Onsen Japanese Vs American Spa For Skin Care

Americans and the Japanese both live hectic lives, as modern society places stringent demands on members of both cultures. As such, each has developed its own way to unwind. In America, haggard business professionals turn to the spa to relax and melt away stress. In Japan, busy workers visit the Onsen to regain their inner calm. Both the Onsen and the spa have skin care benefits and provide a relaxing way to deal with the cares and concerns of modern life.

What Is the Japanese Onsen?

The Japanese Onsen is a tradition that has been around since ancient Japan. Since Japan is built on a bunch of volcanoes, there are numerous hot springs on its islands. These hot springs are filled with minerals that seep from the volcanic rock that they must travel through. The water is naturally warm and the minerals are believed to have healing properties. The people of Japan soak in these hot spring baths in order to benefit from the mineral content of the water.

Each Onsen has its own unique mineral makeup, and this will change the effect it has on the body. The Japanese have been using Onsen water for centuries to maintain beautiful skin. It also has the ability to ease pain and muscle tension.

While the Japanese Onsen bath is filled with only hot springs mineral water, the Onsen tradition has spread to other continents where this water is not available. While these baths may be artificial, the water still carries the minerals and warmth that makes it excellent for the skin. Many Onsen combine the mineral baths with traditional spa services, such as facials and massages, to create a total skin care package.

What Is an American Spa?

American spas are a bit more diverse than the Japanese Onsen. The Onsen focuses primarily on the hot springs bath, but a spa offers a variety of treatments, many of which are focused on skin care. In America, one of the most popular spa treatments is a massage, which does not directly impact the skin. However, most spas also offer facials, body wraps, and salt glows, among other treatments.

A facial is the most popular skin care treatment available at an American spa. Facials start with a basic skin cleansing, followed by exfoliation, extraction of blackheads, a facial massage, facial mask, and creams. The facial can be tailored to meet a variety of purposes, including age defense, wrinkle fighting, and a simple cleansing facial.

A salt glow is a whole body treatment available at a spa. It, like the Onsen bath, uses the power of minerals. It is basically a salt scrub that helps hydrate the skin by combining sea salt with oil and aromatherapy oils. This mixture is rubbed into the skin and then rinsed off. This is followed by moisturizer, leaving the skin soft and smooth. The treatment is sometimes followed by a body wrap with either seaweed or mud, which helps detoxify and increase circulation.

Which Is Better?

So is there a better treatment when comparing Japanese Onsen and the American spa? It is hard to say, as both use minerals and water to hydrate and exfoliate the skin. An American spa offers more options to the visitor, but to many the simplicity and natural nature of the Japanese Onsen are appealing. Both will give your skin an added glow and help you reduce your stress levels. The warmth of the Onsen water and the benefit of the scrubbing and massage of an American spa both increase the body's circulation and help remove toxins, which makes the skin look more healthy. If you have the chance to try both, go ahead and do so. You will enjoy the benefits of each and then be able to decide which is the best match for your skin care needs.

Author: A Nutt

Tips For Choosing A Gas Or Charcoal Barbecue

Charcoal or gas barbecues will both cook efficiently and produce delicious food! To help you choose which type to purchase we've put together this guide to set out the features, advantages and disadvantages of both charcoal and gas barbecues.

Charcoal Barbecues

These types of barbecue are usually made from either cast iron or stainless steel, often with a baked on enamel finish. The enamel protects the stainless steel and prevents rusting and this is probably the best choice for a long lasting barbecue. Look for heavy duty plastic wheels which will stand up to cold or hot weather.

Features of Charcoal Barbecues

Cooking grates made from stainless steel or nickel plated are the best as they do not rust and are easy to clean. Plastic or wooden handles are much better than metal as they can be used when the grill is hot. A hinged grate is useful as it makes it easy to add more charcoal and an incorporated work surface that is durable and easy to clean and is also useful.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Charcoal barbecues are cheaper than gas barbecues but can be more expensive to run. There are not so easy to light but to many people lighting the charcoal adds to the fun! Gas barbecues are cleaner and do not need the ashes cleaned out after use. Many people also like the smell and atmosphere of a charcoal barbecue and feel that a gas barbecue does not have the traditional 'feel' of a charcoal barbecue.

