11 14 2006
512
The term ‘lobbyist’, by the way, was coined in 19th century
GYMNASIUM (=GYM) detailed description…
T
he word γυμνάσιον (gymnasion) was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men. The later meaning of intellectual education persisted in German and other languages to denote a certain type of school providing secondary education, the Gymnasium, whereas in English the meaning of physical education was pertained in the word gym.
The Greek word gymnasium means "place to be naked" and was used in ancient Greece to designate a locality for the education of young men, including physical education (gymnastics, i.e. exercise) which was customarily performed naked, as well as bathing, and studies. For the Greeks, physical education was considered as important as cognitive learning. Most Greek gymnasia had libraries that could be utilized after relaxing in the baths.
History:
Gymnasiums (i.e., places for gymnastics) in Germany were an outgrowth of the Turnplatz, an outdoor area for gymnastics, promoted by German educator Friedrich Jahn and the Turners, a nineteenth-century political and gymnastic movement. In the United States, the Turner movement thrived in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The first Turners group was formed in Cincinnati in 1848. The Turners built gymnasiums in several cities like Cincinnati and St. Louis which had large German American populations.
The first college gymnasium in America probably was the one built at Harvard University
in 1820. Although privately owned, it was maintained for the use of the
students.
LOBBY
S
tems from the word "Lobbyist". The term ‘lobbyist’ was coined in 19th century in the Willard hotel in Washington DC, on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the White House and the Congress.
During that time, it was virtually the only conveniently placed site where it was possible for the politicians and White House and Congress workers, and the persons wanting to talk with them, to find shelter from the weather.
President Ulysses Grant liked to use this hotel as a refuge from the White House pressure; the hotel placed a leather chair in a secluded part of the hotel lobby for him, where he could enjoy his favourite cigars and brandy in relative peace. Still, he was pestered there by would-be power brokers seeking his ear; for such people he coined the word ‘lobbyists’.
PAGE BOY
P
age boys are usually under the management of the concierge desk. The term comes from the medieval times. A page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire.
A young boy served as a page for seven years, from the age of seven
(after cutting hair - there is still a hair style called page boy) until he was fourteen. At age fourteen, he could
graduate to become a squire, and by age 21, perhaps a knight himself.
Similar pages served in castles, and great houses fetching things and running messages for aristocrats and royalty.
These boys were often the scions of other great families who were
learning the ropes of the manorial system by watching and learning.
Their residence in the house served as a goodwill gesture between the
two families involved and helped them gain political contacts for their
adult lives. A reference to this kind of page is found in the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslaus: "Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling...."
In hotels, you could come across some older page "boys", too. Sometimes referred to as porters, bellman or bell·hop, they carry luggage and do errands.
SPA detailed description…
T
he term is derived from the name of the town of Spa in Belgium, where since medieval times illnesses caused by iron deficiency were treated by drinking chalybeate (iron bearing) spring water.
Treatments with healing waters have a long lasting tradition: just think about the baths of the Romans. in 1436 the Austrian vally of Gastein in the county Salzburg receives Emperor Friedrich III, who enjoys the healthy springs of the alpine valley. In 16th century England the old Roman ideas of medicinal bathing were revived at towns like Bath, and in 1571 William Slingsby who had been to the Belgian town (which he called Spaw) discovered a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire. He built an enclosed well at what became known as Harrogate, the first resort in England for drinking medicinal waters, then in 1596 Dr Timothy Bright called the resort The English Spaw, beginning the use of the word Spa
as a generic description rather than as the place name of the Belgian
town. At first this term referred specifically to resorts for water
drinking rather than bathing, but this distinction was gradually lost
and many spas offer external remedies.
There are various stories about the origin of the name. A Belgian spring of iron bearing water was called Espa from the Walloon language
term for "fountain", and was used in 1326 as a cure by an iron master
with such success that he founded a health resort which developed into
the town.[3] It is also suggested that the term Espa may be derived from the name of the resort, and that its source could be the Latin word "spagere" meaning to scatter, sprinkle or moisten.[4]
It has been suggested, with no evidence, that the word is an acronym of various Latin phrases such as "Salus Per Aquam” or "Sanitas Per Aquam" meaning "health through water".
These are "backronyms" — back-formed acronyms. Acronyms arose in the twentieth century, and were not used in classical times.
Using the name Spa
- Spa, a municipality in Belgium
- Spa, a village in County Down, Northern Ireland
- Leixlip Spa a spring in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland
- the racing circuit Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
- A spa town, noted for its spa, for example Bath in England
- Spa Mineral water, from the sources in Spa
- TrimSpa weight loss pills
- A soda fountain, in United States usage.
- A hot tub, in United States usage.
- A small bath in which feet can be washed and massaged is commonly sold as a foot spa.
TYPES OF SPAS:
- Club spa - A facility whose primary purpose is fitness and
which offers a variety of professionally administered spa services on a
day-use basis.
-
Cruise ship spa – A spa aboard a cruise ship providing
professionally administered spa services, fitness and wellness
components and spa cuisine menu choices.
-
Day spa – A spa offering a variety of professionally administered spa services to clients on a day-use basis.
-
Dental spa – A facility under the supervision of a licensed dentist that combines traditional dental treatment with the services of a spa.[6]
-
Destination spa
- A destination spa is a facility with the primary purpose of guiding
individual spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically a
seven-day stay, this lifestyle transformation can be accomplished by
providing a comprehensive program that includes spa services, physical
fitness activities, wellness education,healthful cuisine and special
interest programming.
-
Medical spa
- A facility that operates under the full-time, on-site supervision of
a licensed health care professional whose primary purpose is to provide
comprehensive medical and wellness care in an environment that
integrates spa services, as well as traditional, complimentary and/or
alternative therapies and treatments. The facility operates within the
scope of practice of its staff, which can include both
Aesthetic/Cosmetic and Prevention/Wellness procedures and services.
-
Mineral springs spa - A spa offering an on-site source of natural mineral, thermal or seawater used in hydrotherapy treatments.
-
Resort/hotel spa - A spa owned by and located within a resort
or hotel providing professionally administered spa services, fitness
and wellness components and spa cuisine menu choices. In addition to
the leisure guest, this is a great place for business travelers who
wish to take advantage of the spa experience while away from home.
©famoushotels.org