FitSugar

Relax Already: Get a $50 Full-Service Spa Treatment

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:35:00 -0700

Spa Week could not have come at a better time. My sore muscles have been screaming for a soothing massage, but I've been trying to spend less, which means cutting back on unnecessary expenses. It's tough to justify spending the cost of a new pair of running shoes on a 60-minute treatment , but spa week offers the opportunity to recession proof your relaxation needs and wants.

From April 13-19, spas around the country are presenting various full-length treatments for $50. Whether you're in need of a little pampering TLC or could use a treatment that works out your stress-induced kinks, take advantage of the awesome opportunity to book an appointment without the guilt. There are 550 participating spas, so take a peek at the Spa Week website to find a spot near you.

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Chocolate Bath - Deliciously Relaxing

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:30:00 -0800

Do you like chocolate? Well you're soaking in it...ahhh doesn't that sound nice - a chocolate bath.

A Japanese spa in Hakone offers them. Incorporating chocolate into natural hot springs, the bath contains cacao extract and trehalose, a kind of natural sugar. These ingredients promote beautiful skin by trapping the moisture.

For the rest of us, there are hot chocolate bath salts. They're also available in white chocolate, for only $9.00.

Of course, baths in general are very soothing and relaxing. And there are health benefits and happiness associated with chocolate. I never would have thought to put the two together - but I bet some of you have!

Spending time in the enveloping warmth and the delicious aroma of chocolate must have an amazingly calming effect.

Bikini Boot Camp in Mexico: Amansala

FitSugar — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Amansala, a super fabulous Mexican eco-resort and spa, offers a six-night Bikini Boot Camp program that is limited to 25 men and women, held on the beautiful, remote beach of Tulum, Mexico. Could there be a better place to get bikini ready? Possibly not.

While doing the Bikini Boot Camp, your days start with a beach or jungle power walk followed by a combination of body sculpting, power ab sessions or Pilates and end with yoga and meditation. When you're not doing that, there are excursions to the nearby jungle for swimming and snorkeling in fresh water swimming holes, visits to Mayan ruins and pampering with beach side massages, Mayan Clay Treatments and plenty of sunshine. Yes please.

It's not all about exercise at Bikini Boot Camp, the low fat diet consists of all local chemical free food such as fresh caught grilled fish, mangos, jicima salads and other delicious low calorie selections. Yum.

To see some beautiful pics of what you'll be seeing while you're there, read more

View 10 Photos ›

The relaxing, beautiful setting, along with the healthy meals, and activity filled days make for a perfect way to get your body bikini ready. It definitely doesn't hurt that you'll be in a beautiful part of Mexico as well as surrounded by people with the same goals in mind.

Six night programs are held year round. Three & four night programs available upon request. 6 nights will run you $1,842 per person but it is all inclusive, so it could be worse. For more information and to make a reservation, please visit Amansala online.

My Kind of Club: East Bank Club

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Chicago has so many great things to offer from Navy Pier to Soldier Field, you get a lot out of this windy city (but not a Super Bowl win). From its famous deep dish pizza to its greasy bratwurst, Chicago is not exactly the picture of health.

However, that was before I discovered the East Bank Club. Membership to East Bank Club is more than just your average gym membership, it's like joining a super exclusive mecca to help shape your life. Every facet of the Club experience is met from the huge (20,000 sq. feet) cardio room, to the sophisticated and elegant feel to the salon and spa services, a complete Pro Shop, child care, a dry cleaners, a car wash and more. It's amazing that in a 450,000-square-foot mega-club, details do not go unnoticed.

One of the coolest parts about the club? The virtual bike rides with private televisions that display dozens of virtual courses that simulate outdoor bike rides. The bikes are equipped with handle bars that turn left and right, and you can even choose to compete against the person next to you. Log on to the web site afterward and you can gauge your progress or see if you made the leader board. How cool is that?

