Spa Peachy: La Prairie Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Given Whom You Know's Highest Recommendation; Heaven Has a New Address: 50 Central Park South Second Floor!
Esthetician Antonina Dutu
You'll know you've arrived in Heaven when you see this sign, street level:
Yes, as we said in the headline: Heaven Has a New Address and it's 50 Central Park South, Second Floor. Note that after you've made your appointment you'll be told you need to let the front desk on the first floor take you to the elevator and ring you up to the second floor. Just to prove what a small world we live in though there are millions of people here in Manhattan, on her way out Peachy discovered that she actually knew Daniel at the front desk as he remembered her reviewing a different hotel once and working with her then. You can think of Daniel as Saint Peter at the Gates. To be clear, this is a standalone review of La Prairie Spa. In addition to being in Manhattan, La Prairie Spa is also in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and the Cayman Islands.
As you know, we have worked with La Prairie before:
Clearly as we were so impressed, we made them a milestone post. After options were presented to her, Peachy Deegan opted for the
La Prairie Signature Facial (90 minutes / $270).
They told Peachy the description of
La Prairie Signature Facial is
:
Whether your skin is thirsty, congested, sluggish or sensitive, La Prairie’s expert Esthetician will discuss with you your skincare needs then analyze and perform an exquisite facial to achieve the highest results customized to your skin’s needs.
The description was spot-on.
As Peachy Deegan arrived on the second floor, she was pleasantly greeted and brought to the women's spa room with lockers that lock according to your own bespoke combination that you make up yourself. Brilliant. No need for keys. She changed into the luxurious big white fluffy robe that made her feel like she was floating on a cloud. There are refreshments such as fruit flavored water and more greeting you in the waiting room, which is like a lobby and on par with the downstairs lobby of The Ritz. Peachy of course was too excited to eat. How often does THAT happen?
Esthetician Antonina Dutu greeted Peachy with a warm smile and made her feel immediately welcome upon arrival. Note that the appointment started promptly at the time scheduled. When you enter the treatment room, Antonina will offer you a jewelry box to put your jewelry in. If you thought the Signature Facial was about your face only, you have something to learn. It is about your feet, calves, hands, arms, neck and shoulders too. La Prairie goes beyond the face. The jewelry box is just one aspect of a hit parade of pluses you'll discover at La Prairie. We've reviewed many spas before but the level of attention to detail here is unsurpassed in our humble experience. Antonina is an angel wearing invisible wings. When she starts working on you you'll know she's wearing them.
Antonina will let you know you have music choices during this experience. There is a two-page list to choose from and she already had Enya playing when we arrived. Antonina we are impressed you must have known Peachy is Irish! We wanted to keep Enya on as you know Peachy is relatively obsessed with being Irish. There were other convincing choices too like Sting and surely you'll find something you like. Once you're lying there on the table you'll forget you are in the hustle and bustle of New York and feel like you are literally floating in heaven. Note that the music is soothing and never too loud.
Every La Prairie product we came in contact with gave our skin a new level of clean and an increased youthful nature. People routinely think Peachy is much younger than she is since she uses products by La Prairie. Antonina first did a skin analysis under a magnifying glass. A distinct advantage of this spa is that of course they use all products from the same line. We are not big fans of independent spas that use products from many different lines as that can cause nasty reactions. Antonina gathered information about Peachy's skin concerns and the show was on the road. She began with the purifying cleanser which felt completely amazing.
Next on the agenda after the cleanser was the exfoliation step: the fruit enzyme mask essential exfoliator with cleansing emulsion. Warm and hot towel compresses concluded this part of the treatment. While the mask is on, then the foot treatment starts. Booties heated speed up the reaction of the cream applied after microdermabrasion on your feet, which will be the most sandal-ready they've been all summer by the end. Your hands will receive a similar treatment and your arms and calves will each respectively be massaged. Peachy was so relaxed she almost fell asleep! Then Antonina will be back to the face which has enjoyed the steam machine during the foot and hand action. Next, your lips will be attended to with the lip renewal with citrus extract which will exfoliate your lips beautifully.
