Jeremy McCarthy is the Director of Spa Operations Development and Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and thelobby.com's expert on everything spa.

The next several posts will be from an "around-the-world" journey with Starwood. I'm starting in Fiji, at the The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa (where I'll be sneaking in a week of vacation.) Then heading to Beijing where I'll be staying at the The Westin Beijing Financial Street and meeting with the new Spa Director for the new The Westin Beijing Chaoyang, currently under construction but on a tight timeline to be ready in time for the Summer Olympics. From Beijing I head to The Westin Guangzhou which just opened a few months ago and features a new Heavenly Spa by Westin. After Guangzhou I meet with some of our corporate teams in Singapore. I then fly to Delhi, India to visit another new Westin property, The Westin Sohna Gurgaon Resort & Spa. After a short stint in India, I move on to visit The Westin Mina Seyahi, Dubai's latest gem. And my last stop (before returning to New York) is in Brussels, Belgium where I will be meeting with our corporate team for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

One of Starwood Spa Collection's "Seven Pillars of Well Being" is Nature. And with good reason, since contact with nature relieves stress while bringing joy and appreciation. One of the best spas in the world for representing this pillar, is the Heavenly Spa by Westin at The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa in Fiji. Just walking through the spa has a calming effect. The traditional Fijian treatment "bures" are spread out on the property and surrounded by beautiful flowers and a tranquil lotus pond. We had the Fijian "bobo" massage in a couples' treatment bure right on the pond. The combination of friendly Fijian staff, an extremely relaxing massage and the beautiful natural surroundings left us floating on clouds for the remainder of our stay.