The Lodge at Woodloch Unveils Pre and Post Natal Spa Treatments

I feel so lucky to have The Lodge at Woodloch located only about 30 minutes from where I live. I was there last December for an amazing massage and facial and spent some time in their whirlpool, sauna and indoor pool (with amazing waterfalls!) Having had 4 kids, I know how badly I wanted to just relax and be pampered during each of my pregnancies and now The Lodge at Woodloch has unveiled two new Pre and Post Natal spa treatments that will do just that for expecting moms and those moms who just have children clinging to your legs every second. Not speaking from experience of course.

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, Pocono Spas & Salons, skin care, Spa 2 Comments

Warm up to Winter with a Mud Bath at Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs Resort

Ok, so it’s not winter yet, but here in the Poconos, there are plenty of nights where I could easily believe it was! Warm up to winter as you slide into a toasty mud bath or hot mineral springs pool at the world-famous Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs Resort in historic Calistoga, California. Dr. Wilkinson’s features three thermal pools: an enormous 80 degree pool, a large 90 degree pool, and an 102 degree indoor pool, a gigantic “hot tub,” perfect for a soak or swim the year round.

Posted on October 17, 2008 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, skin care, Spa 3 Comments

Spa-Nomics: Spa Stimulus Offerings at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn

If you are a fiscally prudent spa enthusiast then you’ll definitely want to check out The Spa at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn’s well balanced spa services menu. The Fairmontâ€™s spa committee will take any action deemed necessary to stabilize growing stress levels and that includes lowering prices so that spa treatments are affordable for everyone.

Prudent spa service arrangements including a 45 minute Honey Steam Wrap, priced attractively at $129 and a 30 minute Grape Seed Body Polish ($89), have the capacity to provide rebalancing. Other fiscally responsible and wellness oriented (locally-inspired) investments include the Chardonnay Olive Oil Sugar Scrub, 45 minutes/$129.

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spaâ€™s elegant 40,000 square foot spa, built on the historic site first revered by Native American Indians for its healing waters, is one of the only spa resorts in the United States with its own source of natural thermal mineral water, which flows 1,100 feet directly beneath the Inn at 135 degrees. The Spa pays homage to the Native Americans who first discovered the Sonoma waters, as well as ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, which believed in the axiom â€˜Sanitas per Aquas,â€™ or healing through water.

Take a little “me time” during this time of unparalleled stress–you deserve it.

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, Spa 3 Comments

Spa Getaway: Stone Spa at the Casanova by Rafael Hotels in Barcelona, Spain

After exploring the city of Barcelona, guests can indulge in spa treatments and rest their tired little feet at Stone Spa, an enclave of pampering and relaxation located inside the hip Casanova by Rafael Hotels and the only indoor/outdoor spa in the city. The spa is offering a three-night Stone Marvels Spa package for two which includes two Stone Marvels massages with hot river stones and olive oil (the Mediterraneanâ€™s lifeblood); accommodations; buffet breakfast daily; and round-trip airport/hotel transfers.

The Stone Spa is available to anyone seeking a rarified spa experience that combines pampering with innovative therapies. The spa boasts a treatment menu inspired by the Earthâ€™s healing properties. Gemstones, smooth river stones and indigenous botanicals, culled from wellness traditions around the globe, are integrated into all of the treatments. Each guest departs with a small stone or crystal, a tactile reminder of their experience at Barcelonaâ€™s most transformative refuge, the Stone Spa.

To learn more about Stone Spa or to make reservations at Casanova, visit www.casanovabcnhotel.com

Posted on September 27, 2008 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, skin care, Spa 4 Comments

BagTrends Arm Candy Party

Have I mentioned the awesome Inside the Tents website yet where you can get the inside scoop from bloggers at fashion week? Well go check it out–it is an awesome site I am excited to be a part of, but also the very fabulous Pamela Pekerman of BagTrends is a contributor as well.

Pamela’s company, BagTrends, is also having an “Arm Candy” party soon after fashion week ends..on September 22nd, but before you think I am merely talking about fashion here, our arms need to be fabulous looking when holding that awesome Rebecca Minkoff handbag right?

A spa and wellness area will be set up so that you can indulge in fabulous hand creams, moisturizers and other arm candy-ish beauty treats. If you are also one of the first 300 guests to arrive, you will get a gift bag with makeup, spa discounts and more! You can purchase tickets at BagTrends.com and you can bring a friend! Just make sure to include “blogger+1″ in the comments box at check out! Tickets are only $10!

