Elizabeth Arden was a pioneer. She was the first to introduce the destination spa to the United States. In 1934 she opened her famous Maine Chance. Soon a second one in Arizona followed. Spas were known in Europe as places where people went to rest and take "the cure" by drinking mineral water and soaking in mineral baths.

Ms. Arden Americanized the concept by creating a women’s haven not only for well being, but for beauty treatments, fitness, exercise and diet. Seventy years later Maine Chance is gone, but its imitators are legion and similar destinations continue to sprout up all over the country.

Elizabeth Arden did not disappear. A full line of cosmetics still bears her name. Her signature Red Door Salons, the beauty empire that began in 1910 with a Fifth Avenue address, now number 120 full service and day salons, which are freestanding or housed in department stores.

The company has moved to a new level of operations and is in talks with hotels and resorts to recapture the spirit of Maine Chance. The first has already opened at the Seaview Marriott Resort and Fairway Villas in Absecon, New Jersey. David Stoup, CEO of Elizabeth Arden, said, "Our clients will now be able to enjoy the same signature Arden services they receive at our urban locations in multiple resorts around the world."

The New Jersey spa offers an extensive menu of body treatments including wraps, polishes, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, many styles of massages and special services just for men. Four classes are held each day including aquaerobics in the indoor pool. There are mineral whirlpools and relaxation gardens, a Swiss shower, a sauna, a steam room, a gym with state-of-the-art equipment and a cafe for light meals.

The Red Door Spa is housed in a separate building on the 670-acre Seaview property along the southern New Jersey shoreline. The resort belongs to the National Trust Hotels of America, an organization that recognizes preservation and the maintenance of historic integrity, architecture and ambience.

Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, 400 East Fairway Lane, Galloway, NJ 08205. Tel. 609-404-4100. Packages and individual treatments. Hotel rates start at $150. www.reddoorsalons.com

Spring 1998