La Prairie Spa

Profile

This spa pleasantly reminds patrons they’re in a Ritz-Carlton: With only six treatment rooms, fleur-de-lis carpeting, and creamy buff walls, it feels like a gracious guest suite. A mix of Ritz-Carlton guests and New Yorkers, clients are addressed by name (a point of pride in this service-oriented hotel) and are advised in advance to reserve time to enjoy the spa’s changing rooms; the women’s, fitted with a glamorous black and white marble floor, offers a steam room, showers, tons of amenities, and ample lockers (complete with jewelry boxes), while the men’s area is appropriately clubby, with an oversized steam room that occasionally hosts expense account-fueled business meetings. A lounge proffers books—no magazines; they were deemed un-serene—and CDs for play during your treatment. Services rely on the deluxe potions of La Prairie, a skincare line with Swiss clinic roots and a society following. Strongly fragranced with a marine scent, the products invoke anti-aging serums and protein-rich caviar extracts. Body treatments cover several schools of massage and a variety of head-to-toe scrubs. Facials combine deep cleaning, exfoliation, and hydration, and relaxation is fostered at all turns: Chairs and tables are heated, rooms are noiseless, and your neck, shoulders, and hands are sure to be stroked and smoothed. It all feels quite ritzy. — Karen Tina Harrison

La Prairie is the place for a girls’ get-together. With plush and roomy relaxation areas and six treatment rooms, booking services like the rich Silver Rain manicure and pedicure or Diamond Perfection “top-to-toe” treatment is as much an exercise in primping as in catching up with bridesmaids.