Raleigh, NC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/10/2006 --Blue Water Spa, a Day Spa in Raleigh, NC provides guidelines for choosing the ideal gift. Massage, facials microdermabrasion, hot stone massage full day of beauty and spa gift packages and treatments are available for all your gift giving needs.

Day Spa gift certificates are becoming more and more popular and are right at the top of Holiday or Christmas wish lists. Day Spas offer stress-relief, pampering, and results. Spa gift certificates are a wonderful way to show friends, family, employees, or the one you love, how much you care.

When selecting a spa gift certificate, consider the following:

Visiting the web site for a spa can give you an idea of the spa’s environment, their experience, and philosophy. The spa experience begins when a guest enters the door. By taking a virtual tour, you can get an idea of what the experience will be.

Some of the best gifts are things that one would typically not consider purchasing for themselves. A popular trend today is treatments using more than one therapist. There is nothing quite like a facial (which includes a massage of the face, neck, shoulders, upper back, hands and arms) combined with a second therapist simultaneously massaging the feet with both hands and hot stones. This type of treatment is absolutely decadent and can be surprisingly affordable. At Blue Water Spa, a Foot Fantasy can be combined with almost any treatment. This is a heavenly experience with a skilled therapist providing both a manual and hot stone massage using essential oils.

Important Questions to Ask:

Ask about gift certificate delivery. For those of us who wait until the last minute, gift certificates that can be purchased over the phone can be a big help. In most cases, gift certificates can be ordered online and delivered instantly via email before a gift card arrives in the mail.

Ask if the therapists have a sales quota. Sadly, some spas require massage therapists and aestheticians (facialists) to have sales quotas. This can mean high pressure to clients to add on extra services and to purchase products.

Be sure to ask the spa’s policy on aestheticians (facialists) leaving the room during a treatment. The therapist should be in the room at all times delivering pampering, relaxation, and results. A client who is left alone can feel forgotten and uneasy and certainly they are not getting the best treatment possible.

Adding some products to a gift certificate can enhance the spa experience. Aromatherapy candles, essential oils, soaps, shower gels, and luxurious massage cream can make for a romantic spa experience for a couple to share at home.

Blue Water Spa is owned and operated by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Law and his wife Kile. Blue Water Spa was voted one of the top 4 spas in America by American Spa Magazine in their 2005 Professionals Choice Awards and was named and a Five-Star Beauty Destination by New Beauty Magazine. Blue Water Spa was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work by the Triangle Business Journal in 2005 and was recognized as the #1 Best Place to Work in the Triangle 2006 by TBJ. Most recently, Blue Water Spa was named the Best Spa in America by Skin Inc. Magazine.