Tag: spa

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Featured

Get Your Back in Order at NYC’s Eve Spa

NYC Eva Spa

When it comes to beauty, we tend to focus on the things we can see. Facial wrinkles, dry legs, arms that got a little too sun-kissed on your last vacation – what pops up in the mirror is generally the first thing we address. But what about our backs? The skin on your back is just as vulnerable to age and the elements as the rest of your body, and NYC’s Eve Spa is offering a new, multi-faceted approach to getting your back on track.

NYC Eva Spa Nail Salon

The “Back in Order” treatment option from Downtown NYC’s Eve Spa utilizes a potent combination of two different exfoliants to refresh, nourish and renew the skin on your upper and lower back. The application of AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids) works on the surface of your skin to reduce visible wrinkles and lines, while BHAs (beta-hydroxy acids) penetrate your pores to address the oil, dead skin and other unpleasant compounds that can work their way under our skin’s surface. Their staff of estheticians recommends this hour-long treatment be performed in a series, to achieve the best results.

NYC Eve Spa Bed

If your skin care routine has been leaving your back by the wayside, ask about the Back in Order treatment the next time you pop into NYC’s Eve Spa for a waxing, facial or manicure. Learn more about their range of treatments on their website, and stay in the loop on the latest in skin care and cosmetics by visiting our Beauty Cabinet.

Photos courtesy of Eve Spa.

 

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Featured

Get a Spring-Ready Body with Skin Care Treatments by NYC’s Haven Spa

Is your skin crying for attention after a hard-fought winter? The snowy months can take a mean toll on your skin, and leave you less-than-eager to show off once the temperatures allow you to park the parka and opt for lighter clothing options. Shed your anxiety and refresh your skin this spring with the range of luxurious skin care treatment options offered by NYC’s Haven Spa.

NYC Haven Spa Sign Skin Care

In addition to their decadent massage packages, “mini escape” packages and waxing treatments, Haven offers a great set of treatments specially designed to refresh and hydrate your skin, take care of any irritating bumps or ingrown hairs and leave you glowing this spring. Here’s the rundown on these targeted treatments:

Baby’s Bottom 

Blemishes, dry skin and bumps on this sensitive area can be embarrassing once spring rolls around. In Haven Spa’s Baby’s Bottom treatment, this treatment will refresh and exfoliate this skin so you can slip on your newest bikini with confidence at your next beach party, island destination or trip to the pool.

Peach Pit

Ingrown hairs and underarm irritation can be an uncomfortable side effect of a lackluster skin care routine. This treatment will cleanse and rejuvenate the skin in your underarm area with specialized treatments to promote smoothness and unblock pores.

Peach Smoothie 

The bikini line is classically one of the most difficult areas to maintain. During this treatment, you’ll undergo exfoliation via an AHA scrub, followed by an acid peel to free trapped hairs and leave your skin touchably smooth.

Valley Girl 

The skin on the décolletage is sensitive, and caring for it correctly can be tricky. With the abundance of traffic from perfume and jewelry, this area is exposed to several elements that affect your skin, and compensating for that irritation and contact with foreign elements requires diligent care. This treatment exfoliates the upper neck and chest and finishes with a cherry peel for glowing, healthy skin.

NYC Skin Care Haven Spa

Learn more about Downtown NYC’s own Haven Spa and their comprehensive skin care treatment packages on their website, and to for more skin care tips, keep an eye on our Beauty Cabinet.

 

 

 

Categories
Featured Living

5 Classic Gift Ideas For Valentine Day’s

Valentine’s Day is a mere week away, and this certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. While people have mixed emotions about this holiday, we at Downtown believe that this day is for everyone! Self-love is just as important as showering your significant other with love, and Valentine’s day is as good a time as any to appreciate yourself and those around you.

So how do you best show it? We’ve rounded up some Valentine’s Day classics that can be given to yourself, your special someone, or a friend! Galentine’s Day is a thing too, and we certainly think the love of good friends and friendships are worth celebrating, too.

 

Sweets For My Sweets

Photo: Courtesy of neuhauschocolate.com

You didn’t think we’d talk about Valentine’s Day without talking about chocolate, now did you? As much as we love love, we also really love chocolate. So it’s just a logical connection. What better way to show someone you love them than by offering them the holy grail of sweets — chocolates! Some of our favorites include Neuhaus, Jacques Torres and Godiva which all have special Valentine’s Day boxes.

