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By Jenny, on September 1st, 2010
Want to Win an iPad?
We have rounded the corner into the last few days of summer and that means it’s time to give away our final iPad and WE HAVE SWEETENDED the stakes! To enter the contest you must write on our Facebook wall (not comment on the post) “I am using WaySpa to book my next trip to the spa and so are my friends @insertfriendsname.” To be entered you must refer 10 friends by tagging them with the @ symbol. To tag a friend type the @ symbol wait a few seconds for it to load then begin typing the friends name you would like to tag – when the name appears click on it and it will tag on the post. If you WIN the iPad your 10 friends will receive a $50 WaySpa Gift Certificate!
The contest closes at Midnight on Sept 10, 2010
“This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to WaySpa and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for this give away.”
By Jenny, on August 31st, 2010
I have recently moved into a new industrial styled loft and this past weekend I was sitting on my living room couch staring at the blank giant white wall across from me thinking, “ you know what? Its time to take the plunge and do something on this giant white canvass” So after a little research on that little know magical breadth of information known as the Internet I came across these amazing wall tattoos from Surface Collective! I’m not one to take the ink to my skin but I’m willing to splash some on the walls. What do you guys think?
  
By Eloise, on August 30th, 2010
 For anyone who’s decided to take that cheap flight to New York in the middle of summer, you know why it only cost 30 cents… summers in the city are HOT. And not a nice enjoy the sunshine kind of hot. We’re
talking sweaty, smelly, unbreathable, dripping hot. With consistent 100 degree plus temperatures, activities are relegated to places with sub zero air conditioning that require less that 10 minutes of walking outside to get to, and that are okay with semi-nude attire, since wardrobe choices are made based on the least amount of coverage without getting arrested, and most importantly, avoid any and all subways completely.
I seemed to have forgotten this hard fast rule when I decided to be budget conscious and  take the 6 train to visit my friend’s new apartment on the Upper East Side. Big mistake. After a 15 minute wait in the sauna that is Astor Place Station, I was able to find a cozy spot on the 6 train underneath the armpit of a 250 pound man. One mild panic attack and a bottle of hand sanitizer later, I decided I deserved an award for surviving the summer this long – i.e. an indulgent one hour massage.
Dorit Baxter was the lucky spa that became my medal, and it could not have been a better choice. Well maybe it could have been better had I tossed in on of their renowned facials and an additional 60 minutes to
my massage, but as I’ve learned from previous experience, living on ramen noodles for a month in order to afford rent = not so fun.
 When it comes to massages, I’m a bit of a floozy in that I’ll take them whenever, wherever, and from (mostly) whoever, i.e. my 10-year-old cousin (but I do draw the line at those airport terminal
quickies). I’ve done the Swedish, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy, Hot Stone, Hot Towel, Thai and almost every other kind of massage you could think of. So how excited was I to discover that Dorit Baxter has an Eclectic Massage, combining a variation of techniques all into one massage? Pretty effing excited.
Upon walking into Dorit Baxter (very conveniently located on 57th between 5th and 6th), I was quickly escorted into the therapy room and slowly eased into the Eclectic Massage, which includes Swedish,
Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, and Foot Reflexology. And despite my previous bragging about being a massage connoisseur, the reflexology aspect was actually completely brand new to me. While one of my best friends
swears by regular reflexology, I never could justify a half hour (or longer) foot massage when my shoulders and back are were crying for one.
But now that I’ve experienced the love that is reflexology – where compressions, trigger points, effleurage, and meridian work  (not quite sure what those last two things are but they feel GREAT), are used together to unblock your energy pathways, leaving you full out refreshed, relaxed, and stress free – my back might have to suck back those tears once in a while because it is AMAZING. This, together with
the more traditional Swedish, Shiatsu, and Deep Tissue techniques, provided a “quadruple threat” to the gazillion knots in my muscles and heat-induced stress that has been nagging me all summer long. I walked
out of Dorit Baxter limber and loose, and headed home feeling pretty good about myself.
 Except this time I took two steps into the comfort of an air-conditioned taxi. Because us New York girls deserve pampering AND a taxi pretty much all of the time.
Eloise,
PhD, Massage Receiving
Dorit Baxter New York Day Spa 47 West 57th Street New York, New York 10019 United States
By Jenny, on August 27th, 2010
 On Monday August 30th check back to hear a report from Eloise about the day she spent at the Dorit Baxter New York Day Spa escaping the sauna that is downtown Manhattan! Her name is Eloise and she hearts massages!