The price? Not cheap but not as steep as I had anticipated: There is a $500 enrollment fee and monthly fees range from $115 to $165. To check it out and learn more, visit The East Bank Club online.

Got BlackBerry Thumb?

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:30:00 -0800

Are you slightly addicted to your Blackberry? You're not alone and one of the many side effects from constantly typing away on your little hand-held is Blackberry thumb, which is a sore thumb that results from tapping on a hand-held computer.

Luckily for all of us addicts, spas are catching on to the constant demands of technology on our bodies with treatments targeted specifically at ailments such as Blackberry thumb, tech neck and cell phone clog (when the skin on your face gets irritated due to transferring the bacteria on your cell to your face).

The Graceful Services Spa in New York City offers the Blackberry Finger Massage (one hour of treatment is $60) that works on the vital muscles on the back, shoulder and neck and acupressure at the points which relieve the inflammation of the joints to help high tech and hard working hard people. The spa also offers Work On The Face, with a deep cleansing facial to clean the bacteria and relax facial muscles pressed against cell phones (one hour is $80).

Check out all the techie services Graceful Services offers online at GracefulServices.com. Not near NYC, ask your local spas what kind of treatments they offer for your tech related soreness.

This could also be a great way to reward yourself for a job well done!!!

A Horse is NOT Just a Horse

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:37:00 -0800

Feeling unbalanced and disconnected from your inner self? Who doesn't feel that way these days? Kate Boswoth seems to make time for the horses, but should you?

If going to the derby doesn't sound like your idea of a relaxing trip but you would like to pack your bags for a unique, life-changing experience, then read more

Wyatt Webb, former addict musician turned horse lover and human therapist, can help you. His Equine Experience at Miraval Life in Balance™ resort is a place that people go to find out, in a rather unusual way, what's keeping them so darn unbalanced. Basically the theory is that how you relate to a horse goes back to how you relate to your inner self. For example, if you are overly nice to your horse it may become apparent that for some reason you feel the need to be overly nice to anyone in order to get them to like you. (And all this time you thought you were just being nice to the horse so it wouldn't freak out and kick you in the face!) Sounds a bit quacky, I know. But people swear by it and have life changing experiences with The Equine Experience Class. Miraval claims:

This class offers another opportunity at Miraval for you to discover how to more fully enjoy the present and be conscious of each moment of living, as opposed to merely surviving daily life.

Go here to plan your own equine experience

Rejuvenate and Party: Spa Day Bachelorette Party

FitSugar — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:15:00 -0700

It is Wedding Season, here at the Sugar Network, and this week is dedicated to all the parties that happen before the BIG Day. Now, not every bachelorette party needs to be about drinking too much or making extravagant wedding dresses from toilet paper. You can do something fun and relax while you chill with your best gal pals - yes, I am talking Spa Day.

There are many options when you are planning your Spa Day bachelorette party, mostly because there are so many spas and day spas to choose from. Many spas will offer group discounts of 10-15% for groups larger than 4 or 6. Often the guests can pick or choose their own treatments and you can all hang out together between massages, or you can have your pedicures all at the same time. Make sure the spa has a hot tub so you can all hang out together as one big, crazy bachelorette party. No splashing though since that is often considered poor spa etiquette.

You can also opt for a party crated by Mobile Spa Party in the comfort of your own home (you supply the hot tub). Their tag line is "A Day Spa at your Doorstep" and they offer day spa services including: facials, skin treatments, massage, manicures, pedicures, and more. Unfortunately, the Mobile Spa only operates in a handful of metropolitan areas across the US. Here is the link to their locations listed by state and metro area.

Some upscale nail salons are open to hosting parties, where you and your party have the entire salon to yourselves. Generally you supply the food and beverages and they provide the mani's and pedi's. There is no reason not to go out on the town with pretty fingers and toes, so you can combine a little pampering with a little partying.

You know my buddy Bella has something to say on this subject. Check out her post, Bachelorette Weekend: A Spa Pampering Party, for even more ideas.

