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.
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.
"I'm sorry if you'll be sore tomorrow," the 




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