This post is one of those that slipped through the cracks – now I’m trying to play catch up! While we were in Aruba over the winter, my sister in law and I decided to treat ourselves to a day at the spa at the newly opened Ritz Carlton.

We booked appointments over the website, which proved to be difficult. They took a few days to get back to us and there was issue with holding the appointments with a credit card among other things. Not the level of service if you called let’s say the New York location or the Boston location.

Everything was still very new and the locker room was very clean. Just a note for the modest – people in the locker room can see through the doors into the shower even though they appear to be frosted.

There is a lovely selection of sugar scrubs for the shower, each with a distinctive smell.

There weren’t many other guests in the common space at the spa, so we had the place to ourselves.

There was a great hot tub and steam room area that we didn’t get to enjoy – but it looked super relaxing!

The spa is 15,000 square feet and has 13 treatment rooms. A 22% gratuity is added on to all services and guest must be 18 or older to enjoy spa services and ammenities.

I opted for a prenatal massage and my sister in law for the hot stone. The treatment rooms had a relaxing vibe – and the massage was decent, but I had a hard time relaxing. I spent most of the time on my side and while I am trying to relax I hear the therapist whisper in my ear, “do I have permission to touch the belly?” which threw me for a little bit of a loop.

In addition to the massage I had a pedicure. They have a great salon area – hair and makeup stations as well as manicure tables and pedicure chairs.

Even after getting a massage, I still took advantage of the massaging pedicure chair. Overall a decent experience, although not sure that it lived up to it’s price tag.

Been to Aruba? Where do you like to spa?

Ritz Carlton

L.G Smith Boulevard # 107, Palm Beach, Aruba Dutch Caribbean

View the spa website here.

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How cute are the rooms? The only downside is that they do not have showers at the spa.

I had a pure therapy 60 minute massage ($130) with Emily, who was fantastic. She gave me a customized massage based on our conversation of what I was hoping for.

The spa rooms were very clean, the bed was warm and the room was relaxing. I can see how people fall asleep in massages. They offer many different types of massages: Warmed stone, warmed bamboo, a muscle melt renewal and a pure integration thai yoga massage. They also offer a variety of body treatments: herbal garden body exfoliation, seaweed and green team herbal body wrap, and a Maine honey body buzz warm remedy wrap among others. They have a variety of facials to choose from as well. In peak season, make sure to book your appointments well in advance!

Tree Spa at Hidden Pond

354 Goose Rocks Road, Kennebunkport, ME

http://www.hiddenpondmaine.com/theTreeSpa-en.html

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I love Pete’s story, he took an untraditional route into the skincare business. Pete spent 7 years as a corporate lawyer. In 2009, he and Jay went on vacation to Vancouver and they booked themselves spa appointments at the Skoah flagship store. They thought that Skoah would be a great fit for Boston, and they approached the co-founders. A little less than a year later, their South End store opened. In May of 2013, they opened their second location on Newbury Street and the Chestnut Hill location opened  in January of this year.

After chatting for a few minutes, it feels like we are old friends…chatting about Top Chef Kristen Kish, Barbara Lynch, and of course Gwyneth Paltrow….I almost forget I’m here for a facial!

The storefront is simple and sophisticated, it feels like “cabin chic”. No detail has been missed, from the pendant lights to the custom fireplace to the carefully placed pops of color.

Everything here is pristine, from the waiting area to the treatment rooms.

Skoah salons give you what they call a personal workout for your skin, promising that “this workout is relaxing!” Now this is the kind of workout a girl could get used to! Want to know more about Skoah products? They use their own blend of 11 different plant extracts in almost every Skoah product. They use high-quality, highly-refined lipids and oils such as olive oil, shea butter and coconut oils.

Here’s what you get with the fitskin facial: Get cleaned, toned, exfoliated, treated and hydrated for completely skoah-cised skin in under an hour. 45 mins for $85. Very relaxing, 45 minutes goes all too quickly – in addition to the facial, there is a really great arm and back massage to get your super relaxed. After I’ve changed back into street clothes, Anastasiya meets me at the front desk with her suggestions for products based on the facial. I walk out glowing, and as the days progress after the facial, my skin is just looking better and better. Stop in and book your appointment for a facial at any of the three Boston locations.

