The CEO of Spa Week Media Group just tasked me with the duty of booking her the best massage in New York for this Saturday. I booked her 90 minutes with none other than Soli Davis, the spa director at Shibumi Spa.

Soli is admittedly a science geek. She takes nothing at face value (including facials), always researching health claims that pop up in the news, and often seeing right through them. It’s why editors call her all the time for quotes; Soli knows her stuff. She uses all Bionova skincare products, a brand rooted deeply in Biology. For the science geek in us all, I’ve included reflexology charts below, all of which Soli could map out blindfolded. She also signs off her emails with “love, light and laughter,” all of which you will feel in Soli’s warm presence.

With a mix of sass and science-based spa techniques, Soli Davis gave me her famous 90 Minute Facial with Reflexology peppered with facts and tips to give my brain a massage to boot. Literally.

Soli’s treatment, which uses a hybrid of modalities and that she’s crafted meticulously over the years, includes all the typical checkpoints of a great facial: exfoliating, extractions, a peel mask, moisturizer, etc. But what’s particularly notable was everything else that came with it: Her fingers dug deep my scalp, neck, shoulders, forehead and jaw, kneading out all tension with pinpoint accuracy, treating not just my face, but everything that surrounds it and mobilizes it.

Many good facialists include a foot massage while a mask is setting, but Soli turns it up a notch—her facial is not complete without the reflexology that goes with it. The difference between reflexology and a regular foot rub is that therapists who specialize in reflexology can efficiently target various parts of your body by way of your feet, and that’s exactly what Soli did. “This is your neck, these are your sinuses…” she explained as she worked her way through my face and body via the soles of my feet. She also did reflexology on my hands and ears, offering a similar full body therapy.

After the treatment I felt and looked noticeably refreshed. My skin glowed. My eyes looked wider and more awake. My neck, which is perpetually creaky if I stretch it the right (or wrong?) way, was literally unable to creak. How’d she do it!?

This treatment was supposed to be a Live Spa TV segment, canceled once before because I was too sick to spa (awesome blog post, btw), and now again due to technical difficulties (even an Apple genius was stumped). The segment has once again been postponed, date TBA, when you can see it in action. Stay tuned.

But by all means, don’t let ME hold you up! You MUST experience this facial for yourself. Seriously, I urge you, and it’s ONLY $99 right now if you mention Spa Week, courtesy of Spa Week’s spa deals. Call now and ask for Soli. Go, go, go!

Shibumi Spa – Eastern Athletic’s Tribeca Sanctuary
80 Leonard Street
New York, NY 10013
212.343.8788

All January Deals at Shibumi Spa:
Choice of 75 Min Exclusive Bionova Blue Lamp Facial for $125, normally $200, 45 Min Anti-Oxidant Exfoliation from Head to Toe for $70, or 90 Min Custom Facial with Reflexology designed by Soli with elements of Shiatsu, Lymphatic Drainage and Tibetan Ayurvedic Marma Points for $99, normally $165. Also receive a complimentary Guest Pass to the Eastern Athletic Club-Tribeca on the day of your treatment to take a class, work out, or use the steam room or sauna. Please remember to bring a lock for the locker room.

Disclosure

Reflexology charts via tcmadvisory.com (ear) reflexologyguide.org (hand) reflexologyfootchart.net (foot)

Guest Contributor: Jessica Lapidos

BEFORE:

I am a relative spa novice. As far as my experience, they are few and far between, but lavishly enjoyed. I have gotten a handful of massages in my life, on family vacations, or birthday gift certificates, but as a recent college grad, I’m not quite financially equipped enough to make Spa my lifestyle…yet. So today, I’m getting a taste of something beyond the 60 minute Swedish Massage. I’m headed to celebrate Spa Week at the Shibumi Spa at the Eastern Athletic Club in Tribeca to get a Glycolic Facial Peel with Reflexology with the Director, Soli Davis.

