This Wedding Wednesday I am exhausted, absolutely exhausted…

Wedding portraits last weekend, this weekend is an endless list of things to finish so this week Wedding Wednesday is going to be short and sweet:

Make-up.

You have a couple choices airbrushed make-up, having a salon or spa do your make-up, get it done at a cosmetic counter or do it yourself.

Air brushed make-up:

If you are going to do this make sure you get it done by someone with a good reputation.

In the DC area I suggest Rodney Pinion at Andre Chreky.  Pinion uses an airbrushing gun to gently spray tiny droplets of color onto your face. The results are very natural: Even those with a fear of foundation will love it. You can get base, blush, eyeshadow, and even brow tints, all of which last for ages, go on remarkably evenly, are hypoallergenic, and won’t clog pores.  The bonus is it photographs really well because of the even matte finish.

Having it done at a Salon or Spa:

I am not very good with make-up.  I don’t normally wear it and putting it on scares me a little.  So I trust the professionals.  Again reputation is key.  Not only should they have good make-up, but a good knowledge of what will photograph well.  Sparkly powder or eyeshadow with sheen does not photograph well.  I recommend splurging on this a little more than you regularly would.  Find someone who does this often, who has good credentials and does this often.  People that work often with people being photographed really helps.  I recommend when you do your make-up test to do some photographs, and really scrutinize the look.

Having it done by a cosmetic counter:

I really don’t recommend this unless you can test the results.  Although, I had a great experience last weekend at the Bobbi Brown counter at Belk in Charlottesville.  I didn’t have a salon to do my make-up for my wedding portrait because it was in Charlottesville, not the Greenbrier and I didn’t drive down from the city.  Luckily I found someone really experienced.  If you go this route, you want the make-up woman who is older and has worked there forever, not the young thing, but their make-up should look good. They will have done a lot of make-up, they will know the product and have a good eye.

Also choose the brand carefully.  You should probably go with what you normally use, but consider your look.  I find Bobbi Brown to be very natural.  They don’t have a lot of bright colors and that would look odd on me, who never wear make-up.  Really I think natural brides look best.  so unless you really want a “look” you might consider going that route.  Certainly don’t switch to a brand you have never used.  Many people are allergic to cosmetics.  Mom is allergic to blue eyeliner from Lancome, I am allergic to a lot of Clinique products.  But I think looking at the make-up and testing the products you will find something you can use.  this bonus is so you can learn how to apply it and use it for the honeymoon.

Make sure to ask if they have any sample products like these online that you get for free with an order:

Do it yourself:

Don’t… just don’t.  Unless you are getting married out in the middle of nowhere.  If you do go get your colors done and buy the products they recommend that you don’t have, especially correctors and concealers.  Practice, practice, practice.  But really you are going to be so stressed out, do you really want that added pressure?

So think about it, test it out and find what works for you.

So this is not in honor of DC spa week, but is still a spa.  This week Arlington, we are going to Phoenix!  Why Phoenix you ask?  You doubt me I know you do, but readers here is the logic:

Yes right now it is sunny and warm and delectable, you obviously don’t remember last week, but give yourself about 7 months and then you will start needing to get-away to somewhere with a mild climate, food you can’t get in DC, plush romantic rooms and a spa.  You forget that now while it isn’t humid and while the temperature is perfect, but you will remember.  Also for many of you Spring Break or Passover just ended and you will be thinking about where to book that trip for next year.  Here is where the Royal Palms in Phoenix fits perfectly.

See readers.

Not all rooms come with a skinny, tan lady rubbing herself, but hey, it’s still worth it right?  Stupid PDF files make pictures more work than they are worth.

This spa is up there, I would rate it currently at number two.  Maybe in time after a few more visits it might move up, but I am telling you peeps that Nemacolin Woodlands Spa has got it going in.

The Royal Palms is in itself a relaxation process.  It is a small resort nestled at the foot of Camelback mountain, right near the gaudy huge Phoenician, a few miles away from the lovely, but not near as nice Biltmore.

The Royal Palm is tucked in away off the road you pull up and are delighted with how adorable this little place is.  Then you go to your luxurious room, even the rather basic rooms are wonderful here and you just melt.  More about Phoenix vacation tips in another post soon readers, so hold on!