Features of Gas Barbecues

The best construction method is stainless steel covered in a baked on enamel finish which is durable and rust free. Leg supports should be welded for greater strength and durability. A lid is useful and most gas barbecues come with two or more burners to allow you to cook more than one dish at one time. Angled steel bars are preferred over lava rocks as they prevent flare ups caused by the juices pooling by efficiently vaporising them. The rising smoke from the vaporised juices enhanced the flavor of the food. Many gas barbecues also have side burners which can be used to cook pasta, sauces etc.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Gas barbecues are cleaner than charcoal barbecues and lighting is easy. Temperature is also easy to control. They are more expensive than charcoal barbecues and the gas bottle can be bulky. Many people miss the traditional smell and atmosphere of a charcoal barbecue.

Barbecue Tips 1. Keep hands away from hot surfaces and do not put your hands directly over the heat. 2. Always pre-heat the barbecue for about ten minutes. 3. Use a wire brush clean off any food debris after use. 4. Replace the grill lid while cooking to help keep the hot air circulating around the food for more even cooking.

5. Always make sure meat and chicken is thoroughly cooked by using a meat thermometer. Undercooked food is one of the leading causes of food poisoning!

6. Do not turn constantly. Turn only once half way through cooking.

7. Steaks and other items that cook quickly can be grilled over a direct heat source, slower cooking foods such as ribs need to be cooked away from a direct source to make them juicy and tender.

8. The outside temperature will affect the cooking time so if you are cooking outside in the winter you will need to allow more time than is given in the recipe.

Author: Janet Ashby

Get Antivirus Security for Your Computer

Computer viruses are malicious enough to spoil your years work. If you are among those who require being online for various purposes, whether work or fun, your computer is at risk of being attacked by numerous viruses roaming in cyberspace. So, guard your system against pesky malware with the help of an effective antivirus security program.

There can be a number of essential things that are required to be checked before you install antivirus or install spyware. Ensure that your PC is not virus infected. Such PC security software programs don't work if you install it on an infected computer. Since there are computer viruses that imitate the behavior of different computer files, the antivirus software may not be able to detect them. Once you make sure that your PC is malware-free, install your antivirus software.

If you are completely baffled about which antivirus software program you should buy, you can take help of any online computer repair technician. They are masters in handling every issue related to computers and networking. Moreover, they can refer you the kind of antivirus you should use along with getting its installation, configuration and up-gradation done.

It is suggested to install antivirus or install antispyware under experts' guidance to ensure your PC security. Help centers have different computer support plans depending upon your personal requirements.

Other services available with these online computer help resources are PC health check up, data back-up services, troubleshooting computer errors, and handling basic installation/reinstallation for PC, operating systems or any other software applications. These services are not just limited to PCs or laptops. There is also the Internet support which is getting famous among computer enthusiasts. You can consider about availing Internet optimization services to optimize you Internet speed and run your network as never before.

In addition to offering you antivirus support services, online computer help resources can also help you with a plethora of technical support services. You can try asking these company a try-before-you-use plan which is generally free of cost. Another advantage of going with online computer support companies is their 24x7 availability and their expertise in handling technical issues and problems.

Author: Joshep John

Xmas Shopping- Popular Gifts to Buy This Xmas

Xmas shopping can be difficult. There are a lot of new items that come out that are popular. And trying to find the best gifts can be difficult. So, what I'm going to do is share with you some great Xmas shopping ideas.

That way, you will be able to get people on your list the best gifts this year.

The gifts you should get when Xmas shopping are:

1. iPod. This device is a very popular item. There are a lot of people who wants an iPod for Christmas. The iPod will make a great gift for anyone of any age.

2. Movies/DVDs. Movies are a popular gift to get anyone for Christmas. There are a lot of great movies that are being released this year. Some of the top movies that I know for sure will be popular are movies like Hancock, Wall-E, and The Dark Knight just to name a few.

3. Xbox 360 Console. This is another gift to buy to buy when you're Xmas shopping. The Xbox 360 is one of the best game consoles out right now. It's a popular gift that a lot of people are getting for Christmas.

4. Amazon Gift Cards. The Amazon gift card is another great gift. You can get this gift for anyone. The person you are getting it for can use it to buy anything from the Amazon site. Amazon sells everything from clothes, TVs, games, toys to cookware, electronics, movies, and more.

