Spa Reviews

Hello SASsy Friends, I hope everyone is having a great week.  With the weekend rapidly approaching, many of us will be heading to the spa for some much needed R&R. Here are my reviews of 3 spas in NYC:


The Setai Spa- Setai 5th Avenue:

This is by far my favorite my favorite spa. I will start off by saying this spa is located in one of Manhattans newest and most posh 5 star hotels.  The services are not cheap by any means but what you get for your money is well worth it.

With the purchase of any treatment, you have full access to all of the spa's facilities for the entire day. I checked in at 10am and left at 7pm and really didn't want to leave then.  Fellas, this is the perfect holiday, just because, mother's day out, or even get out of the doghouse gift for your lady.  Trust me she will LOVE it and you!

I started off my day with a great workout in the well equip gym, and then enjoyed a relaxing shower with music.  From there it was off to my 1hr massage. ($185)  I have never felt so relaxed in my entire life and my chronic neck pain subsided for weeks.


After my treatment, the masseuse led me to the humum (steam room with lights on the ceiling that look like stars) for a complementary Turkish body wrap and mud mask.  Then she showed me the lounge, whirlpool and shower rooms.  There simply isn't a better way to spend a day!
Overall Grade A+

Humum Room

Lounge

Whirlpool

Skin Spa:

The skin spa focuses on various skin treatments to prevent aging and to keep your skin fresh and healthy.  They recently started offering massages (I haven't tried one of theirs yet)

Unfortunately their Soho location is quite underwhelming.  It's a typical NYC building, no posh amenities or anything special about it and the treatment rooms feel more like a doctor's office than a relaxating spa.

The facial I received was great and I loved how soft my face felt afterward.   Their services are reasonably priced (1hr facial $75), but if you are looking for luxury, look elsewhere. 

Overall Grade B-

Treatment Room

Silk Spa:

Hidden in the lower east side of Manhattan is this gem of a relaxation.  Silk spa is an Asian themed spa that is the perfect place to relax after a long week.  When you are arrived you are allowed to select the type of music you like, it's volume and even how much you like the masseuse to talk during your treatment. My massage was wonderful, in fact I fell asleep.  Afterwards you are taken to the relaxation room and then provided with amenities to shower and refresh yourself.   There's a huge selection of treatments and I will be going back to try more.

Overall Grade A

Lounge

Bath

That's all for this weeks edition.  If you would like more information on any of these spas, please leave comments and I will respond within 48hrs.

Twitter: @MzSAS

Get the Right Deal Online

Hello SASsy friends, I hope everyone is enjoying fashion week.  By now you have noticed that there are tons of "deal" sites popping up left and right.  Here are a few tips to make sure you get the right deal for you online.

Tip 1: Try Before You Buy

There are tons of fashion sites offering great deals on designer clothes. But guesing your size can make online deal shopping tricky and some sites only give site credits on returns.

Before you look for deals take a trip to your favorite department stores and try on clothes by designers you like.  Be sure to write down the sizes and styles that work for you.  This way, when they are featured on a deal site you don't have to guess whether or not it will fit. The same thing goes for shoes, try them in the store and find an online deal for a fraction of the cost!

Here are some of the great deals you can sore online right now!

Jones NY Pants $45 Myhabit.com

NYLA Webebe Boots $75 ideeli.com

7 For All Mankind Men's Jeans $99 ruelala.com

French Connection Zola Dress $115 Hautelook.com

NYLA Becka High Heel Pump $50 hautelook.com

Tip 2: Order Evening Attire Custom Made Online

If you follow me on twitter, you may remember my recent melt down about my evening gown I wore in Miss Florida when I was 25 no longer fitting. I was distraught for several reasons.  When online shopping for the perfect evening gown to wear to an upcoming wedding, I stumbled upon Goldwo.com. 

I'll be honest, when I first found this site I was a bit skeptical, but I came to find that this is the best thing that ever happened to dresses!  

Goldwo.com is a Chinese dress wholesaler that custom makes evening gowns, wedding and bridesmaid dresses way less than department store prices. You get the pick the fabric, color, gve them your exact measurement and they make the dress tailored to your body.  There is a large selection on their site and you can even submit other dresses not featured on the site.

I had this dress custom made and shipped within 15 days for $250!  When it arrived yesterday it was perfect and the quality impeccable, the same as you would find in a department store! I'll be sure to post pictures once I wear it.

Tip #3: Do Your Homework

With so many deals for "spas" you really have to research them before you purchase the deal.  I recently redeemed a deal purchased on bloomspot.com for a shellac manicure, spa pedicure and glass of wine for $30 and Veda Spa in NYC.  This place was the furthest thing from a spa, I actually needed a trip to the spa afterward to relax!

Veda Spa is your typical loud nail salon with poor ventilation and even with an appointment, I still had to wait for 30mins. My manicure was awful, she got the shellac on my cuticles and it chipped off with in a few days.  To add insult to injury, my "free glass of wine" was served in a styrofoam cup! Who does that? Wine taste awful when it's not in a wine glass ewwww!

