Long before my Spa Week days, I had a gig interning in the Public Relations department at Saks Fifth Avenue. One of my jobs was to help coordinate any filming production that went on in the flagship store, from news segments to movie scenes. (And psst, that was when they were filming the first Sex and The City movie!) While that was fun and all, I’ve never enjoyed a filming at Saks quite as much I did the other week, when I received an hour-long Aromatherapy Massage from Victor at Halcyon Days Salon & Spa, nestled quietly beneath the hubbub of the famous department store.

But before I introduce you to Victor, let me introduce you to the spa. Halcyon, which translates from ancient Greek to “calm, peaceful days”, has some of the most elegant spa destinations in North America, 13 of which are participating in Spa Week this season. The particular one I visited at Saks Fifth Avenue is a sweeping space with an enormous salon, a spa cafe, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a few different lounge areas, and 10 treatment rooms. Beautiful plush blankets, rather than just towels, added a rich touch to the decor and comfort.

Now, Victor: The man was built to give massages. I liked his demeanor, his accent, the cup of orange-flavored water he poured me, and most of all, his big strong HANDS. Using a variety of techniques, Victor kneaded the stress out of me from top to toe. Penetrating deep into my muscles, he dug his fingers into just the right body parts. My neck and my calves were particularly memorable. This aromatherapy session used a variety of different scents. As you see in the video, when it got to my neck and head part, he asked which essential oil I preferred: Chinese Jasmine or Organic Ginger. I chose ginger, which really helped open up my sinuses. It was an outstanding massage that hit all the marks, knots, and shopping kinks.

So, as I found out upon leaving, this particular Halcyon location booked up for Spa Week next week within just a couple days of the $50 Directory launch! (This is not uncommon.) However, they had said they were working on getting more therapists and estheticians in for Spa Week to accommodate more clients! So give them a call and see if anything is open for next week. Seriously.

If you’re located elsewhere, here’s the rundown on the other Halcyon locations:

There are six Halcyon Saks Fifth Avenue locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, and Michigan. You can also find Halcyon Days Salon and Spa at Neiman Marcus NorthPark in Dallas, Texas. The company also goes under other aliases: Kiva Day Spa in Chicago, Illinois. Philipes Day Spa & Cosmetique in Indiana, Indianapolis. Essentiels Day Spa in Boulder, Colorado. Charles Grayson Spa & Salon in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stonewater Spa & Boutique in Missouri and Florida.

$50 Spa Week treatment options include:

50 Min Aromatic Well-Being Facial
50 Min Therapeutic Full Body Massage
70 Min Featured Pumpkin Manicure + Pedicure Retreat

The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue
611 Fifth Avenue at 50th Street
New York, NY 10022
212.940.4000

I can remember the best tan of my life very clearly. It was Spring Break in Acapulco, Sophomore year of college. Every day from the moment I peeled myself out of that cheap hotel bed until the sun went down, I werked it on the beach, dousing myself in Amazing Maui Babe, flipping every half hour, and turning my chair like clockwork to exalt the sun as it moved across the sky. Making my sunsoaked days even sunnier (besides those strongggg Miami Vices) were the hands of my personal Acapulco beach massage therapist. Yes, that’s right, on the first day laying out, an Acapulco native came by offering an hour-long massage for $30 (I know, better than Spa Week!)… and you better believe I said YES.

And then, every single day of vacation, as if I was prepping for a future job at Spa Week or something, I took advantage of her hour-long, oil-soaked services, illuminating my tan even more. Until I looked like this (tattoo is fake, tan is real):

Well, those days are over. I no longer have the patience – nor the ignorance – to want to lay in the sun for 8 hours a day all week. I am now an advocate of faking it and not getting skin cancer. Which leads me to the SECOND best tan of my life: completely bare spa‘s new Completely Bronzed Spray Tan, one of their $50 Spa Week treatments this Fall.

Completely Bronzed is an odorless spray tan that, as you can see in the video, is applied by a technician rather than just a misting machine. Unlike most other spray tans, it dries within four hours, so you can shower faster than the time it would take you to get to Acapulco. It also has a bronzer, so until you DO take that shower, you will be extra brown.