Here’s the details:

Check out details from their previous party at BagTrends.com

Posted on September 3, 2008 by Shannon Nelson in beauty 7 Comments

Spa Travel – Interactive Map, Luxury SpaFinder’s “Spas We Love”

Once a year the editors of Luxury SpaFinder pen unabashed love letters to the spas that spark their passions – from Nam Hai in Vietnam to Royal Palms in Arizona.

To help you discover 60 of the world’s best spas, Luxury SpaFinder has created an interactive map as a fun way to scan the globe, pick a destination, and learn more about it. Using the latest version of MicrosoftR Virtual EarthT technology, you will be able to instantly learn details about the spa that’s perfect for you.

The 60 spas are sorted into six categories including:

* DAMN THE EXPENSE: PRICEY SPAS THAT PAY OFF: The bill may be as stunning as the decor, but these spas are worth every pretty penny. Luxury SpaFinder salutes its dearest indulgences, from the $8,000-$12,000 per night Private Reserve at Soneva Gili in the Maldives, accessible only by boat and with its own spa and butlers, to Mexico’s Las Ventanas al Paraiso, whose Total Spa Lifestyle Program/Fitness ($13,425 for four nights) includes your very own personal staff of trainers and therapists and a gorgeous two-bedroom suite with its own massage room.

* URBAN SANCTUARIES: CITY ESCAPES IN THE CITY: Sometimes sanctuary is only a cab ride away. Even the reception area of the spa at Prague’s Mandarin Oriental inspires quiet contemplation – in keeping with the 14th-century building it occupies, a former convent-turned-monastery. In Chicago, the Peninsula boasts the Miracle Mile’s largest hotel spa, where guests can enjoy a Thai massage in a glass-walled studio twenty stories above the city.

* CULTURAL IMMERSION: LOCAL FLAVOR: At Bali’s Hotel Tugu, the spa blends its own products, and the star therapist is a former laundry-room staffer who revealed a gift for a type of massage punctuated by prayer. Bathing is elevated to an art form at Japan’s Gora Kadan, which offers visitors an escape not just from the 21st century, but from the 20th, too.

Other categories include: Design Show Stoppers, Domestic Bliss, and Exotic Hideways.

The magazine’s contributing editors also chose spas they love in their respective areas of expertise: PoundWise columnist Susan Crandell “weighed in” on her three favorite fitness faves, and value-loving spa spy “Vera Value” fell hard for five deals she found.

Check it out at Luxury Spa Finder!

Posted on December 22, 2007 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, Spa 1 Comment

Review: The Lodge At Woodloch Women’s Retreat

Last Christmas my husband gave me a gift certificate to The Lodge at Woodloch. It is listed as one of Forbes Top Ten Most Luxurious Spa’s and it happens to be only about 30 minutes from my house. I finally got to use this gift certificate this weekend and treated myself to a facial and massage.

Before I even get to the review of the treatments, The Lodge at Woodloch has a fabulous Women’s Retreat (and a separate one for men) that is also worthy of a write up. You get a locker to store your clothes, bags etc. which is really not a “locker” at all. It is a gorgeous wood mini storage closet, complete with shelves and a hook to store your things. It has an electronic keypad, where you determine the lock code for safe, secure access to your things. In between storage units are oversized leather ottoman’s. On the other side of the storage units is a room filled with plush comfy seats, leather chairs, an entire glass window wall that looks out to a lake and a roaring fireplace. There is a counter with fresh fruits, nuts and teas available.

There are two hallways that contain 5 private shower rooms each with stone flooring in the glass shower stalls and has Rosemary scented Shampoo, Conditioner, Shower Gel and Lotion. A large vanity room joins both hallways and comes complete with hair dryers, curling irons, hair styling products and everything necessary to freshen up.

The Women’s Retreat also has a whirlpool in a frosted glass enclosed room. The frosted glass gives you small peaks of the outdoors with its fern stenciling. In a separate room in the same area of the whirlpool is a steam room, a sauna that boasts scents of lavender and an enclosed porch with a view of the lake. A pitcher of iced water and fresh slices of lemon await you on a table outside all of the rooms.

Further into the retreat is the Aqua Garden. It has a large indoor pool and a waterfall that cascades in to a multi-level whirlpool (one on an upper level and one below it). The Aqua Garden is surrounding by windows on 3 sides and just outside is the Horizon Whirlpool that is heated enough that it can be used in the winter.

The Women’s Retreat can be used by spa patrons for one hour before treatments and up to one hour after your treatments have completed. The Women’s Retreat alone is worth a visit to The Lodge at Woodloch.

Posted on December 2, 2007 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, Pocono Spas & Salons, skin care, Spa, Travel Beauty 9 Comments

Pedicure At Apple Day Spa

Before I headed up to New York last weekend, I made a trip to Apple Day Spa in Honesdale PA for a pedicure. I usually take care of pampering my feet at home, but I was in some dire need of alone time and there’s only so many pedicures I can give myself with the baby on my lap and my other 3 sons constantly vying for my attention.

