Spa-log

Oh, this one. I went with a group of friends. It's funny. Half of us loved it, half of us did not love it. I guess it depends on your personal preference and style. Dislikes: Felt dirty, grimy. Think underground wet locker room of Gladiator. Pros: Serves food, very communal, raw and unfiltered. There's a cold bath. And I mean ice cold. One guy coolly walked in like he was Jesus and could walk on water. One friend from our group whimpered, bounced, jumped up and down and made a scene about how cold it was. There are different saunas which can be fun to bounce to and fro, and a lot of people seemed to know each other. Personally, just wasn't my thing.

I was very excited to check this place out since it is not that far from where I live. How perfect would it be to have a membership to a spa close enough to walk from home? The pictures looked lovely with a cascading waterfall. I was hoping Great Jones Spa would be the end of my quest for my perfect NYC spa. For starters, I bought a voucher on Gilt and loved the lobby when I walked in. Cute, small, intimate, they had a great selection of body lotions, candles, all the fun stuff I love browsing through. I went downstairs into the Jacuzzi area... it was a bit small, and in slightly older condition than I would have preferred. While they do have a steam room and provide some simple snacks, there was unfortunately no relaxation room. I have no regrets about going, but haven't been back since.

So before I dive into my review, I will say that this place gets booked up quite quickly and they have stringent time slots and cancellation policies. Hence, if your schedule changes frequently and there is no way to have full visibility a month in advance like me, you may have to make and change your reservation quite frequently. I think it took about 4 months before I was able to finally nail down and go to the available time slot. I went on a Friday night after a long week and in much need of R&R . Walking downstairs into the area with different pools felt like walking down into a secret part of a castle. Flamenco guitar music in the background echoed as I chose which bath I'd go into first. There were two different cold baths, 2 hot baths, and my favorite- the buoyant salt bath where I could float and let go of all my cares in the world. I splashed and waded and floated until my heart's delight. What prevents me from going back more frequently is it was missing a r...

So. In my quest for the perfect spa in NY, once I find it I decided I'd look into splurging and buying a membership for the year. That way I could go weekly if I wanted. I really really thought the Peninsula Spa would be it! Perfectly situated on 5th Ave, I was already justifying the cost by saying I'd use the gym to maximize my usage. First off, you feel gorgeous walking down the curly staircase into the dimly lit spa reception area. It feels like you're going to dinner at a beautiful date place. My treatment was great, and the relaxation room passed. What was great was the privacy. They have these seats that make you feel like you are in a private business class seat and recline, you have your own light in case you want to read, etc. I took my lunch and glass of champagne by the pool, which was also gorgeous, as was the gym. But.... sigh. No Jacuzzi. Grade: B+/A-

I love spas. I one day want to live in one. Or in a building that has a spa. To the spa virgin all spas may look the same. But the more I've progressed on my spa journey, alongside my already fastidious detail-oriented personality, the more I realize there is an art. A lot of things add to the experience. The perfect spa to me has 2 main things: a perfect relaxation room, and a Jacuzzi. Given I live in NYC the majority of my time, this has been difficult to find. If I find one, I am lacking the other. Why spas? In this ever-hectic, crazy amped-up city filled with stressed out neurotic New Yorkers who over pay for small living spaces, the spa has been my therapeutic retreat. It is the most efficient way (because yes, we are obsessed with saving time) to get to relaxation. Also, after an admittedly very difficult personal year, I've created a new motto of "the worse the news/times the better you need to treat yourself". And the fastest way to de-stress before ...