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

All aboard the Glam Train! It’s that magical time of year again, (no, it’s not Spa Week just yet, although booking does begin Monday!) when celebrities, fashion designers and supermodels walk among us: Fashion’s Night Out to kick off Mercedes Benz Fall Fashion Week. Many of your favorite fashion houses, designers and boutiques are hosting extravagant retail celebrations with mini-spa serivces and glorious incentives to spend your paycheck for a good cause. Once you have had your fill of philanthropy via credit card, hit up any one of these hot locations along the trip de glam for mini-spa services from massages, make-up application, hair designs, manicures and lost of celeb spotting. Tweet us @SPAWEEK and tell us who you see on your FNO!

1. Kiehl’s Since 1851, 109 Third Ave. The newest, super fabulous spa in NYC will have Backstreet Boy AJ McLean host’s Kiehl’s Karaoke Karnival. Karaoke contestants will receive complimentary lip balm. Backstreet’s back, alright!

2. Dior, 19 E. 57th St. Dior makeup artist Ricky Wilson will be offering complimentary makeovers featuring  their new Velvet Eyes reusable eyeliner patches.

3. Rag & Bone, 119 Mercer St. Co-hosts Carmelo and La La Anthony will be holding court at the SoHo store where you can get a  Mini-makeover by Gucci ! Did we mention Halle Berry will be making a guest appearance?

4. Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave. Get Marc Jacobs Minx Nails manicures, dance to a DJ set with Questlove and visit a braid bar hosted by Rebecca Minkoff and The Man Repeller where you can chose several different styles and accessories with Rebecca Minkoff leather strips!

5. Sephora 5th Avenue, at 48^th Street. “Hollywood’s Guru of Glow,” Kate Somerville, will be at Sephora as part of the “Ask an Expert” panel hosted by Vogue Beauty Director Sarah Brown, Renowned hairstylist Oscar Blandi and Urban Decay cofounder Wende Zomnir. Get stylish with Spa Week spa, Carol’s Daughter and Solange Knowles and learn nail tips from Thea Green, founder of Nails Inc.

6.Betsey Johnson, 138 Wooster St. From 6pm to 10pm, guests can enjoy makeup- sessions by Stila Cosmetics, cupcakes, champagne and a chance to win your very own Betsey tote.

7. MAKE UP FOR EVER Lash Lounge at Sephora SoHo, 555 Broadway. Make Up Forever will teach you how to apply and trick out your false lashes with gems, feathers and beads!

8. L’Occitane en Provence, 146 Spring St. The store will transport fashionistas to the south of France with a series of Provencal skin care and pampering possibilities including rosé wine, French fare and complimentary hand massages. But the real reason to stop by: L’Occitane will raffle off a trip to Provence for two.

9. GUESS by Marciano, 537 Broadway. Bump to beats by DJ DexterLove while getting your mini-makeover-mini-manicure on by NYX Cosmetics. Plus, Guess shoppers who make a $5 donation to The NYC AIDS Fund receive a gift bag filled with goodies.

10. Teen Vogue, Bleecker and W. 11th streets. Teen Vogue is hosting a block party that will include free manicures from Essie.

Want more shop-’til-you-drop action? Here are a few noble, worthy causes to spend, spend, spend: Start at Stuart Weitzman on 625 Madison Ave for a chance to meet Meet Michelle Trachtenberg and Hayden Panettiere as they unveil their Young Hollywood Cares shoe collection that will benefit ovarian cancer research. Then pop next door to Barneys New York,660 Madison Ave. where 10 percent of sales from the store and website will go to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Make Carrie Bradshaw proud as you trot down to Manolo Blahnik on W. 54th St. where SJP will be unveiling the shoe she designed. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Fund for Public Schools.  Then hail a cab and head down to SoHo to 77 Greene St to Sip on Absolut Vodka cocktails and get down to the beats by DJ Harley Viera Newton at Nicole Miller. Then consider buying yet another tote, one that Miller created one just for the night, and 15 percent of the proceeds for each bag goes to Indego Africa,  an organization helping female artisans in Rwanda. Don’t forget to pick up your Offical FNO Gear (benefiting the NYC AIDS Fund) at any one of over 800 locations across NYC.