The cool thing about getting an Amazon card is that you can actually have Amazon email it to whoever you are buying it for. Which means you can have it emailed within 3 minutes of buying. This makes it a great last minute gift, too.

These are some great Xmas shopping ideas. If you want to get someone the perfect gifts for Christmas, you should get them to ones mentioned above. Anyone on your list will love these gifts. It will help them have the best Xmas ever.

Author: Tony Smith : source

How to Record the computer screen without camera

Why do you need to record the computer?

"What's wrong with my computer/this tool?" When you have problems of trying new applications or system, and have no idea of how to describe what happened on your computer, you may need a tool to mirror your operations, and then send it to a computer guru or technical support for help. It need to show exactly what you have done and how can this happen, so the technical staff can understand you clearly and give you the quick solution within minutes. It's efficient for you to get the quick response.

Do you really need a camera to record your computer screen? A camera face to your computer is not the best way for these purposes. First, the camera can not record the screen exactly. Second, you can not edit the video by adding some instructions or narrations. Third, the video file is too big for web sharing and transmission.

Maybe you need an application to record your screen, not a camera! Demo creator tool helps you to record the screen to mirror all of your operations without camera. You can add tips to highlight the important functions. Furthermore, you can add narration from microphone easily to enhance the demo. At last you can publish the flash movie and transmit to the technical guys. As you know, the flash format with smaller size and better for network transmission.

It's very popular that these demo creator tools work with three steps, record screen, enhance with annotations and publish to movie. A good one in this area I want to highlight is Wondershare DemoCreator, with the excellent functions of Auto-annotation and click zone. It's suitable for individual uses, no need of programming or media skills.

Especially, DemoCreator's build-in ready-for-use after capture, adds the annotation and click zone to recorded screens automatically when recording is being done. After recording is completed, you can just publish the movie immediately. The actions of mouse movements and application operations are recorded automatically already. Audiences can know how to use your products step by step when playing the demo. Furthermore, you can add some animations or interactivities to enhance the software demo, thus making the demo more animated and interactive.

Tours in Bangkok

Ever wanted to do something a little bit different when your travel to a tropical holiday destination, well, Realasia.net offers just that. Established 10 years ago it is Bangkoks leading bike tour operator. The company is owned and operated by a Dutch national called Michiel who has been living and working in Thailand for many years, the benefit is that you are getting the best of both worlds, western quality and service combined with Thai culture.

So why would you want to ride around Bangkok on a bike? You can get right up close to the people and feel the culture that it offers. The tours start from different locations so each one has something a little bit different and so offers something for everyone. You are able to go to places typical tourists can't. Klongs (canals) once earned Bangkok the title of the "Venice of the Orient." The tropical landscape and Thai style homes will shatter all Western illusions. These bicycle tours bring you to very small backstreets, alleys, markets, temples and even the small streets and houses below Bangkok highways. This gives a true picture of daily life for a lot of people in the city. While biking along the large network of elevated pathways over the Klongs, which are only just wide enough for bicycles and motorbikes, you will be able to discover the real Bangkok. These pathways put the crowded roadways of Bangkok far behind you.

After a nice trip by Klong (Canal) boat you will leave the metropolis part behind and continue your tour through an oasis of green landscape scattered by fruit plantations and typical Thai style houses. Here a few cars will be seen. No traffic jams, no hassle, no shopping malls, no air conditioning, no modern-day Bangkok life. As if you are in a remote village, people live in small houses, living from the products on their lands.

Tours are started at different times throughout the day, and run 365 days a year 7 days a week, even holidays.

While the most popular tours are biking, we also offer walking, train, and longtail boat tours. Each tour comes with an English speaking guide, refreshments, lunch and full insurance.

Author: Robert : source

The Pandora Bracelet

Pandora is one the fastest-selling jewellery brands in the UK and has therefore become extremely popular. For people to make the most out of Pandora and in order that people are able to customise the look and feel of Pandora, they must first purchase a Pandora bracelet.

Pandora bracelets are an essential element when buying Pandora. They are an essential element because they are the item that people put all their Pandora charms on. People can purchase hundreds of different charms and obviously the charms need to be threaded onto something. Consumers therefore buy Pandora bracelets.