Outside the area where the spa is you can smell the eucalyptus in the air, and the smell itself lures you to the spa.  You can use the steam, room, sauna and relaxation rooms at any time during your stay.  The staff is happy to assist you with a robe and sandals to do this.  I especially recommend this after a work out.  They have just relaxing places to sit by the fire and read or zone out or, ok let’s be honest here, nap.  Oooh the napping.  They will serve you water or hot tea while you relax and make sure it is readily available.

Services:

The Avadora spa has a host of services.  I got the Signore’s Eucalyptus Body Scrub.  This was one of the best scrubs.  The scent was invigorating, the technique qas great.  The scrub itself not too oily, but oily enough that the application was soothing.  Also on nice days they open the shutters and you can hear the birds and get fresh air, it is just lovely.   After the scrub they lead you to an outdoor shower outside on the terrace, if you open the spa brochure it was the blue room the far door on the left goes to the shower.  The shower has great water pressure and is really warm, in case you go when it is a little chilly.  You can take your time and have a long leisurely shower.  Then you have your lotion application.  You smell so good after this treatment you will sniff yourself.

The massages are very nice.  I had a hot stone massage.  The sound of the birds, the rocks, the scent of eucalyptus all made for a really relaxing treatment.  The therapist was extremely nice, very personable and charming.  She really made the experience.

Also if you don’t open the spa brochure for anything else, open it to see the pedicure station.  Oh the pedicure.  You sit on this bench with your feet in a warm copper bath.  They really care for your nails and cuticles, they ask if you want them pushed or trimmed, and make it a relaxing experience.  This was one spa pedicure that was worth a little extra dough from your regular place.

At the Royal Palm they are all about romance.  The couple’s experiences are really nice.  I also like the fact that you can get massages with a view, in your room, in a treatment room, pretty much wherever you request.  Since it is a small place they are really accommodating.

But readers the best thing is they are open until 8:00 p.m.  Readers, when you are in Phoenix you will want to be active, for sure the biggest perks are the scenery and athletic pursuits, but how nice to come back from a hike and head to the spa for a rub down and steam.  I love that you can do evening spa appointments, I think that is genius!  Think about it massage then going to bed in a big fluffy bed.

Ok, some of you may have heard of a little resort out in Western Pennsylvannia called Nemacolin Woodlands.  Those of you who haven’t, you’re welcome.  Think of it as the Greenbrier or the Homestead, but with a cabin or french theme in the country.  They also have Falling Rock, inspiration taken from the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Rock.

So not only is it a really nice resort, it happens to have my all-time favorite spa.  Oh yes, readers, ultimate favorite.  Now there are still a lot of spas in the world I will get to at some point, but I have a pretty long list of visited ones.  If I ever find one that tops this place you will know.

What I love about it:

First off the spa was designed by someone trained in Feng Shui.  I don’t really believe in all that stuff, but it translates to very clean, comfortable design.  The colors are muted and there is a lot of natural wood used.  I like the use of circulating water which makes for a really peaceful sound barrier to noises, and it looks nice too.

The spa is multiple levels, you enter on the top level, saunas and steam rooms are on the middle level, spa pool and deck on the lower level.  Treatment rooms are on the middle and lower level.

On the top level they have a saloon, which for out in the middle of nowhere in between Deep Creek Lake and Pittsburgh the stylist are very nice.  The pedicures and manicures are pretty standard, very much like your normal high end saloon.  I normally get the normal ones, and save my money to get another treatment.

One saloon service I really like is the make-up lesson.  I don’t wear much make-up so I appreciate someone teaching me how to apply it nicely should I want to pump it up a notch.  I can read how to do it all day in a book and screw it up, but show me exactly how to do it once, and I am gold.  They don’t make you look like a tart and they have very nice make-up.  For anyone who is a little unfamiliar with the tips and tricks of good make-up artists I really recommend this, plus you leave looking nice.

Quick tip:  If you get this service with other services make sure you save it to last.

Also on the top floor is a nice workout room, they also have high and low intensity classes.  Nothing like a sweat before the relaxation.

