a Jane Iredale professional; a one-hour …

Source: St. Petersburg Times ()

By CHRISTINA REXRODE
Published December 11, 2007

Adam Michaels hunts down gifts for the person who has everything.

Everything, that is, except the opportunity to drive a dog sled, ride a bull, or take care of a bee colony.

Michaels' Colorado company, Cloud 9 Living, is a broker of fun, peddling so-called "experience gifts." That means it seeks out businesses that offer a cool way to spend an afternoon, vets them, then sells gift certificates for them for a commission.

Cloud 9 says it's growing rapidly: Its Web site launched last year, hawking adventure in eight cities. It now covers 40 metro areas, adding Tampa Bay this summer.

And it's not the only player in the "experience gifts" field: Atlanta-based Great American Days and New Jersey-based Xperience Days offer similar services.

Michaels and his business partner, John Augst, launched Cloud 9 after they bought surfing lessons for a buddy who was getting married.

The lessons were a hit.

"Especially compared to the typical wedding gift," said Michaels, "like plates or silverware."

Cloud 9's bestseller is a shotgun ride in a race car. But the company doesn't cater just to adrenaline junkies.

"We try to find things for every taste," Michaels said. "The person who doesn't want to jump in a fighter plane can have a hot stone massage or take a cooking class."

In an interview, Michaels, who is 30, focused on his company's skydiving and whitewater rafting options. He didn't mention that Cloud 9 also sells services in file organizing.

North Beach Windsurfing School in St. Pete Beach is part of Cloud 9's Tampa Bay armada. Britt Viehman, the owner, says that the new partnership with Cloud 9 hasn't funneled any customers his way so

But it's a solid idea, he was happy to point out, since windsurfing lessons make such …

Source: PR Newswire (press release) ()

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ — The Pollack PR Marketing Group
(PPMG), a 22-year-old multi-specialty public relations and marketing
agency, announced today that Human Touch (http://www.humantouch.com), the
U.S. market leader of premier robotic massage products, has selected PPMG
as its agency of record to develop its brand positioning, promote its
products through national media exposure and to support its efforts at
national trade shows and conferences.

Human Touch manufactures and distributes high-quality Robotic
Massage(R) chairs and Zero Gravity Recliners. Its revolutionary
Zero-Gravity massage chair, recognized for its multi-patented massage
technology, such as its Acupoint(TM) Detection System that scans the entire
length of the user’s back creating a map of key pressure points to target
during the massage, was recently selected as an Innovations 2008 Design and
Engineering Award honoree in the furniture product category by The Consumer
Electronics Association (CEA).

“As a fast-growing robotic massage chair company, Human Touch needs a
marketing agency that has the strategic and tactical brand-building
expertise, innovative media solutions and marketing creativity to help us
elevate awareness in the market,” said Ila Barot-Oldakowski, Director of
Marketing, Human Touch. “The Pollack PR Marketing Group was selected
because of these qualities and more.”

“Human Touch’s massage products are generations ahead of the
competition,” says Noemi Pollack, CEO of the agency. “Its multi-patented
Robotic Massage system remarkably resembles human massage functions and
emulates the techniques used by back care professionals. We look forward to
exposing the brand to consumers seeking to incorporate health and wellness
into their everyday routine, as well as to back pain sufferers, sports
enthusiasts and those looking to relax from today’s lifestyles.”

Human Touch products are sold nationally and internationally in more
than 48 countries worldwide.

About …

Source: Christian Science Monitor ()

from the December 10, 2007 edition

Page 1 of 2

LOS ANGELES - The scent of hair spray hangs heavy in the air as Doug Fitzsimmons settles in a barber chair holding a remote control in one
hand and a cold beverage in the other. He is getting the “deluxe” haircut at Major League Trim, a year-and-a-half old salon
in trendy West Los Angeles.

The attention is, indeed, deluxe. Every chair has its own cable TV. For the next 40 minutes, Mr. Fitzsimmons will surf through
more than 100 channels. He will receive a hearty scalp massage infused with tea tree oil, while enjoying a drink in an environment
that resembles a sports arena. The cost: $40.

“This is my guy place,” says Fitzsimmons, an advertising executive. “I used to get my haircut at my wife’s salon, and it felt
kind of emasculating. But I always remembered going to the barbershop with my dad, and it was a guy place geared toward helping
you relax.”

Welcome to the new world of haircuts. For years, the trend was toward unisex salons, places where men and women trouped to
get a cleave or weave. Some were chichi, others catered to the Head and Shoulders set.

Now, however, there’s a shift back to salons and shops aimed specifically at men or women, evoking the 1950s when bouffant
hairdos and straight razor shaves were strictly the domain of beauty parlors and barbershops. Yet today’s single-sex salons
also often offer amenities – flat-screen TVs, steamed towels, massages, bottled water – that make them feel as much like a
country club or spa as a place to get a trim.

“We’re seeing … more barbershops and hair salons that are making men feel like men and women feel like women,” says Alfred
Osbourne, an associate dean at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Hair salons
are more than just a place get your haircut. It’s about the experience.”

