Exercise is, of course, only one aspect of fitness. Spa services such as massages and facials are key to self-care too. The Upper East Side has more than its share of day spas and treatment centers that tend to both body and soul.
767 Lexington Avenue (between 60th and 61st Streets)
Thai massage incorporates acupressure and yoga stretches, and you receive it while clothed. Image: Tara Angkor Hotel/Flickr/Wikimedia
Yes, you can learn how to give Thai massages here, but you can receive massages here as well, performed not by students but by professionals. In addition to Thai massage, which incorporates acupressure and yoga stretches without the use of lotions or oils, Swedish and deep-tissue massages are offered, along with treatments that incorporate elements of each type. Couples massages and those that focus exclusively on the upper body are available too.
819 Madison Avenue, Fourth Floor (between 68th and 69th Streets)
Caudalie calls its treatments “vinotherapie”: The French company uses organic grape water and grape-seed oil, along with other natural ingredients such as avocado and apricot butters, ginger, and ginseng, in its masks, cleansers, moisturizers, and other products. At its Madison Avenue boutique, in addition to buying its products you can get pampered with a variety of facials, massages, and scrubs. The Vinosculpt Facial promises to give your visage an instant lift; the Hydra-Cleanse Facial uses “vacuum technology” to facilitate cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing. Especially relaxing is the Warm Candle Massage, which uses a candle to replenish your skin with grape-blossom-scented oil while your muscles are kneaded; the equally enticing Wine Maker’s Massage “recreates the ritualistic steps of the wine-making process on the body.” Prenatal massage, reflexology, and a massage that incorporates fresh grapes are among other options.
20 East 76th Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenues)
A one-time home to Bette David and Claudette Colbert, the Surrey hotel is now home to the haute Cornelia Spa. Treatments include the Reparative Caviar and Oxygen Quench, which uses seaweed and sea mud to exfoliate the skin before the application of a caviar mask, followed by a mask of sea botanicals, then “liquid oxygen” and an oxygen enrichment mask. For the Cornelia Signature Massage, the therapist will tailor a medley of Swedish, deep-tissue, shiatsu, sports, and trigger point massage techniques for you. Available for individuals or couples, the Elixirs of Life begins with a bath in Cornelia’s citrus-and-rose elixir, during which you can sip prosecco, followed by a soak in “marine milk” and a customized massage.
320 East 65th Street (between First and Second Avenues)
As its name suggests, the Couples Spa specializes in massages and aromatherapy for couples. Its most deluxe package for two, the Enhanced Couples Flower Bath, begins with a lavender-infused massage, followed by a sea-salt scrub and a soak amid rose petals in an essential-oil bath, glass of wine in hand. Numerous services for just one are also on the menu, ranging from a deep-pore facial to a four-hand massage. Packages are also available for groups of three or four.
125 East 90th Street (between Lexington and Park Avenues)
Perhaps the most decadent service available at Dorothy’s is the Karat Facial, which uses 24-karat gold among other elements to brighten and hydrate skin, leaving you feeling like the proverbial million bucks. Microdermabrasion and deep-cleaning are among the other facials available, as are Swedish, shiatsu, and deep-tissue massages and Endermologie, which purports to break down fat cells in specific areas. The spa offers laser hair removal and skin treatments, as well as salon services including haircuts, manicures, pedicures, and makeup application.
351 78th Street (between First and Second Avenues)
Medical massage (a doctor’s prescription is recommended) to complement chiropractic treatments or physical therapy is just one type of massage available at Eastside. Others include Thai, sports, prenatal, shiatsu, deep-tissue, Swedish, and cranialsacral (which treats the head and spinal column), along with manual lymphatic drainage (recommended for post-surgical recovery) and reflexology. Its signature massage uses both strenuous Swedish and gentler European techniques, and you can request just how gentle or firm you would like the massage to be.
980 Madison Avenue (between 76th and 77th Streets)
Exhale aims to be a one-stop wellness shop. Start your pampering with a barre or yoga class, then opt for one of its specialty facials: the Cool Beam, perhaps, which uses light therapy to reduce inflammation, or the Ultrasonic, which deep-cleanses via noninvasive ultrasonic waves, or the Z Peel, which includes a mask made with Japanese mushroom enzymes. Follow up with a body scrub and a massage—in addition to Swedish, shiatsu, Thai, and the like, Exhale offers tui na, a Chinese technique designed to encourage the body’s energy flow. Acupuncture, cupping, and reiki are offered too. Wrap things up with a mani/pedi and you are sure to walk out feeling as good as you look.