The anti-stress cream with lavender oil will proceed this awakening your senses to even greater heights. The floral toner also smells terrific as does the hydrating serum with antioxidants. The bottom line is that you as a spa guest don't need to worry about exactly which products are being used as Antonina totally knows what she is doing and she will give you an essential skincare program customized for you with pictures of products circled and written down, and we even got a little bag of travel-sized samples upon our departure which will be enjoyed the next time Peachy travels. Here's what is on Peachy's La Prairie program:
*Purifying Cleanser
*Essential Exfoliator (once a week)
*Cell Softening Balancing Toner
*Cellular Hydrating Serum
*Anti-Aging Longevity Serum
*Cell Eye Contour Cream
*Anti-Aging Emulsion SPF 30
*Anti-Aging Eye Cream SPF 15
*Cellular Eye Contour Cream
*Anti-Aging Night Cream
*Cellular Luxe Lip Treatment
*Hydralift Firming Mask
Antonina has been with La Prairie Spa at The Ritz Carlton since it opened in 2002 and her career in beauty started 25 years ago. Note how young she looks although she is a grandmother! She uses appropriate tension and massaging during the whole process and we never needed to ask for anything different than what she instinctively did (i.e. no sounds of "Faster please...slower please...harder please..softer please..etc" by Peachy to her). Your skin will bloom under her hands and the La Prairie products as it will rejoice in its experience here. Note that everyone is incredibly friendly throughout the experience and there is no pretense involved.
The description was spot-on.
As Peachy Deegan arrived on the second floor, she was pleasantly greeted and brought to the women's spa room with lockers that lock according to your own bespoke combination that you make up yourself. Brilliant. No need for keys. She changed into the luxurious big white fluffy robe that made her feel like she was floating on a cloud. There are refreshments such as fruit flavored water and more greeting you in the waiting room, which is like a lobby and on par with the downstairs lobby of The Ritz. Peachy of course was too excited to eat. How often does THAT happen?
Esthetician Antonina Dutu greeted Peachy with a warm smile and made her feel immediately welcome upon arrival. Note that the appointment started promptly at the time scheduled. When you enter the treatment room, Antonina will offer you a jewelry box to put your jewelry in. If you thought the Signature Facial was about your face only, you have something to learn. It is about your feet, calves, hands, arms, neck and shoulders too. La Prairie goes beyond the face. The jewelry box is just one aspect of a hit parade of pluses you'll discover at La Prairie. We've reviewed many spas before but the level of attention to detail here is unsurpassed in our humble experience. Antonina is an angel wearing invisible wings. When she starts working on you you'll know she's wearing them.
Antonina will let you know you have music choices during this experience. There is a two-page list to choose from and she already had Enya playing when we arrived. Antonina we are impressed you must have known Peachy is Irish! We wanted to keep Enya on as you know Peachy is relatively obsessed with being Irish. There were other convincing choices too like Sting and surely you'll find something you like. Once you're lying there on the table you'll forget you are in the hustle and bustle of New York and feel like you are literally floating in heaven. Note that the music is soothing and never too loud.
Every La Prairie product we came in contact with gave our skin a new level of clean and an increased youthful nature. People routinely think Peachy is much younger than she is since she uses products by La Prairie. Antonina first did a skin analysis under a magnifying glass. A distinct advantage of this spa is that of course they use all products from the same line. We are not big fans of independent spas that use products from many different lines as that can cause nasty reactions. Antonina gathered information about Peachy's skin concerns and the show was on the road. She began with the purifying cleanser which felt completely amazing.
Next on the agenda after the cleanser was the exfoliation step: the fruit enzyme mask essential exfoliator with cleansing emulsion. Warm and hot towel compresses concluded this part of the treatment. While the mask is on, then the foot treatment starts. Booties heated speed up the reaction of the cream applied after microdermabrasion on your feet, which will be the most sandal-ready they've been all summer by the end. Your hands will receive a similar treatment and your arms and calves will each respectively be massaged. Peachy was so relaxed she almost fell asleep! Then Antonina will be back to the face which has enjoyed the steam machine during the foot and hand action. Next, your lips will be attended to with the lip renewal with citrus extract which will exfoliate your lips beautifully.