Facial w/ Reflexology, Head-to-Toe - Custom Basic Facial with Reflexology on hands, feet, face, and head. Give us 90 minutes and we’ll take you on a journey to help restore, renew, and rejuvenate your being. From head to toe, you’ll feel and look as if you’ve had a mini vacation without even leaving the room. Reflexology added to the custom facial helps relax or energize the system, increasing circulation and helping your body return to a state of balance. 90 minutes

The description alone makes me tingle!  Then I read more about Soli Davis – wooh! Now I’m super jazzed! Born into a family of healers from a lush background of Japanese, African American, and Native American, she has the combined knowledge of millennia of teachings, plus access and contribution to today’s newest innovations. Her methods are available exclusively on the Shibumi Spa menu, along with a day of membership on the day of the treatment. I wonder if I’ll take a class? Sit in the steam room? Pump some iron?

Well, I’m off to find out!

Right now, after a nice shower, my skin is a little dry and taught. My pores feel rather clogged up, and though I detest the term breakout, as I never feel that what I get should be given such an explosive word, I do get the occasional pimple or three. And I tend to pop… maybe I was born to be an esthetician. But I never got the official training, so I typically tend to do more bad than good. I’ll show you what I’m working with:

This is my Before picture. The After didn't look that much different in the photo, so just picture this only glowing and smiling. My face felt infinitely better!

Wish me luck! I’ll tell you all about it later!

AFTER:

Well, that was way more than what I thought a facial would be. In just the Mini Glycolic facial, I got my face, hands, neck, shoulders and jaw worked out into a relaxed state. Soli Davis understands that the skin is the body’s largest organ, and so interacts with nearly every part of the body. For instance, she especially targeted my jaw, and helped to ease it out of the clench. Tightening my face this way is not only bad for my skin, but also adds to the tension in my upper back, shoulders, and my neck at the base of my skull. She worked these “ouchie points” just up to the point that it felt like a breath of fresh air – damaged reversed! The facial, neck and shoulder massage had elements of reflexology, shiatsu, lymphatic drainage and reiki, which increase circulation, release tension and generally left me floating. The hand and arm massage also used reflexology, shiatsu and Ayurvedic marma points. Mmmm… Marma like!

Soli Davis’s magic hands spread super unique crèmes and serums over my face and décolleté. The first thing she said to me about the Bionova products was, “If it’s not already in your skin, it’s not in these products.” With over 300 different enzymes and components that make up a single skin cell, these succinctly developed crèmes and lotions use approximately 150 of them. With a low pH, it restores natural elasticity and shine, rebuilding the skin cells with only what it needs.

The organic Glycolic enzyme peel tingled in my pores, as it exfoliated my face toward the end of the treatment. It was one of many layers of crèmes and soothers that glided on my face, mixed with pressure point attention. Through a constant stream of steam, and her strong and gentle, purposeful hands, Soli Davis worked my face into a new kind of clean I’ve never known of before.

All of this facial attention, combined with my first ever steam room experience, is enough to make me turn to the way of the Spa. There will certainly be more facials in my future – the next step is extractions!

Shibumi Spa – Eastern Athletic’s Tribeca Sanctuary
80 Leonard Street
New York, NY 10013
212.343.8788
http://www.shibumispany.com

Shibumi’s $50 Spa Week Treatments:

• 45 Min Anti-Oxidant Head to Toe Exfoliation with Marine Enzyme Peel and Body Exfoliation of Pomegranate and Cranapple Sugar Scrub
• 45 Min Glycolic Facial Special with Elements of Shiatsu and Reflexology

Click HERE to see all your other facial options this week.

Disclosure

One of my favorite things about working at Spa Week is the excitement of trying all kinds of spas around New York City. I’ve easily been to over 60 in the past year, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the old adage really holds true in this industry: it’s what’s inside that counts. I’ve discovered some mind-blowing massage techniques, priceless skincare advice, and the most talented and passionate people inside the most unsuspecting places. It doesn’t take a big fancy lobby or famous name; just like hundreds of hipster restaurants in the East Village, sometimes the best spa isn’t even on your radar yet.

Here, I share with you a handful the NYC spas that I often recommend to friends, along with some that I’ve heard first hand are well worth discovering. All participating in Spa Week October 11-17.