 

Dinner Date

Photo: Courtesy of ledistrict.com

While we’re on the subject of giving something edible… There’s a reason why taking your special someone out for dinner on Valentine’s Day is a classic. First of all, New York City has one of the best culinary scenes in the world, making it easy to fit it into what you and your valentine like. Second, many restaurants really set the right mood for Valentine’s Day by decorating and offering special menus — and really, is there anything more romantic than sharing a heart-shaped dessert? Third, the way to any foodies heart is through the stomach. And let’s be honest, in this day and age we’re all just a little bit foodies. Some of our downtown favorite’s, with special menus, include Tribeca Grill, Le District’s Beaubourg and Ristorante Rafele.

 

Spa Pampering

Photo: Courtesy of Haven Spa

Another way of showing love and care is by treating yourself — and/or your special someone — to some serious pampering. Many spas in NYC offer special packages both for couples and for singles because as great as Valentine’s Day is for couples to focus on each other and spend some quality time together, self-love is just as important. Some of our favorite spas in downtown include the sister spas, Haven Spa and Eve Spa, which offer couples massages and Valentine’s Day Mani-Pedis. For a Galentine’s celebration, check out Haven’s bitch massage — soothing and relaxing for both body and mind, or The Valley Girl — a décolletage facial that leaves you with a light glow and the softest skin imaginable. Another downtown favorite for a luxurious love treatment is AIRE Ancient Baths; they have two special packages — the Love Tandem and the Valentine’s Duet for this lovely occasion. 

 

Bright Like A Diamond

Photo: Courtesy of tiffany.com

In the famous words of Marilyn Monroe, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. And this certainly still rings true on Valentine’s Day. Just as no two diamonds are the same, neither are people. So choosing the right jewelry piece can be tricky. It’s all about personal style and preferences, so a good tip can be to look at your valentine’s style. Do they wear classic outfits, more minimalistic or are their outfits bold and playful? Then a good choice can be to mimic this in jewelry choices. Some brands we suggest taking a closer look at is Dana Bronfman‘s stunning pieces, Scandinavian Maria Black‘s minimalist love pieces, and, of course, you can never go wrong with one of Tiffany’s Valentine’s Day picks wrapped up in their iconic blue box.

 

Romantic Getaway

Photo: Courtesy of Deer Mountain Inn

Is there anything more romantic than whisking your better half out of your day-to-day lives for a change of pace and scenery? The answer is no. Getaways are a perfect Valentine’s surprise — just the two of you in a peaceful place. Which getaway fits best is really up to what kind of people and what kind of couple you are. Are you city dwellers or does nature and fresh air soothe you? If you’re the latter, you should check out Deer Mountain Inn, a classic turn-of-the-century hidden gem seated in the hills above Tannersville, NY in the Great Northern Catskills. For Valentine’s Day, they offer a curated tasting menu from Michelin-starred Chef Ryan Tate. If you can’t get enough of the city, may we suggest a little staycation? At the Beekman, they’re offering an intimate five-course dinner for two at Tom Colicchio’s Temple Court or a “Celebrate With Us” package that includes red wine and chocolate upon arrival, late checkout and continental breakfast for two at Temple Court

Categories
Featured

Luxurious Treatments At Rescue Spa

As I’m standing outside Rescue Spa in the Union Square area, I can already tell I’m in for a treat.

Just by looking at the lobby, I have no doubt that this gorgeous place of relaxation, renewal, and care will do my skin good. It’s a Thursday afternoon, and I’m more than ready to let this day — and the rest of 2017, to be honest — wash off my face and start fresh.

Now, I’ve never had a facial before. I have sensitive skin, and anything that might upset it, I always try to stay clear of. Plus, I’ve heard that for facials, it sometimes gets worse before it gets better. However, my skin has been acting up lately, and since it’s winter, I figure now is as good a time as any to get over my fear.

Entering the spa is a pretty good beginning, I must admit. It’s bright, modern and big; everywhere I look, something new catches my eye. Behind the lobby is a beverage bar, a nail salon for perfect mani-pedis — with a fireplace to complete the coziness — a hair salon, and rooms for massages and facials.

The spa only recently opened in October of this year, but already has a great reputation, as does its founder and owner, Danuta Mieloch. With award-winning facials, body treatments and more, Rescue Spa opened its first location in Philadelphia 13 years ago, and now — in a perfect setting — it’s also in NYC.

I’m here for one of the signature facials, the Bio-Lift Facial which promises to “leave you with a just-back-from-vacation glow.” And I’m excited, although still a bit scared, as I lay wrapped up in cozy sheets, and Danuta begins the treatment.

She starts with an examination of my face, and can quickly tell that I’m very careful with my skin. Maybe a little too careful.

“Skin is a living organ that constantly changes,” she explains. “It changes throughout the day depending on the climate we live in, stress levels, hormones, and how we take care of it.”

“Proper skin analysis is a huge part of our facial treatments. We take into consideration all the factors that may occur. Is it too many products? Not enough cleansing? Not enough products? And determining why a person is breaking out. Are they dehydrated?” Danuta tells me.