To avoid a dreadful experience like mine, check out the website and read reviews before purchasing a deal.   No matter how steep the discount or how good of a deal it may seem to be, there is nothing worse ending up in a fake spa hoping to get good service and relax.


Follow these tips and you will be sure to have success shopping for deals online.  Happy Shopping!

I want to hear from you! If you like the blog, have question, suggestions or would like to know more about the things mentioned in The SASsy Report, please leave comments and I will respond within 24 hrs.
Thanks!

Twitter @MzSAS

SASify Yourself

Hello SASsy friends, I am so sorry it's been so long since I last wrote.  Since my last post, I've started a new job and working longer hours but I promise to keep this updated on a much more regular basis.

This week's topic is SASsify Yourself.  The inspiration came while watching Madonna's old video for Express Yourself and thinking how original she was and as her career and life progressed, she kept changing her look and how she carried herself.

That got me thinking, as women we wear so many hats, and as our lives change the hats we wear change right along with it.  Many times we forget who we were and what we liked to do before the long hours at the office, relationships, kids etc all started.  We tend to settle into comfortable lives taking care of everything and everybody else and our own wants and needs take a back seat.

So how does one SASify herself?  It’s simple; you have to take time to do the things that make you happy.  Go shopping, have fun drinks or brunch with your girlfriends, go to the spa whatever it takes to make you happy and satisfy your personal needs.

Go to the spa!  When you plan to go to the spa do your research first.  Check the spa's reputation and possibly even tour the facility prior to making a reservation.  Trust me there is nothing worse than thinking you are going to have a day of luxury and pampering and end up in ghetto spa.
(TIP: Ask friends which spa and technician they recommend.) 

Additionally, be sure to look up each procedure or treatment and their possible side effects.  For example if you are under 40 you probably don't need a microdermabrasion or a face peel. These procedures can leave you looking like a cooked lobster for days.  Remember the episode of Sex and the City when Samantha got a microdermabrasion, and looked like a peeled tomato?  Go with a regular facial instead, especially if this is your first trip, you are much less likely to have a reaction and your face will be still smooth and refreshed.

Also when going to the spa, look into the different types of massages offered and what they do for the body.  If you have a lot a tension, headaches and/or muscle pain, skip the hot stone and go with a deep tissue.  This will help relax your muscles and can even alleviate pain. I personally recommend an hour but if you are short on time, a 30 minute massage can be a good pick me up.

Shop, shop, and shop some more! When I say shop, I don't mean you just go to the mall and buy a whole bunch of clothes and shoes that you really don't need.  Clean out your closet first and take inventory of what you have versus what you want.  Get rid of old clothes and shoes that you haven't worn, are old or the quality isn’t that great and donate them to charity. (TIP: When cleaning out your closet, put everything backwards on the hanger.  Once you wear it, hang it back the right way.  After 6 months if it is still hanging backwards, it goes.)

 The next step is to determine your personal style and the looks you are going for.   Do you find yourself wearing more business clothes, or casual? Heels or flats?  Dresses or pants?  Most women have either a great business wardrobe, full of dresses and pants or a not so great casual one and vice versa. After taking inventory of your closet, you will have a better understanding of what you need to shop for.  When shopping, stay away from your traditional look and go for things you like but usually don’t wear.  For example if you wear solid colors, try a fun pattern.  Whatever you do, please remember your age and body type.  Not everything that comes in your size is meant for your body. There is nothing worse than looking like a walking mid-life crisis.

Hang out with your girlfriends.  We all need girlfriend time and it is an essential part of your life.  Be sure to try to hang out with your friends without the significant other and/or kids at least once a month.  Try organizing a monthly ladies brunch.  If you live in NYC I highly recommend Poco on the Lower East Side.  The food is great and there are bottomless sangria and mimosas (TIP: I highly recommend the lobster mac and cheese. It will totally kill your calories and fat content for the entire week but trust me it's so worth it.  Just go to the gym and run it off, like Forrest Gump style running.)

Another option is to have a monthly girl’s night.  Girl’s nights are a good chance for us to fully enjoy being a woman.  We love to get dolled up with hair and makeup and step out on the town.   Most of my readers are past the club phase of life, as am I, so I recommend choosing a nice lounge with a more upscale vibe and an older crowd. I don’t mean the golden girls crowd or the Steve Harvey suit collection crowd but older in the sense that the average age is around 30.  In NYC, the best spots are hotel rooftops.  The Gansevoort, Hudson and Dream hotels are great options, drinks are a bit pricey but the upscale atmosphere is well worth the price.

That's all for this week's edition. Be sure to let me know if you like my tips and if you try any of them how they worked out for you! I promise I will keep this updated more often.  Until next time keep it SASSy!

Follow me on twitter @MzSAS