There are a number of different Pandora bracelets to choose from. The main ones are either silver or gold in colour. Generally consumers that buy silver bracelets also buy silver charms to add to the bracelets. This is because silver charms look good on silver bracelets and make the whole Pandora product very stylish. Gold charms on silver bracelets can look very good too but some people prefer the simpler look. Gold bracelets can also be bought but these tend to be higher in price and are therefore not as common as the silver bracelets. They are however, incredibly attractive and anyone seen to be wearing a gold Pandora bracelet would certainly be very proud indeed.

Together with the two colours that consumers have to choose from, consumers also have the choice between two different size bracelets. The choice is basically between a 19 centimetre bracelet and a 20 centimetre bracelet and this choice is made dependant on wrist size. Most people actually go for the 19 centimetre bracelet as people tend to have slim wrists.

People can of course purchase Pandora necklaces too. The Pandora necklace works in exactly the same way as the bracelet. In the main, consumers tend to buy Pandora bracelets more than necklaces. This is because people like to put charms onto bracelets and wear them on their wrists. Wearing jewellery on the wrist is seen as a great way to add character to the body. Watches are also worn on the wrist too and wearing a Pandora bracelet next to an attractive and stylish watch can make someone look very good indeed.

The Pandora bracelet is therefore extremely important in helping people build their perfect Pandora charm. There are many different choices of bracelets people can buy but what is important is that they wear a Pandora bracelet that suits their own individual taste.

Author: David Fox : Source

Should You be Using RSS Feeds and Blogs?

Today's marketplace is extremely competitive. The Wal Marts of the world are squeezing the life out of small business enterprises. Meanwhile the World Wide Web is inviting small marketers with open arms. Rather than having an amazing amount of resources available, the Internet requires savvy and alert marketing methods. Blogs and RSS Feeds will blow your mind with the virtually free growth potential they offer small and large marketers alike.

Why not level the playing field to give your small or new web business a boost? Blogs were once used as a personal online 'diary' where people could express their thoughts and feelings, but today they offer a quick and efficient way to get your website indexed really fast! Forget about spending months to build a small clientele. A few minutes each day, spent writing about the market you're involved in will bring your site to the attention of search engines fast and we all love free traffic. Incorporate your blog into a RSS feeds and your site will be broadcasted across the world in no time at all bring even more free traffic.

Alicia was the typical homemaker who spent her days raising kids, sewing, cleaning, and of course folding piles of laundry. She did have one pastime - surfing the web. Early in her experience she knew absolutely nothing about web terms. In fact, the mention of a spider would have sent her running. As her knowledge grew, she began to get a wild dream of becoming a virtual entrepreneur. Could she do it?

She thought of what her family would think about her attempt. Their number one reaction she imagined would be surprise. This made the decision - she would keep her business attempt a secret, and if all went well she'd have a really great surprise in store for them. Alicia went through the normal first steps of setting up a website, and readying her product - a mother's personal organizer. Next she researched all of the marketing plans she could find.

Day after day, after the kids went off to school Alicia spent a few minutes blogging about everyday events in the life of a mother. She incorporated RSS feeds into her plan, and included a great number of links to other sites of interest (all affiliate links.) Day by day she watched her web traffic increase and her bank account grow. By Christmas time she had the most amazing surprise to present to her family - a bank statement that proved she had earned more than $30,000 in her spare time of a few minutes each day.

How could such a simple marketing plan work for an obvious newbie? Simply! Alicia just found a plan that involved a little technological knowledge and implemented it. She happened to have found a way to get her site indexed and listed on search results almost immediately. Spiders love updated content and long lists of related links. Alicia, like most mothers, knew that if you feed something what it likes, it'll pretty much do what you want it to! For Alicia, a little mother's insight paid off.

source

The Rumors of Ecommerce Death

As Nasdaq sputters along in dot com shame, a few million few dogged Internet consumers have ignored the crash. They continue to happily buy away. The good-news story is not popular with business writers, but Web retailing continues to grow seemingly unaware that the online mall is crashing down around them as they choose garden tools, sell sports cards and order vacation packages. Things aren't perfect. There has been somewhat of a dip since Christmas, but I think most Net retailers can live with a post-holiday. Retailers have weathered after-Santa blues since the English switched from wassailing to kids toys in the mid-1800s.