I love the set up of their pedicure room. You don’t sit in a chair, it’s actually this very long bench that spans the wall with curtains on either side of you (each with its own sink) that you can pull out for privacy (as it looks like 10 other women can be getting pedicures at the same time). You are perched up on the wall above the sink. On this bench are fluffy pillows and a padded seat. You basically feel like you are lounging in bed as you soak your feet in the swirling water.Â Read more

Posted on September 15, 2007 by Shannon Nelson in beauty, Pocono Spas & Salons, Spa 1 Comment

Men deserve some pampering too!

While the majority of you visiting my blog are women, least we forget the men that stop by? Men surely need to pamper their skin too. Most of us also have a man in our lives be it a boyfriend, husband, brother, father, etc.

So we’ll start with Country Bunny Bath & Body’s Father’s Day Special. It’s not necessarily for father’s though, but aptly named that with Father’s Day approaching.

This Customer Special is available now for $31.35 and contains our 9oz. aloe-rich Shower Gel, the “For Him” Soap Saver, a mini mint lip tube, Lotion Bar, blue Bath Scrunchie and comes packaged in a free For Him travel bag. The travel bag is great for the men who travel often or want to be able to keep their products organized and in one place. This set comes in our Mountain Fresh Scent, which is a musky mountain scent with a hint of oak.

Naturally, all of these products carry the For Him logo, so don’t worry…no bunnies on the products!

Want to create a gift set of your own? The Travel Bag is available for purchase on its own for $9.50. Just fill it with some of our fabulous men’s products below.

Men’s Salt Scrub: $22 for 20oz. available in Mountain Fresh or Costal Blue. Perfect for mechanics, tradesmen or any guy who gets grease, dirt or grime deep into the crevices of their hands. Using this Salt Scrub on their hands will clean out the crevices, exfoliate their hands and heal and soften them with the salt scrub’s salt, aloe and essential oils.

For Him Body Lotion: ($14.50) 9oz. light aloe lotion available in both Mountain Fresh and Costal Blue. Great to use as an after shave lotion.

For Him Lotion Bar $7: This long lasting Lotion Bar comes in Unscented, Mountain Fresh and Costal Blue. This has got to be my biggest seller when it comes to the guys. My husband is a construction worker and many of his co-workers order this Lotion Bar. It’s great to protect their hands, especially when they need to wash them often. It’s also easy to carry/store as it comes in a tin big enough to carry the bar, but small enough to fit in their back pocket. My husband keeps his in his job box out of the sun. This bar is also great for physicians as well, to protect their hands from drying out from repeat washing.

For Him Shower Gel $10.25/$16.25: 9oz or 17 ounces in Mountain Fresh and Costal Blue. Lathers great and rich with aloe.

For Him Body and Linen Spray $10.50: 9oz. available in Mountain Fresh and Costal Blue. He can smell great all day without smelling like a perfume factory with these body sprays. You can also use them to lightly spray linens, upholstory and to spray in their car.

Cool Wave Glycerin Soap $6.50: A large bar of glycerin soap available in Mountain Fresh. It will leave his skin feeling nice and soft.

For Him $3.50: Mini Mint Lip Tube. This tube is great for the outdoors guy. It will protect his lips from the elements and soften and heal them.

For Him Shea Butter: $12 for 4oz. Available in Unscented and Costal Blue. Moisturize his dry skin with our ultra moisturizing shea butter.

For Him logo Soap Saver $7: Great for at the kitchen sink, bathroom sink or in the shower, this soap saver simply needs 1/4 of our aloe rich shower gel and 3/4 water to pump out a rich creamy lather. Using it in the shower also makes the most out of your shower gel, getting more uses out of it. This soap saver is reusable.

Mountain Fresh Premier Set $77.75: Includes a Lotion Bar, 9oz. shower gel, Mini Mint Lip Tube, blue Bath Scrunchie, Body Lotion, Salt Scrub, Body Spray and cool wave soap. This set comes in a vinyl drawstring bag
with a free Soap Saver (a $7.50 value).

Costal Blue Premier Set $83. 25: Costal Blue is a water fragrance with a masculine tone. It reminds me of Cool Water Cologne. It is my favorite for my husband! This set includes a Lotion Bar, 9oz shower gel, Salt Scrub, Shea Butter, Body Lotion, blue Bath Scrunchie, Body Spray, and Mini Mint Lip Tube. It comes packaged in a vinyl drawstring bag with a free Soap Saver.