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The flight from London to Bangkok took 11 hours and was rammed with sex tourists. We - my best friend and I - sat, our heads rigidly buried in spa brochures, while the sea of priapic men around us frothed at the mouth with thoughts of Thai girls.

There were men on their own and men in groups. Wide boys who didn't give a toss and men on whom cruel fate had decreed the kind of ogreish looks that mean a life of having to pay for it. As we came into land their excitement turned into a sort of rumbling. The greaseball sitting next to me downed his Jack D and Coke and leapt up. We could see him not very well hidden by the partition separating First class and Economy humming to himself in pale underwear as he removed his trousers to make way for a pair of loud Bermudas. My friend and I agreed that we found these men repulsive.

So we were pleased, on landing, when a member of the ground staff whisked us away from the mob in the direction of a propeller plane. Chiva Som is the world's most exclusive destination spa - to use the tourist vernacular - and arriving by private plane when we could have sat in the car for three hours seemed fittingly over-the-top. As we flew over the sparkling Gulf of Siam we imagined the sex-starved trogs queuing for buses below. We smiled knowingly then abandoned ourselves to thoughts of higher things: the holistic journey ahead.

Before we go on let's get one thing straight. Chiva Som isn't any old spa. Among the people who know about these things, it is the daddy of luxury health resorts, the my-body-is-my-temple paradigm to which every two-bit fitness centre with built-on Jacuzzi aspires. For years now Conde Nast Traveller, the expert on such matters, has ranked Chiva Som in its luxury Top Ten.

Even if you can't stand the things, you've got to give spas their due. In Britain the industry is worth £1.8 billion. Or rather a mere £1.8 billion. Britain is affluent and neurotic enough for the spa revolution to have taken root – we take more anti-depressants per head than anyone else in Europe, after all – but it is also too cold and too crowded.

Biotechnology for Health and Wellness" will be the central theme of the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston Aug. 19-23, where there will be more than 9,500 presentations. There will also be presentations of new discoveries in chemistry dealing with the environment, energy, nutrition, nanotechnology and other topics.

Overall, more than 16,000 scientists and others are expected to attend the scientific extravaganza that will take place in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and at numerous hotels across the city.

With more than 160,000 members, the American Chemical Society is the world's largest scientific society.

A highlight of the meeting will occur Sunday, Aug. 19, when Catherine T. Hunt, Ph.D., ACS President, hosts a keynote symposium at which noted scientists will discuss challenges and opportunities for commercialization of new discoveries in biotechnology and nanotechnology.

For general information about the meeting go to http://chemistry.org/meetings/boston2007.

Underlining the importance of wellness programs in reducing work-place stress, Sheikha Lubna asked companies to invest in their employees' fitness to reap greater employee productivity.

Shapes, located at Dubai Knowledge Village, is the first dedicated supervised group fitness facility in the region. Members stay motivated and gain measurable results as they go through a range of programs under the supervision of Shapes wellness professionals. The Shapes concept developed in Australia believes that it is enjoyable group activities that create sustainable exercise habits. Several leading global and regional health insurance companies including Marsh, Aviva and QIC support the programs offered by Shapes.

Commenting on the need for wellness facilities, Sheikha Lubna said, 'Wellness programs are becoming crucially necessary in our society. Long and challenging work schedules coupled with lack of frequent exercise are causing weight and stress problems. Companies can gain greater productivity if they helped enroll their executives into proven wellness programs.'

The Shapes facility has been designed for group activity which allows for enjoyable interaction and workout programs that result in weight loss, improved cardiac activity, flexibility and energy. The programs include circuit training, yoga, pilates, jazz aerobics, golf fitness, tae bo and core conditioning.

Speaking at the opening, Sam Rao, Program Manager at Shapes said, 'We are honoured to have Her Highness Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi formally launch Shapes and endorse the programs offered. At Shapes our aim is to create fitness routines that are entertaining in a group setting. We are confident that our concept and special approach incorporating the best in wellness will be beneficial to people looking at long-term fitness gains'.

'With excellent facilities and expert personal trainers, our members from all walks of life can be assured of complete wellness with Shapes. We are confident that Shapes will be extremely popular among all those who care for better health in UAE,' he added.

Complementing the fitness facilities are a wide variety of spa services from nail care to beauty therapies using all natural products. On-site nutritionists ensure members avoid dangerous fad diets and instead develop healthy long-term eating habits.

Source:- http://www.ameinfo.com/58348.html

Beauty, grooming and other personal care products are seeing a surge in sales in the Middle East, with the overall category growing 12% annually to a value of US$2.1 billion expected in 2006.

In the UAE and the wider region, the beauty sector is experiencing an unprecedented growth in sales, with working women with high disposable incomes spending more. Evidently, men are also beginning to buy cosmetics and related products in the UAE and Gulf countries.

The cosmetics and personal care market in the UAE alone was worth more than US$414 million in retail sales in 2005, an increase from US$382 million in 2002, according to a consumer survey recently.

Demand for herbal cosmetics has surged in the UAE, with a better regard for moisturisers, cosmetics and fragrances that are specific to the weather conditions in the Middle East - with the consumption of cosmetics and perfumes among the highest per capita world wide, with an average purchase at around US$334 per head.

Paris Gallery, which deals in international brand cosmetics, is planning to open 40 retail outlets in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia shortly, along with moves into Bahrain, Kuwait, the Lebanon and Oman, says a company official.

The region is indeed beginning to show the same trends as are available in the "showcase" Dubai shopping areas, according to retail experts.

Some major brands are very active, with names such as Christian Dior and Coty among the favoured few.

Several brands are known to have established subsidiaries in the Gulf to manage logistics, marketing and local distribution deals.

Market growth is very much reliant on youthful, fashionable trend setters and ever higher disposable incomes.

from Abed Al Aziz Nasser, Dubai Office