Backgrounder

A Wealth Of Day Spas And Salons Make Philadelphia A Refuge For Relaxation

Blue Mercury

Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

PHILADELPHIA, April 1, 2005 - Today, short getaways, in the form of weekend retreats and day trips, are more popular than ever. Philadelphia day spas and salons are on top of the trend, offering clients a variety of luxurious customized services designed to refresh both body and spirit, from a couple's massage to hot stone therapy and deep tissue reflexology.

The region is home to dozens of day spas and salons offering the latest in body treatments, relaxation therapy and beauty services. Here is just a sampling:

Spa/Salons

• The Rittenhouse Square area is home to many top-notch spas, including Adolf Biecker Spa & Salon. Clients can enjoy full spa and salon services at this Rittenhouse Hotel spa, which also offers an assortment of special packages such as "The Men's Club," "Sunday at the Spa" and "The Energizer," an exfoliating spa glow treatment, re-energizing aromatherapy massage and a cleansing facial. Aveda products are used exclusively here. 210 Rittenhouse Square, (215) 735-6404, www.adolfbiecker.com
• Ame is a Japanese-inspired day spa featuring a full range of hair, nail and body care treatments. The "AMEzing Jo-Jo" is one of the spa's many signature treatments, in which clients soak in an oriental blossom tea bath while having their scalp massaged. What follows is a synchronized "double rub" massage. Another popular service is the "Oriental Acupressure Facial," using the principles of Yin and Yang to balance the flow of energy through the body's meridian system. 111 Waynewood Avenue, Wayne, (610) 995-AME1, www.amesalonandspa.com
• Giovanni & Pileggi and Pileggi on the Square are Philadelphia institutions offering the best of both worlds. Pileggi on the Square, located on Washington Square, is a full-service spa/salon with an upscale fashion boutique adjacent to the spa. Intense 90-minute facials and massage therapy are among the favored treatments here. At Rittenhouse Square's Giovanni & Pileggi, the main focus is on the latest in haircuts, color and styling. Pileggi on the Square, 717 Walnut Street, (215) 627-0565; Giovanni & Pileggi, 1701 Walnut Street, (215) 568-3040, www.gophilly.com/salonspa/giovanni.html
• The contemporary Luna Salon and Spa has relocated to a larger salon, spa and apothecary in order to provide full-service skin care and treatments from certified specialists. The new spa houses three treatment rooms for manicures, pedicures, waxing and massages and carries an extensive selection of specialty and apothecary products. In addition to skilled cuts and colorings, Luna's talented staff provides expert blow outs that leave hair so shiny that it appears to have been "polished." 1216 Walnut Street, (215) 923-LUNA, www.lunasalon.com
• Honey, almond body polish, facial massage, aromatherapy, stone therapy and seaweed and mud wraps are among the popular treatments offered at Millennium Hair & Day Spa. Prenatal, reiki and deep tissue massages are also available. 50 E. Wynnewood Avenue, Wynnewood, (610) 649-4977, www.millenniumhairanddayspa.com
• Hydrotherapy, seaweed body masks and hydro-massaging Vichy showers are just a few of the offerings at Pierre & Carlo European Salon & Spa. The spa is connected with The Optimal Wellness Center, a holistic health services center that offers wellness treatments, including acupuncture, reflexology and hypnotherapy. Pierre & Carlo is also home to a full service salon, which employs an award-winning team of hair stylists and colorists. 200 S. Broad Street, (215) 790-9910, www.pierreandcarlo.com
• An urban oasis in the heart of Rittenhouse Square, Rescue Rittenhouse Spa Lounge was conceptualized by Polish-born beauty Danuta Mieloch. The spacious treatment rooms rival those of a five star hotel. Popular services include the "High Performance Facial," the "Zoom Groom" treatment for the time-constrained, "Jet Lag Rescue Massage" for weary travelers and many more signature treatments. The spa also offers a menu of male-friendly treatments and products. 255 S. 17th Street, (215) 772-2766
• Richel D'Ambra Spa & Salon at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Philadelphia creates a comfort zone for body, hair and skin treatments. Popular services include a couple's massage, aromatherapy treatments incorporating natural flower essences and a fourhanded massage, in which two trained therapists coordinate their moves. Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Liv Tyler are just a few of the celebrities who have been pampered here. 10 Avenue of the Arts, (215) 523-8035, www.richeldambra.com
• Services at Salon d'Artiste, a total hair, skin and body salon, include aromatherapy massage, make-up application, hair services and deep cleansing four-layer facial treatments. Lunch from a nearby French restaurant, including champagne, is available with half-and full-day packages. 503 W. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, (610) 687-2020
• Always on the cutting edge, Toppers Spa Salon offers massage therapies, hair styling, facial and bodywork, nail and waxing services, along with bridal packages. In Center City, Oasis by Toppers Spa is a private spa haven for women only. Open seven days a week, Oasis offers skin and body treatments, waxing, healing water nail therapy treatments and daily nail care. Packages include goodies like terry robes, fleece booties and crystal bath salts. 117 S. 19th Street, (215) 496-9966; 745 W. Lancaster Avenue, Devon, (610) 989-9660, www.toppersspa.com

