Who doesn't wish they had access to a professional massage at any time of the day or night in the comfort of their own home? Apparently enough people do to warrant the invention and production of this gadget, the Personal Dry Water Jet Massager. Laying down inside this space-looking capsule will get you what I can only imagine is a truly dreamy massage experience, as the 28 water jets mimic a shiatsu massage while the rest of your senses are relaxed via the Bose speaker system with iPod hookups, aroma diffuser, and 7 " LCD television with DVD player that's positioned perfectly as you lay on the headrest.
Sounds pretty awesome! Looks awesome, too, but seeing as how it costs more than my car I doubt I'll be treating myself to one anytime soon. $29,500.
Gemstones have been used by various cultures for healing for millennia but now the Acugems Facial Rejuve treatment throws a modern twist on this ancient therapy. The therapy involves the use of gemstones, microcurrents and therapeutic light to re-educate facial muscles, encourage collagen production, smooth wrinkles and improve skin tone. The stones and color frequencies used depend on the individual consumer. Tourmaline is frequently used in the treatments because of its ability to maintain a positive charge on one end and a negative one on the other.
It takes a number of treatments to see lasting results. The Revive You spa in Stoneham, Massachusetts which offers the treatments suggests a set of 10 treatments which sells for $2,550. Their version of the treatment also includes a custom mask, exfoliating fruit enzyme, pore cleansing and brow design. Reporter Amy Saltzman of the Stoneham Sun tested out the treatment and describes the sensation of the Acutrone machine as a sharp tingle which is not painful. She found the treatment quite relaxing.
Auberge Resorts is set to unveil their latest resort, Encantado. The resort is set against the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in northern New Mexico. The resort offers 65 casitas, a luxury spa, and a fine dining restaurant led by Executive Chef Charles Dale, who was named Best New Chef in America by Food + Wine Magazine in 1995 and twice nominated for Best American Chef in the Southwest by the James Beard Foundation.
The resort offers a variety of packages. The luxurious Too Much Of A Good Thing package includes three nights accommodation in a Casita or suite, a welcome spa gift, a couples Mountain Spirit Purification spa treatment, Moisture Drench facials for two, Encantado Classic Massage for two, private instruction in yoga, pilates or Tai Chi for two, a daily spa breakfast and a special turn down amenity. Rates start at $3380 for the package.
Eco travelers there is a new place to check out in Borneo. The Gayana Eco Resort is located on Gaya Island 10 minutes off the Borneo coast and the city of Kota Kinabalu. Gaya Island is one of the five coral reef islands that make up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. The location is also home to a marine ecology research center which works with coral reef rehabilitation.
The resort has 44 luxury rooms all located over water and feature balconies, large bathroom with Harnn luxury amenities, in villa private bar, king or twin beds with luxury linens, feather pillows and duvet, LCD televisions and DVD players. Some villas also have steps directly from their balconies into the lagoon for that afternoon swim. The resort offers gudied kayak trips and nature tours and there is also a spa at the resort which includes double treatment suites with Jacuzzis. The resort's cafe Macac" sits beside the resort's infinity pool and offers cocktails, cool drinks and lunch specialties to the pool including pizzas from a wood fired pizza oven. The resort also includes the Alu Alu restaurant, an overwater restaurant which serves seafood and has over 15 display tanks of live seafood from spectacularly bright coral trout to giant lobsters, prawns and snapper. Rates start around $200 a night.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported on a trend that's already hit some other big cities: the napping spa. An egg-shaped, computerized sleeping pod inside Rejuvenate, an atrium-level storefront spa at one of downtown Atlanta's busiest buildings, provides a haven in which to take a 20-minute, or longer, nap. The spa, which opened in November 2007, offers five snooze suites, each separated by chocolate-colored curtains. Nappers can adjust the temperature, add lavender or citrus aromatherapy and a cool breeze for their necks. Some pods vibrate and calculate the number of calories burned while catching 40 winks.
In NYC, Yelo opened in 2007, promising brief power naps and cashmere blankets. But many spas across the country, especially getaway ones, are introducing sleep treatments, including everything from feather beds and lavender mists to overnight sleep observation. I find the whole "pod" idea claustrophobia-inducing, but the environment at a spa seems so much nicer than what the ladies at my office have -- a sofa in the bathroom. Ick. Pass the lavender, here's my cash and wake me in 20.
Rejuvenate offers timed naps (you're wakened by a gentle chime) at $14 for 20 minutes, $19 for 30 minutes and $35 for an hour. Employers can purchase bulk packages.