1. Enliven Body Works, 116 East 60th Street, 2nd Floor, 212.813.9396

I had the Thai Bomb Massage here, and as a big fan of thorough, firm massages, this was everything I needed. They’re offering it for Spa Week and I’d recommend it to any frazzled New Yorker who needs the stress kicked outta them in Midtown East. Check it out on Live Spa TV.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 50 Min Foot Reflexology, 50 Min Thai Bomb, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy or Hot Stone Massage, 50 Min Enliven Ultra-Hydration Facial

2. Perfect Spa, 1100 Second Avenue, 212.752.8880

From the outside, you would think it was just a nail salon, but the spa part is extremely nice and they have a huge spa menu of services to choose from.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 50 Min Reflexology or Aroma Massage, 50 Min Perfect Customized Facial or Brazilian Bikini Waxing with Eyebrow Shaping, 45 Min Walnut Body Scrub or 60 Min Walnut Honey Milk Pedicure

3. Heaven-E Specialty Spa, 126 Lafayette Street, 2nd Floor, 212.966.4288

Ooooh, heaven is a place in Chinatown. From the outside you might think it’s a stereotypical Chinatown massage parlor, but au contraire! I could write a book about how pleasantly surprised I was— how pretty it is inside, the cutting edge spa technology they have (The ME K3 machine made me look 21 again), and fantastic services they provide.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 60 Min Deep Tissue Massage, 60 Min Deep Cleansing Facial, 60 Min Sea Salt Body Scrub

4. Aqualia Spa, 829 3rd Avenue, 2nd Floor 212.980.8868

Blogger friend Sabrina Alexis said of Aqualia’s Signature Facial: “This treatment was hands down one of the best I’ve ever gotten.” Read the rest of her experience on A New Mode.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 60 Min Aqualia Deep Tissue Body Massage, 45 Min Deluxe Green Tea Spa Pedicure, 75 Min Aqualia Signature Facial

5. Lia Schorr Day Spa, 686 Lexington Avenue, Fourth Floor, 212.486.9670

Lia Schorr is not only one of the most passionate and knowledgeable skincare experts I’ve met in this industry (and everyone is passionate and knowledgeable), she runs a skin care school AND has a full hallway of signed celebrity photos thanking her for their beautiful skin. If I were a celebrity, I’d be sure to have my photo up there too.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 50 Min Swedish/Hot Stone Combo Massage with Body Scrub, 75 Min Deep Pore Cleansing Facial with Seaweed Mask or 60 Min Oxygen Facial, 100 Min European Manicure, Pedicure and Brazilian Wax

6. Ettia Holistic Day Spa, 239 West 72nd Street, 800.795.7109

Very cozy, holistic spa focusing on special herbs and healing abilities.  It’s been featured in all of the big beauty books as a top spa in NYC.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 45 Min Dual Decadence Massage, 45 Min Basic Holistic Facial, 45 Min Dead Sea Salt Jewel Scrub

7. Spa Catchi, 115 East 39th Street New York, NY 10016 212.980.3880

A brand new spa in midtown. Guest-blogger Julia Allison claims to practically have a “PhD” in mani-pedis, and called this “hands down” one of the best mani-pedis in NYC. Read her Spa Catchi review.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 60 Min Catchi Signature Massage, 60 Min Catchi Signature Facial, 60 Min Combination Catchi Signature Manicure and Pedicure

8. Fine Living New York Ayurveda, 154 West 14th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10011 , 212.616.4127

This spa brings the 5000-year old herbal science to life in a city that often forgets how much our ancestors knew about healthy living. A great place to not just experience the benefits of Ayurveda, but to learn about it.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: 50 Min Ayurvedic Body Massage with Dosha Balancing Herbal Oil- Abhyanga, Choice of 50 Min Ayurvedic Balancing Facial or Shirodhara: Includes Warm Herbal Oil Dripping on Forehead, 50 Min Shiropadaabhyanga: Includes Head, Face and Foot Massage

9. Graceful Services, 1095 2nd Avenue, 2nd Floor, 212.593.9904

Forcefully strong yet equally graceful hands are a priceless commodity in this industry. The  flocks of suited men and women I saw coming and going during my visit are a sign that this no-frills 2nd floor spa is no secret to midtown professionals seeking top-quality services.

