Anitra's Spas Blog

Now that so many spas are designed to make men feel at ease, it's refreshing that a new day spa in Roswell, Georgia called Spadelic is so, well, girly. The sixties style spa has a butterfly in its logo and psychedelic-inspired murals in hot pink, lime and orange. Its background music might be Joni Mitchell or The Who, and treatment rooms are equipped with a Bose SoundDock so that you can bring you own iPod, or request your favorite tunes. Prices, however, are very much of the moment -- $95 for a 50-minute facial, $120 for a 50-minute facial, and $170 for 80-minute body treatments.

Auberge Resorts is opening a new luxury hotel and 10,000 square-foot spa in Santa Fe on August 30, 2008 called The Spa at Encantado. It comes with an impressive pedigree: its other properties include Auberge de Soleil and Calistoga Ranch in California. The ultra-chic property is located just outside the city in Tesuque, with 57 acres bordering the 1.6 million-acre Santa Fe National Forest plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking and horseback riding. Its 65 casitas have wood beams, polished cement floors and fireplaces for chilly nights, and the restaurant called Terra is helmed by Daniel Boulud protege Charles Dale.

But what about the spa? With 15 treatment rooms, it's big, but not too big, and incorporates the outdoors with pools, fountains, courtyards, and outdoor garden soaking tubs and showers. There's plenty of room in the 1,200-square-foot Fitness Center and 800 square-foot movement studio for yoga, Pilates and meditation. Its treatments are inspired by local talent, like the creator of "Life Impressions Bodywork." This unique modality uses gentle non-invasive techniques "to safely release historic imprints held in our bodies from stress or repetitive patterns." (I wonder how many treatments it would it take to get my left shoulder to finally relax.)

Regionally inspired treatments include Mountain Spirit Purification, which begins with a smudging ceremony, followed by adobe clay body mask and wrap with scalp and foot massage, rain shower rinse and a juniper-sage massage using hot stones. There's also a menu of Ayurvedic treatments inspired by Dr. Vasant Lad, director of the Ayurvedic Institute in nearby Albuquerque. And it wouldn't be New Mexico without some chili peppers, so treatments begin with a Chili Pepper Foot Warmer Ritual incorporating tea tree oil, honey and chili peppers.

Tipping at the medical spa is creates quite a bit of confusion. "I just had my third glycolic peel and it just occurred to me…should I be tipping?" asked one visitor to the site, Dara. She had not because "it's a very short appointment and very expensive." Another person was getting laser treatments and wondered about tipping the esthetician who would be performing the procedures. There is no hard and fast rule here. Many medical spas don't allow tipping because it interferes with their "medical" image. Others allow it, especially if they offer traditional treatments like facials, massage, even waxing. I would tip 15-20% for traditional treatments and glycolics if they are part of an overall facial. If it's a "quickie" like a glycolic peel and is done by an esthetician I would probably offer a $10. For a more lengthy laser treatment by an esthetician, I would offer $20. But for a doctor or physician's assistant doing Botox injections, I would feel strange tipping. How about you? Do you tip at the medical spa?

Atlantic City has a lavish new hotel spa called Immersion, brought to you by the same people who built the Vegas-worthy Borgata. But where The Borgata has a ground floor devoted to the pleasures of gaming (to which I, for one, am immune), The Water Club by Borgata is being called Atlantic City's first "non-gaming boutique-lifestyle hotel." What makes a $400 million, 800-room hotel "boutique" I'm not sure. Boutique used to mean small. But The Water Club has five indoor and outdoor pools, a two-story spa, six retail shops, and no casino in sight. High design includes limestone columns, rich marble detailing and plush handmade rugs interwoven with gentle water features to create alluring spaces that soothe and revitalize. The Spa at The Water Club, a 36,000-square-foot sanctuary with floor-to-ceiling windows and 180-degree ocean views, is a compilation of some of the latest spa trends - personalized tea service, Ayurvedic treatments, heated hammams, dry float soft packs, iPod docking stations with customizable music, men’s and women’s lounges with flat panel televisions, and oxygen-infused treatments. All the fun takes place in 16 "experience" rooms. I guess calling them treatment rooms isn't sexy enough anymore.

All this talk about spa haters has me thinking -- is there anything a dedicated spa lover like me hates about spas? I already said I hate dirty spas. Hair in the drain, messy wax pots, greasy handprints on the wall are just a few things that make me shudder. I hate unsanitary practices like reusing sponges for facials (I've seen it done), not cleaning hydrotherapy tubs or pedicure stations properly between use (ditto), and double-dipping in the wax pot. (That means they dip a stick, use it on your skin, then put it back in the wax pot. Think about that the next time you get a Brazilian!) There's a few other things I dislike, like heavy chlorine in the hot tubs (terrible for your skin) and "no diving" signs -- both usually required by out-dated state regulations aimed at big public swimming pools. I'm disappointed by cool steam rooms and saunas (what's the point?) and therapists who go through the motions. If you're tired of your job, find something else to do! I hate it when therapists do treatments they've never been trained for -- and you can feel it in the lack of skill. I dislike locker rooms where, as you're taking your clothes off, someone is walking in from the reception area and looking at your bare butt. It's dispiriting when robes and towels are overflowing the laundry hampers. How about you? Are you a spa lover who hates something about spas? Get it off your chest. And then we'll move on. All this talk about spa-hating is bringing me down.