*Disclaimer: Skoah provided me with a complimentary fitskin facial but all opinions are my own.

Website: http://www.skoah.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skoahboston

Skoah Chestnut Hill

The Street Chestnut Hill, 55 Boylston Street, Newton, MA
617.383.5185 · chestnuthill@skoah.com

Skoah South End

641A Tremont St, Boston, MA
857.350.4930 · southend@skoah.com

Skoah Newbury Street

35 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
857.350.4896 · newbury@skoah.com

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The locker room area was clean and well maintained. There were 3 hair dryers and a flat iron for use, but there was almost no product – just a bottle of spay deodorant and a bottle of hairspray.

There are three showers in the locker room.

Large rain shower heads were luxurious, but you ended up standing in a two inch puddle of water most of your shower as it was slow to drain.

The waiting area was smaller than I had expected, but was quite comfortable. The spa seemed busy, we brought books to read before our appointment. We arrived around 2:40, and by 2:50, there wasn’t a free seat in the waiting room.

The spa provided fresh apples, tea and flavored water.

It was nice that there were blankets provided as it was a little chilly in the waiting room.

The treatment rooms are right around the perimeter of the waiting area, but you weren’t bothered by the sound. The treatment rooms (they have 6) were sparse and nondescript. We both had hot stone massages, which were good. It was a nice mix of hot stones and traditional massage to get the best of both worlds. (50 minutes for $145) I was surprised that there was no intake form, so make sure to tell your therapist in advance if you have preferences, ie: you don’t like your head massaged etc.

Spa at the InterContinental Hotel

510 Atlantic Ave, Boston

http://www.intercontinentalboston.com/spa/spa-overview.aspx

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A translucent formula combines vitamin E, chamomile and plant extracts with natural skin-conditioning sugars to control moisture and keep you feeling dry, fresh and subtly kai-scented throughout the day. Aluminum-free and great for sensitive skin. At $24 it seems like this is expensive, but it is long lasting and you won’t be disappointed. Sometimes you just need to splurge.  Speaking of splurge, I pick mine up at Corbu Spa – where I go from time to time. My massage therapist Katie closed her private practice after years and now works here. See previous posts: Conversations with Katie, Flat Patties, Double Dutch, Za Pizza and Great Finds and Trader Joes.

Corbu spa is located in the Charles Hotel. Check out their Facebook page for specials. They also offer validated parking, $10 for 3 hours in the hotel garage.

The waiting area has big comfortable puffy chairs – very relaxing while you’re waiting for your service.

The locker room is clean and there are a variety of products that you can sample. Make sure to check out the steam shower while you’re here, it’s life changing.

The locker area is a bit small, and only one person can really be there at a time and be comfortable. I try to go at non peak times – the weekends are definitely busier.

The rooms are dim and cozy, perfect for optimal relaxation. See their website for a full spa menu. The beds are heated and they are electric, quite relaxing actually. So stop in today and take a break from the holiday grind – or pick up a gift certificate and give the gift of relaxation this year. I am sure that all the people there are excellent, but see Katie if you are getting a massage, you will be glad you did.

Corbu Spa

5 Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA

http://corbuspa.com/

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We stayed again at the Stowe Mountain Lodge.

The lobby is so charming. There are ample places to sit and enjoy the view from the two story glass window.

Love the birch trees inside.

The lobby is kept in great condition and it is very clean.

Love this little nook for hanging out with friends.

We decided to stay in a three bedroom suite this time. It was a studio room with an adjoining door to a two bedroom suite. The balcony we had went on for what seemed like miles. It would have been great if there were a light on the porch.

A formal dining table, that we never had a chance to use.

TV in the living room that swiveled.

Lots of places to sit in the living room.