The locker rooms are well-appointed.  I appreciate that they have nice amenities, even spray deodorant, which many spas forget.  They have a whole room of hair dryers and mirrors so you can leave looking nice.  Standard robes and plastic sandals.  Also their waiting room upstairs has very good infused water, fruit and snacks.  You can also order food or champagne, although they don’t tell you this.

The middle floor is segregated by sex, so you feel comfortable in a robe.  The whirlpool on the middle floor is huge, and is the perfect place to gather your thoughts, or talk with friends.  They have water and towels nearby.  The steam room and sauna are appropriately hot to do their job, they are nice and roomy with multiple levels of seating, which is good because the spa is a popular place.

The bottom level spa pool is unisex.  The water is cooler than the outside pool and it is a great place to do laps, as it normally isn’t crowded.  There is a deck for sunning outside, and you can get drinks from the regular pool and bring them back, and no one will bat an eye.  Of course if you are detoxifying, maybe go with a strawberry smoothie.  I like that there are a couple unisex places here: the pool, workout rooms, etc.  When you go on vacation with significant other or spouse and go to the spa sometimes you just don’t see them at all!

Their treatments:  My favorite is the lavender kur, it starts with a lavender scrub that has a good balance of salt and moisture to exfoliate with proper technique, but not leave you dripping in oil.  The exfoliation itself feels like a massage.  The first time I had the service I had a male who even did my armpits, he was the best massage therapist I have ever worked with, I hope he is still there, I should call and see to share his name.  They are good with your privacy but still work your butt and stomach unless you prefer them not too.  You are then put in a lovely lavender bath with many rotating jacuzzis where you relax and rinse.  You then have a massage/lotion application.  The rooms are kept warm so you are never cold, they are appropriately dim and they use eye covers for the massage portion to help you relax. Plus I love the scent of lavender, I find it really relaxing.

Again if you are getting something with an application of moisture, book it for late in the day so you can use the other amenities first.

Their swedish massage is very relaxing, as well.  Because of the reputation of the spa they get very good massage therapists who know proper technique and have just the right touch.  They are very personable and really want to make your stay pleasant.  I have also enjoyed the hot stone massage.  I love the sound the rocks make when they hit together.

They have some hocus pocus treatments, but if you stick with the basics you will be really happy.

Another nice perk?  If you want to use the whirlpool, steam room, sauna and pool without a service you can for just $15.

Their gift shop even has nice products and if you forget something they are likely to have a nice replacement.

I visited Lansdowne Spa Minerale, and it really tries to be Nemacolin Woodlands Spa.  It REALLY tries.

It looks pretty on the website.  They have a steam room, sauna, whirlpool.  They have the nice locker room, relaxing rooms.  They have the flavored water.  But something about this place is just a little off.

The steam room was nicely hot and steamy.  The sauna appropriately warm; however, the spa isn’t too large so in the off season there is no one there, and in season there are too many people there, and the rooms aren’t very large.  So you are ok in off season, if you like to be in a silent spa.

The relaxation rooms were nicely appointed with magazines and tea, but it just wasn’t quite comfortable.  The fabric choosen just isn’t very soft, and I found the color scheme to be just trying to hard and not relaxing.

I had a scrub and a massage.  For the scrub they put you on this big plastic table so they can run the shower nozels over you during the scrub.  The table itself was not very comfortable.  The scrub used was very oily.  The technique was good, much like a swedish massage.  But then they would shower you and you would freeze on that table.  There is nothing I find that makes you colder than damp skin.  Also the room was not dark enough to relax in.  This service was really just someone exfoliating you.  It wasn’t a relaxing treatment.  I can say with certainty this is the worst scrub experience I have ever had.

The Massage:  I had a deep tissue massage after a rough day of tennis the day before, and just generally a stressful life.  There was good pressure, but I left with knots still in my shoulders.  Also unlike yesterdays spa they just don’t pay a lot of attention to personal relaxation.  There was no attention to heat or to personal comfort.

I think the spa itself could learn a lot had they sat through many of their own treatments.  It was obvious they had not.  And many of the staff were professional but not personable.  For a spa trying to compete with the other big name resort spa’s in the area, it didn’t live up to any expectations.  For a spa experience go elsewhere.

