If you haven’t been to the Plaza Athenee Hotel on New York City’s Upper East Side, you’re in for a real treat. While we didn’t stay at the hotel during our most recent trip in late June, we did test out the hotel’s spa – Spa Valmont. For those of you who know anything about the Valmont spa philosophy and high quality products, you know that the quality is top notch.
Spa Valmont for Plaza Athenee is the only luxury hotel spa in New York City to exclusively carry Valmont Cosmetics skin care lines. Skin enthusiasts likely know about Valmont, a line which was created in Switzerland as far back as 1985. Valmont is known for its scientifically advanced skincare products, incorporating cutting-edge Swiss technological research and Glacial Spring Water into all of their luxurious products.
In line with its commitment to luxury products and a luxurious experience, all the rooms are private. The spa features four Asian themed private treatment suites sumptuously designed with natural elements. Each treatment area is for you alone and in addition to the room itself with the spa “bed,” you have a suite to yourself, which contains a dressing room, lounge chair for relaxation and a private steam shower. They also have an option for two “beds” in one room.
All of the treatment rooms offer complete spa services – including massage, facial, body wraps, reflexology, manicure, pedicure, make up application and a comprehensive spa menu. One of the treatment suites features Thai massage treatments while another offers couples massage treatments. (see above).
I had a 90 minute “Valmont” signature facial, which includes a hydration, energy renewal, radiance and anti-wrinkle and firmness treatment. They started me off with a foot soak in a large round copper tub, which was scattered with beautiful rose petals, before bringing me to the treatment room itself and diving into the facial itself. You can get a body wrap as part of it except I decided to opt for a little extra firming treatment for under my eyes.
They use a Solution Booster (Butterfly method of massage), then do a C Curve Shaper, followed by a cleanser. Like most facials, they give you a face massage and exfoliate with a mask. Their ingredients are renowned for giving moisture and revitalizing energy to the skin, so the prime renewing pack is an integral part of the process.
The program utilizes their exclusive Time Master Intensive Program, a cure which features 26% active ingredients for both immediate and long-term rejuvenation. The idea is that they want you to “see” and “feel” results immediately while also experiencing long term gain. Following the treatment, your skin is more luminous (this is true btw) and the structure of the skin appears more defined (also true in my case).
I didn’t know much about Valmont before I had my treatment, so I decided to do some digging only to learn that they’ve been around trying to advance skincare since the mid-eighties. Valmont was one of the earliest innovators by becoming the first Swiss clinic dedicated to plastic surgery, and a skin care line followed. The range which is an integral part of their treatments today (ELIXIR DES GLACIERS range) was launched in 2001 and the birth of their spas kicked off in 2003.
They’re well known for their work with anti-wrinkle cosmetics to fight against expression lines, chrono-biological wrinkles and hormono-structural wrinkles. God knows I have more than my fair share early in life because of how much time I spent in the sun. They also do hair repair and have something called the Electronic Eye, a skin aging diagnosis tool.
Valmont has four main Beauty Rituals:
Hydration Ritual which gives your skin long-lasting moisturization. The idea is to rebalance the hydro-lipidic firm to restore the barrier function of the skin. The process optimizes the capacity of water retention in the cells, restructures the membranes of comecytes and the inter-cellular cement. In other words, it gives you in-depth and long lasting hydration which is really important to keep the skin looking young.
Energy Ritual to boost cellular renewal and provide the skin with a second youth.
Radiance Ritual which helps to reinforce micro-circulation to restore a luminous, radiant skin tone. This helps make an even spread to skin pigments for a more unified look to your complexion.
Lastly, is the Anti-Wrinkle and Firmness Ritual to fight against wrinkles and skin sagging. This process helps to boost the elastin synthesis and re-stretch facial features for a face that looks more lifted and reshaped.
Think….a very unique skin treatment combined with an overall luxurious experience in full privacy. I loved the experience and the service was top-notch. I’d definitely recommend giving them a try next time you’re in the Big Apple. Thanks to JC, Miranda and team for a fabulous few hours!
Details:
Spa Valmont in the Hotel Plaza Athenee
37 East 64th Street at Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10065 | T: 212.606.4600
http://www.plaza-athenee.com/spa-en.html
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
