De-Stress For the Holidays With December Spa Deals

Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone but some of us still haven’t even begun our holiday shopping yet. We totally get it. But while you are busy getting (or thinking about getting) gifts for every one else on your list, what about you?  We have a little gift of our own to pass along: December spa deals! These massages, facials and scrubs should help you unwind after a long day of  shopping… or shopping procrastination.

And if you never quite make it to the stores, that’s okay too – Spa & Wellness Gift Cards make the perfect gift for anyone, are on sale through December 31st, and you don’t even have to get off your couch. :)

Body by Melisa in Oakland, California has a 2 Hour Exhausted Shoppers Package: includes Skin Bella Facial Treatment and your choice of Dermasonic Cellulite Treatment, Organic Harvest Sugar Scrub or Healing Massage with Aromatherapy. May be shared with a friend. Special: $140; Originally: $275.

CloudMover Day Spa in Huntington Beach, California has your choice of a Cinnamon Sugar Back Polish and Swedish Massage, HB Facial with Diamond Peel, or Pro-Brazilian Wax. Special: $50 Each.

The New Well Weight Loss & Wellness Center in San Diego, California has a Serenity Facial. Special: $45; Originally: $95.

U-topia Spa in Naples, Florida has your choice of a 60 Minute Bliss Massage or Glisten Body Polish. Special: $70 Each.

Magdalen’s Pure Skincare in Rockville, Maryland has your choice of 60 Minute  Signature Facial for $60, normally $120, 60 Minute Slimming Body Wrap for $87.50, normally $175, or Brazilian Bikini Wax for $48, normally $60.

Epiphany Day Spa in Hempstead, New York has a 90 Minute Epiphany Sugar Scrub and Aromatherapy Oil Wrap designed to open the pores and moisturize the body. Special: $75.

Ettia Holistic Day Spa in New York has a Mini-Escape Package: includes 60 Minute Melt Away Massage and Busy Bee Facial. Special: $140; Originally: $200.

California Sun Spa in Toronto, Canada has your choice of A Shocking Lifting Package: includes Virtual Surgery Facial, Manicure and Pedicure for $159, normally $209, A Footsie, Tootsie, and a Little More Package: includes Spa Manicure, Pedicure and Eyebrow Shaping for $74, normally $85, or A Little Piece of Heaven Package: includes Yonka Facial, Manicure and Pedicure for $109, normally $134.

NeoSole Nail Lounge in Flossmoor, Illinois says that winter is not an excuse to neglect your feet. Indulge in our invigorating Peppermint Treatment. Includes Peppermint Scrub, Mask, Peppermint Butter Massage and Peppermint Tea. Also includes OPI Gel Color upgrade for a smudge-free polish. Special: $50; Originally: $75.

L’Institut Sothys New York has a Holiday Cheer Package: includes Seasonal Facial and Mini-Massage. Special: $99; Originally: $135.

Hidden Door Medspa in  Roanoke, Texas has your choice of a 80 Minute Hydrating Paraffin Facial and Paraffin Hand Treatment, or 80 Minute Hot Stone Massage with Peppermint or Cranberry Foot Scrub for $80, or Series of Six IPL or Microderm with Peel and complimentary Product Package for $99.

Happy spaaahlidays!

Click here to see all December Spa Deals.

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Enjoy That Extra Hour… At The Spa

Oh, that glorious extra hour! Why can’t we change the clocks back every day? Imagine – waking up every morning and realizing you have an hour more to sleep, to cuddle, to eat breakfast or catch up on the news… I campaign for 25 hour days, indefinitely. But alas, this might get confusing. So, with our one lucky “fall back” day of the year, I say take that extra hour you’ve been blessed with, and use it at the spa.

We’ve got many hour-long spa treatments in our November Spa Deals, and there are many actual proven reasons to use your extra time on the massage table.  TIME just featured “8 Ways to Beat the Daylight Savings Blues,” and much of it resonated with the spa lifestyle:

  • Getting a massage – The country’s most popular spa treatment is also great when the days get shorter and the winter blues set in. According to TIME: “(Massage) can be as effective in treating depression as talk therapy. During massage, levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is often high in depressed people, fall while levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin — the same brain chemical increased by antidepressant medications — rise.”
  • Deep breathing – “Taking slow, deep, relaxing breaths stimulates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for counteracting the stress response,” reports the TIME article. Our yoga expert, Elena Brower, created her Spa Week Daily Challenge around this fact – check out her 5 minute breathing tips. So when your in-laws are in town for the holidays, just remember to take deep breaths!
  • Drinking caffeine - Go ahead and feed your Starbucks addiction, because a recent study showed that women who drank more than four cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of depression. Lattes, here you come!
  • Exercising - Elle Woods said it best: “Exercising gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands!” Exercising repeatedly at the same time each day or days of the week helps create a habit, and the more you repeat that habit, the harder it becomes to let yourself deviate from it.
  • Socializing – It can be difficult to motivate yourself to go out especially during the bitterly cold winters here on the East Coast but, get yourself to the spa (maybe grab a few friends too) and you’ll be doing yourself a service! (Click for the rest of TIME’s tips.)

Here are some great spa deals around the country to fill that 60 minutes of time you’ve been blessed with, and to help you fight off those winter blues:

Bahn Sabai Day Spa in Los Angeles has a choice of 60 Minute Body Massage with 30 Min Facial or 60 Minute Body Massage with 30 Min Foot Massage. Special: $65 Each; Originally: $95 – $120.

Facelogic Spa in Encinitas, California has a 60 Minute Microdermabrasion Facial with Upper Body Massage. Special: $59; Originally: $109.