If I knew what sound leopards made, I would do it right now because this brand new Dolce & Gabbana  multi-tone powder palette is sizzling! You’re going to need a fantastic bronzer to highlight all the hard work you’re about to do by the pool this summer, so if the phrase “Italian Summertime Collection” romances you like it does for me, this is pretty perfetto. Be one of the first to try out the new collection featuring the Animalier bronzer; this Saturday (right before the world ends) at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC, the one and only Pat McGrath and her team of makeup artists are taking appointments! Here’s your invitation:

Who: World-renowned makeup artist Pat McGrath will debut the new Italian Summertime Collection and must-have Animalier Bronzer from Dolce&Gabbana The Make Up at Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship location in New York City.

What: McGrath and her team of make up artists who work backstage at Dolce&Gabbana’s Milan Fashion Shows, will conduct personal consultations with customers to recreate the looks of the runway, featuring the Italian Summertime Collection and Animalier Bronzer. McGrath will share beauty tips and makeup application emphasizing the modern femininity of Dolce&Gabbana The Make Up.

When: Saturday, May 21st - One-on-one consultations by appointment only: 12 to 5:30

Where: Saks Fifth Avenue, Fifth Avenue and Fiftieth Street - Dolce&Gabbana The Make Up Counter, On One

Contact: Customers may schedule an appointment by contacting: 212.940.4949

Care for some Missoni with your massage? Pucci to match your pedicure? A Fendi for your facial?

Head to the spas inside select Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus stores to turn your Spa Week outing into a fully loaded day of leisure and luxury. Don’t be fooled: Those Louboutins and Lanvin dresses will be a bit more than your $50 spa treatment. Participating locations and treatments below. Above are photos from the Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus Spring 2011 ad campaigns, respectively.

MARYLAND

50 Min Classic Facial or 60 Min Ultimate Rehydration Milk Pedicure for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue – Chevy Chase, 301.657.9343

VIRGINIA
50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue – McLean, 703.269.1388

FLORIDA

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca Raton, 561.620.1110

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in Tampa, 813.371.5388.

ILLINOIS

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago, 312.944.7140.

TEXAS

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in Dallas, 972.716.5388

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at Halcyon Days Salon and Spa – Neiman Marcus NorthPark in Dallas, 214.891.1215

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Antonio, 210.341.5110

MICHIGAN

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in Troy, 248.614.3388

NEW YORK

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City, 212.940.4000

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in Huntington Station, 631.350.1110

PENNSYLVANIA

50 Min Therapeutic Massage or 50 Min Classic Facial for $50 at The Salon & Spa at Saks Fifth Avenue in Bala Cynwyd, 610.667.9166

Time to relax.

Fashion designers, star athletes, Broadway casts and celebrities are now building houses.

Miniature houses, that is! Read on.

Last night in New York City… 37,000 people including 16,000 children and 10,000 families slept in a homeless shelter. The epidemic of homelessness has worsened tremendously in recent years, but thanks to 26 years of dedication by an organization called Women In Need (WIN), you have most likely never seen these families on the streets. Have you? WIN is dedicated to providing an open door – and an open heart – to anyone who asks.

No, these families aren’t living inside the miniature paper mâché houses built by Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry, Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Isaac Mizrahi, Diddy, Ludacris or the Beckham family. But beginning Monday, November 9th, these autographed collectibles will be auctioned off, with the potential to raise hundreds of thousands for hundreds of thousands of women and families in need.

Last night in New York City… a group of 50 or so women including myself gathered to help make a difference. We previewed a few of the houses and learned some startling truths about homelessness that really hit, well, home. WIN not only provides thousands of people the daily necessities so many of us take for granted, they help women find their ways out of sticky situations, giving them the chance to live happy, stable, prosperous lives.

I encourage you to read more about Women In Need and support in whatever way you can – donate $5, tell a friend, Twitter about it, or maybe place a bid on the Vera Wang house for your favorite bride-to-be.

Also, go check out ALL the houses! My favorites were Isaac Mizrahi’s colorful button house and Bobbi Brown’s house made entirely of colorful eye shadows. They’ll all be in the Saks Fifth Avenue window display in New York City from now until Monday.