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Madeleine Euro Spa in Manhattan

Filed under: Spas

Make no mistake. The tidy little space where aesthetician Madeleine Friedrich does manicures, pedicures, facials, and waxing is something of a time warp. Her studio is on the second floor of an old building and looks as if nothing has been changed for at least 25 years. So why do high profilers who could easily book their bikini waxes at Bliss or Lucy Peters return month after month to this simple place. Friedrich, who has a PhD from her native Romania, is a perfectionist. She also knows more about waxing that probably anyone in Manhattan. Her secret: "take the root out," she says showing a client the difference between waxes which break the hair and her special honey was treatment which evicts the hair roots from your skin."Many clients have troubles with in-grown hair which has to be treated with special care," she says

Working alone or with an assistant using only natural products, Friedrich specializes in Brazilian waxing but as one client says, "You get waxing and an hour's psychotherapy all in one visit. Although she is a well-guarded secret among women and some men (clients' boy friends or relatives only), she does facials and everything else the old-fashioned way. Many facial treatments today consist of multiple massages, creams, and masks. Not chez Friedrich. "I have a medical background so I do extractions with sterilized needles," she explains adding that no one is going to leave her tiny studio with so much as a blackhead, an errant eyebrow, or less than perfect pedicure. Madeleine Europe Spa is at 1095 Second Avenue between 57th and 58th Street: by appointment only 212-593-5297.

Local Luxury: Top Luxury Day Spas in San Francisco, CA

Filed under: Spas

San Francisco has always done things its own way. Whether it was entertainment or politics, San Francisco always puts its own spin on things. The luxury day spas in San Francisco are no different. San Francisco's best luxury day spas are found off the beaten path and not in the ritzy hotels as one would expect.

International Orange Spa
Address: 2044 Fillmore Street, 2nd Floor (Pacific Heights)
Phone: 415-563-5000
Website: www.internationalorange.com
Hours: Monday thru Friday 11-9; Saturday and Sunday 9-7

Established by three Bay Area women, International Orange adds a twist to the archetypal spa. Customers can attend yoga classes before and after massages, facials and other treatments. The trendy spa offers ingenious services, such as rhythmic sequence of acupressure and holistic face lifts. The beautiful decor of milky white walls and cherry wood floors provides a serene ambiance that reinforces International Orange's therapeutic approach.

Kabuki Springs & Spa
Address: 1750 Geary Boulevard (Japantown)
Phone: 415-922-6000
Website: www.kabukisprings.com
Hours: Open Daily From 10am to 9:45pm

Located in San Francisco's vibrant Japantown, this Japanese paradise releases your inner empress through exotic rice exfoliations and massages. Along with a beautiful Japanese communal bath, customers can enjoy private candlelit baths while sipping on tea. Kabuki's focus is on nurturing harmony within the soul and relaxation through water and touch therapy.


Surrender to the Spa at Esperanza, Los Cabos

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

"I'm sorry if you'll be sore tomorrow," the massage therapist informed me unprompted, "but you needed it."

Set foot in the Spa at Esperanza in Los Cabos, Mexico, and you will encounter professionals who know their jobs cold. Surrender yourself to their capable hands, and you will not be disappointed. From the front desk, where your order for a post-treatment beverage is taken, to the gender-specific and general relaxation areas to the treatment rooms, you will be treated to the sights and sounds of trickling water, stone-based décor (commonplace in this part of Mexico) and a staff that is singularly focused on relieving you of the emotional baggage that you carried onto the plane en route to Baja California Sur.

The Spa at Esperanza, part of the Esperanza Resort, offers a wide selection of treatments, including facials, massages, manicure and pedicure packages, private yoga sessions and couples options. In addition to the basic presentations of these themes – such as the Esperanza Massage, the deep-tissue treatment I enjoyed through which I persevered – twists are available to suit your mood or help you connect more closely with the part of the world you're visiting. The Corona Beer Face Lift, Papaya Plus Enzyme Peel and Avocado Butter Mani/Pedi, for example, feature local color that you're unlikely to encounter back home. Spice up your revitalization a bit with the Esperanza's local expertise.

