’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the street,
Not a blogger was blogging, not even a tweet.

 No Tumblr was Flickring, no status was shared,
For once in their lives… nobody cared.

Companies’ ad spends were suddenly frugal,
And the world had stopped spinning on an axis of Google.

RSS feeds disappeared on a sled,
Mashable predicted a silent night ahead.

When flawless real-time searching just would not suffice,
The notion of NOW took a piece of advice.

2.0 took a seat and real life took the stage,
Spa Week Daily and the world were on the same page.

Enjoy the little luxuries of the holiday season,
Do things that make you smile— with or without reason.

Relax, indulge, be healthy, find zen…
And don’t forget YOU in 2010.

I sent this around in an email to to some of my blogger friends but was told I was crazy for not posting. 

Happy holidays!!!  

<3 Spa Week Daily

You could win a tan contest against this bottle.

The Little Luxury: Maui Babe Browning Lotion

Relationship status: Thoroughly addicted since introduced 6 years ago, cannot spend a summer or a vacation without it.

Alias: Tanning’s Holy Grail

What is Maui Babe: The greatest tanning lotion known to man. Made in Hawaii with coffee, iodine, oil, lots of love and other top secret ingredients.

Does it do what it says it’ll do? YES. You rub it on your skin like lotion, you lay in the sun, and you watch yourself get tan. It doesn’t burn you, it BROWNS. It’s actually changed the way my skin takes in the sun– even when I’m in the sun without Maui Babe, it seems like after all these years my skin has been trained to get brown rather than burned.

The bottle says it’s fast. How fast could it be? I see tan lines within 10 minutes. 

But… isn’t tanning bad for you? Aren’t you supposed to be telling me wear SPF 50 and get a damage-erasing facial with one of your spa deals or something? Of course. I was getting there. You should definitely wear sunscreen under your Babe to protect your skin while you brown it… Maui Babe makes an SPF 30 lotion.We can’t stop you from tanning, so at least do it safely. (I’ll let you decide on your own if you wanted to try one of those facial deals.)

What does it smell like? Feel like? I thought you’d never ask. It smells like a mix of coffee, cocoa, oil and beach. Some people love it, some people would rather save the smell for their mocha latte. It’s a thick and goopy cream that freaks a lot people out.

Those bottles look a little ghetto: Watch your mouth. 

Does the brown rub off on your clothes? Yes. Every time. BUT! It comes right out in the wash, no problem. I’ve never gotten a permanent Babe stain, but I can’t imagine I’d be that upset if I did.

Proving love, time and again: I once made my entire family– including my immobile grandmother, drive over an hour to go to the nearest store in Florida that carried The Babe. I also once had a shipment practically over-nighted from Hawaii to arrive before leaving for a vacation.

Where can I get it? Back in the good old days, you could only order it from MauiBabe.com or go to Maui to pick it up. Maui Babe was a true rarity. Now you can find it all over. I’ll never forget the day I walked into Duane Reade on 34th and 3rd in Manhattan, and to my horror, sitting right there on the shelf among the lowly Banana Boats and Coppertones, sat a row of my beautiful Babe. I felt so responsible, so connected, so deceived, and SO overwhelmed, that I stood there in Duane Reade at 2 in the morning convincing people in line to buy Maui Babe until they sold out entirely. 

The price of the perfect suntan:  $13.99 for a 4 oz bottle, $23 for an 8 oz at Mauibabe.com. Prices have doubled over the last few years, which I guess they’ve earned. You may also consider buying a set that includes Sunscreen and/or their After Sun formula. Or, buy Babe in bulk. 

Social Babe: I found them on Twitter and Facebook today! Couldn’t be more excited.

The Real Deal: Tomorrow I am going on my first vacation without Maui Babe in tow… because I am going to Maui! Of all the reasons I’m excited, number one might be to feel the glorious satisfaction of buying and using Maui Babe exactly where God intended. 

Hot Stone Scale: 6 out of 6

This Little Luxury Report was brought to you by: Michelle

The holidays are a time to be joyful and celebrate. They are also a time when we find ourselves overindulging in food and beverages while burning the candle at both ends hopping from party to party in the midst of rushing to finish deadline after deadline prior to holiday travel. Sleep becomes a luxury while looking fresh faced is a necessity.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting prestigious skin care and lifestyle expert Lydia Sarfati, founder of  Repêchage Skin Care. She’s truly a gem in the industry and a wonderful source of skinspiration for me– and for millions. Here, I share with you Lydia’s tips on how to successfully manage the holiday hustle while looking exceptionally fresh, along with the best Repêchage products to do the trick every step of the way.

1. If you need to get your day off to a detoxifying start after a big night out, jog or walk at least 30 minutes – The movement will give you energy and it will set your body in motion for detoxification. A little sweat is just what your body needs if you had a late night or over indulged on the holiday punch. When you are done, do some light stretching and drink at least 24 ounces of water.