 A Canadian summer is a welcome reprieve from the dark cold days of winter. Patio dining, cottage going, and lake swimming are all things I look forward to when winter comes back with a vengeance after teasing us with spring in late March. However, for many of us out there summer and the damp humid air that comes with it, presents the dreaded problem of frizz. Our gorgeous curls that fall so nicely in the dry air of winter and so easily pull off the desired effect of bohemian bed head chic, go drastically awry in the humid dog days of summer. The result is something between a perm and your grade school social science teacher’s 80s frizz. This isn’t always a problem, but for me as a new found member of the Bay street corporate crowd where neither of the above mentioned hairstyles are appropriate, it is a big problem! With my crazy schedule I can’t spend hours in the morning blow drying and flat ironing my hair – it is just not practical or particularly effective. During my visit to the Domenica and Drea Salon inside Novoa Spa this past weekend I splurged on a life changing (ok maybe a bit dramatic, but it is pretty amazing) treatment. Tune in on Monday September 6th to hear all about it! Yours Sincerely, Legally Blogged
By Jenny, on August 26th, 2010
 If you are anything like me your bathroom is probably over flowing with half used product containers. Well, everyone, I am taking the first step – I admit it I have a problem! I am now a self proclaimed beauty addict. There are millions of beauty products out there claiming that they can control that pesky frizz or hide those under eye bags but which ONE TO CHOOSE! This morning I stumbled upon a new beauty site called BirchBox that doesn’t make you choose. BirchBox enables you to sample the latest products before committing the dollah dollah bills to a luxury product. For $10 a month you receive four or more premium samples from high-end beauty brands spanning makeup, skincare, hair products, and fragrance. Previous samples have included NARS, Korres, Phyto and Benefit. I think its worth a try!
By Jenny, on August 24th, 2010
 Summer is quickly (too quickly) coming to an end – tear. The time to pack up all your outdoor planters is rapidly approaching but fear not as I have stumbled upon a new creative way to bring the outdoors in! Meet Wally the modular living wall system. You can create a lush vertical garden in almost any space – no matter how big or how small! This system allows you to garden where it was once impossible to garden. These modular wall gardening containers are flexible, breathable, and made from recycled plastic bottles that have been industrially felted. A waterproof lining helps keep walls and floors dry.These wall pockets can be used singly, or hung in multiples to create large, vertical “living walls”. I cant think of a better way to liven up your home this fall!
By Jenny, on August 20th, 2010
Up Next…
Don’t forget to check back on Monday August 23rd and read all about the bridal party beautification going on at Remedy Facial Bar and Salon in Halifax!
A taste of whats to come…
On Monday August 30th meet our newest NYC correspondent Eloise! She is Eloise. She is a city child. She lives at the Plaza.
Anyone and everyone who has visited New York in the summer knows how unbearably hot, muggy, and downright DISGUSTING it can get in the city. Not able to take a dip in the contaminated waters of the Hudson River (unless of course you’d be interested in growing an extra arm), New Yorkers have gotten to the point where swimming in dumpsters has become the most sought after activity. And on Park Avenue! So what does a 20-something New York girl do to escape the miserableness when she doesn’t have a friend’s Hampton house to invite herself to? She treats herself to the spa of course!
Most New York girls know the pain of walking around the city all day carrying a 100 lb purse, which is why $10 massages at tiny little nail places have become part of my weekly necessities, along with food and alcoholic beverages.
But there comes a time when a girl must force herself away from the portable massage chair in the middle of the crowded noisy nail salon, so I’m treating myself to a (well deserved, if I do say so myself) real massage at a real spa. My pick of choice: the Dorit Baxter Day Spa, conveniently located near the Plaza Hotel (my favorite go-to-spot for people spotting and general ruckus-making). Because don’t we all deserve a little pampering?
- Eloise
By Jenny, on August 18th, 2010
 This week we asked you how you kept your face feeling fresh and vibrant…I thought we should also have look at what the experts have to say. Check out these 50 Skin Care tips from InStyle and let me know what you think!
By ThelmaLouise, on August 16th, 2010
We woke up this morning, day 6 of our trip, to humid and muggy weather – the farther south we drive the HOTTER it gets! Our spa appointments weren’t until noon, so we decided to go visit Vulcan Park in Birmingham, home to the world’s largest cast iron statue. It was our first “largest” site of the trip! After a few touristy photos, we headed to Spa Moksha located on route 280 and after travelling down this hectic road we couldn’t wait to pull over into the oasis that is Spa Moksha. Spa Moksha specializes in the Ayurvedic approach to health and beauty, which includes, relaxation response, attitudinal healing, yoga, inner peace, beauty treatments and the release of day-to-day stress. We couldn’t wait to try it out!