BEFORE the shower...

Or… in my case the first time I tried it… orange! —>

BUT, thankfully the orange only lasted until I showered, and then I turned to a beautiful state of bronze. The second time I got Completely Bronzed, I asked them go a little lighter on the face, and there was NO such orange at all. However, it wouldn’t have even been so bad if I was, because I only looked like an oompa loompa that one night.

In fact, I loved the tan SO much the first time, that I went back to cb a second time before a friend’s wedding in Cape Cod!

Now I know you have two main questions: 1, how good is the GOOD part of the tan, and 2, what is the DURATION like?

To answer your first question – it was extremely even. A very rich, natural-looking color, and it did precisely what it’s meant to do: make you look great in person, and even more notably, in photos. It was THIS good (yellow dress was from the second time with the lighter face, others are from the first tan):

(Yes, that’s me in the middle blending in with those mahogany walls.)

And now… THE DURATION:

• The first FOUR days (starting from when you shower) are amazing. That is broken down as such: The first two you look like you are still on vacation, the second two you look like you just got back from vacation. If you wash your face like a good spa girl (or boy), your face will get lighter faster than the rest.
• Over the next 1 or 2 days, you will start to “chip.” It’s the sunless equivalent to peeling. It’s not that cute when you notice it, but you still maintain some sexy color throughout your body.
• After that, it’s all downhill. You want to make sure you do NOT have a bikini party anytime between 6-12 days after your tan. You’ll be spotty and uneven.

To make the spotty, chipping period less unfortunate looking, you’ll want to exfoliate your body each day as soon as you decide your tan is ready to POOF be-gone. This time it took a solid 14 days to fully fade away. Last time, I got a body scrub at Le Merigot Santa Monica to finish off the last of it so it was a little bit quicker. (Side note: sweet excuse for a scrub!)

Completely bare, helmed by ex-NY housewife Cindy Barshop, is rapidly expanding and has Spa Week locations in California, Georgia, Texas and New York. In addition to Completely Bronzed, they are also offering laser hair removal for basic bikini or a brazilian wax for $50. Check out spaweek.com for completely bare locations near you.

And if you want to tell your friends you were in St. Tropez last week, your secret is safe with me!

Disclosure: Treatments were comped in exchange for video coverage and editorial consideration.

“This spa is your spa, this spa is my spa … This land was made for Spa-ing!” We hope you are ready for a geography lesson. Oh that’s right, we aren’t only crunching numbers with our #50dollartreaments but we are also expanding across the country.

On a mission to bring the healthy spa lifestyle to EVERYONE, we’ve worked to get more and more cities on board this for Spa Week Oct 10-16 than ever before. Below are 16 flourishing Spa Week states and our brand new small towns and cities in each, with some fun facts to get you better acquainted. Let the geography lesson begin… and tell us YOUR town or city below so we can work on getting them on board for next year if they aren’t yet. Spa for all!

California

The golden state is adding some more sunshine to Spa Week! First, we’ll take a stop at one of the hundreds of wineries at our disposal then finish by dipping our toes in the warm, sandy beaches and try to catch a glimpse of the celebs.

New Spa Week Towns: Calabasas, Claremont, Malibu, St. Helena

Connecticut

This may unofficially be the home of the “prepsters” with cardigan sweaters and boat shoes but there is also something for the historic buff. Relive your Jurassic Park memories by visiting one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America, Dinosaur State Park.

New Spa Week Towns: Orange, Rocky Hill

Colorado

Famous for it’s “Polar Bear Plunge.” We aren’t sure we want to participate in that form of hydrotherapy.

New Spa Week Town: Boulder

Florida

Home to the “Happiest Place on Earth,” we are sure Mickey Mouse would find his inner zen at these spas.