The anti-stress cream with lavender oil will proceed this awakening your senses to even greater heights. The floral toner also smells terrific as does the hydrating serum with antioxidants. The bottom line is that you as a spa guest don't need to worry about exactly which products are being used as Antonina totally knows what she is doing and she will give you an essential skincare program customized for you with pictures of products circled and written down, and we even got a little bag of travel-sized samples upon our departure which will be enjoyed the next time Peachy travels. Here's what is on Peachy's La Prairie program:
*Purifying Cleanser
*Essential Exfoliator (once a week)
*Cell Softening Balancing Toner
*Cellular Hydrating Serum
*Anti-Aging Longevity Serum
*Cell Eye Contour Cream
*Anti-Aging Emulsion SPF 30
*Anti-Aging Eye Cream SPF 15
*Cellular Eye Contour Cream
*Anti-Aging Night Cream
*Cellular Luxe Lip Treatment
*Hydralift Firming Mask
Antonina has been with La Prairie Spa at The Ritz Carlton since it opened in 2002 and her career in beauty started 25 years ago. Note how young she looks although she is a grandmother! She uses appropriate tension and massaging during the whole process and we never needed to ask for anything different than what she instinctively did (i.e. no sounds of "Faster please...slower please...harder please..softer please..etc" by Peachy to her). Your skin will bloom under her hands and the La Prairie products as it will rejoice in its experience here. Note that everyone is incredibly friendly throughout the experience and there is no pretense involved.
At the conclusion, Antonina will present you with a sparkling flute of Champagne to celebrate your experience.
La Prairie at The Ritz-Carlton Spa has earned our highest recommendation and you all need to pay heaven a visit!
And, at least when you leave heaven, you'll enter New York, which we believe to be pretty fantastic too.
***
The Stats:
Location:
The Ritz-Carlton, Central Park
50 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Spa Reservation:
+1. 212. 521. 6135
E-mail:
laprairie@ritzcarlton.com
Spa Hours:
Monday - Sunday: 8:00 am - 9:30 pm
Open (since):
May 2002
Square Footage:
2,000 sq ft
Treatment Rooms:
6
Spa Director:
Sandra Sadowski
Telephone:
+1. 212. 521. 6136
Spa Experience:
La Prairie, the skincare company that’s been in the forefront of the
anti-aging revolution for decades, has brought its elegant expertise
to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Central Park South.
La Prairie traces its heritage to the renowned Clinic La Prairie in
Montreux, Switzerland, where the rich and renowned, for over half
a century, have gone to repair and rejuvenate. Our La Prairie spa at
The Ritz-Carlton, Central Park brings that same air of impeccability
and Swiss Science to the heart of Manhattan to satiate the city’s
craving for the perfect spa. W
hether you need to un-wind after winging in from Tokyo...
un-stress after an afternoon on Wall Street... pamper your feet
after non-stop shopping... de-age at any age... they’ve got it all
at La Prairie at The Ritz-Carlton Spa. And who knows better than
the Swiss how to combine privilege and pleasure with state-of-the-
art science to meet all your needs at once? T
he emphasis here is on de-aging, de-stressing and pure pleasure.
Warmed towels, plush robes, heated tables and a fine-crystal-and-
silver attitude toward every detail, lets you know we take your
pleasure and well-being seriously.
All in all, La Prairie at The Ritz-Carlton Spa is a place to abandon
your high-pressure, high-profile life for an hour (or several) of utter
pleasures that have the added virtue of being virtuous for face,
body and state of mind.
Location:
Within walking distance of Fifth Avenue’s finest shops, boutiques
and cultural attractions, the 259-room Mobil Five-Star and AAA
Five-Diamond Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park offer
traditional luxury; the first stateside La Prairie at The Ritz-Carlton
Spa; a well-equipped fitness center with personal trainers available;
a multi-million dollar art collection; fine dining at BLT Market;
afternoon high tea; and the wit and charm of famed bartender
Norman.
