SpaTreatments

Although Vancouver, BC is a three-hour drive from my home in Washington state, I venture up there every six weeks or so for hair care at Ian Daburn Salon and to indulge in one of my favorite day spas. Here are my top ten day spas (listed alphabetically) in the vibrant Canadian city of Vancouver. Divine, indeed!

1. Absolute Spa

Absolute Spa has two downtown locations: Century Plaza Hotel at 1015 Burrard St. and the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver at 900 W. Georgia St. Call 604-248-2772 for appointments at both. The spa at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is Vancouver's "first spa for men," and features a 75-minute Gentleman's Facial ($125 CDN). But the spa is women friendly, too.

2. EvelineCharles Spa and Salon
EvelineCharles Spa and Salon, 1495 W. 11th, 604-678-566. This is a sleekly whitewashed second story haven located in the shopping-friendly South Granville Rise area. Get down and dirty with the Mud Slide ($245 CDN), a soothing treatment that includes a mud bath, mud wrap, massage and moisturizer. Mmmm!

3. Miraj Hammam Spa
Miraj Hammam Spa, 1495 W. 6th, 604-733-5151. Middle Eastern treatments are featured here, including the Hammam and Gommage, an exotic steam and exfoliation process, followed by a 30-minute massage ($125 CDN). Luxuriate afterwards In the Sultana Lounge with tea and sweet cakes.

4. Breathe Spa
Breathe Spa, 325 Howe St., Suite 501, 604-688-4769. This sanctuary is tucked away in the fifth floor of the Pacific Coast Building in the heart of the city. Indulge in the "Out of This World" package ($215 CDN) that includes a two-hour Breathe Facial followed by a two-hour Hot Stone Therapy Massage.

5. Skoah
Skoah, 1011 Hamilton Street, 604-642-0200. This is the spot to get the skinny on skin. Featuring its own product lines, the small menu of facials includes everything from a "quickie facial" ($30 CDN) to the more intense "face, peepers and pout" treatment ($100 CDN). Located in trendy Yaletown and just a few flip-flops away from the Opus Hotel, by far the hippest hotel in the 'hood.

Treating yourself to a day or week at the spa can be one of life's most relaxing and rejuvenating experiences -- good for both body and soul. A good spa should be staffed with knowledgeable and licensed staff that can answer all your questions and responsibly recommend treatments based on your individual needs, but it never hurts to educate yourself in advance and take charge of your own well being. In addition to understanding what some spas won't tell you, it's also important to understand how different spa treatments and therapies can affect your health.

Valentine's Day tradition calls for flowers and chocolates but spa treatments incorporating sugar, chocolate and other sweets is another more modern option. A variety of spas and centers are offering very tempting options for extra luxurious pampering.

The Medical Spa at Nova in Ashburn, VA (just outside of D.C.) is featuring several exclusive spa packages for Valentine's Day including the "scrumptious" Sweet & Savory Body Scrub Package ($90). Nova's invigorating brown sugar body scrub includes Mediterranean lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, and lemon petigrain essential oils with brown sugar and a steam shower and sauna with chocolates and a rose on check out. The Girl's Best Friend Package offers a merlot bath, spa lunch, glass of champagne, a diamond radiance facial and a box of chocolate and a rose all for $250.

Check out more sweet spa experiences in the gallery below.

The stress of working and living under tough economic conditions is enough to trigger the urge for a trip to the spa. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough cash around to lay out for that perfect facial or relaxing massage. Rather than give up, however, most Americans are compromising. Shorter treatments are becoming more common, as many realize that something is better than nothing.

In June this year, the International SPA Association found that treatments lasting 30 minutes or less grew in popularity. Forty-six percent of the ISPA's 3,200 members reported an increase in these shorter services ... and close to have saw the amount spent per visit fall year-over-year.

Interestingly, there is a changing of the guard afoot among spa visitors. In the past, Baby Boomers were the most frequent spa-goers, but Generations X and Y are starting to see the benefits of relaxation, according to a study by SpaFinder. For many spas, this may require a change in design and treatment menus, as younger guests may not be soothed in the same ways their parents were.

The Radisson Blu Resort and Spa Dubrovnik just became the largest resort on Croatia's Dalmatian coast. The new property, which is only 11 miles from Dubrovnik International Airport, boasts more than 100,000 square feet of spa, sports and wellness facilities with treatments such as hydrotherapy and salt saunas. This is the first Anne Semonin spa to open in Croatia, and to celebrate the milestone, several exclusive treatments have bee developed.

The spa itself occupies 37,000 square feet along the Croatian coastline, with seven individual treatment rooms and two more for couples. An outdoor hot tub sits at the center of this layout. The Thalassotherapy Therma Stone Experience, 100% Active Ice Therapy Facial and Black Sand Scrub & Ocean Massage Ritual were developed specifically for the Radisson Blu – I guess giving three more damned good reasons to get on a plane for Dubrovnik.

Another 75,000 square feet is dedicated to a sports and wellness center. The 60-foot lagoon pool, waterfall and underwater vitality jet lounges sound simply seductive, and there are additional treatments built around these decadent aquatic amenities.

Pass on the cliche European destinations this year, and head out to the Dalmatian coast. The spa experience will be a far cry from the usual.

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort – and its sister property, the Beach Resort – are making it easy to hide from the world for a few days this summer. And, I can tell you from experience, the twin Ritz properties are great places to hide. With the Spa Escape Package, you can be treated as you deserve (or, in my case, better), for a mere $259 a night ($299 at the Beach Resort).

The spa at the Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort services both Naples, FL properties. As part o this program, a stay at either hotel will get you a $200 spa credit, which includes both services and retail. You'll also pick up a $50 gift card for the properties' on-site stores.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa integrates organic and eco-friendly options to mitigate environmental impact without degrading the quality of the treatments provided. The Eco-Luxe Facial and Eco-Luxe Cocoon are conducted in the Eco-Room, which features soft materials made from organic cotton and bamboo and washed in a separate machine with fragrance-free and sulfate-free cleansers. The floor and chair are made from bamboo, and the massage table was crafted entirely from sustainable materials.

With domestic flights cheaper than ever (except when I'm flying, it seems), getting to Naples won't be painful, and JetBlue has countless flights into the area. And, the perks that come with the Spa Escape Package basically make the room free. I hit this spa last summer and might just make it an annual experience.

Sure everyone has had a hot stone massage but how about a hot shell massage? That's the latest offering from the Cliff House in Ogunquit, Maine. They offer a wide variety of spa treatments including a facial that uses wild Maine blueberries and a hot stone massage that uses basalt stones gathered from the cliff that the hotel sits on. Their newest treatment is SeaShell Therapy which starts with a dry brush exfoliation and an application of seaweed and mud. Then comes the massage using warmed cone, scallop and fan shaped seashells  followed by a full body hydration with shea butter. The treatment costs $245 for hotel guests and $255 for non-guests.

[via Travel Video Television News]