For Melanoma Awareness Month This May: SpaFinder Melanoma Initiative Promotes Sun Safety with Photosensitive

For Melanoma Awareness Month This May: SpaFinder Melanoma Initiative Promotes Sun Safety with Photosensitive "I Will Reflect" Wristbands

Campaign Enlists Thousands of Spas to Educate Global Spa-Goers About Melanoma Prevention and Detection

New York, NY - April 2, 2008

As part of Melanoma Awareness Month this May, SpaFinder, (www.spafinder.com), the global spa resource, announced today that it is teaming up with thousands of spas worldwide to distribute photosensitive “I Will Reflect” wristbands that change color when exposed to harmful UVA rays.

The wristbands are the centerpiece of the SpaFinder Melanoma Initiative, a campaign whose mission is to educate the public about melanoma detection and prevention. To help raise awareness of this deadly but largely preventable disease, SpaFinder has partnered with spas around the globe, enlisting therapists and aestheticians to encourage clients to apply sunscreen regularly and schedule yearly skin checkups with a dermatoligist. Participating spas include the Towne & Country Salon in Maineville, OH; Mi Salon and Day Spa in Florence, KY; Spa Direction in San Diego, CA; Replenish Medspa in Foothill Ranch, CA; and Hands On Massage & Spa in Las Vegas, NV.

“Melanoma is an important issue to everyone in the spa industry as unsafe sun exposure is a universal obstacle to the spa mission of total wellness,” said Susie Ellis, President of SpaFinder, Inc. “Spa therapists, who get a close look at people’s skin every day, are in a unique position to promote skin cancer detection and education -- which is why the Melanoma Initiative has enlisted them as a first line of defense.”

The chic white bracelets, which darken to an attractive shade of purple when worn in the sun, bear a metal faceplate engraved with the Melanoma Initiative’s motto, “I Will Reflect.” The phrase reminds wristband wearers to think about the five melanoma-prevention tips included in the bracelet’s elegant packaging:

Be sun and skin smart;
Wear sunscreen year round;
Use a minimum of 15 SPF sunscreen;
Have an annual full-body mole check;
Share this important message with others.

According to Ellis, the campaign was inspired by the death of Alex Szekely, the former president of the world-renowned Golden Door and Rancho La Puerta spas, and one of the spa industry’s true visionaries. Ellis noted that although one American dies of melanoma almost every hour, early detection raises the five-year survival rate to 99 percent.

&Spas interested in distributing SpaFinder’s "I Will Reflect" bracelets can purchase them for $2.00 each in quantities of thirty or more by contacting James O’Meara at james.omeara@spafinder.com or 212-716-1171. Single wristbands can be purchased for $4.95 each. Proceeds go towards melanoma research and programs to raise awareness of this deadly but largely preventable disease. For more information, please visit the SpaFinder Melanoma Initiative website:

Contact: Scott Piro (scott@mkpr.com)
Jenny Chang (jenny@mkpr.com)
MKPR, 212-627-8098

About SpaFinder, Inc. :

The world’s largest spa media, marketing and gifting company, SpaFinder, Inc. connects millions of wellness-focused consumers with thousands of spas worldwide. SpaFinder’s media properties include the award-winning Spafinder.com, Luxury SpaFinder Interactive and the worldwide spa directory, Global SpaFinder. Spa Finder Gift Certificates and its new gift division, Spa & Salon Wish, offer spa gift certificates and cards that are redeemable at a combined network of over 5,000+ spas and salons worldwide and are available at thousands of retail outlets. The company’s software division innovates new solutions to help spas build and streamline their businesses, including the popular SpaBooker online booking system. SpaFinder Europe and SpaFinder Japan offer regional spa marketing and gifting programs, including localized, native-language websites. Founded in 1986, the privately held company is headquartered in Manhattan.