Nominate your town for distinctive list

WASHINGTON -- Is your city or town a great place to visit?

Consider nominating it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of "Distinctive Destinations" for 2006.

The National Trust bestows this title on 12 communities each year that have a strong sense of place and offer authentic experiences to visitors. Criteria include a commitment to historic preservation; dynamic downtowns with locally owned small businesses; interesting architecture; cultural diversity; and walkability.

For details, visit www.nationaltrust.org/ddd or call (202) 588-6141. The contest ends Nov. 4.

Previous winners have included Annapolis, Md.; Natchez, Miss.; Oberlin, Ohio; Burlington, Vt., and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Magazine offers tips on spa vacations

NEW YORK -- With $200 treatments and $500-a-night room rates, luxury spas are out of reach for many travelers.

But the latest issue of Spa magazine offers advice on how to find affordable spas.

Recommendations include going offseason -- in other words, Arizona will be cheaper in the summer -- and midweek, when two-for-one deals abound.

Visit old-fashioned mineral springs, where treatments may include simple, inexpensive options. At Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a soak in the Roosevelt Baths at the Gideon Putnam Resort is just $18. At Warm Springs, Va., 50 minutes in the Jefferson Pools at The Homestead costs $15. Similar bargains can be found at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, north of Santa Fe, N.M.; Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat in Detroit, Ore.; and Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel in California's Palm Springs valley.

For overseas bargains, consider the Victorian-era Turkish baths at Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, England, where prices start at $16; Vichy, France, where $144 gets you a hotel room, three treatments and spa access; and eastern Europe, where moderately priced hotel-spa packages can be found at the Spa Hotel Imperial in Karlovy Vary, the Czech Republic; Budapest, Hungary's Hotel Gellert; and Estonia's Padaste Manor on Muhu Island.

Because the U.S. dollar goes a long way in countries like Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico and Costa Rica, spas there will also seem comparatively inexpensive.

Finally, check out healing therapies in ethnic neighborhoods of big U.S. cities. Even in pricey New York and Los Angeles, traditional Asian massages can be had for $40 an hour. In Seattle, $25 buys admission to Banya 5 for Russian-style heat treatments followed by a cold plunge.

-- From wire service