I had no idea there were so many reasons to hate spas!! First the About.com Guide to Honeymoons, listed all the reasons she hates spas, including steam rooms, being touched by "strangers", and New Age music. I suggested we just send her love. Now another spa-hater, the About.com Guide to Southwest Travel has weighed in with why she hates spas, including spartan treatment rooms (not the spas I go to!!) and facials that exacerbate your neck problems. (Hmmm....maybe if she got massage regularly, her neck wouldn't hurt!) It's all in good fun. Sort of. They really do hate spas. Offer these women a massage and watch them run! Fortunately, there is someone out there who can't wait to jump on the treatment table. About.com Guide to Hotels and Resorts has weighed in with why she loves spas. But even she has a few quibbles -- therapists who talk and try to sell you stuff, oily massages and hot stone massage because they make her sleepy. Is there anything you hate about spas? For me, it's the sight of hair in a shower drain and other signs of a dirty spa.

Who knew just getting a manicure could make a man into a fruitcake? I checked out a Delaware Online news article called "Grooms Get a Pampering" and was surprised at the hostile comments it provoked. Here's a few guys getting haircuts and maincures before "the big day" and people are calling them "Frankengrooms" and "fruity." One commentator said, "It's a shame that men are becoming so prissy and unmanly." Well, a lot of men don't feel that way. The International Spa Association says that men get 31% of all spa treatments. There are a few "men-only" spas, but most spas go to great lengths to make men at spas feel comfortable. Spas are designed with colors and materials that make both men and women feel at ease. Men even get special amenities at many big resort spas -- waiting areas (and sometimes treatment rooms) with plasma TVs and business magazines, and private pedicure rooms where they can get away from girltalk. A few spa have even created old-fashioned barber rooms where men can get an old-fashioned shave with steam towels and razors. And if you want to call them "fruity" -- just step outside.

There's nothing I find more tiresome than stories by spa haters. Usually they go something like this: "I loathe the very idea of spas! That's why I've never been to one! But my editor gave me an assignment, I went to a great spa, and surprise! I loved it!" I suppose it's more dynamic than the gushy spas stories that are equally annoying. "I had a fabulous time and fabulous treatments in Bali that you never will!" But my general feeling is, "oh, spare me." That said, I am highly amused by About.com Honeymoons Guide Susan Breslow, a confirmed spa hater, on why she hates spas. What does she hate? Forms that ask about birth control so she can get a simple pedicure, being told she has chakras that need to be realigned, being touched by strangers, etc. I don't agree with what she says, but I give her this -- she's funny! And she doesn't have the all-too-predictable conversion! Stick to your spa-hating guns, Susan! We'll send your heart chakra some loving energy!

Spas have been a popular spot for bridal parties for several years, but they've usually been centered on traditional treatments like massage or manicures and pedicures. Now brides are treating their bridesmaids to medical spa parties for Botox, dermal fillers and glycolic peels before the Big Day, according to an article in The New York Times. “If I were 25 or 26 and getting married, a bracelet, necklace or matching earrings would be fine,” said Kacey Knauer, who had a Botox party at Tribeca MedSpa in Manhattan. But at 35? “Giving them a bracelet isn’t as special as spending an evening together. Plus, as you get older, everyone is more conscientious about their skin and appearance.”

Spas and horses have gone together ever since therapist Wyatt Webb started "The Equine Experience," a special program where you gain insight into yourself by working with a horse, at Miraval in Tucson, AZ. And I've never seen a bunch of people happier than when they were sitting astride a horse, cutting a steer from the herd and "team-penning" it at Rancho de los Caballeros, a "dude ranch" with a nice spa in Wickenburg, AZ. Most spas with horse programs -- and there are that many -- just have simple trail rides, usually with an "outfitter." But the possibilities are about to get more interesting. A new company called Equi-Spa Lifestyle Solutions in Rockville, MD., is giving spas the opportunity to connect an equestrian and spa environment to enhance wellness, personal awareness, relaxation, team-building and fitness benefits. The Equi-Spa program will offers individuals, families and companies a rich experience of personal transformation. "As social animals themselves, horses can play a specific role in helping us not only to relax but also teach us useful communication tools that can be applied to other areas of our lives," says Jennifer Donovan, co-founder of Equestrian Services, LLC, which plans, designs and manages equestrian facilities. It went into partnership with WTS International, a worldwide spa consulting and management firm, to create Equi-Spa Lifestyle Solutions. Also on their mind -- special Pilates and Tai Chi classes for equestrians, yoga on horseback, personal and group training, and lifelong learning seminars. I grew up riding and think it's a great idea. I just hope spas take them up on it!