The kitchen with gas stove, full size refrigerator and dishwasher.

Clearly you can see our priorities There was also a large freezer below to hold all of our ice!

There was a washer and dryer in unit, but you have to go to the gift shop to buy detergent, unless you brought your own. If you need something from the gift shop and they are closed, all you have to do is ask the front desk and they will let you in to buy what you need.

The master bedroom in the two bed suite had it’s own bathroom.

The bathroom for the second bedroom was a little smaller (see above) and it was across the hall from the second bedroom (not attached).

A view of the studio room, which ironically we stayed in the same exact room the last time we were up here.

The hot air balloon festival is a weekend long event. Friday and Saturday night they have launches, but there is an admission fee. They have food and music there so it is a fun way to spend the night. They also have two morning launches. We decided to wake up super early and go to this event, there is no charge for the morning launches.

You drive up to the Stoweflake and park in an open field. You have a short walk to the back area where all the balloons are setting up. There are a fair amount of people here taking in the amazing site. Make sure to bring your camera!

Watching the balloons!

The balloons are so serene.

Some balloons have baskets but a few just have a harness seat – which to me, seems super scary!

More balloons. It’s pretty amazing how they manage to coordinate this many balloons to take off at the same time and no one gets bumped – although two did go a little off course.

Here are the pilots with their balloons:

After spending about an hour at the field we come back to the hotel. The boys go play golf and the ladies hit the spa.

With the fireplace burning and the summertime weather, you don’t need the blankets, but love them anyway.

A lot of natural light is let in and you can see the pool below as well as the beautiful green scenery in the background.

The spa is so relaxing, and there isn’t anyone else here but us (in the waiting room). The spa books up quickly when there are weddings etc. so make your appointment early.

We head out on Sunday into town to do some shopping and come across this great farmer’s market across the street from the Stoweflake. The market is in a grassy area, so people have brought their families and their pets to hang out for the day. They have someone at the smoker making pulled pork sandwiches, there is a pizza stall that makes gourmet pizza and a live band! We stop to sample some goods at Gizmo’s Pickles. Verne and Judy are at the booth and super nice. They encourage you to try everything they have there. The best part was that I loved the green tomatoes but had no idea how I would eat them at home. Verne fired off 5 different ways I could eat them, including my favorite, throwing them into a blender and making a tomato sauce out of them and serving over pasta!

Check out these AMAZING pickled fiddleheads! I brought some back for a few co-workers that I knew would appreciate them. Fun fact, Verne said they go through somewhere around 25,000 jars a year! For $20 they will ship anywhere in the US!

We stop over at the Lake Champlain Chocolate store to pick up some chocolate seconds – they’re cheaper and hey – they don’t need to look nice, they’re going straight into my belly!

And as a pleasant surprise, we find Wally’s bagel chips at the Cabot Annex store. See my previous review of them here.

And a must try when at Stowe Mountain Resort is the Alpine Slide. $18 per ride for an adult but you can get a discount if you put the charge on your room. You can also buy an all day pass for $80 (adult) and get unlimited rides. You head up the mountain on a ski lift.

Nice to see the green field and the wildflowers.

You hop in these sled like vehicles that have a lever in the front. Pull up to slow down and push down to go faster. It was pretty fun! (no cameras aloud when riding down the slide)

After dinner we came back to the hotel and spent some time by the pool and the fire pit. Surprisingly there were a lot of people out at 10pm with their kids. The pool closes at 10pm but the fire pit stayed on longer.

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The place at first glance is clean. They have a small waiting area and lots of choices for polish. They are also “selling” used polish for $2 which we found to be a little sketchy. The ladies inside couldn’t have been nicer, but nice doesn’t measure how good you are at doing manis. The ventilation system is exposed, so you are sitting staring at large metal pipes while getting your nails done, not very spa like.