If you are looking for a vacation that won't make your teenagers roll their eyes at you in dismay, The Landings St. Lucia has a possible answer. The all-suite resort, which opened last December on scenic Rodney Bay, has created the "Teen Island Vacation" package. The package includes accommodations in a harbor front villa residence with a plunge pool, daily breakfast at the Yacht Haven restaurant, a guided tour of the local rainforest including a zip line experience, a kayak and snorkeling trip to neighboring Pigeon Island National Historic Preserve, unlimited waterskiing and wakeboarding at the hotel's beachfront location and an in-room movie night with snacks and DVDs. The hotel also includes a 7,000 square foot spa with eight treatment rooms, relaxation rooms, a fitness center and a full-service salon which features a variety of service customized for teens. The summer rates for the package start at $310 per night for a Harbor Front Villa two-bedroom residence but be prepared to stay a while, there is a seven-night minimum stay is required.
Hotels always hope for good weather but the Stevenswood Spa Resort on the Mendocino Coast in California is willing to bet on it. The resort has said that they will offer a $5 cash rebate for every degree over 72 for stays between now and the end of August. The rocky coast of Northern California is known for its temperate weather even when its sweltering everywhere else, although my friends a little further up, in Humboldt County, have been seeing a lot of warm temps.
The Stevenswood Spa Resort is located in the forests of Van Damme State Park. Suites have large picture windows with views of the surrounding gardens, beaches, meadows, and redwoods. Each suite has a wood-burning fireplace, plasma televisions, cordless phones, MP3/iPod docks, and free wireless high-speed Internet access. Bathrooms are finished with ocean-green slate from Madagascar and hand-blown Venetian glass bowl vanities.
The resort features a gourmet restaurant, the Restaurant at Stevenswood and the Indigo Eco|Spa, a 3,500 square-foot well-being facility that features multiple treatment suites, tranquility room, Infrared sauna, Canyon view Jacuzzi tubs and an outdoor ocean terrace. The spa offers a comprehensive menu of body, skin, and facial treatments that use organic- based products.
Rates start at $229 for a Grande Suite. The hotel also offers a last-minute specials option on their website with suites for the next night or two that are discounted by 10% or more.
In September, a new hotel concept will open in the Balearic Islands, the cluster of islands off the coast of Spain that includes Ibiza and Mallorca. The Aguas de Ibiza Spa & Resort will be a waterside hotel located by Ibiza's Santa Eulalia Bay marina. The glamourous new hotel was built by local architect Juan de los Ríos, designed by Barcelona-based Triade Studio and run by the Torres family. It will offer 112 rooms and suites. Deluxe rooms and suites will have private terraces and large glass windows. The fourth floor is home to the Cloud 9 club, a hotel within the hotel that will have its own check-in desk, design scheme, services and amenities. Cloud 9 will offer loft rooms including the Presidential Ibiza Loft which is a two-story luxury suite. All rooms have Bang & Olufsen televisions.
Aguas de Ibiza is designed to be "eco-luxurious" combining eco-friendly materials with techniques to reduce energy usage by more than 35 percent in comparison to luxury properties.
The resort also has a gym, climatized pools with mineral salts, three outdoor pools including a rooftop pool, beauty salon, boutique and a business center. The Revival Wellness Club will offer everything from treatments with Ibiza salts to aromatherapy with seagrass and almonds. The resort will also include the Scuba cocktail bar and Air Ibiza, a rooftop par with a red-tiled pool. There will be three restaurants serving tapas at the Alabastro Lounge, Mediterranean specialities at the Oligo: Madeinterranean and modern interpretations of traditional Ibizan dishes at the gourmet restaurant La Sal.
The Three Forks Ranch located on a huge 200,000 acre spread along the Colorado-Wyoming border, is a new ranch destination combining fly fishing, horseback riding, sport clay shooting and other rugged activities, along with the sumptuous experience of a luxury resort and spa. The 30,000-square-foot lodge has 15 rooms and details like giant-beamed cathedral ceilings and European hand-carved paneling. The 15 guest rooms have antique oriental rugs, silk-linen wallpaper, Bellisari Italian linens, Chadsworth & Haig robes and L'Occitane toiletries and all rooms in the lodge have views of the Little Snake River Valley.
The lodge's Oxbow dining room offers gourmet meals, afternoon teas and wine tastings. The Roaring Fork Spa has hot tubs, soaking pools, and four massage and treatment rooms, with treatments such as Little Snake River Stone Therapy, Sportsman's Relief Massage and the Catch-and-Release Body Wrap.
The owners of the Three Forks Lodge have gone to great lengths to restore the fish population. A plan led by hydrologist Dr. Dave Rosgen of Wildland Hydrology was developed to reduce erosion, plant new vegetation and develop wetlands, creating the largest privately funded river restoration in U.S. history and a pristine fly-fishing environment. The Three Forks Ranch fishing guides offer custom fishing opportunities for novices and those with more skills. Fishing for brook, cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout is all catch-and-release. The summer fly-fishing season runs through October 31, 2008 and the winter season which begins December 15, 2008 offers cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, alpine skiing excursions to nearby Steamboat Springs, sleigh rides and dogsledding. All rates include lodging, meals, guide, horseback riding, hiking, four-wheeling, and sporting clays and one massage treatment. A four-night room in a deluxe room costs $5000.
