Skip to main contentNot everyone has time in that hectic schedule to slow down long enough to escape the real world and indulge in a luxurious spa sleepover. But that shouldn't stop you from enjoying the pleasures of a completely transformative pampering experience. Get rubbed the right way at any of the following day spas (or treatment centers that could easily double as day spas), be it for an hour or for the full day, and you're bound to go away rested, relaxed and ready to rejoin the human race.
ACUTONICS
For this treatment, precision-calibrated tuning forks are applied to acupressure points to enervate the body's Chakra energy system. The forks' sound waves create vibrations that supposedly zip down the body's energy pathways to reach areas generally dead-ended by traditional medicine--thus releasing tension and restoring a bodily sense of well-being.
Dabia, 225 SW Broadway, 227-7111. Add acutonics to a 30-minute massage for $15 or to an hourlong massage for $30.
APHRODITE PACKAGE
Treat your inner goddess to a two-and-a-half-hour combination of acupuncture, massage and detoxification. Start off with a mini acupuncture session that focuses on the ear and back to relieve stress throughout the body. Follow that up with an acupressure-based Tui Na massage that works mainly on the neck and shoulders to take your dwindling stress level a notch lower. And once you're wrapped in those sheets soaked in warm herbal tea and you've sweat out every last toxin, you'll be in heaven.
Venus Envy Day Spa, 4927 NE 30th Ave., 281-0681. $140.
CRANIO-SACRAL THERAPY
Monte Murray is a blind, faith-based massage therapist, so you can probably guess he's got a special--some might say blessed--touch. With one hand on the cranium and one hand on the sacrum (to increase the flow of energy through the spine), Monte has been known to cause rainbowlike visions in some of his customers. If you're looking for some TLC rather than a super-deep massage, this one's for you.
Christian Massage Therapy by Monte, 7606 SE Lambert St., 788-2900. $45 per session.
CRYO-RESTRUCTUREL
The secret to pulling off that younger skin look? Moisturize it, honey. If you feel like Joan Rivers, try an application of flash-frozen (hence "cryo") DNA-based gel. According to research, the DNA encourages your skin cells to reproduce, so you get a younger- and healthier-looking complexion that actually continues to improve itself after the initial treatment. Years of testing it successfully on burn victims in France can't be wrong.
Faces Unlimited, 25 NW 23rd Place, #7, 227-7366, $100 per session, $450 for five sessions.
DETOXIFYING MUD WRAP
A sure-fire recipe for relaxation: Take one frazzled body, slather generously with an ooey, gooey mix of all-natural clay (containing more than 1,000 plant extracts and minerals), wrap in one thermal blanket and then bake for 30 minutes, like an aromatic, toxin-releasing mud pie. Though designed to leach out bodily impurities and improve circulation, Dosha's premier body shmear, the Detoxifying Mud Wrap, is so sinfully relaxing, it's downright dirty. Performed in the salon's "Hydro Room," the pampering continues as seven jets of steaming hot water deliver a liquid back massage aimed at specific energy points along the spine, removing the mud and your tensions to boot. As with all Dosha treatments, a free makeup consultation ends your experience. It doesn't get much more luxurious than this.
Dosha, 2281 NW Glisan St., 228-8280. $95.
FACIAL MICRODERM-ABRASION
Now's your chance to stop cursing those people who have radiant skin and start exuding a glow all your own. This hourlong European treatment uses a fine sand crystal-filled machine that works like sandpaper to gently, but permanently, blast away some of your skin's imperfections. After your consultation with an aesthetician to determine if the treatment is right for you, you get to knock out evil foes like hyperpigmentation, fine lines, scars and acne for good.
Rejuvenation Day Spa, 6333 SW Macadam Ave., #105, 293-5699. $120.
ROLFING
Everybody's heard of it, but few know what it is--and no, it's not puking. Focused structural integration, or Rolfing (after its creator, Ida Rolf), seeks to let the body release old, unhealthy holding patterns and adopt a new one through different modalities, pressures and (often unorthodox) angles. An intense, interactive massagelike treatment, it can provide long-lasting relief for those who experience chronic pain, seek postural realignment or have gone through intense emotional therapy. Often a physical change can be detected after treatment.
Rolfing with Martha Pfleeger, 7409 SW Capitol Highway, 977-2434. $125 for a two-hour treatment.
ROSE PETAL PEDICURE
Most pedicures involve abrasive chemicals, the kind that smell like they could peel paint from walls as well as the polish off your little piggies. So to provide anxiety-free decadence for cautious comfort seekers, Nature's Spa and Salon created the ultimate experience for foot fetishists and granola lovers alike: the Rose Petal Pedicure. After a glass of Dr. Hauschka (a German, nature-obsessed skin-care line) calming Rose Petal Elixir aligns your emotional and physical states, the spa uses a series of treatments (hydro-jet footbath, nail shaping and warm paraffin mask) to massage, invigorate and seal in moisture and emollients--each using Dr. Hauschka's rose-, almond- and rosemary-infused oils and creams. These natural products are a smart option for pregnant women, elderly clients or anyone with sensitive skin.
Nature's Northwest Spa Salon, 3535 NE 15th Ave., 281-3173. $45 per person, but better as a pedicure built for two.
SOY-BASED WAXING
Whether you're going for shapelier brows or a more Brazilian bikini line, waxing can be pretty damn painful. Bellini's has heard your yelps and squeals, and it's offering a far less painful alternative. Its soy-based wax is designed to pull at the hair rather than the skin, so it's super-gentle and painless for even the most sensitive epidermis. Wax on, girlfriend!
Bellini's European Skin Care, 2326 NW Irving St., 226-1526. $7-$75.
TANDEM MASSAGE
Originally intended for Indian royalty, tandem treatment (massage with two therapists) is now available for Portland plebes as well at Aequis--the Rose City raja of sheer sensory decadence. Lucky guests start with a Dead Sea salt foot soak and massage, continue with a personalized aromatic oil sensory journey and then settle in for an hour and 45 minutes of synchronized, four-handed candle-lit orgazma. With an extra pair of helping hands, the therapists are able to manipulate more square footage of your body at once in order to yield the maximum in both health benefits and enjoyment. For the finale, the massage duo delivers a double pleasure punch--a 15-minute hot-oil scalp massage up top and foot treatment down below, producing a sensation that could not be achieved by a single person. Not satisfied? It's rumored that these heaven-sent soothers outdid themselves earlier this year, pulling the royal treatment with--count 'em--four masseuses for a certain The Hunted star.
Aequis Spa Retreat, 1306 NW Hoyt St., Suite 201, 223-7847. $245 for 2-hour treatment.
WATSU
"Watsu" was coined by therapist Harold Dull in the 1980s to describe his discovery that Zen Shiatsu massage could be performed in water--with tension-melting results. Experience the precision of Shiatsu distraction-free as you float on your back in a pool of 94-degree water with your ears submerged while your body is gently stretched, rocked and massaged in ways wholly impossible on dry land. If you don't feel like trekking to Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon Easter Seals offers Watsu treatments at its Southwest Portland therapy pool for both Easter Seals clients and local massage junkies alike. The four non-staff Watsu practitioners are adept at tailoring heavenly water experiences to most any physical, emotional and therapeutic need.
Easter Seals Therapeutic Aquatic Pool, 5757 SW Macadam Ave., 228-5108 ext. 324. $35 per hour, Easter Seals clients. $55, non-clients.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Spa Slumber Party
Class Act - change your life by changing your workout routine
Staying Fit in the Freezer - winter workouts
Treat Yourself - spas
Life Savers - health clubs are for everyone
WWeek 2015