• • •

Nowhere is the new coiffure culture more …

Source: Winston-Salem Journal ()

Dear Santa;

OK, last year came and went without you bringing us certain items from our wish lists (Salma Hayek in a sexy elf suit, for instance). But this year, we’re hoping you can do a little better. And so we’ve come up with a list, checked it twice, decided that you’re too busy to figure out if we’re naughty or nice, yadda yadda yadda.

Granted, some of these are kinda large to fit into your sleigh, but you can make room by cracking down on some other kids.

And so, here are some contenders for spreading Christmas joy this year….

The TwoDaLoo

When the J. Geils Band recorded “Love Stinks” in 1980, we’re pretty sure that the band, known as The Bad Boys From Beantown, did not have the TwoDaLoo in mind. The TwoDaLoo is a side-by-side, two-person “supertoilet,” essentially a porcelain loveseat for the loo, marketed as “a toilet that will save rocky marriages and the planet all in one flush.”

Flush with excitement? Wait, there’s more! The upgraded mode, with a modest privacy wall, also comes equipped with a seven-inch LCD television and an iPod docking station! Why, if they added a mini-fridge, you and your partner would never have to get up. The sales premise is that such a device encourages the ultimate intimacy in a romantic relationship. As for the, um, green benefits - flushing simultaneously saves 2.6 gallons of water. Don’t just buy it for love, buy it for the world.

According to WiseRep.com, a Web site that connects wholesalers with retailers, the TwoDaLoo will soon be available for $1,400 at Lowes and Home Depot. For more information, go to www.wiserep.com/productDetails.php?id=5769.

And hey, Saturday Night Live featured this way back in 1991. Go to YouTube and type in “Love Toilet” if you don’t believe us.

The Star Trek Casket

Ah, death, the Undiscovered Country, from whose bourn no traveler returns. Spock, who returned in Star Trek III after taking a snootful of radiation in Star Trek …

Source: Scotsman ()

THEY say the Gunbarrel at Heavenly is North America’s toughest double black-diamond mogul run. That may be true in the spring, when the bumps are the size of VW Bugs, but earlier in the season, when the frozen obstacles lining the piste haven’t yet reached the size of old-style Minis, it’s really not so bad. Well, relatively speaking.

Perhaps the hardest thing is remembering to go the right way. From Lakeview Lodge which, as its name suggests, offers life-changing views of brilliant blue Lake Tahoe 2,000ft below, the Gunbarrel is approached via a vertiginous bottleneck called The Face. By the time you’ve got your rhythm going on this tricky little section, your natural inclination will be to follow the fall line towards the more open East Bowl to your right, which in turn links up with the inviting-looking World Cup course.

Hang a sharp left before the first stand of trees, however, and you’ll be staring down at one of the most venerated pieces of skiing real estate in the USA. The Gunbarrel doesn’t feel quite as steep as its upstairs neighbour, The Face, but its banked sides give it an intimidating “nowhere to run” quality: once you’ve started off down this big, bumpy drainpipe, there’s no stopping until you reach the bottom.

For most people, The Face/Gunbarrel combo is something to be tried two or three times at most - just so you can say you’ve done it before hobbling off to apply ice to your shattered knees. But for a few lunatics every spring it’s endurance test central, thanks to an event known as the Gunbarrel 25.

Conceived by Glen Plake - Tahoe’s most famous skiing son and owner of one of the most impressive Mohicans on the planet - this competition for the clinically doolally consists of two categories: one for the fastest skier to complete 25 laps of the Gunbarrel, the other an Ironman award for the skier who does the most laps a day.

This year, for the third year running, local skier Janez Demsar was the fastest …

Source: PR.com (press release) ()

Chatsworth, CA, December 07, 2007 –(PR.com)– The holiday season is about family gatherings, creating the need for sprucing up the home, cooking elaborate meals, and rushing to find the perfect gift. All of this can add up to further stress in an already hectic life. Also, holiday tasks like shoveling snow and carrying heavy packages in the cold winter weather can lead to leg, back and neck muscle strains.

“There’s a definite correlation between stress and tight muscles,” said Richard Miller, Vice President of SANYO Home Appliances. “Massage is a well-known method for relieving tension and muscle stiffness.” However, with busy schedules this time of year, how can anyone find time to fit in a massage appointment?

“We recommend a SANYO massage chair to anyone who feels as worn out and tired as Santa this time of year. You can enjoy a personalized massage in the comfort of your own home at any time,” said Miller. SANYO’s newest massage chair, model HEC-DR7700K features revolutionary zero-gravity position to place the body into a neutral position that places the least amount of stress on the body. Another feature is the exclusive GK Roller Technology where thumb-like rollers reach out and comfortably squeeze to massage the shoulders and neck area, emulating the ”grasping and kneading” of a live massage.

In addition, the chair will locate areas of stiffness with SANYO’s exclusive Stiffness Detection Sensor, which diagnoses stress areas by measuring changes in pulse rate and perspiration level. The chair will then prepare a customized massage based on those findings.

Even Santa needn’t worry that he’s a little too large to get the benefit of all this technology. The chair will adjust to accommodate various body sizes. The Physical Shape Sensor adjusts massage rollers automatically to the body’s shape and shoulder height. Whether it’s Mrs. Claus or Santa …