We decided to take a look at recent reports on Internet retail sales just to see if the Net stock gloom was blunting the steady expansion of online commerce. We found some softening in the rate of growth, but we certainly didn't find any contraction in consumer behavior. The shrinking effect right now seems limited to the number of dot coms rather then the number of consumers. In fact, if you subtract the bizarrely heightened expectations for the Internet, its growth is coming along just fine. By any standards other than the Net-boom mentality, Internet expansion continues to be fairly spectacular.

Net buyers hit ten quarters of continuous buying

Greenfield Online reported that for 10 consecutive quarters, 60 percent of U.S. Online consumers have made at least one purchase on the Web within a 90-day period. And 28 percent of these shoppers have clicked on Internet ads while shopping. Not surprisingly, those with an annual income of $50,000 and above are more likely to purchase goods (81 percent) than those whose income is below $50,000 (64 percent). Women on the Net buy at a slightly higher rate (74 percent) than men (71 percent). The top categories of goods continues to be books and CDs, followed by clothing, toys and computer software.

Rich buyers seek service basics online

Forrester Research looked at the shopping habits of rich consumers, those with investable assets on $1 million or more, and found that these shoppers are more interested in strong basic serve than they are in virtual exclusivity, extravagance and entertainment. Affluent shoppers have been buying linger, feel more comfortable buying, buy more frequently and, of course, spend more money," said Ekaterina O. Walsh, a senior analyst at Forrester. "They buy online for the same reasons for the same reasons that all online buyers do and care about price and positive experiences with Web stores." Forrester recommends that sellers of luxury goods should concentrate on purchasing ease and a convenience return process.

Visitor traffic dips

PC Data Online found that traffic to leading ecommerce sites declined about 4 percent in February following an 18 percent seasonal drop in January. Goldman Sachs analysts cited port-holiday seasonality, a slowdown in the rate on new consumer adopting ecommerce and slower overall consumer spending as the factors in the slower month-by-month growth of Internet retailing. However, this year's figures are up 63 percent over last year. Hey. Did anybody see that? I'll say it again. We're up 63 percent over last year! Some blues. Features that will keep your sales growing

Consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers released a survey that identified the site features that are most likely to capture sales. The research found that with the exception of search capabilities and close-up product views, most Website features are never used by the majority of Internet shoppers. The search function is overwhelmingly the top feature used by consumers, with 77 percent saying they have used search functions while shopping.

Other site features such as wish-lists and personalization were found to be less important to shoppers. As a side note, we found a study by the International eRetail Association that listed wish-lists as a tool that works well for building loyalty, so go easy on making assumptions based on Internet studies.

The take-away on all of the recent information about Internet retailing is that it continues to grow rapidly in spite of the gloom that fills the business media. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of the death of retail ecommerce have been greatly exagerated.

source

Cheap Mobile Phone Deals

Searching Cheap Mobiles Phones Deal on the net is always been a feverish task. If you don't have any clue then we provide you with information which will turn your Midas touch into gold. There are varieties of mobile phones available in the market of different brands which makes luring and attractive offers the customer. In past decade many giant companies have opened the plethora of mobiles and capitalized on the necessity for everyone to own a mobile phone in order to keep up with the explosion of the modern technological communication age. Redefining Senses Always select the brand which provides user friendly mobile as you don't want to waste your time in learning complications. So don't always go for the look as it may double-cross you. So before any thing sort out your needs as to what type of application and services you will need. As there are mobile for every one with differentiating need. As of now markets are flooded with cheap mobile phones as they defy their looks and can enthrall you with their design and application as many mobiles are now capable of multitasking. If you are workaholic then you should have a mobile which tells you about your team meetings and discussions and send mails. If you like talking all day then you should go for a mobile with more stress on battery back up and stand buy time. If you are an avid listener of music then there are music phones which can play all your favorite songs. If you like sharing lot amount of data with your friends then there are connective mobiles which makes possible to transfer files with the use of technologies such as Bluetooth and USB port. It is also possible to access internet services and so downloading of ring tones, games and videos after surfing through the different sites is possible. World is Changing…… With the revolution in phone industry and huge market capability has given rise to cheap mobiles phone. These phones has given the power even to common man to own his mobile and be connect to his near and dear ones. There are lots of comparison shopping sites which can provide you information and possibly show the best deal. So before going for the one devote some time in online searching and read lot of reviews to get better understanding of the brand and device. Author : The author has the experience and expertise of the telecommunication field and has been advising the customers on finding out cheap mobile deals and purchasing of mobile phones.