Review – European Deep Cleansing Facial – The Peninsula Spa, New York
By Juliet Kinsman
There are facials (‘mmm, relaxing, lovely…’) and there are facials (‘mmm, relaxing, lovely… and wow! I actually look so much better!’). My spell at the 23nd-floor Peninsula Spa treated me to the latter oh-my-goodness-I-can-actually-see-the-results-immediately reaction. And I got to enjoy some pampering and precious downtime on a work trip to one of the world’s most full-on cities…
Hot town, summer in the city… back of my neck getting dirty and gritty… as the Lovin’ Spoonfuls once sang… so I’d signed up for a European Deep Cleansing Facial on a sunny Sunday afternoon. This not only meant a 60-minute supine-and-eyes-shut escape from the hurly-burly of Manhattan in the searing heat, it meant a better-intentioned kind of steaminess thanks to the hands of my expert therapist and the cult French brand of products they use, rich in active botanicals and marine extracts. Her deep-cleansing technique included expert extractions, a purifying Biologique Recherche mask and a hydrating moisturiser that meant there were no signs of me having been poked or prodded. Just smoother refreshed skin that meant I wanted to go live in the Alps rather than expose my face to city life again. Thankfully, floating from the soothing therapy room straight to the Sun Terrace on the 21st floor via a splash in the pool was a happy compromise.
This facial costs USD $215 on weekdays and then USD $225 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It’s worth the surcharge to feel like you’ve had a weekend holiday far, far away at a five-star resort if you’re staying somewhere without such dazzling facilities. The Sun Terrace is open to hotel residents and day spa visitors who book a two-hour treatment or more. So even if you can’t book in and actually stay at the Peninsula hotel in Midtown, it’s worth trying to schedule some time at this perch high up. (I even kept the escapism alive by drifting up to the very top floor for a cocktail at sunset in Salon de Ning afterwards…)
The Peninsula New York
700 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA
9am–9pm
+1 212 903 3910
[email protected]