The spa industry in the United States since 1994 has more than doubled its outlets. Las Vegas has stayed in tune with the demand and in January, the second largest hotel spa in town with 32,000 square feet and 35 private therapy rooms opened. The Elemis Spa at the Aladdin is a sanctuary for the senses.

As you enter the spa, the richness of the Moroccan culture engulfs you. Your journey begins with a decorated walkway that leads to the spa reception area. Stone columns decorated with Moroccan motifs create a soothing relaxation area with music and the sweet fragrance of Indian Jasmine to aid the experience.

The first Elemis Day-Spa was opened in January 2001 in historic London Town, England, with the goal to create a sensory space that appealed to all the senses.

Noella Gabriel, Director of Treatment Development for Elemis, spent three years researching and internalizing rituals and touches from ten ancient cultures. The result is the new Elemis Spa Therapy Menu - 24 ground breaking therapies - which combine these exotic touches with utmost respect and reverence for the original philosophy from which they came.

The Elemis Spa at the Aladdin is the first U.S. based Elemis Spa. For peaceful indulgence, it has six suites, where multiple therapies and signature Elemis ceremonies can be enjoyed in one area. Each suite is decorated with furniture from Moroccan antiquity.

Couples having a massage while lying side by side can enjoy the Casablanca Suite. The Zagora, Sahara and Tangiers Suites are equipped with the Sensory Float bed and guests can enjoy the detoxifying benefits and a massage. The signature Arabian Dream Ritual is also offered in the suite. The Marrakech and Arabesque Suites allows for the exotic warmth of a Slipper Bath and more signature rituals.

The Royal Sultan Suite is reserved for Aladdin hotel guests only.

The Elemis Spa at the Aladdin is open daily beginning at 6 a.m. with the sauna and steam. Spa services including the Hair and Nail Salon are available from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The spa shop hours are from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Spa guests must be 18 years old.

Prices run from $55 for a Japanese Silk Eye Zone Therapy up to $300 for an hour-and-a-half Ceremony of Love Exotic Jasmine Flower Bath for Two with Couples Massage. For appointments and information, call 1-866-9-ELEMIS or 702-785-5-SPA.

The 9th Annual Las Vegas City of Lights Jazz Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, at Hills Park Amphitheater in Summerlin from noon until 10 p.m. Summerlin is located approximately 10 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip.

The festival's lineup includes six scheduled artists: world-renowned jazz vocalist Randy Crawford; multiple award-winning trumpeter Rick Braun; the stimulating jazz keyboards of Brian Culbertson; crowd pleasing urban jazz pianist/vocalist Joe McBride; award-winning jazz guitarist Joyce Cooling; and Michael Lington, a new sax man from Denmark. Other artists will be announced.

As the festival continues to gain momentum, it will rank alongside the top-rated European and U.S. spring and summer jazz festivals. Advanced adult general admission tickets are $53 plus a service charge and $60 if purchased on site. Admission is free for children 10 and under, and there's a reduced $10 ticket price for children between 11 and 18 years of age. For tickets, call the Jazz Festival hotline at 1-800-969-VEGAS or in the Los Angeles area, call Inglewood Tickets at 310-671-6400. The event's Web site is www.mspjazz.com.

The Stardust's series of big band concerts is now in its seventh year. Ray Anthony and His Orchestra will appear on April 20 and the Russ Morgan Orchestra, celebrating its 67th year in the dance band business, will do the honors on March 30. Doors will open at 6 p.m. to the 25,000-square-foot ballroom and dancing will start at 7 p.m. Admission is $15.

The Russ Morgan Orchestra has had only two leaders throughout its history. Russ Morgan issued the first downbeat in 1935 and led the band for 34 years. Following his dad's death in 1969, Jack took the helm and has remained in charge ever since.

The elder Morgan was a trombonist and composed most of the band's biggest hits along with serving as arranger and vocalist. In 1965, he accepted an eight-week engagement at the old Dunes Hotel and wound up staying for the ensuing 12 years.

Jack Morgan, also a trombonist, played in his father's renowned orchestra before taking over the reins. For this engagement at the Stardust, Morgan will add a string section to capture the full orchestra sound of the band's original recordings.

Tiger Jam will return to the Mandalay Bay Events Center on April 20. Tiger Woods' fifth jam stars Don Henley and Train. Tickets are $45 and $65, call 702-632-7580.

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The Parrotheads will be flocking to Las Vegas again when singer, songwriter and author Jimmy Buffett holds concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 25 and 26. Tickets range between $25 and $150, call 702-474-4000.