$50 Spa Week Treatments: Acupuncture, 50 Min Qigong or Hot Stone Massage, 50 Min Scalp or Foot Massage

For the full list of spas in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and outside the city, view the list of New York Spas participating in Spa Week, October 11-17. Discover your own hidden gem, you hipster, you!

Guest post by Julia Allison, Media Personality and “rambunctious, inquisitive and non-sickening source of positivity”

“I’ve never been in combat,” I wrote in The Guardian UK recently, “but I’ve seen GI Jane, and from the looks of it, Fashion Week bears more than a passing resemblance to a regimented boot camp, complete in 6-inch YSLs and Herve Leger bandage dresses, in the middle of a highly organized, unrelenting mosh pit of well-dressed editors, reporters, buyers, models, photographers, press and flaks with competing agendas.”

I’ve covered Fashion Week for seven seasons, the last three for NBCs New York Nonstop channel, and I know enough to know that eight days of shows, five to seven shows a day, (again, in those six inch heels) means I’ll be hurting – or comatose – when that ninth day comes.  An emergency trip to the spa, complete with scented bath, massage, mani-pedi and a facial were the perfect antidote to my Fashion Week Hangover.

Spa Merge

My first appointment of the day was at Spa Merge on West 57th Street (right near one of my favorite shoppes, cough cough, Bergdorf’s).  Since I was staying at my girl friend’s place in Tribeca, I rode my bike up the West Side Highway path for a leisurely, relaxing twenty minute ride (and a nice sweat that I knew I would soon be rid of, thanks to the hydrotherapy!)  I was scheduled for a 15 minute Hydrotub bathing ritual with scented oils, 310 jets and a scalp massage.  All of this was to be followed by a real 90-minute fusion massage.  Mmmm.

When I walked into the spa, which is relatively new, I was more than a little impressed at the decor.  It’s not huge, but it’s NICE.  Every touch has been accounted for, from the little lavender flowers on the tray with your water (which they refreshed for me no less than three times!) to the small strawberry chaser they bring you after your massage.  This is a place for luxury, a place for pampering, a place to be indulged.  Merge is really what we all imagine in our heads when we think “luxury spa.”  The service was impeccable – I was waited on hand and foot (literally). Some luxury spas don’t have technicians who are capable of more than Swedish, but that wasn’t the case with Merge. When I requested a particularly strong massage (a former therapist had once said to me “You strong! Like ox!” What can I say?  I like a bit of pain with my relaxation.) I actually got it!  I loved the hydrotherapy prior to the massage – it really helped loosen up my muscles in preparation for the tension-releasing workout my therapist was to give them!  Although I can’t say I was a fan of the scalp massage – for some reason, on dry hair without shampoo and conditioner, it doesn’t feel as good.   Other than that, my experience at Merge was delicious.  I can’t wait to come back!

Continue reading the rest of Julia’s spa day at Spa Catchi

Spa Merge
102-108 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
646.484.4104

$50 Spa Week Treatments, October 11-17
50 Min Tub and Rub with Hydrating Full Body Warm Shea Butter Application
50 Min Merge Miracle Facial with Skin Analysis
45 Min Brazilian Bikini and Brow Wax

ATTN: Editors, Stylists, Publicists, Designers, Models and Bloggerati…  The far, far away world above 59th street just got a lot more fashionable, and for you, a lot more stressful too. The seductive whirlwind that is New York Fashion Week has arrived, and whether it’s a last minute mani-pedi you need, a massage you’re dying for, or a slimming body treatment you could really use, Spa Week Daily‘s got you covered. Below is your invitation to the hottest ticket in town: The best spas to hit (on a Condé Nast Fashion Assistant’s budget) for a quick fashion detox in between Calvin and Carolina.

