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Washingtonian Magazine
February 2008
Great Day Spa's
Want a Good Facial – But don't want to Pay $350?
Here's a more Affordable Alternative.
What it is
60 minute European Custom Facial at Amenity Day Spa
44365 Premier Plaza, Suite #120
Ashburn, VA 703-726-8100; www.amenitydayspa.com
What it costs
$90 plus gratuity
The experience
Richly textured fabrics (silk, brocades) and classic furnishings (boudoir vanity, velour slipper chairs) evoke a vaguely continental feel at Amenity Day Spa. By the time I slipped into a terry smock, robe, and plastic slippers and made my way to a curtained-off relaxation room, it was easy to forget the generic office park environs.
I sipped cranberry juice and read brochures about laser treatments until Cindy Jarvis, my esthetician, escorted me to one of Amenity's treatment rooms. True to the brochure's promise to "spend every quality minute" on treatment during facials, Jarvis got right to work, asking about skin issues and positioning a steam nozzle over my face. To combat dryness, she opted for an exfoliation that she said would make my face more receptive to moisturizers.
Jarvis applied each product with aplomb, swirling, tapping and massaging it in place. While ingredients seeped in, neck, arms, hands, and feet were treated to hot steamed towels and light massaging.
Sometime after extractions –during either a second exfoliation of the mask – I fell asleep. Embarrassed, I asked Jarvis if clients ever snore. She said a number of Washington Redskins do; many are regulars.
As she applied the final cool, gelatinous moisturizer, she assured me that I would leave with skin "as smooth as a baby's bottom." The treatment wrapped up with a written "spa-scription" recommending products from the spa's GM Collin Line. At the reception desk, products had been pulled for me, but there was no pressure to purchase. I passed because I wanted to get a better look at my skin; the spa's soft lighting made it hard to see.
Was it worth it?
Because it was evening when I left, I let the heavy, greasy moisturizer stay on overnight. In the morning, my skin felt smoother. This basic facial packs in a lot of skin refreshing and relaxation for the money.
Reviewed by:
----Judith Snyderman
Washingtonian Magazine
Washingtonian Magazine
February 2008
Great Day Spa's
Quick Fixes
No Time to pamper yourself? Day spas know you're busy – which is why most now offer express facials, massages and other treatments that can leave you feeling good in no time.
By Judith Snyderman
Amenity Day Spa's
Four Handed Massage
Get two hours of service in one by signing up for a four-handed massage. At Amenity Day Spa, massage therapists Chelsea and Nick stand at opposite ends of the table and work in tandem – for example, as one kneads a client's left shoulder, the other massages the right foot. The Swedish- based technique is enhanced by reflexology on pressure points. Our tester declared it as a multi-tasker's dream come true and highly recommends it to anyone who is shorter on time than money! $180.
Washingtonian Magazine
Amenity Day Spa
5 Star Review
June, 2004
As Good As It Gets: Amenity Day Spa
A suburban strip mall crowded with medical and dental offices isn't where you'd expect to strike spa gold.
But from the minute I walk in to Amenity's candlelit interior, done in shades of sand and straw, I'm well taken care of. I slip into a waffle-weave robe and socks, put my jewelry in a tiny basket, and stow my clothes in a blond-wood locker in the pretty, private dressing area.
The waiting room is cornered with cushy chairs you'd find in a horse-country living room. There's a bin full of current magazines and a free juice-and-wine menu. Everything is impeccably timed: The moment I settle in to my chair, an attendant arrives with iced tea. As I sign the last line of the very detailed information form (What temperature water do you use to bathe? Do you blush easily?) my massage therapist, Rachel, introduces herself.
My signature Key Largo massage ($45 for 30 minutes)--named because of the mango- and coconut-scented lotions--is more relaxing then therapeutic. The treatment bed is heated and plush, and Rachel's long, strong strokes across my back and shoulders nearly put me to sleep. I've never been a fan of foot massages--too ticklish--but Rachel's reflexology is immensely soothing. In the meantime, every part of my body not being worked on is covered with hot towels. Soon, the piano concerto on the speaker comes to an end. As if on cue, Rachel gives me one last rub, and we're done.
There are lots of things that can blemish a spa treatment, even at the priciest places--stray noise, a rude attendant, too-hot water, too-cold air conditioning, a painful treatment. Amenity is the rare spa that got everything right.
Bottom line: This two year-old Loudoun County gem is worth going out of your way for. You'll find creative treatments (keep in mind they don't do hair), talented technicians, nicely appointed rooms, and bearable prices.
Amenity Day Spa, 20605 Gordon Park Sq., Ashburn; 703-726-8100; www.amenitydayspa.com.
--ANN LIMPERT
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