NEW YORK — Spa Week has returned to assuage the stresses of the masses. And in a city like New York, where tension can saturate even the crisp fall air, Spa Week organizers have added two big-name spas to give luxurious relief. From this past Monday through Sunday, a host of spas, including newcomers Lancôme the Boutique and Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas, are joining the two-year-old event, during which participating spas offer three or more of their treatments at a discounted price of $50.
At Lancôme the Boutique, the decision to participate in Spa Week this season was about timing. The brand opened its first retail shop and spa here, at Columbus Avenue and 69th Street, last March, just a month before spring Spa Week. Lancôme director of operations, Bridget Johns, recalled, “We received a lot of client inquiries wondering whether we were participating in spring Spa Week. We just weren’t ready at the time because we had just opened.”
Seven months later, Lancôme is ready and presenting three treatments, an Anti-Aging Facial, a Purity Perfecting Facial and Full Body Self Tanning, for customer indulgence. The services are regularly $75 to $195. The Anti-Aging Facial, designed to treat skin damaged by sun exposure, aging and hormonal fluctuations, will be launched next week. “This is the perfect opportunity to reach out to some new clientele and let them know that we have the antiaging facials as well as our other facials,” said Johns. The strategy appears to be working: The Boutique is fully booked for Spa Week, with about 400 appointments and an extensive waiting list. The Boutique usually operates at about 60 percent of capacity. Lancôme’s Dallas, Texas and Short Hills, N.J., locations are also participating in Spa Week.
Meanwhile, another Spa Week neophyte, Elizabeth Arden Red Door, attributes its participation to a desire to give back to its loyal customers. Teresa McKee, senior vice president of operations at Red Door Spas, said, “This is our turn to thank the men and women who have supported Red Door over the years.” McKee explained that the flagship at Fifth Avenue and 54th Street here has recently undergone major renovations. The 30,000-square-foot facility is a comprehensive destination for wellness and beauty, with pedicure and manicure rooms, hair and makeup areas and 37 spa treatment rooms. “This has been a very exciting year for us,” said McKee. “It just seemed like the right time.” Red Door patrons can visit either the Fifth Avenue flagship or the Saks Fifth Avenue location for Spa Week services, including, the Fifth Avenue Pedicure and the Arden Beauty Facial. The treatments usually are $65 to $135.
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Executives at C&R Media, the organizers of Spa Week, are excited about this season’s event. What started in 2004 with 25 spas here has rapidly expanded to 300 outlets in 14 cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Cheryl Reid and Christina Castro, Spa Week co-founders, came up with the idea. “We are both native New Yorkers,” said Reid, “and we know that a lot of people don’t stop to relax.” For Reid, Spa Week is more than just high-end relaxation at a discount. “The key thing about Spa Week is creating a healthier America,” she said. “It’s all about wellness and opening up spas to the masses.” The event presents a boon for spas, as well. “We have been told customer retention is about 15 to 45 percent, depending on how good the spa is,” said Reid.
Now that this Spa Week is nearing its end, all parties are looking to the future. Lancôme and Red Door executives expect to return next year. “Based on the response from our clients, I can’t imagine that we wouldn’t participate,” said Lancôme’s Johns. Based on this year’s success, McKee said Red Door “may want to roll the program out to its other locations.” Reid offered another bit of good news, that Spa Week will expand to 10 new markets in 2007, though which ones has not been decided.