Health care in the greatest country in the world is a disaster, and it’s only getting worse. Adult obesity has hit epidemic proportions in America, while childhood obesity threatens current and future generations. 46 million of our citizens are without health care, and fewer and fewer physicians are accepting the health insurance we do have, resulting in costs that are spiraling out of control. We hear about these issues all the time; they are hot topics on talk shows, and make the front pages of our newspapers.

Politicians talk, talk, and talk about them, but there’s little or no action. With the days of lifetime-guaranteed jobs — with guaranteed healthcare — long gone, an individual’s health and wellness is now in her own hands. Our healthcare system is broken and the government can’t, or won’t, fix it. America needs help — and America needs choices.

So where do we start? The answer lies within the basic core of what makes America great, its entrepreneurs. Spa Week has heard the cries for help and answered the call.

This spring, Spa Week will be bringing $50 spa treatments to consumers at over 400 spas across the United States and Canada in an effort to introduce a new generation of consumers to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, and to open up the spa industry to the masses. In Dallas, some participating day spas include: Advanced Skin Fitness, Aqua Medical Spa, Lancome The Boutique, Red Door Spa, Renee Rouleau Skin Care Salon, The Spa at The Crescent and Terrace Retreat Salon & Day Spa.

The goal is to make “wellness” more than just a word — we intend to do our part and make it a reality. By educating and introducing the health benefits of the “spa lifestyle” to as many people as possible, Spa Week is taking a leadership position in the campaign to change the unhealthy course the country is navigating.

Spa Week is slated for April 16-22, 2007 and will take place in over 400 spas in 22 markets across the United States and Canada including New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., Virginia, Baltimore, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Tampa, Oregon, Denver, Minnesota, Seattle, Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Toronto. A list of participating spas will be posted on http://www.spaweek.org/.

Spa Week is encouraging participating spas to develop wellness packages and campaigns, but of course, the spas will continue to offer their signature $50 treatments, along with enough pampering to please even the most discriminating spa enthusiast.

Motivated by the $13 billion annual North American spa industry, Spa Week was developed by C & R Media’s Cheryl Reid and Christina Castro, who hail from successful careers within the luxury spa industry and publishing spheres. Spa Week offers corporate and spa partners a vital niche marketing platform as Spa Week builds as an international brand. This year, Spa Week sponsors include Allure Magazine, Jane Iredale, B Kamins Chemist, Philip Stein Teslar, Skana, The Spa at the Turning Stone, Contrex Water, Aquafresh, NicoDerm, Rusk, Spa Chicks on the Go, Clodagh Design Studio, Michel Torino Wines, CEW, and Cancer and Careers.

A portion of all Spa Week proceeds benefits Cancer and Careers (http://www.cancerandcareers.org/), a non-profit organization for working women with cancer. For more information, visit http://www.spaweek.org/