The Grand Mauritian, a Luxury Collection resort and spa from Starwood Hotels & Resorts, "invites you to experience the magic of Mauritian hospitality in a truly luxurious setting." (I accept!) Located on the northwest coast of the island of Mauritius on Turtle Bay, on the Indian Ocean, the resort is set to open on July 1 and is the the Luxury Collection's first foray into the Indian Ocean and Africa.
The resort will offer 193 guest rooms and suites, all of which offer ocean views (some have private terraces and tropical outdoor showers); a kids' club; a 1,500 sqm Mandara spa with 11 treatment rooms; and a selection of upscale restaurants and bars. Spread over 10 hectares, the resort is bordered by the reef and ocean nature park on the coast with sugar cane fields behind. You'll find water sports and diving in the two swimming pools and on the natural sandy beach.
For business travelers, the resort has plug-and-play high-speed Internet access in the guest rooms; wireless high-speed Internet access in public areas; a business center; and venues for conferences, meetings and social events.
Have you been to the Hotel Oceana in Santa Monica? This revamped gem is one of my favorite LA hotels, it's nestled among apartment buildings on Santa Monica's beachfront boulevard. The style inside is amazing, if you appreciate decorating you should check it out, I've borrowed a few great ideas from their inspiring (and huge) rooms. My favorite part and the must see feature has to be the heart shaped pool! If you haven't done so already book yourself a delux ocean view suite with a balcony (around $500) at this romantic and stylish get away next time you are in LA! Hoteloceanasantamonica.com
Spa living comes to Hollywood in the form of the W Hollywood Hotel & Residences. The newest Bliss Spa will be located at the new complex and will be a 4,800 square foot indulgence with seven treatment rooms, a retail beauty boutique, a nail lounge for manicures and pedicures and Bliss trademarks like a a signature menu of tension taming treatments, rhythm and blues tunes and legendary brownie buffet. Residents of the W Hollywood will have the benefit of in-home services and perks like priority booking.
The W Hollywood will have 300 rooms and 150 W Residences, a signature restaurant, a rooftop bar and pool, a PURE nightclub, fitness center, business center, concierge services and a real Hollywood detail, an outdoor silver screen for viewing movies. Owners will receive VIP access throughout the hotel. Prices range from $800,000-$8 million+ and opening is scheduled for October 2009. Check out Curbed LA for pictures of the construction.
Pampering for pets is not something new -- a nice bath and haircut, nails trimmed, buffed and painted, perhaps a massage -- but this is the first time I have seen a clay mask for pets. Klay-9 offers an all natural sea clay experience for your furry friend claiming you'll never go back to regular baths again after this luxurious treatment. Some additional benefits are gentle removal of dander for allergy relief, controlling odor, promoting healthy skin and coat, and naturally removing any fleas. Prices range from $44 to $195, depending on the quantity you need to suit the size of your dog. My only fear with this treatment, if used at home, is the inevitable vigorous shaking my pup is bound to do -- I guess than I would get to partake in the spa experience too!
Skiing and snowboarding is a lot of fun but it can also leave you pretty sore. At Keystone Lodge & Spa, part of the snow resort at Keystone, Colorado, guests staying three nights get a free 50-minute spa treatment of their choice at the resort's RockResorts Spa. Keystone has three mountains that offer different experiences:groomed trails for carving on Dercum Mountain, big bumps on North Peak and deep powder and gladed terrain on Keystone's Outback. Rates start at $209 per night for this deal based on double occupancy. The 10,000 square foot spa, which opened last fall, is 100 percent powered by wind and features organic products, indigenous ingredients, natural light and a number of other elements that connect the spa to its mountain surroundings.
If you are scrambling for a place to take your beloved for Valentine's Day, the Red Rock in Las Vegas might be the answer. it is far enough away from the Strip to not feel like a typical Vegas vacation but still in easy driving distance for restaurants and shows. The hotel is offering the Sweet Valentine package from February 8 through Sunday, February 17 which includes a guestroom at $199 per night, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries after check in and a $25 food and beverage credit each day of your stay to use at any one of Red Rock's 10 restaurants or for room service. Other February packages include a Chocolate Champagne Indulgence spa package that includes a facial, scrub and a glass of champagne and chocolates at the Onyx Bar or the hotel lobby lounge for $315.
The resort also has several restaurant packages for Valentine's Day available at either T-Bones, an upscale steakhouse, or Terra Rossa, a gourmet Italian restaurant. Both restaurants have a variety of Champagne packages starting at Moet &Chandon and working up to the Dom Pérignon package which includes a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Dom Pérignon Champagne served tableside, accompanied by two Tiffany & Co. crystal flutes for $450.