New Spa Week Towns: Howey-in-the-Hills, Naples

Georgia

We are taking a bite into the Georgia peach and expanding from “Peaches to the Beaches” in…

New Spa Week Town: Perry

Illinois

“Beuller…” John Hughes shot several of his famous 1980s cult classics in this state including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Roll call…

New Spa Week Towns: Brookfield, Darien, Gurnee, Highland Park, Hinsdale, Hoffman Estates, Lombard, Skokie, Tinley Park, Willowbrook, Winnetka

Indiana

Santa Claus, Indiana receives over one half million letters and requests at Christmas time.

New Spa Week Town: Carmel

Massachusetts

The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth in 1621.

New Spa Week Towns: Andover, Chesnut Hill, Peabody, Reading

Michigan

We are making a splash is this state known for its great water parks.

New Spa Week Towns: Commerce, Grand Rapids, Sterling Heights, Troy

Minnesota

Did you know that Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline; more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined?! We sure didn’t.

New Spa Week Town: Maplewood

Missouri

Missouri Day is the third Wednesday in October. (Spa Week will be over by then, but we’ll celebrate anyway.)

New Spa Week Town: Frontenanc

New Hampshire

Vermont isn’t the only syrup-bearing state, New Hampshire is famous for being sappy. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make approximately 1 gallon of maple syrup. That’s a lot of sap!

New Spa Week Towns: Hampton, Whitefield

New York

New York was the first state to require license plates on cars.

New Spa Week Towns: Mamaroneck, Pelham

Oklahoma

This state tickles our funny bone with Sooners like Kristin Chenoweth and SNL cast member, Bill Hader.

New Spa Week Town: Broken Arrow

Pennsylvania

Spa Week is taking over your campuses!

New Spa Week Towns: Ambler, Morrisville, State College

Virginia

Nicknamed the “Big Lick” (should we dare ask?).

New Spa Week Town: Roanoke!

Washington

America has this great state to thank for Starbucks – we know we can’t go without our coffee fix.

New Spa Week Town: Sammamish

Wisconsin

This state takes it love of cheese to another level with the signature “cheese head” foam hats.

New Spa Week Town: Green Lake

Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas, even Spa Week!

New Spa Week Town: New Braunfels

We hope to make it to every city… one day! Who run the world? SPA WEEK.

Welcome to the LAST Stop on the Wet Hot American Makeup Tour: Long Island, NY ! We’ve been touring for 5 days, made 5 stops,  and introduced you to 5 A-list makeup artists with their best summer makeup tips, and 5 featured beauty items, and next week there will be 5 winners.  On this final stop the Tour, ENTER TO WIN a customized makeup session in LI with makeup artist Anne DeMarco, who has worked in fashion houses including Chanel, Christian Dior, St. John, and Donna Karan. You’ll also get a makeup and skincare prize package including ALL products featured on The Tour this week. (Click HERE for the original post about the Wet Hot American Makeup Tour.)

Anne DeMarco – Long Island Makeup Artist
Anne Reveals the Secret to Transitioning Summer to Fall Makeup: Bronzer! Summer time makeup is a tricky proposition. One thing to always remember is that the makeup is only going to look as good as the skin underneath, so Anne says the warmer months are a great opportunity to work on improving the condition of your skin, if it needs it.

Eyes: Remember, you don’t have oil glands underneath your eyes, so we definitely want to replenish that.” Anne says that finding an eye cream with SPF in it is like finding a diamond in the rough and suggests SKINSYNC’s Pro-A Age Defying Eye Treatment SPF 15.

Face:After moisturizing the next step for a summer face is primer. “Primer is like underwear for the skin. You put on your bra and panties, so you have to put on your primer,” Anne explains, adding that as important as this step is during the warm months, it’s a great habit to get into for the colder months. “Primer is always important. It’s going to leave your skin prepped for the makeup and give the makeup much better staying power – a true must have year round.” Anne says that her clients want to be as close to makeup-free as possible during the dog days of summer but the one thing they can never get enough of is illuminator.