Spas

• Located in a sunny yellow, Main Line Victorian, Antoinette Day Spa services include honey and almond pedicures, peppermint thermal wraps, hydrotherapy and aromatherapy massage. A tearoom offers a place to relax between pampering. Stonewater spa treatments and products are featured. 85 Darby Road, Paoli, (610) 647-6618, www.antoinettespa.com
• Bluemercury Apothecary and Spa, housed in a 19th-century brownstone near Rittenhouse Square, offers the ultimate spa for high-end beauty addicts. Extra special services include a deep cleansing power facial that treats the skin with vitamins, oxygen and microdermabrasion. Estheticians use the shop's own glycolic cleansers, calming masks, herbal toners and vitamin-enriched oxygen during facial treatments. Bluemercury carries such chic makeup and skin-care lines as Bliss, Nars and Darphin. 1707 Walnut Street, (215) 569-3100
• Society Hill-based LiJoana Skin & Body Clinic provides personalized skin programming under the direction of a cosmetic surgeon and a trained staff of medical estheticians. The spa optimizes personal appearances by offering products and services that quickly improve the client's skin, teeth and body. Not only do LiJoana's clients look good, but with the help of physical training sessions and massage treatments, clients feel great too. 400 Walnut Street, (215) 413-3738
• Reset Wellness Spa offers holistic treatments and wellness therapies, in addition to massage, nail care, facials and hair services. A vibrating "Alpha tank" provides individual light, vibration and aromatherapy while clients relax in an environmental capsule that incorporates dry heat, massage and aromatherapy to detoxify the body. 201 S. Camac Street, (215) 893-9934; 2020 Sansom Street, (215) 893-9934; 1704 Walnut Street, (215) 732-2050
• Gentlemen line up for pampering at Shaving Grace, which transforms a mere shave into an out-of-body experience, with hot towel treatments, exfoliating and toning services and a shave that leaves a guy's face smoother than a baby's behind. Full body massage, facials, sports manicures and pedicures are also on the menu. The "Whole Nine Yards" includes a manicure, pedicure, shave, haircut, a cigar and a shoeshine. 16th & Walnut Streets, (215) 772-1542; 269 Main Street, Exton, (610) 524-6977, www.shavinggracebarbers.com
• Theatrical therapies rule at Heaven Spa, including the tropical-themed facial and massage combination, called the "Tahitian Dream," which incorporates the sounds and scents of the tropics into the treatment. Thai massage is also offered, along with traditional bodywork, facials, aromatherapy and nail treatments. 261 Old York Road, Jenkintown, (215) 576-7000
• The Spa at Philadelphia's Four Seasons Hotel is a refuge for relaxation. Specialty treatments include a "Hawaiian Seaweed Body Glow," a "Mandarin Orange and Aloe Super-Hydrator Wrap" and a "Stress-Relieving Aroma Wrap." The "Menkaura Facial," the Spa's signature treatment formulated especially for male skin, revitalizes damaged skin and stimulates cellular growth. The Spa uses Peau Vive products from Italy for all skin care. 1 Logan Square, (215) 963-1500, www.fourseasons.com/philadelphia
• Terme Di Aroma, a New Age mecca for aromatherapy in Old City, offers body therapy, waxing, yoga and even seminars on feng shui. The spa has even pampered celebrities, including Star Jones, co-host of ABC's The View. Terme was the first local spa to offer LaStone therapy, a massage using warm and cool volcanic stones aligned along the spine. Prenatal massage, shiatsu, reiki, microdermabrasion, reflexology are also available. 32 N. 3rd Street, (215) 829-9769, www.termediaroma.com
• Enter Titus, a Society Hill "appearance enhancement boutique" for an extensive array of relaxing and beautifying treatments. Their unfailingly polite staff assesses each client's needs with a "First Visual Impression," then recommends services for optimal skin, teeth and body appearance and health. Such services include nutrition management from a registered dietician, teeth whitening from an on-staff dentist or their luxurious signature facial from a talented esthetician. 400 Walnut Street, (215) 413-3725

Salons Off the Beaten Path

• Closet Fever, in the burgeoning neighborhood of Northern Liberties, is far from a typical salon. Not only can clients leave the shop with a happening haircut, they can also take home a funky shirt, a new bracelet or a cool piece of artwork. At the center of the 1,400-square-foot hotspot is a DJ station constructed by owners JC Mazza and Kristy Lee, featuring spinners like Todd Damon, Rahsaan and Reno. 707 N. 2nd Street, (215) 627-4600, www.closetfever.com
• Beehive Hair Salon, a funky, retro shop in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, mixes an old-fashioned barbershop with down to earth retro chic. Co-owners Amy May and Peg Shaw designed the two-chair salon to be inviting and unintimidating, unlike many upscale establishments. Don't be surprised to see the partners' dogs, Mac and Molly, relaxing in front of the faux fireplace. Shiatsu massage is included in the menu of beauty services. 2319 Fairmount Avenue, (215) 235-HIVE (4483)

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) builds the region's economy and image through destination marketing to increase the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county region. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676.

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CONTACT:

Caroline Bean, GPTMC
(215) 599-7433, caroline@gptmc.com