2. Take a warm bath at 105 degrees for 30 minutes – The water should not be too hot. In fact as the water gets cooler the longer you soak this will allow for some lymphatic drainage, which will remove any superficial bloating. Lydia recommends adding a Repêchage Vita Cura Seaweed bath sachet to the water which will add to the relaxation, skin softening and detoxification

Repêchage Honey and Almond Scrub

a. While in the tub apply a relaxing facial mask or an exfoliating treatment. Lydia recommends applying Honey and Almond scrub to the face and letting it sit for 10 minutes before gently massaging the face in circular motions and rinsing off with water. If you have less time use the Hydra Refine One Minute Clarifying Mask which works wonders and tightens pores.
b. If you don’t have a fresh cucumber handy to slice for use on the eyes, Lydia recommends applying cold Eye Rescue Pads to the eyes while the mask sets. These will allow you to regain the look of having achieved a well rested 8 hour sleep (even if you didn’t get it).
c. Relax and breathe deeply. Really enjoy your “me” time.

4. To really feel better, Lydia’s secret is to mix one Seaweed and Magnesium supplement into chilled water or fruit juice. The Seaweed and Magnesium will give you energy and enhance clarity. This is a must!

5. After the bath make sure to really take care of your skin on face and body. Use products that will instantly hydrate your skin or provide a lifting effect, especially around the eye area. Lydia loves products that provide an instant lift like Repechage’s Vita Cura Opti-Lift Serum. This can be applied around the eye area 2 times per day and can even be patted on over make-up.

Repêchage Algo Mist

6. The Vita Cura Triple Firming Cream is great to use all over your face for moisture, tightening and an instant lifting effect. It provides a glow that will carry you through the day.

7. If your holiday looks include short skirts or backless dresses Lydia suggests that you amply hydrate your whole body. For great moisture that will treat your skin, Lydia uses Seaweed Crème Active Body Cream in the morning, every morning.

8. When you are on the go, don’t forget to freshen up between parties. Carry Repêchage Algo Mist in your bag to mist on your face for an instant dewy appearance between parties.

Lydia assures that if you do the above 8 steps, you will be successful in having it all!

Ms. Lydia Sarfati, President and Founder of Repêchage, an internationally recognized skin care expert quoted in Vogue, In Style, Glamour, and New York Times as well as featured on CNN, CBS, and FOX. Ms. Sarfati is the creator of the world-renowned Four Layer Facial® and has over thirty years of experience as an esthetician, spa owner, manufacturer, consultant and is author of Success at Your Fingertips: How to Succeed in the Skin Care Business. She has contributed to the elevation of the esthetics field in the US and abroad and has recently been appointed honorary chair of EstheticsAmerica, CIDESCO USA.

bath photo courtesy of getty images

Last month, we asked you for your holiday stories – you responded via e-mail, and we picked our three favorites to share with everyone!

Here’s a good story for those battling holiday traveling this week. May your travels be as pleasant and festive!

I was traveling to my aunt’s house for Christmas a few years ago…I originally had booked a short flight for the morning of the 24th because there was a sale back in October (usually I just drive to her house) but a snowstorm the night of the 23rd grounded my plane! The airline chartered a bus to get us where we were going for the holiday since it was just a few hours’ drive…even the grinches on the bus got in the spirit when we stopped for hot chocolate. An inconvenience that could have ruined my holiday turned into one of my favorite holiday memories!

But when New Year’s Eve rolls around…be sure to keep one eye over your shoulder.

From about age 9 onward, my parents always let us stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve. Now that I’m in school, late nights are not new to me, but it’s still exciting to my 10 year old brother. Last New Year’s Eve, he scared us half to death by jumping out of a hall closet at the stroke of midnight!

And finally, it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s festivities. May we suggest taking your main dish for a test drive first?

My roommate decided that last Thanksgiving was the holiday to try making a turducken by hand (a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken with three different stuffings separating the layers.) Needless to say the kitchen looked like a horror film and we ended up ordering out.

We here at SPA WEEK hope your holidays, however you celebrate them, are full of family, friends, and good stories! We’ll be back in full swing in January…and we’ll want to hear all about your holiday stories, so put ‘em in the comments!

With the economy putting pressure on just about everyone, more and more people are opting to skip costly vacations in favor of enjoying what their neck of the woods has to offer. Dubbed “staycations”, these vacations-without-leaving-home carry all the rules a vacation to any exotic locale might. Namely:

1. No work allowed. It’s not a vacation if you do what you always do! Commit just as fully to this vacation as you would if you had plane tickets, and you just might find a staycation as rewarding as any real vacation.
2. Get out of your comfort zone. If you wouldn’t do it on a vacation…don’t do it on a staycation! That means head to a restaurant you haven’t tried or visit a museum you’ve never gotten around to seeing. That way, your staycation will feel novel and not routine.
3. Consider day trips. Research tourist sites within a few hours of your home. You can still have all the excitement of heading toward a destination while still keeping expenses low. Treat yourself to lunch or a souvenir to remember your trip by!

And, our favorite tip:

1. Make your staycation a spacation. If your budget allows it, book some spa treatments you’ve never tried before (our Spa Week gift card and spa directory can help with that.) If you’re trying to maximize your fun on a shoestring, plan an at-home spa day with a friend. Wear fluffy bathrobes, light candles, apply facials, and take turns giving each other manicures and pedicures! Heading to the spa, whether it’s in your town or in your bathroom, is a sure way to make a short staycation feel like 3 weeks in the tropics.

Have you ever take a staycation? Got any advice for fellow intrepid “travellers”?