La Petite Rose in San Francisco has a choice of Luminous Vitamin C Facial or 60 Minute Pure Relaxation Massage. Special: $65 Each.

mySpa at InterContinental Miami has a choice of a 50 Min True Transformation Facial or My Massage, 60 Minute Anti-Cellulite Body Wrap or 95 Min Journey Manicure and Pedicure with choice of Lavender or Ginger. Special: $50 Each.

U-topia Spa in Naples, Florida has a choice of 60 Minute Bliss Massage or Glisten Body Polish. Special: $70 Each.

Newbury Electrology & Skin Care in Boston has a choice of 60 Minute Spa Facial with Enzyme Peel and 15 Min Electrolysis for $55, normally $125, or 60 Minute Deep Pore Cleansing Facial and Eyebrow Wax for $50, normally $95.

Suede Salon, Spa & Body in Marlton, New Jersey has a choice of 45 Min Pomegranate Brightening Peel for $69, normally $104, or 60 Minute Massage for $59, normally $81.

Monty Beauty Spa in Brooklyn, New York has a choice of 60 Minute Aromatherapy Massage with Cupping Therapy, 60 Minute Lava Hot Stone Massage or 90 Min Vitamin C and Seaweed Facial Treatment. Special: $60 Each.

Epiphany Day Spa in Hempstead, New York has a choice of 60 Minute Microdermabrasion or 60 Minute Aromatherapy Massage. Special: $65 Each; Originally: $120.

Serenity Spa in New York has your choice of a Manicure, Pedicure and 60 Minute Massage for $89, normally $119, or Manicure, Pedicure and Deep Cleansing Facial for $99, normally $134.

Water Lily Spa in New York has a choice of 60 Minute Deep Tissue Massage or 60 Minute Swedish Massage. Special: $50 Each.

Yin Beauty & Arts Spa in New York has your choice of a 60 Minute Lymph Detox Massage with Foot Herb Steam Bath for $55, normally $110, or 60 Minute Lipo-Slimming Massage with Body Contouring for $75, normally $150.

I SPA in Astoria, New York allows you to pick two: 60 Minute Facial, 60 Minute Anti-Stress Massage, Slimming Body Wrap, Body Scrub, Microdermabrasion or Brazilian and Underarms Wax. Special: $99.

Click here to see all November Spa Deals.

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Spa Week Active Ingredient: Seaweed

bod-den-0024It’s been used around the world from the ancient Greeks to Victorian England for its healing properties and it’s also one of our biggest trends for Spring Spa Week. What is this superhero ingredient you might ask?

Seaweed!

Today, most popularly known as the green stuff wrapped around our sushi, seaweed is one of the most highly regarded ingredients by doctors and beauty experts alike. As Linda Page, N.D. Ph.D. points out, “Sea plants can transform your health. There are many reasons why I recommend sea vegetables as part of my healing programs — weight loss, cellulite control, detoxification, beautiful hair and skin, and more.”

Known for its anti-oxidant rich healing powers, this anti-ager helps improve your skin’s overall appearance. “Seaweed has the ability to detox the body removing heavy metals, radioactive chemicals, toxins and free radicals” says Satnarine, skincare expert from Epiphany Day Spa. Used as a body wrap, the ingredient tones skin tissue and improves circulation to reduce cellulite. It acts as a catalyst to remove excess water from the body and help maintain your healthy weight loss program.

Used topically with a facial, the mineral salts in seaweed also help your skin hold its moisture, while improving texture and overall appearance. It is also the richest source of minerals and is one of the few products that can penetrate the pores and infuse minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and iodine into the cells.

The ingredient is ideal for all skin types-even sensitive skin benefits from its smoothing properties which also help to neutralize any imbalances. The result: firmer, rejuvenated, and nourished skin.

As Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher put it, “The sea cures all evils.” He knows his stuff, so if seaweed was good enough for Plato, it’s good enough for me.

Here are a sampling of ways to snag seaweed’s beauty benefits for yourself during Spa Week. See the full Spa Directory for all your options.

Manhattan
Susan Ciminelli Day Spa & Salon

  • 60 Min Seaweed Body Wrap


Long Island
Epiphany Day Spa

  • 60 Min Seaweed Facial with Herbal Exfoliants and Mask for All Skin Types
  • 60 Min Seaweed Body Wrap for Cellulite Reduction and Weight Loss

Brooklyn
Art of Natural Beauty Center

  • Seaweed Slimming Body Wrap

O Spa

  • 60 Min Seaweed Deep Pore Cleansing Facial
  • Orange Skye Body & Beauty Bar
  • 55 Min Seaweed Facial with Sea Extracts and Essential Oils

Staten Island
Skin Solutions Laser Spa

  • 60 Min Seaweed Detoxifying Mud Wrap with Mini Facial

Dallas
The Woodhouse Day Spa- Plano

  • 50 Min Seaweed Cellulite Wrap
  • The Salon and Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue
  • 45 Min Soothing Seaweed Facial

Los Angeles
BEBA Beauty Skin and Body Day Spa

  • 50 Min Cellulite Treatment: Detoxifying Seaweed Body Wrap

Arlington, Virginia
Cassianna Spa

  • 55 Min Repechage Seaweed Facial

Washington, DC
Nusta Spa

  • 80 Min Nusta Spa Signature Pedicure with Seaweed Mask and Paraffin Dip

Martha’s Vineyard
The MV Diet Detox Spa

  • 75 Min Natural Cleansing Seaweed Body Wrap

Need a little more information on why you should book your seaweed appointment? Check out our “Seaweed Queen” video, behind the scenes of a Repechage Seaweed Facial, below.