209 East 66th Street (between Second and Third Avenues)
A hot-stone massage is among the options at iLove Spa. Image: Zenspa1/Flickr
Open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to midnight, iLove Spa makes it easy to fit a facial or a massage into your schedule. Facial options include antiaging, acne-treatment, and one tailored for sensitive skin; in addition to Swedish, Thai, deep-tissue, four-hand, and aromatherapy massage, you can revel in relaxing hot-stone body work.
Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa
540 Park Avenue, Second Floor (at 61st Street)
Located in the Loews Regency Hotel, this 10,000-square-foot facility offers a full menu of salon as well as spa treatments. Among the latter are Viora Body Treatments, which use FDA-approved radio frequency technology to enhance the production of collagen and elastin with the goal of improving skin’s elasticity and tone; the Jetlag Aromatherapy Massage, which will be tailored to your needs and preferences, whether you want to feel energized or relaxed; and the Ultimate Antiaging Skin Tightening Facial, which encompasses dermaplaning, microdermabrasion, a hydrating mask, and radio frequency therapy.
145 East 72nd Street (at Lexington Avenue)
Red-light therapy, a noninvasive technique said to break down fat cells in targeted areas for a slimmer appearance, is among the treatments available at Le Salon Day Spa. Also offered are traditional and medical pedicures; the latter use noninvasive techniques to treat calluses, corns, ingrown nails, and similar ails. Facial treatments include enzyme and glycolic peels, microdermabrasion, and oxygen facials, which uses pressurized oxygen among other elements. As well as traditional Swedish, deep-tissue, and shiatsu massages, you can indulge in massages specifically for the head, the back, and the neck and shoulders.
330 East 76th Street (between First and Second Avenues)
For those seeking hair removal, Ruzica offers several options: waxing, electrolysis, laser treatment. The spa uses lasers to diminish age spots, treat veins, and tighten skin’s appearance as well. Among its specialty massages are those tailored for older clients and myofascial trigger-point therapy for pain relief. Permanent makeup—not just for eyebrows and eyeliner but also to cover the scalp where hair is thinning—is another of Ruzica’s treatments.
108 East 60th Street (between Lexington and Park Avenues)
As its name suggests, Skin Spa New York offers facials—but it provides related services too. Like its facials, its massages are customized for you following a consultation with the practitioner; while the facials are typically 50 minutes long, the massages can vary from 20 to 80 minutes. Waxing, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion round out the menu.
Sphatika Holistic Treatment Center
818 Madison Avenue (between 68th and 69th Streets)
Crystals are a key element of many treatments at this “holistic healing” spa. The Sphatika Experience, for instance, begins with the gift of a crystal, upon which you are supposed to reflect on what you want to get out of the treatment; then you proceed to an infrared sauna while special “healing music” plays, and from there you enter an Ayurvedic-style steam tent for pampering with lotions from Sphatika’s all-natural proprietary skincare line. The Royal Sphatika Gold and Platinum Crystal Singing Bowls treatment adds a lymphatic drainage massage and facial, complemented with cashmere soaked with soothing oils and the music of the titular singing bowls, to the experience. Among the various facials is the Goddess Ambrosia, which includes an organic pumpkin peel, an infusion of oxygen with hyaluronic acid, the use of quartz wands during hydrating eye, hand, and foot treatments, and a treatment with a high-frequency wand.
35 East 76th Street, Third Floor (between Park and Madison Avenues)
The Sisley-Paris makeup and skincare brand operates this spa in the Carlyle hotel. Its 80-minute signature facial incorporates microdermabrasion, optional steaming and extractions, a facial massage, and a customized mask. Other facials are more targeted, such as the Opulence, which uses vitamin C and plant extracts to balance uneven skin tones and brighten the complexion, and the Phyto-Aromatic Supreme Rejuvenating Eye Treatment. The Phyto-Aromatic Sun Without Sun Body Treatment exfoliates and hydrates skin while promising the appearance of a tan without sun exposure; 50-, 80-, and 110-minute Swedish, deep-tissue, and hot-stone massages are available, as are reflexology and prenatal massage.
22 East 66th Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenues)
There is certainly no shortage of options at Up Spa. The massages alone include the Head Cold Healer, which pairs a nasal-drainage massage with a steam treatment and eucalyptus vapors, and Athletic Balance, which complements the stretching techniques of Thai massage with shiatsu pressure-point therapy. The Glow Up facial includes a fruit-acid wash, a vitamin C peel, various masks, a collagen serum, and facial, neck, shoulder, arm, and hand massages; noninvasive “body contour” treatments promise to reduce the appearance of cellulite and break down fat cells in targeted areas.