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Sometimes a pedicure is just a pedicure. And sometimes, as is the case at the Exhale Spa in New York City, it morphs into a full-blown treatment.
When I turned up for my appointment at Exhale's Central Park South location, my ankles and feet were swollen, an unfortunate side effect of some necessary medication. And, they ached. I almost called to re-schedule, but changed my mind: I needed the therapeutic boost of some pampering. And pampering-plus was what I got.
My esthetician, Theani, started off with a warm therapeutic foot soak infused with organic salt. It felt just lovely, as did the soothing foot and leg massage. The best part, however, was the warm paraffin wrap, which had a marvelous detoxifying effect on both ankles and feet. The detox, I was told, comes from Arizona red rock clay, Romanian green silt and black iron oxide. In addition, the paraffin contains eleven vitamins, as well as the mineral selenium, which provides powerful antioxidants and nutrients.
By the time Theani started to work on my cuticles and nails, my aches were gone. And by the time my toenails were being painted with a soft cream shade of polish, I felt one hundred percent better. The toenails looked terrific÷and the swelling had almost completely subsided. I was more than ready to hit the city streets!
After my polish was dry, I picked up a hint on avoiding the smudging I often get after I put on stockings and shoes: wrap the toes in cling wrap first. The plastic wrap felt kind of funny, but when I got home, the polish was still picture perfect.
If I'd had more time, I would have tried one of Exhale's many face and body treatments. The facial menu is comprehensive, ranging from the customized basic facial to topical peels and cool laser therapy. The body menu is equally comprehensive and includes such interesting options as cupping, the ancient Chinese practice that warms and promotes the flow of Qi and blood.
The 12,000-square-foot spa provides a quiet retreat from the hustle of the city. In addition to a nail bar and pedicure alcove it has 16 therapy rooms, a boutique featuring yoga wear and skincare products and two studios designed for yoga and Core Fusion® (a combination of Pilates, yoga and core-conditioning).
Exhale Spa
www.exhalespa.com
212-249-3000
150 Central Park South
New York City
(second location)
980 Madison Avenue
New York City
by Lillian Africano -- New York, NY
by: http://www.spareviewmag.com
A few years back you would rarely, if ever, hear a man say: "I'm busy this afternoon—I have an appointment for a facial." But times have changed and a great number of men are now enjoying the pleasures of a spa experience. Historically, men have been coaxed to a spa with their partner or spouse (often with a gift certificate), but once they've been introduced to the spa experience, they tend to return voluntarily.
According to Allure, one out of every three spa visitors is a man, and the numbers are increasing rapidly.
Enrique Ramirez, Spa Director at face to face nyc day spa, located in New York City's Flatiron district, says that 85% of its patrons are men. But men don't always understand spa etiquette, which can lead to embarrassment and discomfort for them and those around them. Here are ten tips from face to face nyc day spa on what men need to know before they go to the spa:
1. Shave before a facial.
Although not a major requirement, it does make a difference to your facialist. A smooth beard area gives the opportunity to treat any signs of razor burn, ingrown hairs, or neck irritation caused by use of an old razor. Otherwise, these concerns will go unnoticed.
2. Arrive 10 minutes early before your appointment.
This will allow you a stress-free check-in. Many spas require an intake form to be filled out before your scheduled treatment. It also gives you time to change, freshen up or decompress. 3. Underwear is a choice.
If you're shy, you can choose to either keep on your tighty whities or go commando during a massage or body treatment. Whatever you choose, it will be fine with your professional spa technician. No need to explain. 4. Shower before a massage.
Make a point to arrive early so you can hit the shower; a squeaky clean scent will make your masseur want to rub instead of run! 5. Tip your spa technician.
Show appreciation to your spa technician with a 15-20% tip. Your spa technician will remember and will take extra special care of your face next time you're in the spa. 6. Turn off cell phones and mobile hand-held devices.
Spas create a soothing, relaxing and mellow environment to help you ease stressed nerves or tension; this can be ruined by the piercing sound of a mobile phone. Show that you're a guy with good manners and shut them off. 7. Don't put on body lotion before waxing.
It will make your back waxing less painful and easier to remove the strip wax. Also, it's very important that you inform the technician if you are using Retin-A or Accutane, as this will avoid having your skin removed along with your hair.
8. Keep voices down when entering the spa.
Calm and reflective tones are welcomed. You're not at a ball game. 9. Be open with your spa technician.
Inform your technician of any body, mental or skin ‘imbalances' such as allergies; medications that may affect your skin; torn ligaments, claustrophobia, etc. Your spa technician will then customize your massage, facial or nail treatment. 10. Don't work out after a spa treatment.
You've just paid all that money to relax your muscles. Why would you want to then go and tense them up again? "With 85% of his clients male, Enrique Ramirez, Spa Director at face to face nyc day spa, shares tips for men with Lillian Africano."by Lillian Africano -- New York City
by: http://www.spareviewmag.com/spareviews/
Many, many of us, both women and men, are searching for a non-invasive way to improve facial skin tone and retain a youthful appearance, and some have turned to acupuncture. However, there are those of us – myself emphatically included – who are phobic about needles. Enter Mary Elizabeth Wakefield.