I will admit their pedicure rooms looked very nice, so skip on the massage and scrub, but if you are there and are tired of golf or tennis, perhaps get a pedicure.

So in honor of spa week I am reviewing a spa I have been to everyday this week.  I have been to a lot of nice spas.  I love to spa.  I judge spas by their massage, scrub and salon services.  I don’t like those hocus pocus seaweed wraps or non-sense like that.  And since I have very even, clear skin I rarely get facials.

Today I am reviewing the Natural Body Spa and Shoppe.  I went because of the fabulous Washingtonian special which runs through April 15, where you can get three services for $99.  They have several locations in the metro area, the Arlington branch in the Ballston Mall just happens to be closest to me.  You wouldn’t expect being located here that it would be as peaceful and tranquil as it is, but when you walk inside, you forget you are inside a mall, inside a busy city.

Included in the Washingtonian special was an express manicure and choice of two of the following: body scrub, facial, deep-tissue massage or pedicure.  I got the pedicure and scrub and added a 60 minute swedish massage. But don’t fret if you can’t get there that quickly, they have other specials, just check the web for their coupons and specials, or join their mailing list.

Let’s start with the overall experience:  While the space is small it is nicely laid out.  They don’t have quite all the facilities of a big spa, but they are very nice.  It doesn’t have a big lounge space, but there aren’t a lot of customers so it is comfortable.

The Massage:  the thing I noticed about this spa was the great use of heat.   They have a heated table, they quickly pull warm towels off your feet and dry your skin so you don’t get cold.  They use warm neck supports and scented eye pillows.  The use of heat mixed with just the rigt pressure really made me relax from the very start.  A lot of other spas overlook the issue of warmth and relaxation.  They asked about the temperature to adjust it to your preference.  The oil used was moderately applied.  Overall it was one of the better massages I have had.

The Scrub: The scrub started out with some time in their steam room.  This was the weakest part of the whole experience, the steam room did not stay hot enough and the steam dissipated quickly and left you staring at dripping walls a little cold.  You next went into a service room where they began the scrub.  A lot of scrubs are applied like a massage.  This scrub was really just that a scrub of your body.  I missed the massage like moves; however, it was a very good exfoliation.  I really enjoyed again the use of heat to make sure you were warm.  I loved the hand washing of your feet, they really should expand upon that, as that part of the service was really heavenly.  For me as spas go for scrubs this was somewhere in the middle.  Not the worst not the best.  I also felt a scented scrub would enhance the experience.  You then showered off and they had very nice quality lotion for you to apply afterwards.  I did appreciate that their scrub did not have oil in it, and therefore, did not clog your pores once it exfoliated.  The lotion provided left yoru skin soft without the oil.  Also perhaps this was because of my impending pedicure, but they used the disposable flip flops instead of sandals that could be cleaned.  This seemed against their message.

The Pedicure:  At first I had a little trepadation as I was lead to put my feet in a run of the mill footbath you can buy for yourself to use at home.  But then after my cuticles and feet has softened they titled you back in this chair so you were almost laying on your back with legs and feet elevated somewhat.  They gave you a warmed neck pack and again a scented eye pillow and then did the remainder of the pedicure while you laid back.  It was actually a very relaxing pedicure and you didn’t really pay as much attention to what was going on.  All in all, I really liked this better than pedicures in the big machine.  Although they should upgrade the foot bath, it was a weak version my Mom has better.

Express Manicure:  This was a quickie manicure without all the thrills, but the polish has stayed on well, my nails were trimmed, filed and buffed nicely.  The service was professional and my nails look great.

For a day spa I highly recommend this little place.  It is relaxing, they pay attention to your needs, and they are very friendly and personable.  For me they rate above some of the bigger name spas in our areas that try to be spa destinations because they paid attention to what things people find relaxing.  I left after a half-day feeling completely rejuvinated and ready to handle the world, after perhaps a nap, because I was sooo relaxed.

Another feel good:  They use as many recycled products as possible and carry lines that do not have really harsh chemicals.  You can even drop off old cell phones here for recycling.