Spa Week Media Party Recap – Spring 2012

It’s our party and we’ll spa if we want to! Last week on April 11 we returned to the spacious Altman Building and held our bi-annual Spa Week Media Party, a night dedicated to food, drinks, beauty, pampering and wellness. This year was extra special as it’s our Sweet Sixteenth edition of #50dollartreatments. And just like any sweet sixteen we spoiled ourselves by throwing a party fit for the especially sweet occasion. Well, we mostly spoiled our guests! What other party are you going to leave with smoother skin, waxed eyebrows, fresh makeup or a Vajazzle as party favors? Our main goal, as well as our sponsors, was to indulge our guests and showcase all the benefits and fun of the spa lifestyle. So who was on the guest list? Everyone in the biz, from TV producers and radio personalities to magazine editors and top bloggers, who all lined up to come out to celebrate the sweetest Spa Week yet!

Of course, I took on the night in sequins and six inch heels, because that’s how I spa-rty. (More on the outfit coming later this week.) Let me be your hostess with the mostest love for spa and come along as I take you on a tour of our spa-cial night.

One of the first things to do when you entered the party, and one of the highlights, was to line up to get a chance to meet the five-time New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin.

Guests were given a copy of her new book Where We Belong to be signed by the author.

Emily was all smiles as she signed and personalized copy after copy of her new book.

Emily had a line of excited fans to meet her all night and she happily chatted with guests the entire party.

I loved interviewing  Emily on camera and getting the chance to chat a little off camera too. She is so excited to be the first author ever associated with Spa Week, and loves the “girliness” of it all! She pictures girls in spa robes curled up with her new book, waiting for their massages to begin.

What’s a sweet sixteen without some sweet treats? The “chocolate ladies” as we call them, once again brought the four tier’d chocolate fountain and you can bet that the chocolate flowed all night.

A night of indulgence provided by catering from incognito bistro. This Italian-American restaurant in Flatiron is less than two blocks from our office, and our go-to for company lunches and dinners. Go ahead, have seconds, and thirds, and fourths. (We went there after the party too… for fifths and sixths.)

Christopher Drummond and his beauty crew getting ready to touch-up guests with their organic, vegan make-up line.

Christopher working his magic. Did you catch his brand featured on Dr. Oz the other day? WTG, CD!

Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas‘ COO Jeff Kohl chatted on camera about Spa Week and Red Door’s longstanding partnership. It’s all about giving everyone the opportunity to spa, regardless of budget. Red Door’s Smooth Sculpt machine was a hit! It’s an alternative approach to skin rejuvenation that will lift skin, reduce wrinkles and release built-up toxins caused by diet, age and the environment. Like a revitalizing workout for your skin, this wellness method uses mild suction, pulsing and homeopathic extracts to cleanse cellular debris, reduce puffiness, as well as fortify the immune system.

Our Design and Organizational Expert Bobby Berk takes a minute to reflect in his social media lounge space, designed from his collection, Bobby Berk Home.

Pillow talk with Bobby Berk!

Taking a food break and break from their heels in the Bobby Berk lounge.

It’s no secret that I’m going Completely Bare and here is the woman behind the laser hair removal that I love! Cindy Barshop, THE hair removal guru.

Matching arm and chest Vajeweles. A little high but just as sparkly.

Completely Bare was also giving out waxes. The pup, however, preferred the furry look.

American Laser Skincare taught guests about how to obtain beauty through technology and with their scientifically proven skin care line.

The ladies of Skintology showed off their recently relaunched line of skin products.

Behind the scenes eyebrow shaping from Skintology.

Our Whole Living Expert Keri Glassman and her nutritionists gave one-on-one nutrition consultations featuring Nutritious Life Meals. It’s never too late to start living a Nutritious Life.

The ladies at Spa Chicks On The Go offered a beauty pit stop for guests. Sit down, relax and be on your gorgeous way!

There’s always time for a little pampering.

Guests could grab a complimentary towel and chat with York Spa about their new product, which is a surgery-free alternative to botox.