In her Manhattan Chi-Akra Center she has long used acupuncture to improve balance and health, with benefits targeted to women who want to improve skin conditions caused by hormonal imbalance, get help with menopause and PMS, digestive issues and depression. Other benefits include retarding hair loss and graying, reducing bags and sagging, diminishing wrinkles and improving facial color. She has trained more than 1,000 practitioners in her treatment protocols and been named 2005 Educator of the Year by the American Association of Oriental Medicine.
However, for us chickens she has created a tuning fork facial – Facial Soundscapes, Harmonic Renewal – using Acutonics tuning forks, and it was this that drew me to her Manhattan studio. I have encountered effective light therapy for the skin and microcurrent therapy, but there is something especially appealing to me about using vibration to awaken and balance the system, since my background is in music and I have always been greatly intrigued by chant and sound mantras. Testimonials are very dramatic and the Facial Soundscapes treatments were written up in the June 2007 issue of Alternative Medicine as a holistic alternative to Botox.
Wakefield is not only a licensed acupuncturist and a Zen shiatsu and cranial-sacral therapist, she is an opera singer. The co-creator of the Facial Soundscapes treatment is another opera singer, composer and pianist, MichelAngelo, who teaches Acutonics sound healing systems in the US; he has co-authored the new Acutonics text, "From Galaxies to Celts."
The Acutonics system of sound heali
ng brings together the theories of Pythagoras, Johannes Kepler and Swiss scientist and musicologist Hans Cousto, who in 1978 discovered the Cosmic Octave as the link between different kinds of natural phenomena including planetary orbits and the human body at rest.
A great deal of Eastern medicine and spiritual teaching rests on sound as the essence of life, from the cosmic Aum to the chant of Tibetan monks and ragas in India. Sound is vibratory motion, and everything produces a sound vibration, only a small of range of which is audible to human hearing, but even the portion of the spectrum we can hear produces strong results in heartbeat, blood pressure, relaxation or stimulation.
Acutonics tuning forks are set to a harmonic series based on the orbital properties of a planet or heavenly body and they are used on acupuncture points along the meridians and at the charkas and on the face. Wakefield says tuning forks can "lift" the pterygoids (mastication muscles), masseter (the most powerful muscle in the body that works the jaw) and platysma (the sheet of muscle up the neck where sagging and bagging can occur) by using carefully chosen vibrating intervals. I couldn't think of a more perfect way to get a noninvasive facelift and revitalization…
…provided it worked.
The initial consultation for Facial Soundscapes is two hours and includes an extensive interview on lifestyle and goals, facial analysis. Wakefield gave me one of her products – a rich, very effective cleanser – to take off my makeup, and I relaxed on her massage table.
Although MichelAngelo explained the a
strological connection between the vibrational level of the tuning forks, the chakras and the planetary bodies, I was soon too pleasurably zoned out to follow much. They placed singing bowls places on the charkas and began to work with the tuning forks, sometimes using them near my ears, sometimes on my face; after a short time I couldn't have told you which. The entire experience produced a kind of dynamic peace.
I could feel vibrations pass through my body, at times intense enough so my face flushed, and the result was extreme relaxation. Wakefield worked on my face and neck, around my eyes, and MichelAnglo worked at my feet. When the treatment was finished I had gotten much more than I bargained for; my chin was indeed much firmer, the bags under my eyes nearly gone, skin glowing, but also I had a huge fund of energy, not the kind that makes you feel antsy, but an available flow of energy that was sustained for the rest of the day and evening.
Wakefield suggests a series of nine treatments for full, permanent benefits, with monthly maintenance thereafter. Each session is $100-150, depending on the individual practitioners and the area in which they are practicing.
Visit www.chiakra.com/soundscapes.htm
Muse L'Herbal products
Wakefield and MichelAngelo have also created a product line for their practitioners to use, based on herbs, essential oils and botanicals that are organic, natural, without chemical preservatives and have not been tested on animals. These include the cleanser I used, a renewing mask, crème vital, a goat's milk cleanser, herbal facial teas and essential oil.
The nourishing and moisturizing crème vital is quickly absorbed, leaves no greasiness and is very light on the skin but very effective. The microdermabrasion treatment is a combination of organic oats, organic rose flowers, organ
ic lavender flowers, organic almonds, and French white clay that gently sloughs off dead skin, improves the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and prevents the cross-linking of collagen elastin fibers.
The goat's milk cleanser contains natural fruit and alpha-hydroxy acids that nurture and feed the skin with vitamins and essential oils. This cleanser is unusually gentle, and can be used for sensitive skin, with issues of eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea, as well as for oily skin. It is also recommend for men; when used for cleansing the face, and as a shaving cream, it can heal ingrown hairs, as well as prevent razor burns.
Visit www.muse-lherbal.com
by Marilyn Green -- Manhattan, New York
by: http://www.spareviewmag.com
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