Buffett uses his travels and storytelling skills to explain the world at large to his far-flung legion of fans, affectionately known as Parrotheads. Many of Buffett's songs inspire the unusual wardrobe that the Parrotheads wear. Colorful, tropically outrageous outfits are seen at the events.

Buffett's newest record, "Far Side of the World," was released on Tuesday, March 19 on Mailboats Records. This record, as with Buffett's last two, is an enhanced CD which includes footage of his recent travels and the making of the record. He has recorded 33 records, most of which have gone gold, platinum or multi-platinum.

As an author, Buffett has written three No. 1 best sellers: "Tales from Margaritaville" "Where is Joe Merchant?" and "A Pirate Looks at Fifty."

There has been an explosion of Irish pubs recently in the Las Vegas Valley. Some of the Irish-themed watering holes include the Three Angry Wives Pub in Henderson, Fado at Green Valley Ranch, Brendan's Irish Pub in The Orleans, Sean Patrick's Pub on West Flamingo Road and JC. Wooloughan's at JW Marriott Las Vegas.

Over at Jack's Irish Pub at Palace Station, Irish rocker Walter O'Douling from the Emerald Isle and now Las Vegas has a permanent gig playing Wednesday through Sunday. He plays the mandolin and is the leader of the Wild Celts band. The group has released a new album titled "Ten Tall Tales from the Island." O'Douling has his own label, The Celtic Music Company, and he's working on another record and hoping to become a national act.

Another tidbit about the 27-year-old O'Douling, he was the boyfriend of roommate Elka Walker on MTV's "The Real World" 1997 Boston cast and they recently split.

Comedian Louie Anderson, the host of the NBC television's game show "Family Feud," is continuing his shows at the Rio's Samba Theatre through April 7. Tickets are $35 plus tax, call 1-888-746-7784 or 702-777-7776.

The word that's circulating is New York-New York is considering a fire theme for its new Cirque du Soleil show that will follow "Lord of the Dance" into the showroom. "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance" is extended through Sunday, July 28, when it will end its successful four-year run the hotel.

If your Las Vegas plans include seeing the extraordinary illusionists Siegfried & Roy, then be sure to mark their dark weeks in your calendar for better planning. For 2002, the magic team will be off May 8 - 23, Aug. 21 - 29 and Sept. 18-26.

The elaborate production show "Splash" at the Riviera has a new leading man, Dan Gibson. He began performing when he was 17 years old in his native Toronto, Canada. His background includes formal training in jazz, ballet and modern dance. Gibson has had lead roles in the Broadway productions of "Dream Girls," "Grease," "Chorus Line" and "42nd Street" and appeared in En Vogue, Harry Connick Jr. and Johnny Gill videos.

The Italian gourmet restaurant Ferraro's, located less than a couple miles off the Strip at 5900 W. Flamingo, is holding wine-tasting dinners once a month on the 15th. Each time a different winery hosts the five-course meal with specially selected wines and someone to explain them. Drawings are held at each dinner for bottles of wine and then in December everyone who attended the dinners throughout the year will be eligible to win a trip to Italy to learn more about wine. For information, call 702-364-5300.

Following the "city slickers" getaway theme, you can experience the Wild West at the Sandy Valley Ranch just 45 miles south of Las Vegas. An overnight trail ride, which includes riding instructions and a day and a half on the trail, Chuck Wagon feasts... two lunches, breakfast and dinner, campfire stories and cowboy entertainment costs $350.

A sunset dinner-trail ride starting two hours before the sun disappears is $125. A lunch trail ride includes a trail ride and team cattle penning, followed by a buffet for $100. The $55 saddle club trail rides on Sunday are geared toward the more experienced rider. For reservations and more information, call 702-631-0463.

Look for Las Vegas-based Mikohn Gaming Corp. to release Trivial Pursuit slot machines later this year. The Trivial Pursuit game is the third in Mikohn's Think Big! slot series that debuted with Ripley's Believe It or Not! Adventures in Trivia game.

The second game in the series is Clue, based on the murder mystery board game, and it will be placed in casinos in the second quarter of this year.

Trivial Pursuit, which is played in 17 languages in 26 countries, tests players knowledge in science, geography, history, politics, sports and entertainment. The game sold 20 million units when it debuted in 1984.

A national campaign for the "Red, White & BluBlocker National Jingle Contest" for the introduction of the new BluBlocker Magnums sunglasses includes cash and travel awards, a car and plenty of sunglasses. The first event was staged on the Florida State University campus. Future events are slated for four major cities plus Las Vegas. To participate visit the BluBlocker website at www.blublocker.com.

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