J. Sisters showed off their impressive celebrity clientele and their skills for blow outs and styling.

Of course, we can’t forget to take a stop at the three bars that guests flocked to all night. Sake TY KU were serving up their all natural and premium sake Spatinis with fresh cut cucumbers. I love spa-ke! My TY KU ninja name is Ninja Turtle Michellangelo.

Seagram’s Escapes showed off their brand new Frozen Magaritas and Frozen Daiquiris. Just pour, recline, and you’ve got yourself the perfect beach beverage . (Doubles as an ice pack to cool your forehead, because man it’s HOT out there.)

As the night wine-d down Rioja kept pouring bottle after bottle of their delicious wine. Really, what goes better with relaxation than wine?

Photos by Michel Delsol for Spa Week.

Guests also sipped on Honest Tea and Honest Ade as a refreshing alternative to alcoholic beverages.

To see more photos of the party, check out the album on our Facebook page.

And thanks to Gorgeous in Grey for whipping up this video tour of the evening! Looks like you had fun. Spa Week’s official video soon to come!

Keri Glassman’s No Artificial Sweeteners Challenge: COMPLETED!

After two weeks, I have to say this Spa Week Daily Challenge was a bit more tricky then I had originally envisioned. First you think, okay, no big deal – I only ever use artificial sweeteners in my morning coffee so this will be easy. I will just swap out a pink or a blue packet for a real-sugar, white packet – no big deal, right? Wrong! Once I was turned on to the notion of looking for fake sugar to avoid, I realized just how often I actually do use artificial sweeteners: a packet in my morning oatmeal, I often toss in a few in my home-brewed iced-tea pitcher, over a bowl of fresh blueberries or strawberries, on my Cheerios… I use fake sugar way more then I realized. THEN, on top of all that, you have to become a detective and check the labels of your favorite foods and snacks for hidden artificial sweeteners in foods like gum, granola bars and even 100% fruit juice! Sometimes it’s hard to find the bad stuff when it’s masked as good stuff! On the plus side, once I became more aware of  the fake sugar I was using and where it was hiding, I started to see that avoiding those foods had a positive trend on my eating and sleep habits. I slept a little better every night and was able to fall asleep a little easier, too.  Keri Glassman is seriously on to something here.

We are so happy to see that so many of you took the pledge to ditch sugar on Facebook and how many of you told us that you had given up on the stuff years ago! Overall, we were really happy that everyone enjoyed the challenge and had such great, feel-good results!  So with that being said, I’d like to announce the 2 winners of the $50 Spa Week Gift Cards who took part in the Ditch Artificial Sugar Facebook Event. Drum roll please…

Lisa V: “No splenda will be rough..but worth it. Count this as my RSVP to live healthier! :) ”

Tonya R: ” Will do this and hopefully continue after the challenge is over. Thanks for the motivation! ”

Congratulations you two, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, and please contact stephanie at spaweekmedia dot com to redeem your prize!

12 Tips To Live Healthier, Happier, Better – By Keri Glassman

The key to being happy and healthy is different for everyone, but there are some things that are non-negotiable. One of those things is what we tell you every day – #5 below – pamper thyself! Another is the fact that you will be much healthier and better off without artificial sweeteners in your body. Yesterday kicked off Keri Glassman’s challenge to Ditch Artificial Sweeteners for 2 Weeks – have you pledged to your health? Keri, our Whole Living Expert who has appeared everywhere from Good Morning America to The Dr. Oz Show, has been a leader in the “whole person” approach to health and wellness through her brand Nutritious Life. Here, 12 of her most important pieces of advice in a nutshell to make your life a little bit sweeter, all-naturally.

Check out all things Keri Glassman on Spa Week Daily:

Spa Week Daily Challenge: Ditch Artificial Sweeteners with Keri Glassman

Welcome to Spa Week Daily Challenge #4! During Spa Week we gave you a little break. We let you sit back and relax and let the health flow to you via massages and holistic healing, but now we’re back with a challenge to kick your health into shape… in the sweetest way possible. Our Panel of Experts (at right) is growing, and this week we’re proud to partner with certified nutrition expert, author and TV personality everywhere from Good Morning America to Dr. Oz, a vanguard of the whole living lifestyle through her brand Nutritious Life, Keri Glassman.

Are you ready for CHALLENGE #4?

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