As she looks at my skin, she can tell that I don’t do a lot to it. But that has created buildup, she reveals, and hands me a mirror so I can see and understand.

“If you have a lot of buildup, you might have a little bit of downtime. Sometimes it needs to be a ‘no pain, no gain’ approach,” Danuta explains.

“The entire revolution in anti-aging and promoting healthy good skin is that most things, in order to work, need to be quite intense,” she adds. “This is not to say that our skin is not a delicate organ, it needs to be handled carefully and in the right hands. This way we can promote skin regeneration in a controlled way.”

I feel very safe and in the right hands as she cleanses, steams, exfoliates, tones, massages — and a few other steps that include LED lights and a microderm device.

At the end of the facial, I ask Danuta exactly what the benefits of a facial are.

“I can’t speak for all facials, but our Rescue facial treatments are like a personal training session for your face. It produces results and sets you on the right path of how to take care of your skin. It’s like a jumpstart for how to look after your skin.”

While I’m a little red-faced, my skin is softer than it’s been in a while, and I must admit I do feel like I’ve gotten a jumpstart on my skincare routine. With a carefully prescribed cleansing-toning-moisturizing regimen with Biologique Recherche products and a mask, I’m excited to have a routine and stick with it to see the results.

“And now you can’t say you’ve never had a facial,” says Danuta as I head on out. Which is true, and I’m happy I had it at Rescue Spa.

 

You can find out more about the spa, treatments and how to book on rescuespa.net. You can also purchase the effective Biologique Recherche products through Rescue Spa’s online shop.

Rescue Spa
29 East 19th St
New York, NY 10003

 

Categories
Events

Summer Wedding Beauty Prep

Wedding season is in full swing and brides-to-be are searching for the best ways to get that perfect glow, and overall naturally beautiful look for your perfect day.

Whether you decide to take a trip or get the job done at home, there are many products out there to bring out the best results. From a glowing facial to teeth whitening strips, Downtown has put together a guide full of beauty products and treatments leading up to your big day.

No stress involved, outstanding results.

Pearly Whites

Out and About

Photo courtesy of NYC Teeth Whitening Services | Magic Smile

Magic Smile (Downtown)
Address: 291 Broadway, Suite 1000, New York, NY 10007
Price: Express Service/Touch-Up (One Session) $99.00

You don’t have to be a millionaire or win the lottery to have a beautiful smile, Magic Smile has new technology that will give you those pearly whites without pain or side effects, with only a small investment.

At Home

Photo courtesy of Crest

Crest 3D White Whitestrips with Light – Teeth Whitening Kit
Price: $99.95

At your convenience, Crest has created a new, unique teeth whitening kit, using the same blue light system that dentists use, and you also get your full results in just 10 days.

Waxing

Out and About

Photo courtesy of Shobha Financial District

Shobha Financial District
Address: 65 Broadway, Suite #406, New York, NY 10006
Price: Varies

Offering all different kinds of waxing, Shobha Financial District is the destination for hairless happiness and is famous for providing the best bikini wax and eyebrow threading

At home

Photo courtesy of GiGi 

GiGi – Waxing Kit
Price: $43.49 (with Amazon Prime)

This kit is a complete hair removal system that providing all the waxing essentials in the privacy of your home.

 

Perfect Tan

Out and About

Photo courtesy of SUGARED + BRONZED

SUGARED + BRONZED – Sugaring and Airbrush Tanning
Address: 114 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003
Price: Standard (2 for $39.00) & Express (2 for $49.00)

SUGARED + BRONZED has the best of the best airbrush tanning for an affordable amount of money. They customize their solution to get the best results to get that perfect golden brown color. New clients get 2 for $39.00 (if you do standard), and 2 for $49.00 if you choose express. They also offer waxing as well.

At home

Photo courtesy of Kiehl’s

Kiehl’s Sun Free Self Tanning Formula
Price: $22.50

It is a lightweight, non-greasy self tanning formula for a natural glow which is instantly absorbed while moisturizing and nutures your face and body. The key ingredients include Apricot Kernel Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter, and Vitamin E.

Hair

Out and About

Photo courtesy of Alibi NYC Salon

Alibi NYC Salon
Address: 67 Greene Street, Suite #2, New  York, NY 10012
Price: $250.00

This salon is tucked away in the heart of SoHo located in an art gallery loft space where hairstyling magic happens on the bride-to-be. In addition to the bride’s hair, the bride is able to get her makeup done, touchup her makeup, or include her private bridal party for additional costs.

