The day spa search continues

So one of my to-dos this year was to find a day spa down here. I'm a big believer in slotting a spa treatment or two into the budget -- nothing will defuse stress faster and enhance your sense of well-being more than having someone pound you like veal for an hour.

My One True Spa Love is Azul Day Spa in Berkeley. It's won the triple crown in the spa sweepstakes: a lovely facility that manages to be light, airy and relaxing without relying overmuch on the Enya and aromatherapy candles; a staff that will not, as my masseuse did at the Arizona Biltmore, comment on the awesome tone of my glutes during a continuous and mildly disturbing hour-long monologue on the merits of growing up in an isolated Mormon commune in the mountains; extremely reasonable prices for supremely luxurious services.

Azul is my gold standard, my Platonic ideal of day spas, and pedicurist Emily is the genius to which all others are compared. But I found the runner-up last Thursday at the Christine Valmy Byogenic salon in Marina Del Rey. It loses points on the facility (being inside a strip mall, I can forgive; being decorated in 1985-era white gloss and chrome, not so much), but the aestheticians were delightful and the prices were good. I barely even noticed the more arcane steps in my pedicure, so engrossed in reading Details and marveling at its editorial mission ("Our readers are morons. Or will be, if they read this regularly") was I. Plus I had my brows waxed by a Romanian woman who managed to make the whole thing seem less like a weird form of torture and more like a wacky inconvenience.

At the end of it, she handed me the mirror and said, "Dere. Your boyfriend vill love it."

I picked up the mirror with my left hand, and she hastily added, "I mean, your husband."

"Oh, I think my boyfriend will like it too," I replied. Then I caught the look on her face and added, "Kidding. I'm kidding."

Sometimes, I think I'm a little too deadpan.

Anyway, I'll be giving these folks my return business. I am, however, more than a little tempted to skip them on the massage and try the masseuse whose ad I picked up the other night at the fro-yo place in the strip mall (no yogurt for me; I was there with my friend Erin). Why? Because the rates are reasonable, and in bold letters, underlined, she adds, "THERAPUTIC ONLY."

It figures you'd had to have that disclaimer here in L.A.

Comments

[Mary]

I only got to visit once, but I too loved Azul Day Spa--site of my very fist massage. My local immitation Serenity Day Spa (http://www.serenitydayspa.net/) doesn't have quite the same atmosphere, but the people are all quite nice. I had one pedicure there last summer and have had one massage this spring. I believe I'm going to make a monthly massage appointment and figure out how often I want to get a pedicure as well. It's taken me a long time to realize that doggonnit, I'm worth it!

[keo]

HI--

I don't know where to start, so I am coming to you for advice. I am going to open a day spa that gives pedicures, massages, and pilates/yoga classes. I am in need of several ideas to market my day spa, just to get the word out. I live in a town with a large university, and senior citizens. Any ideas of what I could do?

Thank you
Keo

[Lisa]

Keo, I am the last place you'd want to come for advice. I've never marketed nor run a business.

Have you already checked out all the trade journals? Done Google searches for "spa industry" and "spa marketing"? Done research on how to draft a market plan?

All I can tell you is that as a consumer, I look for my spas in the following ways: local alt-weekly "best of" lists; word of mouth; location in neighborhoods I like. Running ads or specials in local media might help your cause, as would contacting local lifestyle reporters, I guess.

[Matt W.]

Hi - I am a web developer and I work on a couple day spa sites and a day spa directory. Los Angeles is a great spa town with the famous Burke Williams, Le Petite Retreat day spa and Aqua Day Spa. The directory http://www.ladayspas.com will help you find a fun spa in Los Angeles.

See you in LA!!!