Best of Connecticut 2009: Health & Beauty
DAY SPA
Saybrook Point Inn & Spa
Old Saybrook, (800) 243-0212 (saybrook.com)
How could the divinely situated Saybrook Point Inn (where the Connecticut River meets the Sound) get any better? By adding a luxury spa, of course. The inn did just that in 1989, and has been improving it ever since. Choose from an extensive menu of treatments, including the Vitamin C Pumpkin facial, Exfoliating Ginger Scrub and 30-minute services (Neck, Back and Shoulder Massage, $55; Enzyme Express Facial, $65). Many treatments, e.g., the Gifts from the Sea Facial and Hydra-Quench Body Wrap, use marine and/or 100 percent organic products.
HAIR SALON
Phillip Bruce Salon
Westport, (203) 255-4751 (phillipbrucesalon.com).
Owners Phllip Addario and Bruce Chapman warmly greet each customer at this artsy oasis, where an array of the latest beauty treatments, products and services are offered. Whether you're going for color, hair extensions or just a great cut, you'll emerge the victor after a visit to this hip salon where a team of top-notch hair specialists work their magic on your look.
MASSAGE/FACIAL SERVICE
Tranquility Mind and Body Wellness Spa
Milford, (203) 877-7115 (tranquilwellness-spa.com)
Did Claudia have four hands? They never seemed to leave my body as she seamlessly worked me over from head to toe. While I had the most basic massage-Swedish-Tranquility Spa offers more than a dozen varieties, including the circus-worthy Ashiatsu, during which the masseuse hangs from the ceiling and applies the massage with her heels and toes.
DAY SPA
Charym
Litchfield, (860) 567-7795 (charym.com)
Everything at Charym (it means "beauty and health" in Bhutanese) has a Zenlike feel-the serene setting, the music, the aromatic oils. The deep-muscle rub gets you to the same place, with its blend of Swedish strokes to relieve tension from stress as well as deeper probes to work out tough knots and promote circulation and lymphatic drainage. Overall, Charym is a new country retreat where visitors can take a full range of yoga meditation classes, then choose from an extensive menu of skin-care, eye and body treatments. The idea is to approach health, beauty and well-being in an integrative way. Mission accomplished.
DAY SPA
Noelle Spa for Beauty and Wellness
Stamford, (203) 322-3445 (noelle.com)
The first day spa in the area (opened more than 30 years ago), Noelle's continues to offer a calming setting (one patron said she "felt like a Roman goddess" waiting for her massage-"white robes, comfy lounge chairs, citrus water . . . very chill") for select spa services. Most popular are the traditional massages and facials, the seaweed body wrap and the "duet"-a manicure and pedicure combination done in a private room. Note to first-timers: While the Noelle sign is in the front of the building, you park in back and enter on the side from a flower-rimmed grotto.
HEALTH FOOD STORE
Whole Foods
Multiple locations (wholefoodsmarket.com)
If you're lucky enough to have a Whole Foods near you, you know that "health food store" hardly describes it-superstore is more like it. Sure, they have nuts and seeds, whole-wheat frozen pizzas, organic milk and eggs, all kinds of natural cereals, chips, frozen products and whole grains and an outstanding produce department. But there's also a great cheese department, a bakery, a coffee bar, and a large selection of enticing foods to go, including freshly made sushi. And one of our favorite quickie lunches of late is veggie korma with brown rice from the new serve-yourself hot food bar.
SALON FOR KIDS
Scissor Kids
Glastonbury, (860) 633-1833 (scissorkids.com)
Do your children hate getting a haircut? Scissor Kids is guaranteed to change their minds. This special hair salon makes the whole experience enjoyable for munchkins, offering them scented shampoos and full access to a play area while they wait their turn to sit on the monster truck or the prancing pony and watch their "new look" unfold. And while the little ones have fun, so, too, will you.
YOGA STUDIO
Fresh Yoga
New Haven, (203) 776-9642 (freshyoga.com)
Take a break from all the stress-Fresh Yoga offers a variety of classes and workshops seven days a week at its renovated Erector Square location, making it easy not to miss a class-and they provide parking, too. Different styles of yoga are taught by a supportive staff of professional instructors, and there's even an early-morning meditation scheduled to help you start your day right. Owner Heidi Sormaz matches up students with teachers and classes that will best serve their needs, while allowing them to relax and enjoy. There's also an attractive line of yoga clothing, mats and more.