Guerlain Spa Opens at the Waldorf=Astoria

Filed under: Spas

A few weeks ago Guerlain opened a spa in the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. The spa "ensures a comprehensive luxury experience for every Waldorf guest." On the menu are eight kinds of massage, four kinds of facials, six kinds of body treatments, and five men's treatments, as well as hand and foot therapies, makeup application and all-day and partial-day getaway spa experiences. The spa also has a boutique and personal training studio.

I'm no beauty maven, but I've had massages and lots of facials, and what's described on the site seems no more special than what's offered at any other upscale spa, except for the use of Guerlain products and exquisite descriptions of services. I've no doubt the products add a level of luxury that's likely missing from a run-of-the-mill salon-type spa on the corner. But does Guerlain do a better job for what I assume to be a big pricetag? I don't know. I might have to check it out!

The $600 Renée Rouleau Facial

Filed under: Services


Based in Texas Renée Rouleau is an aesthetician with a passion for skin care. At her salon she offers a variety of services including facials for everything from general cleansing to detox to anti-aging. Her top-of-the-line Synergy 7 facial is especially noteworthy, however, as it tops the price chart with a whopping $600 price tag.

The Synergy 7 facial gets its name from the 7 treatments that are combined into one to make for a truly luxurious and cutting edge two hour anti-aging experience that focuses on deep cleansing, resurfacing, Vitamin C infusion, lifting & firming, repairing & hydrating, oxygen infusion and calming & protecting. The end result? Renée Rouleau promises "your healthiest skin ever."

Via ForbesLife

10 of the Strangest Spa Treatments

Filed under: Services, Spas


Bird dropping facials and snake massages may sound like something straight out of an episode of Fear Factor, but they're really part of the growing list of strange options you might have at a luxury spa near you. An ancient Japanese secret often used by Geishas and available at Diamond Hawaii Resort and Spa in Maui is a facial that starts with Nightingale excrement, which is reportedly full of enzymes that help keep the skin smooth, clear, and white. Or maybe a Hakali massage is more your style at Apuane Spa at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Minta, Mexico, where spine-free cactus paddles are used to rub in an alcohol called 'pulque,' which comes from the agave plant and is in the tequila family.

Other strange spa experiences that might trip your detox trigger include snake massages (exactly what they sound like -- snakes slithering up and down your back!), getting yourself covered head-to-toe in caviar, soaking in a huge tub of dark beer, and "cupping" -- a process where several cups are placed strategically along your back and then lit on fire to create suction.

Fear Factor or not, some of these sound awesome! (Some, not all...)

Ultrasonic Facials, A New Skin Care Trend

Filed under: Spas

The latest skin care treatment uses water and electricity to create better skin. The new trend in facials is the ultrasonic wet dermabrasion treatment using the Dermasound machine. The treatment is a three-stage system that uses low frequency sound waves to perform aesthetic services. The skin is cleansed with antioxidant-rich Glymed products, exfoliated and then moisturized. Dead skin cells are removed with ultrasonic water then ultrasound is used to push anti-aging and anti-inflammatory vitamins deep into the skin and then microcurrent therapy is applied to recharge and balance skin. Facials using Dermasound are available in spas around North America and generally cost around $100 for a one-hour treatment. The treatment is supposed to help with both acne and aging.

[via The Vancouver Sun]

Köl Bath Products

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance

One of the items that ended up in the Oscar baskets for presenters and nominees are from Köl, a body and bath line of salts, soaps and scrubs that are non gender specific and packaged in a simple minimalist manner. The company offers four bath lines: Curacao, Picnic, Bethlehem and El Maroc. They also have a line of mix-your-own facials and scrubs which come in travel-friendly metal tubes and use exotic clays, pumice and herbs to pamper your skin. The Oscar basket included the El Maroc candle which has scents of clove, leather and citrus.

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