No matter what you do - have some fun and let all that wedding stress melt away.

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Get Golden Globe Ready: Nao Spa

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 08:35:00 -0800

The stars take no short cuts when it comes to getting red carpet ready for the Golden Globes. It is being reported they can lose up to 5 pounds in just hours, but how?

Well you're going to have to fly to New York and book an appointment at the super exclusive Nao Spa for The NAO Signature Treatment Ryu-Jitsu (or Dragon's Magic) is exclusive in the United States to NAO. This treatment is a groundbreaking three-part biorhythm program to slim, detoxify, enhance metabolism, burn fat and strengthen core muscles using a combination of the advanced technology of their whole-body vibration exerciser (sort of like a less advanced Power Plate), the heated lava Stone Spa Bed and therapeutic (lymphatic) massage on the revolutionary soft pack bed. This unique program adjusts the autonomic nervous system, building a stronger body to overcome everyday stress. Acting like an A-lister will cost you, as the Ryu-Jitsu (and a slimmer you) is a whopping $350.

To see it in action, check it out on AccessHollywood.com.

Learn How to Chill Out at Exhale Spa For Free

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:30:00 -0800

Even though the stress-inducing elections are over, the economy is still taking a roller coaster ride, causing anxiety with every dip. While you might not be able to afford a luxury spa treatment to reduce your stress, one luxury spa is offering free meditation seminars to help you learn how to chill out and stay centered in these turbulent times.

Scattered across the US with a handful of locations, Exhale Spa is offering complimentary, weekly meditation sessions during the month of November. In these session you will learn how to soothe yourself with guided breathing, learn some acupressure techniques, and experiment with aromatherapy. All for free. To see if there is an Exhale Spa close to you, or to check out the schedule, read more.

New York City
980 Madison Avenue
Mondays in November
7:30-8:00 p.m.
Call 212.249.3000 for more information.

150 Central Park South
Meditation
Fridays in November
7:30-8:00 p.m.
Free Nutrition Sessions
Nov. 11
2-3 p.m.
Free Healing Sessions
Every Friday
2-3 p.m.
Call 212.249.3000 for more information.

California
Santa Monica
Tuesdays in November
4:15-5:00 p.m.
Call 310.899.6222 for more information.

Illinois
Chicago
Mondays in November
12:00-12:30 p.m.
Call 312.753.6500 for more information.

Texas
Dallas
Mondays in November
1:30-2:00 p.m.
Call 214.370.5800 for more information.

Massachusetts
Boston
Fridays in November
12:00-12:30 p.m.
Call 617.532.7000 for more information.

Since there are no Exhale Spas in Northern California, I will follow these simple tips on how to mediate on my own.

At Home Spa Treatment: Papaya Mask

FitSugar — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 02:30:00 -0700

One great way to relax on the weekends is to pamper yourself with an at home spa treatment. Since alpha hydroxy is all the rage in skin care these days, why not use your own fruit to tap into the exfoliating powers of fruit acids? As my aesthetician says, "If you wouldn't want to eat it, don't put it on your face" since you can absorb chemicals through your skin.

Here is a natural facial mask featuring the tropical fruit power house: the papaya. The fruit enzymes found in papayas are know to aid and accelerate healing in skin disorders such as acne. In addition, the fruit enzymes gently exfoliate the skin. That is what I call a win/win situation.

What you need:

1 cup fresh pineapple
Half-a-cup fresh papaya
1 tablespoon honey

To see what you do, just read more

What you do:

Purée the fruit in a blender or food processor.
Add honey and blend until the mixture makes a smooth paste.
Apply mask to clean skin on your face and neck. Gently steaming your pores open before applying the mask will increase the benefits of it.
Leave mask on for 15 to 20 minutes. Recline and relax.
Rinse face and neck with warm water

If you are looking for more possible self spa ideas, check out their at home spa treatments and of course Bella has some great DIY Spa Treatments too!

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