SEPTEMBER 2005

THE SPA AT NORWICH INN'S HEALTHY PLEASURES PROGRAM PROVIDES A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER WAY TO LIVE IN 2006

NORWICH, Conn - The Spa at Norwich Inn has announced the 2006 dates for Healthy Pleasures, its individualized lifestyle enhancement and wellness program that uses techniques such as laughter therapy, nutritional consultations, mindful fitness classes and luxurious, relaxing spa services to help guests learn how to live happier, healthier lives.

The four-night, five-day program, held on a Monday through Thursday with Sunday-night check-in, will be offered Jan. 15-20, Feb. 12-17, March 12-17, April 9-14, June 11-16, July 9-14, Aug. 13-18, Sept 10-15 and Oct 15-20.

The Healthy Pleasures mission is to give guests - couples, friends, parent and child or individuals --practical and pleasurable tools for stress relief - the number one reason people visit spas --mind-body awareness and better nutrition. The program's philosophy is based on the ancient Buddhist practice of mindfulness, which means "paying attention on purpose."

Guests in the Healthy Pleasures program take meals and activities classes together, which creates a structure for a small community that supports each guest, yet there is enough flexibility for individual guests to opt in or out of activities as needed.

"Healthy Pleasures is designed to work within the framework of each person's existing lifestyle," said John G. O'Shaughnessy, general manager of The Spa at Norwich Inn. "We take our guests as we find them, then tailor a custom package of enhancements to make their lives more enjoyable and meaningful than ever. Guests will find this program both healing and regenerative." The immersion program includes a 'non-diet' approach to better health that allows guests to use their existing eating habits to their advantage. Guests also receive a one-on-one personal dietary analysis and consultation.

The program has been well received by guests as well as the media. Elle magazine said "Don't miss Healthy Pleasures." Connecticut Magazine described it as "the ultimate feel-good experience . . . my inner self has been instructed and inspired to change my lifestyle from crazy-making to self-nurturing." Healthy Pleasures uses the ancient Buddhist concept of mindfulness (paying attention on purpose) as the core component of all class offerings, which will include exercise, food and wine appreciation, massage therapy, mindful stress reduction, laughter therapy, culinary nutrition and a silent dining experience. Guests will also enjoy two spa treatments of their choice each day from the spa's menu of over 50 beauty and body treatments.

Also central to the program is the cuisine of Daniel Chong-Jimenez, the spa's executive chef, who favors a Mediterranean-style diet that includes 40 per cent of calories from healthy, monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil or canola oil, olives and nuts; lean protein, complex carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits, and occasional treats for the palate.

"A low-fat or no-fat diet is not a science-based answer to long-term weight management," said Chong-Jimenez, who trained and worked as a research scientist before enrolling in culinary school. "People on that type of diet never feel full, and they respond by eating more and more refined carbohydrates in snack foods or sweets. Ironically, they're creating even more fat, because the body's response to refined carbohydrates is to produce insulin, which then transports excess carbohydrates to your cells and stores them as fat."

The stress relief part of Healthy Pleasures will be taught through the mindful stress reduction class, fitness classes, massage therapy instruction and laughter therapy. Enhancing mind-body awareness is a cornerstone of wellness, and the spa's exercise instructors are expert at helping guests bring the mind and body into alignment, which is also a fundamental of stress relief and prevention.

A silent dining experience - usually a single course of a lunch or dinner, is a specific exercise of mind-body awareness, uses the power of food to illuminate underlying issues in an individual's life that may need more attention: i.e., binging or eating while under stress. It encourages slower, more conscious eating: a focus on tastes, textures and aromas. Most participants will experience satiety sooner than expected, and thus avoid overeating. Over time, this practice can lead to improved eating habits and, in some cases, weight loss.

Dr David Tate, director of the Center for Stress Reduction in St. George, Utah, provided specialized training on mindfulness-based stress reduction to spa staff members for the Healthy Pleasures program. He is well known in his field for helping establish, conducting research and teaching at the Stress Reduction Clinic at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. That program was one of the first of now over 240 clinics patterned after the world-famous University of Massachusetts Medical Center Stress Reduction Program. It was cited by Dr. Tate's mentor, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, as "the oldest, largest and best replication of our program."

Healthy Pleasures includes guestroom, all program meals and snacks, treatments, program classes, access to all area of the spa, including locker rooms, fitness equipment, sauna, steam and whirlpool and relaxation room. The cost of the program is $1,565 per person, sharing a double room; the cost for a single person is $1,865. Taxes, service charges and gratuities are extra. For further information and reservations, contact the Spa at 800 ASK-4-SPA.

The Spa at Norwich Inn is an intimate, 100-guestroom retreat. It is home to an elegant, world-class spa offering a blend of fitness programs, nutritional instruction and beauty and body treatments designed to restore and rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. Guests are housed either in the 1930 Georgia Colonial inn building, or in villas with wood-burning fireplaces and balconies. It was named "Best Destination Spa in New England" by YANKEE Magazine in 2005 and has been rated "Excellent" in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 editions of the Zagat Survey of U.S. Hotels, Resorts and Spas. It has received awards from SpaFinder Magazine for its massage and facial skin care services and has been voted "Best Day Spa" by the readers of Connecticut Magazine for the last eight years in a row. For information and reservations on a wide variety of weekend, weekday and overnight options, call 800-ASK-4-Spa or visit www.thespaatnorwichinn.com.

The Spa at Norwich Inn is a member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For information, visit www.historichotels.org

Press Contact:
Peggie Cosgrove
Peggie Ford Cosgrove Public Relations LLC
860-447-9217

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