Thelma:
When we walked into the spa extremely friendly staff immediately welcomed us… I’m really starting to enjoy this southern hospitality! We chatted with the reception and perused bridal magazines while we waited for our treatments to start. I decided  to go with the Dead Sea Mud Wrap for this second spa visit. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into but I’d heard that mud wraps are designed to hydrate and firm the skin, relax and sooth the muscles, relieve aching joints and inflammation and flush out toxins. Now I’ve had mud baths, aromatherapy whirlpools, and other spa treatments… but this was definitely going to be a new experience.
The treatment started with my therapist using an exfoliating brush to remove dead skin. The process tickled a little… but overall, it felt nice. She then informed me that mud was going to be rubbed all over my body… she warned me that the mud would feel cold but I didn’t really believe her until it hit my stomach. It was one of those getting-into-a-cold-pool sensations. Once I was covered in mud I was wrapped up like a mummy in tin foil, and then a warm blanket was placed on top of me. This was definitely a weird sensation but it was also surprisingly relaxing. After 15min of “mudification”, I got into the shower and washed off the mud and returned to my treatment room wrapped up in a cozy white bathrobe!
 When I got back to my room after the shower I was surprised to see, what I can only call a “tent” placed over the bed. I crawled in and slowly the “tent” filled with warm steam. I lay there relaxing breathing in the warm air for about 10 minutes and was then sent back to the showers for a quick rinse. To end the treatment my therapist proceeded to rub in a moisturizing lotion all over my body. Now I’m silky smooth all over!
I’d say five stars for my first ever mud wrap!
Louise:
My second spa visit was just as new as my first. I was treated to a salt scrub (something I didn’t know existed until today). I learned that the primary purpose of a salt scrub is to exfoliate your skin. The salt scrub also hydrates your skin because the salt is combined with oil and herbal aromatics. The treatment started with a full body once over with the aforementioned exfoliating brush. I then lay on my stomach and the therapist began rubbing the salt mixture onto my skin. She expertly moved  from one part of my body to the other keeping only the body parts she was working on exposed – the rest of me remained covered with a towel. Once my backside was finished I was instructed to turn over and she repeated the process on my front. After she was finished I was sent to the showers to rinse off the salt. I returned to the treatment room from the shower for the final stage of the treatment, which was a full body moisturizaton.
The whole experience was extremely pleasant and was accompanied by some excellent chats. We discussed the area, the weather, jobs, vacations, moving, you name it! I finished up a bit before Thelma and I spent some more time chitchatting with the rest of the spa staff. The staff at Spa Moksha are some of the friendliest and most fun ladies that I’ve ever met and it really made a huge positive difference in my spa day! To top it off, my entire body is all smooth and silky. Perfect for a night out in New Orleans! 
 We are sad to say that this post concludes our spaa’ing adventure. It’s been a whirlwind of a journey the past few days. But the one thing we can say for sure is that we went to two fantastic spas and met some incredible people along the way. Now Thelma is at the airport waiting to catch her flight back to Toronto, and Louise is continuing on to Mexico to begin her job in Monterrey. Not sure when another adventure like this will happen again… but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
Adios for now!
Spa Moksha 500 Cahaba Park Circle Birmingham, Alabama 35242 United States
By Jenny, on August 13th, 2010
Answer: Thelma and Louise are still Spa’ing to Mexico and Skye is Bridal De-stressing in Halifax!
Monday August 16 tune in to see what Thelma and Louise have been up to. They didn’t quite make it to the Boryeong Mud Festival on their journey but they did get to experience the amazing qualities of mud for the skin during their stopover at Moksha Spa in Birmingham Alabama.
On August 23rd check back to see Skye’s report: Manis & Pedis – Ultimate Bridal Stress Buster
A wedding. Months of planning all coming down to one day. Which, for my best friend, is August 21st.
There are two traditions built in to pre-wedding activities that are to help ease bridal stress. The Bachelorette Party, and a Day Spa Trip.
 The Bachelorette Party is this Saturday, August 14. I won’t say too much about our girl’s night, as the bride is excessively curious about it. She would LOVE to stumble across this blog and find out exactly what we’re planning! I would say I’d post pictures, but… I probably won’t!
A girl’s afternoon at a Day Spa is probably less common than having hair and makeup professionally done for the wedding day. But I think it is a wonderful way to unwind a bit with the girls in the days leading up to the wedding. A Spa visit allows people other than the bridesmaids to participate; get the groom’s sisters involved, a couple of cousins, or the future mother-in-law!
So – off we go to Remedy Salon & Spa in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. In one w eek, I will be the proud owner of a French Manicure and a French Pedicure! I am a pedicure virgin. The thought of someone deliberately touching my feet brings back torturous memories of tickle fights! I will have a “This Does Not Tickle” mantra running through my head to avoid squirming out of my chair. I’ve been told it will be so relaxing that I won’t have any problems. I hope so – stay tuned to find out!
What is the craziest thing you’ve done (or been asked to do) as part of a bridal party?
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