Secret Weapon: If I was stuck on a desert island, I would need to have illluminator,” she says. “You put it on your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose and what it does is lift your skin for an ageless, glamorous complexion. I – and all of my clients use it day and night. If I’m going to the grocery store, I put that on. It’s the number one most requested kind of product among my celebrity clientele and I love YOUR NAME’s Illuminator. It’s a silicone-based product so it gives a gorgeous glow without being oily – perfect for the dog days of summer!” Soon we’ll be transitioning to fall makeup and the worst mistake Anne sees people make is neglecting bronzer as the heat fades, “Our faces lose their tan earlier than the rest of the body and to not wear bronzer when the rest of your body is tanned is not a good look.”

Featured product (part of the prize package for all winners): SKINSYNC’s Pro-A Age Defying Eye Treatment SPF 15 and YOUR NAME® Illuminator

ENTER TO WIN NOW!

(more…)

Have you ever been made to ROAR at the spa? Well, as it turns out, yelling at the top of your lungs is incredibly therapeutic. I went for a treatment at Fine Living New York Ayurveda (the spa featured on TheRightDeal today – grab that fab 90 minute massage package before it expires in the AM!), and my therapist Shree Panta was one of the feistiest spa ladies I’ve ever met. The face she put on for my photo below speaks volumes. “I like being different,” she said. The things that came out of this woman’s mouth dripped in sass, and one of these things was the instruction let my inner beast out through my lungs. Normally this would disturb other clients (she recommended doing it from a mountaintop next time), but I was the first appointment of the day and luckily, nobody was in yet.

The roaring did feel fantastic, and it segued somewhat sensibly into the main part of my spa treatment: Shirohdara. Shirodhara is an Ayurvedic ritual dating back in India over 5000 years, and was developed to treat a variety of conditions through gently pouring a liquid over the “third eye Chakra” – the middle of the forehead – for an extended period of time. (Get up to speed on your 7 Chakras from this morning’s Chakra Crash Course – some pretty fascinating stuff!)

Fine Living New York Ayurveda is one of the only spas in NYC to devote itself solely to Ayurveda, and they are committed to carrying on Ayurvedic traditions, to showing the next generation the spiritual and wellness benefits of Ayurvedic practice. (Read more on Ayurveda, not to be confused with Aveda.) While more and more spas are offering this treatment added onto more Western services, I was glad to experience the treatment for the first time at a place dedicated to preserving it.

The name Shirohdara comes from the Sanskrit words shiras (head) and dhara (flow). Without knowing much about WHY people do this treatment, you can kind of imagine the soothing, balancing effects of a warm stream of oil enveloping your forehead and scalp for 20 minutes or so. It’s aimed at preserving health, balancing you physically and emotionally, and rejuvenating the spirit.

First, I shuffled my body up towards the top of the table, then Shree covered my eyes. Then, warm sesame oil began to spill from a vessel about 6 inches above my head. On the floor, a bucket collected the oil – In the shower, have you ever leaned back to let the water pellets bean down on your forehead? You know that tingly rush that surges through your body, starting from that invigorating, twitch-inducing point on your forehead? (If not, try it tomorrow.) That’s the point right there – the Third Eye Chakra. But since the flow of oil is gentle, you don’t twitch. You just feel gently caressed, rocked into a state of serenity.

But there’s a name for it. This steady, rhythmic pouring of oil induces a deeply relaxing and blissful state of consciousness called “Turiya” the state of awareness that is neither fully conscious nor deep sleep. While in this Turiya state, you are able to witness and/or release impressions in your conscious and subconscious mind. As you now know, this all makes sense because Third Eye Chakra represents intuition, insights, your psychic abilities, and self-realization. It also has the power to release repressed negative thoughts – which, because of the Turiya, definitely takes place during Shirohdara.

After the ritual, Shree completed the service with a scalp, neck and shoulder massage, along with a full body massage using the very same oils. It was a delicious experience!

However, I would recommend doing it at the end of the day when you can go to sleep with the oils seeping into your hair, wrapped in a towel. Not the brightest idea for me to do this in the AM when I had a date that night –  I smelled like a Chinese restaurant and looked like a brunette (gasp!) caught in the rain. A quick trip to the salon did the trick, and my hair appreciated the deep conditioning that is a by-product of Shirohdara.

Fine Living New York Ayurveda
154 West 14th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10011
212.616.4127
http://www.newyorkayurveda.com