NEAR LINCOLN CENTER

Faina European Day Spa 330 West 58th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, suite 402 | 212.245.6557

• 60 Min Purifying-Dermabrasion Facial or Purifying Allergy Release Facial with Eucalyptus and Lymphatic Drainage Movements and Extractions – $89 normally $159
• 45 Min Seaweed Firming Detoxifying Body Wrap with Firming Massage - $69 normally $116
• Grape Peel Pedicure and Crystal Mud Manicure – $45 normally $90
• 2 Hour 30 Min Romance for Her Package: includes Rejuvenating Facial, Lavender Crystal Mud Pedicure, Spa Manicure, 30 Min Aromatherapy Body Massage, Champagne and Chocolate for $179,  normally $229.

The Doctors at Trump Place Longevity Institute and Medispa – 194 Riverside Blvd. between 91st and 92nd Street | 212.580.0900

• Choice of Mind-Body Conditioning Core Sculpting and E-Yoga for Buttocks, Upper and Lower Abdomen and Thighs for $250, normally $350
• Aesthetic Face Lifting with Micro-Current Technology for $175, normally $275
• Micro-Peel Laser Skin Resurfacing for $250, normally $450, or Classic Aesthetic or SkinMedica Medical Aesthetic Chemical Peel for Acne, Hyperpigmentation, Rejuvenation or Anti-Aging for $55-$200, normally $125-$295.

Studio 57 Skin & Body Care Spa 57 West 57th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue, Suite 710 | 212.758.6383

• 60 Min Multi-Vitamin Oxygenating Facial with Eye and Lip Rejuvenating Treatment. A Revitalizing Treatment favoring an effective Anti-Aging action due to the combination of oxygen therapy with vitamins and specific cosmetic products. This treatment features several unique and luxurious age-fighting products for the Eyes, Lips, Neck and Décolleté Area. Special: $75; Originally: $125

Yin Beauty & Arts Spa 103 West 86th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues | 212.362.2626

• Detox Body Treatment with Lymph Drainage Massage – $75
• 90 Min Slimming Treatment - $75
• 60 Min Anti-Aging Pearl Facial for $65
• Microdermabrasion for $47.50

L’Institut Sothys New York 37 West 57th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue | 212.688.9400

• European Facial and Signature Massage. – Special: $170; Originally: $225

NEAR MILK STUDIOS

Beauty Jewel Spa & Laser Skin Care Center 146 West 4th Street between Sixth Avenue and MacDougal Street | 212.505.0600

• Choice of Signature Relaxation Massage, Chocolate Body Wrap or Sonya Dakar Signature Deep Pore Cleansing Facial for $65, normally $110, or treat yourself to all three services for $150.

Deva Spa 425 Broome Street between Crosby and Lafayette Street | 646.454.4300

• Book 60 Min Massage and receive complimentary Scrub worth $75, book 60 Min Facial and receive complimentary Manicure worth $35, or book Manicure and Pedicure and receive complimentary Eyebrow Wax worth $40

Randee Elaine Spa and Laser Center 180 7th Avenue South between W. 11th and Perry Street | 212.229.0399

• Pick Two: 60 Min Massage, Deep Pore Cleansing Facial, Professional Teeth Whitening, or Non-Surgical Face Lift.
  Special: $99

NEAR THE ALTMAN BUILDING

Green Tea Massage & Spa 240 East 28th Street between Second and Third Avenue | 212.683.4048

• Choice of 60 Min Deep Tissue, Hot Stone or Combination Massage, or 60 Min Deep Cleansing Facial for $50 each, or One Acupuncture Session for $60.

White Tea Spa 104 West 14th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue, Suite 2C | 212.647.8919

• Velashape Treatment Per Body Area. Velashape reduces and shrinks the size of the actual fat cells and fat chambers. We are able to treat multiple areas in a Single Session including Abdomen, Love Handles, Buttocks and Thighs without downtime or discomfort. Please inquire about our specially discounted packages available. – Special: $145.95; Originally: $295

Dyanna Body Nail Salon – Spa 40 East 21st Street between Park Avenue South and Broadway | 212.995.2355‎

• Choice of Spa Manicure and Spa Pedicure, 50 Min Aromatherapy Massage or 45 Min Sea Spa Glow Body Scrub – Special: $50 Each

Need your spa fix near Marc or another obscurely-located show this season? Check here

Watching New York Fashion Week from the comfort of your home in Chicago or elsewhere? These are for you.