On-Site

Photo courtesy of Amanda Shackleton/ NY Bridal Beauty

New York Bridal Beauty – Amanda Shackleton
Price: $275.00

The work of Amanda Shackleton is one of a kind and can be done at the location you need for your convenience. Although it is more expensive, you can add bridal make up, as well as the entire bridal parties hair and makeup done by Amanda and her outstanding team.

 

Spa

Bride-to-Be Package

Photo courtesy of Paul Labrecque – Chelsea

Paul Labrecque in the Chelsea Sports Center
Address: Chelsea Sports Center, 60 Chelsea Piers, New York, NY 10011
Price: 5 hours – $490

Located in the Chelsea Sports Center at Chelsea Piers, Bride-to-Be spa packages are available at Paul Labrecque. It is 5 hours long and includes a Deep Cleanising Hydrating Facial, Deluxe Manicure, Deluxe Pedicure, 60 Minute Shiatsu Massage, Hair Styling & Updo, Shampoo & Blow Out, and Makeup Application.

Facial

Photo courtesy of Savor Spa

Savor Spa – West Village
Address: 327 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10014
Price: 60 minute Vitamin C Glow – $135.00

At Savor Spa, they offer award-winning organic facials. They have many different types of facials and different times available. They specialize in acne to anti-aging facials, but offer a variety of diverse facials (running at different prices and end with different results) from a Champagne couture to a Vitamin C Glow and more.

Massage

Photo courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Battery Park

The Ritz-Carlton – Battery Park
Address: 2 West Street, New York, NY 10004
Price: 60 minute Deep Tissue – $185.00

The Ritz-Carlton is a 5-star hotel and their spa is no disappointment. They offer many services from personalized skin care to massages to body therapies. The Deep Tissue Massage promotes deep relaxation while working out the tension of stressed muscles.

 

Mani/Pedicure

Out and About

Photo courtesy of Pursuitist

Four Seasons – Downtown
Address: 27 Barclay Street, New York, NY 10007
Price: Signature Manicure – $50.00 & Deluxe Pedicure – $95.00

Looking for a luxurious manicure/pedicure in a relaxed environment? The Four Seasons is a place to go. They offer nail care from signature manicures to gel manicures to deluxe pedicures.

At home

You can also easily do your nails at home. Use one of these 5 eco-friendly brands to do your nails with natural-based and non-toxic nail polish. 

You’re going to look beautiful on your big day, congratulations!

Categories
Travel

EXPERIENCE AN EPIC END TO WINTER AT TRAVEL WITH MEANING’S BALI BLISS WELLNESS RETREAT

bali bliss wellness retreat

Plan a spring sojourn to the mystical island of Bali for a rejuvenating retreat led by world-renowned yoga and wellness guru Shayna Hiller.

The Bali Bliss Wellness Retreat will take place March 9 -15, 2015, at the award-winning Alila Villas Soori. Named one of the world’s top-10 eco-friendly hotels, Alila Villas Soori is nestled between a volcanic black-sand beach and lush, UNESCO world-heritage protected rice fields.

The retreat includes:

• Six (6) nights/ seven ( 7) days accommodations in your own
luxurious, private villa with sweeping ocean and mountain views, pool
and butler service and luxurious amenities such as oversized bathtubs
and grand shower rooms.

• Morning and evening yoga, meditation, and nutrition workshops, along with one-on-one wellness coaching, with world-renowned yogi, health educator and author Shayna Hiller.

• Your choice of two relaxing spa treatments at award-winning Spa Alila, blending ancient Asian healing techniques with age-old beauty recipes utilizing the curative benefits of fresh, natural ingredients.

• Incredible gourmet meals, daily juice bar and traditional Balinese cooking excursions– including a visit to an outdoor market with Hiller and the Resort Chef to select from locally grown food and spices to prepare in the retreat’s hands-on cooking class.

• A signed copy of Hiller’s new book “Don’t Judge Me by My Cover,” a transformational guide to wellness, nutrition, happiness and abundance, and more. Retreat producer Nicole Landers, co-owner of Travel with Meaning, said she is thrilled to have Hiller leading retreat participants on their wellness journey.

“She is one of the most knowledgeable and dynamic experts in her field,” Landers said of Hiller, who is a certified health coach through Columbia University Teachers College and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a board certified Holistic Health Practitioner through the American Association of Drugless
Practitioners. Hiller also has completed more than 500 hours of professional training under the guidance of Don and Amber Stapleton at the Nosara Yoga Institute in Nosara, Costa Rica.”

“Shayna’s extensive knowledge of nutrition and yogic philosophy, as well as personal breakthrough, has a life-changing impact on people in terms of understanding and trusting what their bodies are telling them in order to make choices needed for optimal health and vitality.”

Book your retreat at Travel With Meaning’s website.