Rima Suqi

While a pedicure is a must-do regular summer activity, the expensive, scrub-your-feet-like crazy version is a once a season treat for me. I go to Rescue Beauty Lounge, which for my money still gives the best, most thorough pedi in this zip code. And while I was there over the weekend I discovered the new perfect color, called “Bruised.” (My political activist friend was horrified by the name but frankly when I find the right color I really don’t care what it’s called). I know everyone is wearing that grey color made popular by Chanel but light-ish grey on dark olive skin doesn’t work. It looks fungus-y.  And I’m not going to wear blue. But I will wear this sort of ’70s reminiscent raisiny color — its darker than it looks in the bottle:

If you’re over the grizzly adams look every hipster guy seems to be sporting these days you might want to avoid Chelsea Market for the next month. Hung throughout the space are photos by Dave Mead, an Austin, Texas-based photographer whose subjects are mustachioed and bearded men. It’s called “Magnificent Specimens” and while I personally am not into the bearded look, I was really drawn to the styling, composition and framing. He took the photos at the 2009 World Beard & Moustache championships. Some examples of Mead’s work are below. Those who find themselves having hair envy can take their photo at a makeshift booth and upload it to his site. Or buy one of his prints ($350, unframed, $500 framed) and use it as inspiration to grow your own.

Do it yourself booth:

do-it-yourself photo "booth"

Becoming an editor who test drives beauty products for Organic Spa has been one of the big surprises of my life. I traditionally wasn’t into product, didn’t buy into the hype, etc. But I am a sucker for great packaging and N. 4 haircare has that, hands down. My editor, Mary Bemis, gave me their shampoo and conditioner to try out, knowing I would love how the bottle (which sits either vertically or horizontally) looks, the choice of font, etc. I do. I even like the product – a lot. The only thing I don’t like is the price – about $45 for the shampoo alone. While I’m willing to spend more for organic, paraben free, sulfate free stuff, that’s still too rich for my blood. If you’ve got deeper pockets or a trust fund, go for it. You won’t be disappointed.

It’s the first Aman spa not at an Aman resort. 5,400 square feet (not huge but respectable for a city spa). And gorgeous. Sorry I don’t have more pics than these right now.

The Pool

To me, the best part is that afterwards you can sip a Martini in the ultra-fab Connaught bar.

A miracle has happened. I am in love with McBride Remedies Instant Rescue Balm. Why is this a miracle? I am not somebody that gets excited about beauty products. My editor at Organic Spa one said that if I actually like something, it must be worth looking into (the one exception is exfoliants and body scrubs, a category I am semi-obsessed with).

This balm is absolutely fabulous and perfect to use right now when the weather is finally cold and our skin is drying out. It is creamy but not heavy. It has a light lavender scent, but what’s even better about it, and the line in general, is what it doesn’t have: there are no sulfates, parabens,  harsh chemicals, synthetic color or fragrance. Meaning you can slather it all over your body without worrying about anything other than running out. The sad truth is that I am on the verge of running out, and I will actually pay the $25 to buy another tub. And that is miracle #2.

Normally I’m not into promotions of this type, but this one is a raffle that benefits Evelyne Lauder’s Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and it doesn’t involve anything pink.

Here’s how it works. Starting October 1, go to the front desk at the Mandarin Oriental Spa, buy a $50 Long Life Raffle Token. If they choose yours at the drawing, you get a two-hour treatment every week for a year.  I just got back from 3 weeks in hawaii where I had a total of 14 spa treatments – and I can tell you my skin is beyond baby’s butt smooth. That’s an extreme case, having a spa treatment every 2 days or so, but imagine – EVERY WEEK FOR A YEAR. It’s been a stressful year, people. Go for it.

More info from the release is posted below:
The winning token holder will receive a year’s worth of two-hour spa treatments* at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, New York – one treatment per month, for 12 consecutive months.  Mandarin Oriental, New York’s “Spa for a Year” prize is valued at over $6,000.  Long Life Raffle Tokens are $50 each, 10 tokens are $450, and 20 tokens can be purchased for $900. All proceeds from the Long Life Raffle Token sales are donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Like many others, I assumed for years that Kiehls was one of the most natural beauty lines around. Then I did some reading, and some writing aboutthat topic, and learned much to my dismay that they were anything but – parabens and phthalates and other questionable ingredients were in almost all thier products. It was a huge let-down.

Today’s WWD has a larger story about Kiehls announcement earlier this year that they will introduce a certified organic,  cradle-to-cradle line.

Kiehls Acai Organic Skincare Line

From the WWD article:
The four-stockkeeping-unit collection includes Açaí Damage-Minimizing Cleanser, $25 for 5 oz.; Damage-Protecting Toning Mist, $27 for 6 oz.; Damage-Correcting Moisturizer, $44 for 2.5 oz., and Damage-Repairing Serum, $46 for 1.7 oz.

The Açaí line has earned the endorsements of both Ecocert and gold-standard Cradle to Cradle — it hits stores mid-September.

The Four Seasons on the Big Island debuted their new spa, and it is really well done. They have a communal outdoor waiting area in a garden –

You lounge on one of these chairs in several areas around the garden

All chairs have views of this water feature/water fall. You can walk through it, too.

Walkways look like this.

The other waiting areas are part of the men’s and women’s locker rooms. I didn’t see the men’s, but here are some shots of the womens:

There's a hot and cold plunge pool outdoors.

and a shaded area if you are sun-phobic (it gets very hot here)

And my personal favorite - an outdoor shower.

There are many outdoor massage rooms, some with outdoor showers. Inside, they have what they’re calling the Apothecary – see photo below. The idea is that you choose the items for your scrub or wrap from all the jars on the shelves – most items are indigenous to this area — and they custom-mix it for you right there. My wrap was with volcanic mud, lava salt, and coconut.

The apothecary - the glass jars have muds, salts, powders like spirulina, dried flowers, coconut and the like.

I apologize – am very behind on my posts. I’ve been back from London for over a month and have a huge backlog.  The purpose of the trip was to check out the new spa at the Dorchester Hotel for Organic Spa Magazine (I’m a Contributing Writer there). Hands down, one of the most beautiful spas I have seen in a long time. And, refreshingly enough, not one Asian element, no teak, and while some tea was offered lots more champagne flowed. It was completely decadent and fabulous. It is also the only place in London, besides her own clinic, to get the famous Vaishaly facial. Vaishaly is a facialist to the bold-faced-name set across the pond. I had the facial, which I liked very much thanks to its use of truly all-natural products with a bit of microdermabrasion thrown in.

Pics of the Dorchester spa are below:

Entrance

That chandelier is made of 75,000 pearls

This is where you have a bite to eat.

Healthy snacks set out on a super chic table.

No green tea, just green bottles of bubbly! (They have tea, if you MUST).

Love the chaise

The light fixture in the salon.

Believe it or not, this is the locker room. Yes it is.

And this is where you wait for your therapist or rest after a treatment.

It was refreshingly NOT white or Asian inspired.

Worth checking out if you are in London and if you are NOT on an austerity plan.

For some this might not be news, but thanks to a problem with flash websites and wordpress (my blog software) I’ve been unable to post for a while.

So if you already know about the really cool-looking Malin + Goetz store that just opened on Amsterdam and 82nd (in the space that used to be the “Gran Esquina” barber shop), disregard this.
But if you haven’t, check out pics of the space, designed by architect Craig Konyk.