Pamper Body and Soul in the Lower East Side
Workouts are all well and good when it comes to keeping fit, but sometimes you need a bit of pampering too—a relaxing massage, a purifying facial—to look and feel your best. The Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy have a number of day spas where you can give yourself over to both traditional and high-tech treatments.
Chillhouse
149 Essex Street (between Rivington and Stanton Streets)
Sip a smoothie in Chillhouse’s café before or after your treatments. Image: Chillhouse
With its facade of tall paneled windows that can be opened to let in sunshine and fresh air, Chillhouse resembles a coffeehouse more than a day spa. And in fact, Chillhouse does have its own café, where you can linger over lattes with therapeutic ingredients, smoothies, a glass of wine, and snacks such as avocado toast made with fresh radishes, pickled red onions, and togarashi, the popular Japanese seasoning. Chillhouse’s menu of spa services is easily as broad as its food and drink menu. Massage options alone include the Invigorate, the Chill Pill, the Stretch (especially well suited for athletes), and one that claims to relieve hangovers. Various facials, all of which use Dermalogica products, are designed to soothe sensitive skin, revitalize dehydrated complexions, and combat acne and oily skin. You can add a LightStim session onto your facial; this LED-light treatment tool has been FDA approved to minimize the appearance of wrinkles. And taking the expression “tip to toe” literally, Chillhouse provides hand massages, manicures, and foot massages too.
Daphne
375 Broome Street (between Mott and Mulberry Streets)
Image: Daphne
Daphne is proof that good things can come in small packages. Though the spa is petite, you will feel pampered rather than cramped as you indulge in any of its services. Perhaps the most deluxe is the Ultimate Facial, a two-hour treatment that encompasses a customized peel, a microcurrent session touted as a “nonsurgical facelift,” a personalized mask, antiaging eye and hand treatments, and an oxygen infusion. Almost as indulgent are the Biologique Recherche Anti-C Slimming Treatment, a 75-minute session that purports to reduce the appearance of cellulite and includes exfoliation and a targeted massage, and the algae wrap, in which you are enveloped in algae, essential oils, and an infrared blanket to hydrate skin, flush out toxins, and help curb water retention. Those who prize efficiency will appreciate the Glow, in which a microcurrent facial treatment and a detoxifying body wrap are performed in the same hourlong session. Daphne also offers sugaring and waxing for men and women for just about every part of the body, including the abdomen, the derriere, and the toes. Men can partake of other specialty treatments, such as the Recharge, which consists of a full-body brushing, a detoxifying body wrap, and a scalp massage.
154 Orchard Street (between Stanton and Rivington)
Image: Fox & Jane
A business-savvy hairstylist and marketing guru are the powerhouse team behind this multi-location salon group, with a studio outpost on the Lower East Side. An equally professional and friendly vibe define this establishment which has an ever-expanding community of loyal clients. On top of their long list of services including cuts, treatments, coloring, and special event ‘dos, the studio also partners with top industry talent to host educational classes for aspiring stylists to hone their skills and learn more about succeeding in the beauty business.