The towel that they put on the table was dirty, and the woman doing my nails may have taken off two pounds of cuticle…and my cuticles weren’t even in bad shape. My friend got nicked twice. Meanwhile the polish was thick and gloppy going on, and we sat for 10 minutes under a dryer before leaving. The picture above is right after the mani. Bubbles and dent marks in the polish. And look, my cuticles don’t even look that good, in fact, they are quite jagged.

Check out the bubbles in the top coat below.

When I woke up the next morning, my top coat had puckered and you could see the marks from where my bed sheets had left an indentation. And when I got to work, I noticed that one nail had already chipped.

So not even 24 hours had passed and the manis were already ruined.

Here is a picture of my friend’s nails the next day. They accept credit cards for the mani but you must tip in cash. Needless to say, I don’t think that we will be back anytime soon.

Where is your favorite place to get a mani? Leave me your vote in the comment section!

Treasured Hands Nail Salon

715 Boylston St, 2nd Fl (between Fairfield St & Exeter St)  Boston, MA 02116

(617) 236-5529

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My mother and I spent an overnight in Boston-enjoying what this great city has to offer. First stop, check into the Elliot Hotel located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue. A really great hotel-boutique, before it was ‘in’, with lots of charm. The lobby area is small and sparse, but every room is suite style.

The lobby.

There are 4 chairs in the small lobby-two on each side.

The beds were comfortable and stylish.

The bedroom had a tv in front of the French doors that led out to the sitting area.

A small hallway off the sitting area. To the left was the bar area and to the right the hallway to the bathroom.

The bar.

The bathroom was a bit small with very little counter space. There was no fan in the bathroom so it got steamy when you took a shower.

A pretty great feature was this touch screen computer in the room. You could make restaurant reservations, find the best places to shop, even find a good route for your morning run.

We left the hotel and made our way to the Mandarin Oriental for a day at the spa. The service was impeccable. The lobby of the spa had a relaxing water feature (not shown) and a shop to buy all your spa products. Here you begin by taking off your shoes, a symbol of leaving the outside world behind, and then complete the welcome ritual with a hot towel and a cup of tea.

Everything is sleek and  modern. We are here early in the morning, and there aren’t many other people here. The locker rooms feature a wonderful eucalyptus steam room, with a shaved ice machine outside, overhead rain showers, a wading pool and luxurious beds to lounge on while you wait for your appointment.

I had a wonderful aroma stone massage-an hour and twenty minutes of pure bliss! They have hydraulic massage tables that I especially liked. I also had a one hour and twenty minute facial-which included a mini massage. I would say don’t do both back to back-if you are like me…I get antsy and can’t sit still that long

Be aware that the spa at the Mandarin offers weekday prices and weekend prices and an 18% gratuity is automatically added to your bill.

After a morning of pure relaxation, we head over to Stephanie’s for lunch. See review here.

We head over the Newbury Street, the Prudential mall and the Copley mall to walk off our lunch before retuning to our hotel to get ready for dinner at Clio.

It’s hard to see what this room looks like because it was so dim. Clio and Uni are in the same space. Uni, the sushi bar, is located in a small space-down a few steps from Clio. Clio is a relatively small restaurant and the place was packed. Both restaurants are Ken Oringer’s-Clio’s menu changes nightly so see the website for a sample menu.

I started with a really wonderful appetizer-green and white asparagus with en egg. The asparagus was cooked perfectly and the creamy texture of the egg blended really nicely with the saltiness of the ham.

For the main course I had the lobster. Two large portions that were the perfect texture and wonderfully sweet. Such a simple dish, but done so well.

I can’t remember the name of this dessert, but it was a little too gummy for me. It tasted like chocolate pudding but was more of the consistency of jello….Really good meal over all-I expect nothing less from Ken Oringer..the service was good-very attentive. We called it a night after dinner.

We went back to Clio for breakfast-they offer a buffet option, with cereal, yogurt, and pastries. We opted for the a la carte menu. I had the waffles with fresh berries and raspberry coulis. Beautifully presented, and tasted just as good.

My mom had the French toast-again, nice presentation and tasty. This was the end of our overnight in the city-over all, a really great day!

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